New book, new setting

I am very excited to have a new book coming out next March. It has been a lot of work and a huge learning curve for me, and I've been very grateful for all the help I've received along the way - from the publishers, New Holland, and from many other people who have generously given of their time and expertise. The editing process has been intense, fascinating, time-consuming and complicated, but it is almost over with just a few things left to do.

I'll be talking about it at the Wellington Children's Book Association's annual Christmas Book Buying Night on Tuesday night (see here for more details, and come along if you are in Wellington) and I will be putting more details up on my website closer to the time of release, but in the meantime, here is a hint as to what the first part of the book is about: