Somewhere a cleaner
Various poets
Landing Press
pub. 2020
15 April, 2021
Somewhere a cleaner is a collection of poems and stories. It tells the stories of cleaners, people who clean for a living and people who clean their houses every once and a while. From people who love cleaning to people who have to do it; in offices, marae, houses, hospitals, skyscrapers.
Somewhere a cleaner sheds light on cleaners, a profession that is usually forgotten or dismissed, and shows how important the occupation is, especially in these times.
I personally think this book is much needed; I usually never think about cleaning, how much has to be done to help society function. Read more
The Pōrangi Boy
Shilo Kino
Huia Publishers
pub. 2020
15 April, 2021
I chose to read The Pōrangi Boy by Shilo Kino because it sounded interesting and I liked the bold colours of the cover page.
The book is about Niko, a young Māori boy, who lives in a small Northland town. Everyone calls him pōrangi, which means crazy, because he believes in the taniwha his koro has told him about. Niko is really close to his Koro, who changes his life in surprising ways, but he is also being bullied by his cousins. There are plans to build a prison on their land, and Niko’s koro is protesting against this whilst other people in their community want the prison to be built. Read more
Flight of the Fantail
Steph Matuku
Huia Publishers
2018
15 April, 2021
‘A bus full of high school students crashes in remote bush. Only a few of the teenagers survive. Their phones don’t work, there’s no food and they’ve only got their wits to keep them alive.
If you’ve ever read a Bear Grylls adventure story, or enjoyed a creepy sci-fi movie, then Flight of the Fantail is for you. If you love hypnotism, New Zealand bush adventures, a sinister company doing everything in their power to stop their secrets being uncovered, or an oddly exciting mix of all three, you’re in for a treat. Read more
The Volume of Possible Endings
Barbara Else
Gecko Press
pub. 2014
12 April, 2021
In the enchanting The Volume of Possible Endings, award-winning author Barbara Else spins a tale of trust, good, and evil.
Dorrity lives in Owl Town: a small town that is renowned for its magic, or the lack of it. She is the only child in the whole of the town and, until now, she has not questioned the reason why. But as her brothers prepare for their annual trip to Fribbleton, she begins to notice that they continuously avoid answering her questions. Why isn’t she allowed to come on their journey? Read more
Spark
Rachael Craw
Walker Books
pub. 2014
Sequels: Stray (2) and Shield (3)
12 April, 2021
Spark by Rachael Craw is the story of Evangeline Everton, her best friend Kitty and boyfriend(ish) Jamie Gallagher.
Jamie and Evie, as she likes to be called, have a relationship before the story starts when they are young teenagers and Evie touches on the memories at the start of the book. In the beginning, she tries to avoid Jamie but terrifically fails, falling right into his arms, literally.
It all revolves around a willow tree which is the final place at the end of the book. Read more
Neands
Dan Salmon
OneTree House
pub. 2020
12 April, 2021
Neands, a gripping YA novel by Dan Salmon, tells the story of Charlie Rutherford, a teenage boy living in a world full of chaos. A DNA-altering virus is spreading throughout the world infecting the majority of the population. Human genes seem to be reversing with people evolving backwards until they appear very similar to Neanderthals.
Charlie’s father was a scientist, as was his mother, who tried to alert everyone to what was going on. He was immediately accused of lying and trying to cause chaos. Everywhere scientists are disappearing, along with information about the virus. Read more
The Calling
Fleur Beale
Penguin NZ
pub. 2021
14 April, 2021
There is something to be said for sticking with what you know, and doing it well.
Exceptionally well, in Fleur Beale’s case. The acclaimed author of the I am not Esther series has just released a new young adult novel dealing with religious bigotry, questioning faith, and a coming-of-age girl’s place in it. These are running themes in her young adult books. Unlike I am not Esther, which has some political undertones on religious cults, this book feels more mainstream and uncomplicated.
Set in 1895, Molly lives with her brothers and Dad in small-town New Zealand, where family, hard work, and religion reign. Read more
Sherryl Jordan is one of our best-loved YA authors here at Hooked on NZ Books, with her books being constantly requested by our readers and reviewers.
Since we re-launched the site late last year, we’ve published reviews of The Anger of Angels (Zahra), Wynter’s Thief (Ashika) and The King’s Nightingale (Amber and Natalya) and we have more in the works!
Natalya loved The King’s Nightingale, and in her review describes it as an ‘’emotionally binding read.” Thanks to Sherryl’s publisher Scholastic, Natalya had the opportunity to ask the author some wider questions about her work. Natalya says:
“When I was given the opportunity to interview Sherryl Jordan, the author of The King’s Nightingale and many other incredible books, I could not help but accept! Read more
These Violent Delights
Chloe Gong
Hodder & Stoughton
pub. 2021
April 07, 2021
In glittering Shanghai, a monster awakens…
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong is the author’s debut novel and a modern take on William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet, centering on heirs of two rival gangs who had a past relationship when they were fourteen but betrayed one another through revengeful acts of violence.
Juliette, one of the two main characters, is sent away to America by her parents. The novel is set in Shanghai in the 1920s, four years after Juliette is sent away, and follows her return to Shanghai at the age of eighteen. Read more
Deadhead
Glenn Wood
OneTree House
pub. 2020
April 07, 2021
Deadhead by Glenn Wood is about a boy named Spencer Langley, who is 13, and his not-so-pleasant holiday.
Spencer is really smart. He can make or fix anything, and I mean anything. He gets into some trouble with a high school Yukuza gang, who are planning to raid Spencer’s house in a couple of nights. Spencer and his best friend, Regan, need to do something about it. Out of the blue, they decide to build a bodyguard. Actually, it is more like rebuilding a bodyguard. The next minute, they are robbing the grave of Garret, a dead police-officer. Read more
