Author: Tasha

2017 New Zealand Book Award Finalists

| Tasha

The finalists for the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults have been announced. There are 35 finalists total in seven categories on the shortlist. One category is specifically for Māori books, that category saw a record number of entries for the award this year. If you follow the link above, you can see those titles. Here are the other finalists:

PICTURE BOOK AWARD

Fuzzy Doodle Cover image - Gwendolyn!

Fuzzy Doodle by Melinda Szymanik, illustrated by Donovan Bixley

Gwendolyn! by Juliette MacIver, illustrated by Terri Rose Baynton

My Grandpa Is a Dinosaur The Singing Dolphin/Te Aihe i Waiata

My Grandpa is a Dinosaur by Richard Fairgray and Terry Jones, illustrated by Richard Fairgray

The Singing Dolphin/Te Aihe i Waiata by Mere Whaanga

That's Not a Hippopotamus

That’s Not a Hippopotamus! by Juliette MacIver, illustrated by Sarah Davis

 

ESTHER GLEN AWARD FOR JUNIOR FICTION

Helper and Helper Bastion Point: 507 Days on Takaparawha (My NZ Story)

Helper and Helper by Joy Cowley, illustrated by Gavin Bishop

My New Zealand Story: Bastion Point by Tania Roxborogh

Sunken Forest The Discombobulated Life of Summer Rain

Sunken Forest by Des Hunt

The Discombobulated Life of Summer Rain by Julie Lamb

The Impossible Boy

The Impossible Boy by Leonie Agnew

 

YOUNG ADULT FICTION

Coming Home to Roost 1916: Dig for Victory (Kiwis at War, #3)

Coming Home to Roost by Mary-anne Scott

Kiwis at War 1916: Dig for Victory by David Hair

Like Nobody's Watching Shooting Stars

Like Nobody’s Watching by LJ Ritchie

Shooting Stars by Brian Falkner

The Severed Land

The Severed Land by Maurice Gee

 

ELSIE LOCKE AWARD FOR NON-FICTION

From Moa to Dinosaurs: explore and discover ancient New Zealand Jack and Charlie: Boys of the Bush

From Moa to Dinosaurs: Explore & discover ancient New Zealand by Gillian Candler, illustrated by Ned Barraud

Jack and Charlie: Boys of the Bush by Josh James Marcotte and Jack Marcotte

The Cuckoo and the Warbler: A True New Zealand Story The Genius of Bugs (Activity Book)

The Cuckoo and the Warbler by Kennedy Warne, illustrated by Heather Hunt

The Genius of Bugs by Simon Pollard

Torty and the Soldier

Torty and the Soldier by Jennifer Beck, illustrated by Fifi Colston

 

RUSSELL CLARK AWARD FOR ILLUSTRATION

Fuzzy Doodle Gladys Goes To War

Fuzzy Doodle, illustrated by Donovan Bixley, written by Melinda Szymanik

Gladys Goes to War, illustrated by Jenny Cooper, written by Glyn Harper

If I Was a Banana Snark: Being a True History of the Expedition That Discovered the Snark and the Jabberwock … and Its Tragic Aftermath

If I Was a Banana, illustrated by Kieran Rynhart, written by Alexandra Tylee

Snark: Being a true history of the expedition that discovered the Snark and the Jabberwock . . . and its tragic aftermath, illustrated and written by David Elliot (after Lewis Carroll)

The Day the Costumes Stuck

The Day the Costumes Stuck by Toby Morris

 

BEST FIRST BOOK AWARD

34724862 Like Nobody's Watching

Awatea’s Treasure by Fraser Smith

Like Nobody’s Watching by LJ Ritchie

The Discombobulated Life of Summer Rain 35007631

The Discombobulation of Summer Rain by Julie Lamb

The Mouse and the Octopus by Lisala Halapua

Wars in the Whitecloud: Wairau, 1843 by Matthew H McKinley

Colette’s Lost Pet by Isabelle Arsenault

| Tasha

Colette's Lost Pet by Isabelle Arsenault

Colette’s Lost Pet by Isabelle Arsenault (9781101917596, Amazon)

Colette has moved to a new neighborhood and her parents won’t let her have a pet. She angrily kicks a box over the fence and meets some new kids. Colette wants to be friends but doesn’t have any good answer for them when they ask what she is doing, so she invents a pet that she has lost, a parakeet. The children take her to meet other neighbors who can help her find her pet. One after another the children help and then Colette adds to her fib. Her pet soon has specific colors, a name, a sound it makes, and a poster to help find it. Then Colette’s fib grows into a full-blown story. How will the others react when they realize she’s made the entire thing up?

Done in graphic novel style, this picture book is a delightful mix of a story about moving to a new place, the impact of telling lies and making new friends. Colette’s small fib grows far beyond what she had ever intended as she tries to cover up that she was frustrated and angry. With each new person involved, the lie builds to the find crescendo where it turns into something else entirely, something shared and wonderful despite how it all began.

