Add these authors into your popularity stakes this Christmas

While approximately half of all international book sales are made up by sales of books for Children and Young Adults, less than 1/3 of NZ book sales are in the Children and Young Adult category. Why is this? The talent is certainly here – perhaps it is a matter of name recognition?

Looking at the bestsellers charts for international Children’s & YA, parents and kids buy based on author name. Right now, Andy Griffiths is hovering at the top of the charts for his Treehouse series. David Walliams also sticks on the chart like glue: I didn’t even realise he’d written seven books until his visit to the Auckland Writers’ Festival made that clear. In the domestic market, names like Lynley Dodd, and Kiwi story author Bob Darroch stick around, with backlist sales being incredibly strong.

With this in mind, here are a whole load of still-living, possibly-overlooked amazing NZ authors that you should bring into your child’s reading world as early as you can.

Picture Book Authors

Donovan Bixley
Donovan is New Zealand’s king of expressive illustration. His sheep in Little Bo Peep and More (Upstart Press) are hilarious, and his illustrations of kid’s classics Wheels on the Bus and Old MacDonald’s Farm (Hachette NZ) are brilliantly original. With several original stories under his belt now – the award-winning Monkey Boy (Scholastic NZ, 2014), for one – I can’t wait to see more.

Fifi Colston
Home costume creation must-have Ghoulish Get-ups (Scholastic NZ) is just the latest in a great range of books that multi-talented creative Fifi Colston has to offer. Her award-winning Wearable Wonders (Scholastic NZ)  is essential for any young creative soul, and she has illustrated more books than I can count, in a career spanning 30 years. The Red Poppy, written by David Hill (Scholastic NZ), was just gorgeous, and Itiiti’s Gift, with Melanie Drewery (Puffin), is another classic.

Juliette MacIver
With her latest picture book, Yak and Gnu (Walker Books), being her 12th picture book in 5 years, Juliette MacIver and her flawless rhyming verse have become one of the perennials of the NZ book world. Her first book, Marmaduke Duck and the Marmalade Jam (Scholastic NZ), is the boys’ favourite; my personal favourite from her backlist is Toucan Can (Gecko Press). Most of her books are illustrated by the equally wonderful Sarah Davis.

Catherine Foreman
Catherine Foreman has a way with words for the younger kids in your family. Her 2015 book, The Roly-Poly Baby (Scholastic NZ), is a lovely short tale for your adventurous baby. Her 2013 series ‘Machines & Me’ still comes out most nights in our family – Trains in particular. Take note, writers of NZ – we need more good books about trains!

Ruth Paul
Ruth’s latest is the third in a group of dinosaur books, What’s the Time, Dinosaur? (Scholastic NZ) Not only are Ruth’s illustrations delightful, she can even rhyme! Our family favourites are Stomp! (board book just released), Two Little Pirates , and The King’s Bubbles (all Scholastic NZ).

Sally Sutton
All aboard the Zoo Train (Walker Books)! Sally is another fantastic picture book writer that isn’t anywhere near as well-known as she ought to be. Every child needs a copy of Roadworks (Walker Books). Be ready to hide it when it becomes a must-read Every Single Night. There are two follow-ups too – Demolition, and Construction.

Junior Fiction & Non-fiction

Kyle Mewburn
Kyle Mewburn has collaborated with Donovan Bixley for both of his recent junior fiction series’, Dinosaur Rescue (8 books, Scholastic NZ), and Dragon Knight. Begun early in 2015, this series is already 4 books strong. Both of these series are full of silly laughs for lovers of Captain Underpants and Diary of a Wimpy Kid, with a bit of Horrible Histories for good measure. He also has a 24-title-strong picture book list too: Duck’s Stuck (Scholastic NZ) and No Room for a Mouse (Scholastic Aus) are family favourites.

