Scroll down to see reviews submitted by YA readers:

A story that hooks in the reader from the first page, Jessica Dowling

Impossible: My Story (Young Reader’s Edition)
Stan Walker
HarperCollins
Pub. 2020 (new edition 2022)

 

 

 

 

May 26, 2022

I absolutely loved this book.

Most autobiographies I find hard to read, but this one, Impossible: My Story by Stan Walker, was the best. Horrible things happened in Stan’s childhood, but it was great to read how he got through it all. I think it was amazing of Stan to talk about his childhood. It shows courage.

I love how this book is all about Stan’s journey and what he did. I loved how his family was based a lot in the story and how he embraces his culture.  Read more

May, 2022 Melissa Review archive, Scroll down to see reviews submitted by YA readers: , , , , ,

Giving a deeper meaning to the songs, Brianna Hellyer

Impossible: My Story (Young Reader’s Edition)
Stan Walker
HarperCollins
Pub. 2020 (new edition 2022)

 

 

 

 

May 23, 2022

Impossible by Stan Walker is truly a story of courage, and having the strength to keep on going. That may sound cheesy, but it’s true.

Stan writes about the hard times in his life; the ups and downs, and the challenges he faced throughout his childhood. I can’t find enough words to describe how amazing this book was.

What I love most about Impossible, is that Stan isn’t ashamed to show his emotions; he shows them openly, and isn’t scared to hide anything.  Read more

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An intense and mysterious story about friendships, football and the paranormal, Siena O’Dowd

Between
Adele Broadbent
2018
OneTree House

 

 

 

May 23, 2022

Adele Broadbent’s Between starts by introducing you to a young boy called Olly and his friends Egg and Loon. Olly loves to play football and is into the paranormal. His friends are into football too but the paranormal, not so much. In this first chapter, we are also introduced to Martha Mischefski, a spiritualist who lives in an old house at the end of the street and pushes trollies through the streets. Olly is curious about this old lady but when his annoying aunty tells him to keep away from her and his mum starts crying every time she finds out he’s so much as seen her, it only intrigues him more.  Read more

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Time travel and mystery in a story that hooks the reader, Ashika Hira

Faraway Girl
Fleur Beale
Penguin Random House New Zealand
2022

 

 

 

May 23, 2022

Faraway Girl is another one of Fleur Beale’s wonderful novels. It follows Etta and Constance as they jump back and forth through time, trying desperately to save Etta’s brother and find a way to return back to their own times.

Etta starts to feel funny around the same time that her brother starts ‘fading.’ She thinks it will pass but the feeling gets worse, almost as if the world is being torn apart, and Jamie isn’t getting any better. They’ve been to see doctors and specialists but no one can figure out what is wrong with him.  Read more

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A deep and detailed story of pain and success, Brooke Gearey

Impossible: My Story (Young Reader’s Edition)
Stan Walker
HarperCollins
Pub. 2020 (new edition 2022)

 

 

 

May 17, 2022

“Our kitchen cupboards never have enough in them. My chances in life are not pointing in the direction of any hope at all. But I am the impossible made possible.”

The book Impossible by Stan Walker will definitely give you goosebumps. This story is about Stan, a famous New Zealand singer who won Australian Idol. But not a lot of people have understood how Stan’s past stretched him to be his absolute best. This story goes back to his past and of course looks to his future, while explaining how he got to where he is today.  Read more

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Adventure and scandal in colonial Wellington, Liam Speechlay

Jerningham
Cristina Sanders
The Cuba Press
Pub. 2020

 

 

 

 

 

May 13, 2022

Never before had I dreamed of the history of our capital city; oh how that was a mistake! Calling fans of scandal, history, and colonial politics, Jerningham by Cristina Sanders takes you on a journey to the crossroads of our country – as Britannia tries to make its home amongst Māori – and characters emerge themselves in scandal spicing up the formation of the colony.

Arthur Lugg finds himself on the other side of the world at an outpost, starting a new life in the latest colony of the New Zealand Company – the Wakefield’s big, ambitious venture to bring affordable upper-class living to the masses.  Read more

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The interesting story of a local sporting star, Savarna Yang

Ideals Are Like Stars
Angela Walker
Bateman Books
Pub. 2022

 

 

 

 

May 6, 2022

Ideals Are Like Stars by Angela Walker is the inspiring true story of Yvette Williams, the first New Zealand woman to ever win a gold medal at the Olympics. Born in 1929 in Dunedin, Yvette was the daughter of a cabinetmaker and a champion highland dancer. From a very early age she loved sport but it wasn’t until her teen years that she began to seriously play herself.

A student at Otago Girls’ High School, she participated in every sport the school had on offer – whether it was netball, basketball or tennis, you’d be sure to find Yvette there.  Read more

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A sad but inspiring book about living things, Iris Moffat

Lost Wonders: Vanished Creatures of Aotearoa
Sarah Ell
Allen & Unwin
2020

 

 

 

 

May 6, 2022

Lost Wonders: Vanished Creatures of Aotearoa is a sad but powerful book. Each chapter is a different story about our extinct, or endangered creatures of Aotearoa. Although it is a non-fiction book, at the start of each chapter, author Sarah Ell writes a paragraph of an explorer, killing or just encountering the animal of the chapter. The animals mostly consist of birds, but there are also plants, bugs, whales, and dolphins. All these living things became extinct, or at least very close to it, whether it’s from human killings, habitat loss or the introduction of different predators.  Read more

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A moving and honest story of sadness and success, Finley Rowe

Impossible: My Story (Young Reader’s Edition)
Stan Walker
HarperCollins
Pub. 2020 (new edition 2022)

 

 

 

May 6, 2022

Stan Walker is one of Aotearoa’s best singers, but nothing has ever come easy for him. His autobiography tells an amazing rags-to-riches story, in which he describes some sadness and trauma, but also happy and fun times with his family.

His childhood was filled with violence and drugs – things that no child should have to experience. His parents had been in jail multiple times and he would often run away to his grandparents’ house. But in this book I am amazed at his forgiveness towards his family.  Read more

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A dramatic story of escape, survival and trust, Kyra Johnson

Black Spiral
Third book in the Black Spiral trilogy
Eileen Merriman
2022
Penguin Random House New Zealand

 

 

 

May 3, 2022

Black Spiral is the final book in Eileen Merriman’s science fiction trilogy. After escaping the Spiral Foundation’s evil clutches once again, Violet and Johnno are trying their best to stay hidden and safe, because it’s no longer just them they have to keep from the Foundation, but their unborn child. A baby which could potentially have abilities like Violet and Johnno, something the Foundation is very interested in. The two of them will do anything to keep each other and the baby safe – but who knew that would be so hard?  Read more

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