The illustrations have a unique feel to them. They are done in blues and grays with pops of yellow in Colette’s jacket, small touches in the neighborhood and the color of her imaginary pet. This limited palette is beautifully done, the blues and yellows vibrant against the subtler grays.

A great graphic novel pick for young readers, this book looks at large themes with kindness and grace. Appropriate for ages 5-7.

Reviewed from e-galley received from Edelweiss and Tundra Books.

 

Waterstones Children’s Laureate

| Tasha

charlie-and-lola-post

Lauren Child has been announced as the 10th Waterstones Children’s Laureate. She is the author and illustrator of the beloved Charlie and Lola book and television series.

Child said: “I want to inspire children to believe in their own creative potential, to make their own stories and drawings and ignite in them the delight of reading for pleasure. In an increasingly fast paced world, children need the freedom to dream and imagine; to enjoy reading, drawing and telling their own stories without value judgement or restraint”.

The Shadow Cipher by Laura Ruby

| Tasha

The Shadow Cipher by Laura Ruby

The Shadow Cipher by Laura Ruby (9780062306937, Amazon)

This first book in a series introduces readers to an alternative New York City, filled with amazing machines built by the Morningstarr twins in the 1800’s. There are servant robots, skyscrapers, elevators that don’t just go up and down, beetle-machines that clean the roads, and many more. The Morningstarrs left behind a cipher to be solved that would lead to treasure, and even though people have worked for cipher for over fifty years, no solution has been found. Tess, Theo and Jaime live in one of the Morningstarr buildings that is unfortunately slated to be torn down. While their families scramble to find somewhere new to live, the three of them discover a potential new cipher that may lead them to the treasure and save the building they love. Now they just have to solve it.

Ruby has beautifully weaved an alternative New York City in this novel. She imagines it filled with amazing technology that has a magical element to it. It’s rather like magic-powered steampunk. She combines this with riddles and ciphers, puzzles to work out and then provides distinct villains to fight as well. The result is a book that is entirely delightful to read and impossible to put down as one new discovery immediately leads to another.

The three main characters are strongly written and offer a diverse cast. Tess keeps up and surpasses the boys at times, offering a strong feminist take on events as she does so. All of them are exceedingly bright in their own way, from being logical and sometimes robotic to looking at the world through art. There is a celebration of different intelligence types here that is great to see.

This mix of magic, technology, mysteries and ciphers is exceptional and just right for summer reading. Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from copy received from Walden Pond Press.

 

The Secret of Black Rock by Joe Todd-Stanton

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The Secret of Black Rock by Joe Todd-Stanton

The Secret of Black Rock by Joe Todd-Stanton (9781911171256, Amazon)

Released June 13, 2017.

Erin grew up near a large fishing town but she wasn’t allowed to head out into the sea herself, because of the danger. The huge rock outside of the town was the subject of many frightening stories that spoke about how it moved from place to place and was huge and sharp. Erin tried to hide on her mother’s fishing boat, but Archie, her dog, always found her. When Erin finally managed to sneak aboard, thick fog settled in and the boat almost ran into the black rock! As the boat veered away, Erin fell into the sea. As Erin sank farther and farther, she discovered the secret of Black Rock and realized that it was up to her to protect the rock.

This picture book celebrates the wildness of the sea and its incredible lifeforms. The secret of Black Rock takes this book from one of reality to fantasy in one revelation. The reveal is done beautifully, the page dark except for Erin and the fish. The writing is simple and allows the story to play out swiftly on the page.

The illustrations are exceptional. Black Rock’s emergence as a full character in the book is done particularly well as are the bright and varied fish that live around it. The pages with half of the scene underwater are particularly effective and truly show the magic of the story. The color palette between the sea and the rock and then the harbor and the humans are strikingly different and used very effectively during the stand off as well.

A lush and lovely picture book that invites children to find their own magic in the world. Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from e-galley received from Edelweiss and Flying Eye Books.

It’s Great Being a Dad by Dan Bar-el

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It's Great Being a Dad by Dan Bar-el

It’s Great Being a Dad by Dan Bar-el, illustrated by Gina Perry (9781770496057, Amazon)

One by one, mythical creatures appear and tell the reader how great a life they have. The unicorn loves prancing and their gorgeous horn, but the horn does make it very difficult to eat, particularly if you get a table stuck on it. Bigfoot has a great time being strong and helping his friends, but his big feet can be a problem. The robot loves his flashing lights and memory, but rain is an issue. Then there is the Loch Ness Monster and the “fairy queen ballerina doctor” who help the others. But there are always problems like the sneaky flying alligator pirate. Who can help all of these mythical beasts? Dad, that’s who.

This book embraces the idea of creative and imaginative play completely as the children first introduce themselves as the characters they are pretending to be. Steadily though, the illusion breaks a bit as each new character is introduced and their personas get more complicated. Bar-el does a lovely job of allowing the fantasy to fracture steadily and then break altogether as Dad enters the picture.