Des Hunt
Cool Nukes author Des Hunt specialises in action-packed, environmentally-conscious writing. He has written about glaciers (Shadows in the Ice), mining (Frog Whistle Mine) and treasure-hunting (Cry of the Taniwha). There is something in his 22-book strong backlist for every adventure-loving 8-12-year-old.

Elizabeth Pulford
‘Bloodtree Chronicles’ author Elizabeth Pulford is an incredibly diverse writer, writing for every age range. Her Scholastic fairy series Lily was published worldwide, and her most recent picture book Finding Monkey Moon (Candlewick Press) is being feted all over the globe. Junior Fiction series ‘Bloodtree Chronicles’, beginning with Sanspell, is perfect for the magic-loving kids in your life.
Philippa Werry
Author of non-fiction titles Anzac Day and Waitangi Day (New Holland), Philippa is another multi-talented author, writing ably across age ranges. Her most recent books have focused on war, and the New Zealand experience of war, but an old favourite of mine is junior fiction title The Great Chocolate Cake Bake-Off.

WW1 series, Scholastic NZ
Scholastic has a current book series commemorating New Zealanders’ wartime adventures. This began last year, with 1914: Riding into War, by Susan Brocker (another great underrated writer), then 1915: Wounds of War, by Diana Menefy (you guessed it, another). It will go for another three years, and is good reading for kids who enjoy Michael Morpurgo and other war-focussed writers.

Ned Barraud & Gillian Candler
Ned and Gillian have paired up on four books about New Zealand nature so far, and each of them have been extraordinarily good. In the Bush is the latest from this pair, but there is also On the Beach, In the Garden, and Under the Ocean. All are published by Potton& Burton. So, no matter where you are going this summer, there is a book in this range for you. Another kiwi author who writes and illustrates in the same area is Andrew Crowe.

Maria Gill
Most recently, Maria is known for her ‘Hall of Fame’ books – New Zealand Hall of Fame and New Zealand’s Sports Hall of Fame; but she has also got a huge backlist of nature publishing under her belt. If it explodes (Rangitoto, Eruption), has feathers (Call of the Kokako, Bird’s Eye View) or indeed fins (Save our Seas), she is bound to have written about it. Get your eco-ranger onto her books now!

Young Adult Fiction
David Hill
My Brother’s War and The Deadly Sky (Penguin NZ) are just the most recent in a very long list of books for young adults that the wonderful David Hill has produced. He has recently branched into picture book writing, with Red Poppy and First to the Top (Penguin, 2015). In his YA list, his sensitive portrayal of awkward teendom, and his wit, is what sets him apart from others.

Anna Mackenzie
Author of the recent release Evie’s War, Anna Mackenzie has been an essential part of the YA scene in New Zealand for many years. The Sea-Wreck Stranger was the first in a series exploring the fate of a stranger in a close-knit community. Cattra’s Legacy and Donnel’s Promise took us back into history, and reminded me a bit of Tamora Pierce’s books, with their fierce heroine.

Brian Falkner
Recon Team Angel (Walker Books) is the most recent series from Falkner, and it is a must-read for lovers of the ‘Cherub’ series. He began his writing career with junior fiction, incorporating the Warriors (The Flea Thing) and Coca Cola (The Real Thing); then moved into future-tech YA, with Brain Jack and The Tomorrow Code. He is a master of fast-paced action-packed adventure fiction.

Finally, a few you ought to know by now: Kate De Goldi, Elizabeth Knox, Fleur Beale, Mandy Hager, Bernard Beckett, and Ella Hunt. Introduce your teens to them, and they’ll read all of their books. They are brilliant. See my post from a couple of years ago for more about teen fiction writers in NZ.

by Sarah Forster

Book Review: Evie’s War, by Anna Mackenzie

Available in bookstores nationwide.

Evie’s War follows four turbulent years in the life of a young New Zealand woman, whose first trip to London, 1914, coincides with the beginning of World War I. Instead of meeting eligible young men, touring the continent and enjoying parties, Evie finds herself helping the greviously wounded. Written in diary form, this tracks the various events as they occur, from the point of view of someone who sees the terrible after-effects.

