Scroll down to see reviews submitted by YA readers:

Enveloped into a world of dragons, Caitlyn Wickham

Royal Orchid: Death Hunters
Denika Mead
Scribble Ink
Pub, 2019

 

September 16, 2020

“Then she was falling. Tumbling, flipping around and around as she plummeted through space.”

Ivy is just a normal girl who lives in New Zealand at an orphanage after she was left by her parents. All she has left of them is a penguin bookmark that mysteriously keeps calling her. But there is more to this bookmark than meets the eye. When she falls through the portal opened by this bookmark, she is enveloped into a world of dragons, Death Hunters and the Birds of Hope. But whose side should she be on?  Read more

September, 2020 Tanya Prince Scroll down to see reviews submitted by YA readers:

A fast-paced life of mystery, Hannah Hogan

Cassie Clark: Outlaw
Brian Falkner
OneTree House
pub 2018

 

September 16, 2020

Cassie Clark: Outlaw by Brian Falkner is a fast-paced adventurous mystery novel set in America. It’s about a teenager, Cassie, who is a brave and fiercely independent character whose curiosity often gets her into trouble. Her father is the speaker of the house third in line for the presidency. This means that she and her family gain the rights to their own bodyguard.

Cassie’s is Cam, a young and reliable bodyguard who has formed a bond with Cassie over the years that he has protected her. He is her closest friend and the person she trusts most in a world where she can supposedly trust no one.  Read more

September, 2020 Tanya Prince Scroll down to see reviews submitted by YA readers:

Transporting the reader over oceans, Maia Armistead


AUP New Poets 6
Ben Kemp, Vanessa Crofskey and Chris Stewart
Auckland University Press
pub 2020

 

September 10, 2020

AUP New Poets 6 stars the work of Ben Kemp, Vanessa Crofsky, and Chris Stewart, three unique poets who display the diversity and freshness of current New Zealand poetry. Despite their differences, these three collections can be read seamlessly together, with Kemp, Crofsky, and Stewart all commenting on common threads such as identity and memory. These themes are made unique by the tangible differences in form and setting that permeate each poet’s works, making AUP New Poets 6 a journey that jumps from Japan, to New Zealand, from fire-lit memories to poems scrawled on post-it notes, all displaying the exciting and complex new era of Kiwi poetry.  Read more

September, 2020 Tanya Prince Scroll down to see reviews submitted by YA readers: , , ,

On the shores of Sunken Forest, Claudia Taylor

Sunken Forest
Des Hunt
Scholastic
pub. 2016

 

September 7, 2020

Matt Smith is a misunderstood 13-year-old boy who is often found in the wrong place at the wrong time. After helping an old woman take out her recycling bin, things go horribly wrong and once more he is found at the scene of the crime.

It seemed like he was caught red-handed, but could one of his badly made friends have something to do with the robbery? This misaccusation was something that was bound to happen, but what follows is as unpredictable as the weather.

Matt’s father is in jail, so his Principal didn’t think people could trust him around other people’s possessions.  Read more

September, 2020 Tanya Prince Scroll down to see reviews submitted by YA readers:

A fast-paced steampunk adventure, Siobhan Ellis

The Clockill and the Thief
Gareth Ward
Walker Books
pub. 2019

 

September 6, 2020

“Tick-tock, chip-chop, cut out your heart and replace it with a clock, stitch it and sew it and stitch it again, heartless, invincible, with cogs for a brain.”

This is a description of the terrifying Clockill given in the form of a chilling nursery rhyme as featured in the sequel to the award-winning The Traitor and the Thief. Gareth Ward has achieved our high expectations once again. Ward has produced a breathtaking, fast-paced, well-written sequel to his equally stunning first novel. The Clockill and the Thief has not failed in enticing, entrapping, and entertaining the audience.  Read more

September, 2020 Tanya Prince Scroll down to see reviews submitted by YA readers:

A captivating telling, Sasha Maclean

A Short History of the New Zealand Wars
Gordon McLauchlan
Bateman Books
pub. 2017

 

September 4, 2020

A Short History of the New Zealand Wars is a captivating telling of the violent conflicts between Māori and Pākehā through one of the most important periods in New Zealand’s history. The language is cleverly used to draw in the reader’s attention. Whilst being easy to read and entertaining, it is also packed with facts and history, making this a resource for research. The comprehensive timeline and index at the front and back of the book respectively are a fast source of valuable information.  Read more

September, 2020 Tanya Prince Scroll down to see reviews submitted by YA readers:

Timeless and timely, Hannah Marshall

Winter Of Fire
Sherryl Jordan
Scholastic
1994

 

A dismal world where the sun has disappeared is the backdrop for Sherryl Jordan’s hard-hitting and powerful novel Winter Of Fire. Back in print 25 years after its initial publication, Winter Of Fire blends a strong, rebellious protagonist with the difficult themes of slavery, sexism and pollution, to create a powerhouse of a novel with ideas that still stand strong today.

Winter Of Fire is the story of 16-year-old Elsha, part of a people known as the Quelled – the slaves branded by those called Chosen, and responsible for providing their lightless world with firestones, the only source of warmth.  Read more

October, 2019 Info Scroll down to see reviews submitted by YA readers: , , ,

Screens vs sunshine, Denika Mead

Dawn of the Zombie Apocalypse
Lee Murray
IFWG Publishing
2019

 

Dawn of the Zombie Apocalypse by multi-award-winning New Zealand author, Lee Murray, is a story about a 12-year-old boy called Seb who downloads a game on the school network. This decision sets off a zombie apocalypse. The apocalypse spreads through Bridgetown, causing an insatiable need to stay in sight of a screen in those infected.

With the town glued to their phones, it’s up to Seb and his two friends, Darren and Talia, to figure out a way to reverse the effects of the apocalypse and save everyone. They have a planning session, trying to find a solution which is really enjoyable and funny: “’We could go to Greenland,’ I suggested.  Read more

August, 2019 Info Scroll down to see reviews submitted by YA readers: , , ,

Modern love, Hannah Marshall

Invisibly Breathing
Eileen Merriman
Penguin Random House
2019

 

Invisibly Breathing is Eileen Merriman’s third novel, and it offers more than your typical romance. Bullying, homophobia and being an outsider – Merriman tackles plenty of tough topics in this moving and delicate novel.

After the success of Merriman’s previous two novels, Pieces of You and Catch Me when You Fall, I had high expectations for this book, and Invisibly Breathing certainly doesn’t fail to live up to the standards of Merriman’s previous works. At its heart, Invisibly Breathing is a typical YA romance, but offers more than your average love story.  Read more

May, 2019 Info Scroll down to see reviews submitted by YA readers: , , ,

Fantasy, romance and a little bit odd, Hannah Marshall

The Rift
Rachael Craw
Walker Books
2018

 

Zombie deer, dimensional rifts and a race to save an island from disaster – welcome to the world of The Rift, the newest offering from YA author Rachael Craw.

The Rift takes readers on an epic journey to Black Water Island, where Rangers guard the sacred Old Herd against the Rift, a mysterious natural phenomenon that poses a significant danger to the island and its inhabitants. Cal West is an apprentice Ranger, whose mission to save the island is interrupted by the return of former friend Meg Archer; both share a dark past.  Read more

March, 2019 Info Scroll down to see reviews submitted by YA readers: , , ,
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