Perry has created first a lovely fantasy world with rainbow colors, deep forests, lochs and castles. She then goes on to morph that into a multicultural family filled with children of all ages who are trying to play near one another if not together. The connection between fantasy and reality is strong in the illustrations and children will love seeing the ties.

A warm look at imaginative play and great parenting, this picture book is a celebration of dads. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from library copy.

 

The Forever Garden by Laurel Snyder

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The Forever Garden by Laurel Snyder.jpg

The Forever Garden by Laurel Snyder, illustrated by Samantha Cotterill (9780553512731, Amazon)

Laurel lives next door to Honey. Honey has a large garden and she is always out working it it, rain or shine. Honey weeds the garden, shares carrots and tomatoes in the morning, offers up eggs to neighbors from her chickens, and on nice evenings has cookies after dinner that she shares with Laurel as the fireflies come out. But one day, a for sale sign is up at Honey’s house and she is moving away. Laurel is very sad and wonders at Honey continuing to plant things that she won’t be around to enjoy. The two plant an apple tree together and Laurel puts up a sign. Soon another family moves into Honey’s house and Laurel shows the children how to take care of Honey’s garden using all the skills that Honey showed her day after day.

Snyder has created a very rich picture book here that will work for even very young children. She explores the wonder of both gardening and friendships in this picture book with muddy knees bringing people together. Snyder never loses sight of her young audience here, keeping the language simple and the story tightly written. It’s a picture book that has a full, robust story that will lead to discussions and perhaps some singing to kale.

Cotterill’s illustrations are wonderful, fully embracing the joy of gardening in all weather and the wonder of the outdoors. Done in pen and ink, they were colored digitally in a style that evokes watercolors. They are filled with small details that show the garden and the care and time Honey puts into it.

A warm book about neighborhoods, caring adults and the connections forged over gardens, this picture book is a great addition to springtime stories. Appropriate for ages 3-6.

Reviewed from e-galley received from Edelweiss and Schwartz & Wade.

Midnight at the Electric by Jodi Lynn Anderson

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Midnight at the Electric by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Midnight at the Electric by Jodi Lynn Anderson (9780062393548, Amazon)

Released June 13, 2017.

This is a novel told in three different time periods, each featuring a woman finding love and yearning for change. There is Adri from the year 2065, who has been selected to live on Mars. She is aloof and prickly and spends her last weeks on Earth with her sole surviving relative, an older woman she has never met. Adri discovers the letters of the other women and is soon drawn into their lives and the mysteries of what happened to them. Catherine lives in 1934 in the midst of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. In the midst of dust storms, she manages to fall in love and then has to decide whether to stay with her mother on their deteriorating farm or leave and take chances in a large city. Lenore lives in England in 1919, recovering from the loss of her brother in World War I. She meets a scarred young man who is living in an abandoned house on her family’s estate and isn’t sure what parts of his story are true.

The stories of these three characters are vivid and remarkable. Adri’s story is told in prose while the others are done in letters. The book folds out into a series of letters, origami-like and wondrous. Anderson cleverly creates a point in the book where one isn’t sure if the ending of the women’s stories will be fully revealed or not. It creates a breathtaking moment of mystery and inconclusiveness that adds to the already appealing story. Throughout, Anderson demonstrates her skilled writing and gorgeous prose that is full of emotion and possibilities.

The three female characters whose stories are told in the novel are vastly different from one another and yet the stories nest together into one complete whole. While they are distinct and unique women, the stories all speak to their tenacity, deep caring and independence. Even as they make critical decisions in the midst of impossible situations, there is a sense of community and connection that weaves throughout the novel, showing that we are all stronger together.

Engrossing, intelligent and incredibly rich, this novel for teens is truly exceptional. Appropriate for ages 14-17.

Reviewed from e-galley received from Edelweiss and HarperCollins.

Stack the Cats by Susie Ghahremani

| Tasha

Stack the Cats by Susie Ghahremani

Stack the Cats by Susie Ghahremani (9781419723490, Amazon)

This simple counting picture book is full of feline fun. Starting with one sleeping cat, the book moves to two cats playing with yarn, then three cats stack together into a tower like the cover of the book demonstrates. Four and five cats make towers that threaten to tip. Six cats wisely split into two towers of three cats. Seven cats nap together and then eight cats try a very tall stack and tumble down. Nine cats form three stacks of three and ten cats are just too many. So then the subtraction starts and counting backwards begins.

This is simple counting presented in a humorous and clever way. The text has a great rhythm to it that weaves nicely into the counting itself. Small children will enjoy counting the cats and adults helping them can ask them to count the sleeping cats and point out the basics of multiplication and division shown clearly on the page.

The illustrations are bright and cheery, filled with teals and oranges that pop against one another. They have crisp graphic qualities and the cats themselves are entirely adorable as they play, snooze and stack on the pages.

A winning cat-filled counting book. Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from copy received from Abrams.