Northland Story Tour, August 2024

What an amazing week on Storylines Northland tour last week, travelling from Ōrewa via Dargaville, Kaikohe and many small places in between, all the way up past Kaitaia and finishing in Mangonui. 

Thanks to lovely fellow authors Angie Belcher, Swapna Haddow and Vasanti Unka for their wonderful company, to Anne Dickson for her skilful driving and in-depth knowledge of the schools of the far North and to Storylines for the opportunity to be a part of it and for their meticulous organising. 

We had such a lot of fun and hopefully made a difference to some of the over 3,000 students we met during the week.

• Highlights

The feeling of being steeped in the history of the North

Driving through the Waipoua Kauri Forest and walking the track to see Tāne Mahuta

The Year 5 and 6 girls at Dargaville Primary School who all lined up for autographs after my session

A warm welcome at the smallest school I’ve ever visited, Kaihu Valley School

The Year 9 and 10 girls who gave me hugs after my session at Northland College

The Year 5 and 6 girls who gave us a tour of their lovely school in Kawakawa

Walking on the beach at Ahipara

Doing one session in a church at Pompallier Catholic School!

Our furthest north school, Waihārara, and the Years 0-2 who put up their hands at question time and said Thank you for coming to our school and I love your books

Seeing signs for Cape Reinga and 90 mile beach

Icecream at the Cable Bay store

Sunrise over the water at Mangonui and beautiful whale poems and art on the walls of one classroom at Mangonui School

• Best highlight of all

All the students who sang us a waiata after our session, so special, such beautiful voices!

• Favourite comment

I’ve never met an author before! (Riley from Ohaikau College, looking star-struck)

• Favourite questions

Which was the hardest book to write?

Is it worth being a writer? (what a thoughtful  question that really made me think about how we measure what things are “worth”)

Have you kept a diary?

What are good things about being a writer?

How long have you (me and Swapna) known each other?

What do you love about writing?

How do you choose a title?

Will you come back tomorrow? because I’ve got a book to show you!

 

 New Zealand Migration (Oratia Books, 2023) 

I loved learning so many fascinating and inspiring stories of migration for this book.

 Iris and me (Ahoy! Cuba Press, 2023) 

Runner-up, NZSA Laura Solomon Cuba Press Prize 2022
Winner, Young Adult Fiction Award, NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults 2023
Longlisted for the ARA Historical Novel Prize 2023
Storylines list of notable books for 2023
Aotearoa books of the year for 2023 (The Spinoff)
Best children’s and YA books books for 2023 (National Library)
Best of the year: Aotearoa’s YA class of 2023 (Kete)
Highlights of 2023 (Wellington City Libraries)
Shortlisted for the NZ Booklovers Awards 2024
Ten top junior, middle grade and YA books by NZ authors over past ten years (Kete)
IBBY Honour List 2024 (IBBY: International Board on Books for Young People)

The Water Bottle

The Water Bottle is the story of three children: Tom, Airini and Derya. They come from different backgrounds, but maybe their families are connected in ways they don’t yet know.

This has been a lovely book to work on. There are a number of Anzac Day-themed picture books, but I think this one is unique for its pairing of a NZ writer and Turkish illustrator. I loved working with Oratia and seeing how the project developed, from our initial discussion to the finished book.  

Picture book writers and illustrators often work quite separately, but because Burak Akbay was in Turkey, we sent him suggestions for some NZ scenes, like what a typical war memorial or classroom might look like. But of course he was very familiar with the Turkish scenes, and it was fascinating to see his interpretation of them, and to watch the illustrations developing as he created them. 

You can read more about the book (and my own trip to Gallipoli) here on my website. 

Quarantine

Today polio is an almost forgotten disease, but a hundred years ago, polio epidemics regularly swept the world. This is the story of the 1936/37 polio epidemic in New Zealand.

Quarantine was first published by Scholastic as Enemy at the Gate, but it's now been republished and brought under the My New Zealand Story banner.

I love the fabulous new cover, and I'm so pleased that this book will now reach a new generation of readers for whom epidemics are now part of their lives, not just a story from history. 

Thanks to Bobs Books Blog for this thoughtful review. 

Why do creative rights matter?

Sharing the stories behind my books Enemy at the Gate and The Great Chocolate Cake Bake Off here with @CreativeReadsNZ. 

As their website says, creative rights are Good for our economy, Good for our culture, Good for our social wellbeing and Good for all of us.

#KeepthePagesTurning
#CreativeRightsNZ @CreativeReadsNZ

2021 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults

I'm very happy and excited to be shortlisted in the Picture book section of these awards with This is Where I Stand, beautifully illustrated by Kieran Rynhart and published by Scholastic. It's a privilege to be included amongst these five lovely titles - and I know there were many other amazing picture books that came out last year as well, so  big congrats to all those writers and illustrators, shortlisted or not.