The diary format makes this an extremely easy read, allowing the reader to rush through, and would well suit the abilities of a reluctant teen reader or a younger reader (10/11+) who is reading above their level.

Whilst there are some horrendous injuries – including a rather gruesome description of effects of the mustard gas – these are not dwelt on in too great depth. I am not sure, however, that I find the diary form quite as engaging as a more conventional format would allow. Characters come and go, especially the many injured soldiers, giving little chance to empathise with their plights or even remember who was who. This format, and the era, also made the romantic moments feel less romance and lacked rather in passion- however, that does make it safe for the younger-but-mature reader.

There is plenty of historical matter in here, the results of meticulous research. The diseases, the injuries, the events, all allowing the reader to experience the true tragedies of a world at war. The ANZAC Gallipoli campaign earns a few entries: the landing is recognised (25th April, 1915), and the evacuation of soldiers, from the 15th December.

Overall, it was a good and relatively engaging read, with Evie proving a spirited heroine. Whilst I found the diary form a bit distancing, I think that it is required of the material, for otherwise it would be a truly grim read and off-putting for the target audience. As it stands, it provides a strong insight into darker times, of which the youth of today (and even those well-past youth, like myself) cannot truly imagine, whilst also being a story of courage, love, compassion and friendship.

Reviewed by Angela Oliver

Evie’s War
by Anna Mackenzie
Published by Longacre Press
ISBN 9781775537656

Book Review: Cattra’s Legacy, and Donnel’s Promise, by Anna Mackenzie

Both of these books are available now in bookstores nationwide. 

Risha’s tale begins in the mountainous village of Torfell, shortly after her father’s death. Her life is about to change, and not necessarily for the better, as she is forced to leave her home and begin a journey across a perilous countryside, following the legacy of a mother she can barely remember.

It took me a while to warm to the story. The characterisation and writing style is very rich, vivid and lyrical, but for the first part of the journey Risha’s role in it is fairly passive. After making her initial decision, she then basically becomes caught up in it, events forcing her along with them. We are introduced to a large cast of characters − some of which have mere passing roles, others of which we will learn more of later.

Once Risha began to take control of her own life, to make decisions for herself, she became a much stronger character and from then on the tale became a far more engrosing one. There are some truly tense moments here and I enjoyed watching her develop friendships and establish relationships without any of the over-exaggerated romance-fluff so prevalent in teen novels. There are some hints of in which direction her heart may lead her, but that is precisely what I would expect from a 15-year old girl.

The final section of the book gets more heavily into the politics of the various kingdoms, and with quite a large cast of characters with conflicting views, some of it is likely to go over the younger reader’s head, but it builds to a fine crescendo and a nail-biting finale.

Overall, a skillfully woven tale of a young girl, who starts as a well-educated but naive lass, and develops into a somewhat more canny young lady.

Cattra’s Legacy
by Anna Mackenzie
Published by Longacre Press
ISBN 9781775533184

Donnel’s Promise

A strong follow-up to “Cattra’s Legacy”, this instalment establishes Risha as a worthy player in court politics. It has a better pacing, and she plays a more pro-active role in this volume, as she sets out on a tour of Havre with a small company, only to find themselves ambushed and thrust into the middle of a potential political uprising. Through their combined quick wits, and the support of loyal friends and subjects − including some we were introduced to in the first book − Risha must win back what is hers by right.

Risha is an admirable character, and many of the females are portrayed in bold, active roles. Whilst there are hints of potential future romance, the fact that this lies secondary to Risha’s personal growth leads power to the story and portrays her as a stronger role model to her teenage audience. I enjoyed both books, this one especially, and am eager to see where Risha’s journey takes her next.

Donnel’s Promise
by Anna Mackenzie
Published by Random House NZ 
ISBN 9781775535461 

Both books are reviewed by Angela Oliver