Tyrelia – Second book in the Realm Trilogy
R. Manssen
Manssen Publishing House
pub. 2019
20 April, 2021
In S. R. Manssen’s Tyrelia, the second book in her Realm Trilogy, Freya continues her quest, with the prime direction of her mysterious tablet. This tablet has led her through many places in Medar, and along the way, she has made many friends including the remaining Watchers. In the new-found land of Tyrelia, Freya discovers many strange things – from the humming she hears to the shield which just appears on her back moments after her entrance to Tyrelia. Freya also meets a new friend and travel companion called Willow in the town of Beta. Read more
Katipo Joe: Blitzkrieg
Brian Falkner
Scholastic
pub. 2020
20 April, 2021
Brian Falkner’s Katipo Joe: Blitzkrieg is a riveting tale, inspired by true events.
Published in 2020 by Scholastic, Blitzkrieg follows 12-year-old Joseph St George – Joe for short – who lives in a time where Germany is at war with the rest of the world. This novel is set during the Second World War and we watch as Joe grows from a small boy into a young man in the span of a few years. He is forced to adapt when his whole world is turned upside down; when suddenly everything that he once thought he knew turned out to be a lie. Read more
Brave’s Journey
Jan Goldie
IFWG Publishing
pub. 2015
20 April, 2021
Brave’s Journey by Jan Goldie is a one of a kind book. It’s about a nerdy teenager struggling through harsh comments and violent gestures towards his unusual family. When all of a sudden he starts having weird connections to the weather, his mother and uncle have a talk to him, explaining that they have a great enemy, and that they are all in danger. Also, that they come from a different planet.
Their planet Arvalonia has a funny connection with a source of power called ‘’the web.’’ This keeps the planet working, giving it energy when needed, but if you take in too much of ‘’the web’’ you can go insane or die. Read more
Whetū Toa and the Magician
Steph Matuku
Huia
pub. 2018
15 April, 2021
Whetū Toa and the Magician, a novel by Steph Matuku with illustrations by Katharine Hall, is about a young girl taking up the job of Animal Keeper in the house of the magician The Mighty Mikarere, where her mother also works.
Whetū Toa and Errant are the main characters. Whetū Toa is a very kind and considerate person. I related to her very well, with her positive attitude. Errant is a very smart bunny who is always getting into mischief.
Whetū Toa is just getting used to the farm when her mum reveals to her that the magician is deep in debt and that Whetū Toa will have to find a way for the animals to work for their keep. Read more
The Dark Quest of Countess X
L P Hansen
Onepoto Press
pub. 2021
15 April, 2021
“Why is the human female valued so low that many women see themselves and others as not fit to live?”
Around the world, mysterious emails arrive at schools asking teenagers to “help missing women” by researching the subject and coming up with a proposal. The writers of the twenty most effective sounding plans will be invited to present them at an unnamed place in Europe, all expenses paid. The sender, styling herself Countess X, is met with suspicion in most instances – how can it not be a hoax? Read more
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
