Review archive

A sweet and relatable heroine and setting, Amelia Nelson

The Life and Times of Eddie McGrath
Brigid Feehan
OneTree House
Pub. 2021

November 23, 2021

The Life and Times of Eddie McGrath is a book about a young girl, unsurprisingly, called Eddie McGrath. She lives in Wellington and wins a national competition to give a speech at the Beehive.

Before I delve in further, I would like to point out a few key things. First, one thing I like about this book is that it could be set ten years in the past or ten years in the future, as a lot of the details about exactly where and when the book is set are extremely vague. Read more

November, 2021 Tanya Prince Review archive, Scroll down to see reviews submitted by YA readers: Brigid Feehan

A story about following your heart, Caitlin Fuldseth

The Calling
Fleur Beale
Penguin Random House New Zealand
Pub. 2021

October 22, 2021

The Calling by Fleur Beale is a well written book about a 15 year old girl named Molly, a Catholic whose mother’s dying wish was for her to become a nun. Molly has spent every day of her life since her mother passed caring for her father and her three younger brothers.

In order to keep the peace after marrying a woman who refuses to live in a house with a Catholic, Molly’s father gives her an ultimatum. She can give up her religious beliefs or she can marry the man across the road and leave her home for good. Read more

October, 2021 Tanya Prince Review archive, Scroll down to see reviews submitted by YA readers: Fleur Beale

Real conversations and humour, Taylor Shaw

The Pōrangi Boy
Shilo Kino
Huia
2020

10 March, 2021

The Pōrangi Boy, written by Shilo Kino, was a wild ride of a read. Based in a small rural town in New Zealand, it carries big themes such as fighting stereotypes, racism, cultural identity and whānau. A lot happens in this book, especially in the beginning. There is one big event that separates the past and present, but I won’t spoil it for you just yet. This book was inspiring, funny and a little crazy, literally. Pōrangi means crazy in te reo Māori.

The story follows 12-year-old Niko, a Māori boy who tries to prove to everyone that he isn’t pōrangi. Read more

March, 2021 Melissa Review archive, Scroll down to see reviews submitted by YA readers: Shilo Kino