The Nancys
R.W.R. McDonald
Allen & Unwin
Pub. 2019
June 11, 2021
The Nancys, written by R.W.R. McDonald and published by Allen & Unwin in 2019, is a riveting book about dealing with grief in an adventurous way and is ultimately about finding yourself. In this book we live life through the eyes of young Tippy Chan. Her mother has gone on a cruise and she is stuck at home with her uncle Pike and his boyfriend, Devon. When one of her best friends ends up in hospital, and then a day later there has been a murder in the small town of Riverstone, Tippy, her uncle and his boyfriend take it upon themselves to solve this murder mystery. Read more
The Spaghetti Giraffe and the Egg of Courage
Sarah Johnson
Flat Bed Press
Pub. 2019
June 11, 2021
The Spaghetti Giraffe and the Egg of Courage is the second book in The Spaghetti Giraffe trilogy and it tells the story of Gorgon trying to work up the courage to ask Mina Cucina to marry him, and the animals that try to help him.
The animals are created by Mina from all the food mess that gathers under the cooker in her kitchen. They include a marshmallow pig, a macaroni snail, prune hedgehogs and a fluffy monkey.
Ok, ok that might not seem like a lot of characters, but that’s all they needed in this story and it just the right amount from start to finish. Read more
Sticking With Pigs
Mary-anne Scott
OneTree House
Pub. 2018
June 11, 2021
Sticking With Pigs by Mary-anne Scott is an adventure-filled hunting story about a 14-year old-boy named Wolf and his uncle Jeremy (Jem for short).
The story begins at Wolf’s house when his dad’s brother Jem arrives at the house with dead ducks as a gift. Wolf’s sister Cindy gets really upset seeing the ducks and even more so when she finds out Wolf is helping prepare them.
Wolf also has a younger brother called Davey who has a sickness called Addison’s disease and because of this, Wolf has stopped doing his usual activities to help take care of Davey. Read more
Deadhead
Glenn Wood
OneTree House
Pub. 2020
June 08, 2021
Deadhead is a magnificent book that really hooked me in and I hope that it will hook you too.
It’s all about Spencer and his friend Reagan, who together borrow Spencer’s mum’s car so they can go to the cemetery to dig up Garrett, a former cop who died on duty. Spencer wants to use Garrett as a frame so he can install machinery and other robotics in him, so he can basically have a remote control zombie cop.
Spencer needs Garrett as a bodyguard because he made a boy called Carl and his gang really mad, so he thinks he needs the protection. Read more
Neands
Dan Salmon
OneTree House
Pub. 2020
June 08, 2021
Is it climate change? What about bacteria? Could it be genetics? How does it spread? When a virus takes hold of the world, altering the human race and rewinding evolution, Charlie Rutherford must act fast to save his very own species in Neands by Dan Salmon.
Charlie’s parents are scientists. His father tried to warn the world what would happen, they didn’t listen, and his father was found drowned in the harbour (he was a great swimmer). Soon his mum disappears too, and Charlie is left to fend for himself in a world full of ignorance. Read more
Dappled Annie and the Tigrish
Mary McCallum
Gecko Press
Pub. 2014
June 08, 2021
Anyone who loves daring adventures should definitely read Dappled Annie and the Tigrish by Mary McCallum. Illustrated by Annie Hayward and published by Gecko Press, this heart-warming story has everything from talking hedges to flying tigers.
It begins one hot summer day with earthquakes occurring one after another, keeping everyone awake and alert. Our main character is a nine year old girl named Annie. Her dad works in a lighthouse and she barely ever gets to see him. Annie has a special connection with nature because she is dappled. Read more
Cuz
Liz van der Laarse
OneTree House
Pub. 2018
June 01, 2021
Spending time with your family, enjoying the scenic landscape and eating lots of seafood. That sounds great doesn’t it? Well, everybody hopes for the best to happen and not the worst when travelling over the sea.
Fourteen-year-old cousins River and Huia are hoping for the best when they go fishing with Huia’s dad, Tau, on his trawler Whetū. When things go terribly wrong, River and Huia are left to fend for themselves in the West Coast wilderness and they have to let their differences wither away and work together to survive. Read more
Crown Park
Des Hunt
Torea Press
Pub. 2018
June 01, 2021
The cover of this book by Des Hunt interested me with its fierce looking moa, curious kaka and a steaming lake in the background.
The main character in Crown Park is Jack, a young boy that has had to move to Taupo for his dad’s work and is having trouble fitting in at his new school. His mum works long hours and his dad works away from home. Fluoro Fred is a homeless man who lives in Crown Park. He appears to mumble to himself and beg to get money for food. Read more
Birds of Aotearoa New Zealand: Collective Nouns, Ngā Manu o Aotearoa: Nga Kupuingoa Topu
Melissa Boardman
HarperCollins Publishers
Pub: 2020
June 01, 2021
If you love native New Zealand birds, Birds of Aotearoa New Zealand: Collective Nouns by Melissa Boardman is the perfect book for you. It features all our birds and includes their names in English and te reo Māori.
It also has 115 pages of fantastic illustrations of all the birds. Every bird has a page to themselves and sometimes two. Also included is each bird’s habitat and all the nature surrounding them.
The book features 50 pages with many facts about the birds and their habitats and whether they are extinct or alive. Read more
Zeustian Logic
Gecko Press
Sabrina Malcolm
Pub. 2017
May 26, 2021
Zeustian Logic is a funny and heart-warming book recommended for early teens. It’s about a boy named Duncan who is trying to slowly guide himself through his teenage years. It’s written by Sabrina Malcolm and it is her first book ever. Zeustian Logic comes highly recommended by most readers here on Hooked on NZ Books.
I think the concept of the story is extremely well thought out. I mean, what teenage boy wouldn’t want the help of Greek gods? Most of the language features Malcolm uses really enhance the story as well. Read more
