The Spinoff's best NZ Books of 2024 - Children's LiteratureLike this list

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• The Spinoff's best NZ books of 2024

  View on co.nz

  "Welcome to the first of three best-of-books lists for 2024. These are the New Zealand books, for both children and adults, published in 2024, that stuck with our panel of writers, reviewers and literary programmers over the course of…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Brave Kāhu and the Pōrangi Magpie

  Burne-Field, Shelley

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  "Burne-Field is a superb writer for adults and now children can experience her crisp and immersive prose style. Brave Kāhu and the Pōrangi Magpie is a raucous, riveting adventure story about sibling dynamics and navigating big, difficult…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Brown Bird

  Arthur, Jane (Poet)

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  "I adored this novel about shy, anxious Rebecca and her summer with effervescent Chester. Arthur manages to hone in on the drama of everyday life trying to be yourself within family, within friends, within community. It’s a bold, perfect…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Nine Girls

  Gregg, Stacy

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  "I love this book so much, so does our Festival’s 12-year-old reading consultant (thanks Penelope). Gregg weaves history, fantasy, and comedy seamlessly through this coming-of-age experience set in late 70s and early 80s Ngāruawāhia. The…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Migration

  Matuku, Steph

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  "I am constantly astounded by Steph Matuku’s skill and ability to write for such a broad range of ages, regularly gifting children and young people with unique and humorous stories. Migration is a thrilling science fiction YA that…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Rimu

  the Tree of Time

  Keenan, Lauren

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  "A fabulous time-travel adventure from passionate writer and history buff, Lauren Keenan. I absolutely love how Keenan manages to make history live through objects and pure, thrilling plot-fuelled storytelling."

• The Apprentice Witnesser

  MacDibble, Bren

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  "MacDibble is a pro. Bastienne Scull is a witnesser of miracles in a small village of women and girls, in a world where men fall ill to a sickness. The worldbuilding is four-dimensional, the storytelling rich and crystal clear. It’s…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Grimmelings

  King, Rachael, 1970-

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  "I have been devouring middle-grade fiction this year and Rachael King’s The Grimmelings had me spellbound. It is a fantasy adventure novel full of mystery and magic and steeped in Scottish folklore. A family is haunted by a monstrous…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Raven's Eye Runaways

  Mabey, Claire

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  "We gave this novel to our boy for his 11th birthday and he loved it so much that we’ve gifted it on to two other kids. From the mouths of future arts critics, here are their whakaaro. Te Ahuru, 11: “It’s good, too good for words. Five…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Kiwi Bees Have Tiny Knees

  Native Bees of Aotearoa New Zealand

  Weston, Rachel (Rachel Maree)

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  Non-Fiction. "I absolutely love this gorgeous nonfiction picture book which has had our Bay of Plenty tamariki in its thrall since its release in September. Readily recognisable by its cover – a bee resplendent in pōhutukawa red – the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Saving Wānanga

  the True Story of a Kea Rescue

  Herbert, Kris

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  Non-Fiction. "My son and I read this book three times within a week of receiving it. The illustrations are stunning, watercoloury beauty. The writing is clear, compelling; and the story of a sick Kea is gripping. A reminder that Aotearoa…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Tasting With Your Feet

  the Amazing Ways Animals Make Sense of the World

  Barraud, Ned

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  Non-Fiction. "Exceptional illustrations accompany fascinating facts about butterflies tasting with their feet, sharks sensing their prey’s electric pulses, and godwits using the Earth’s magnetic field to navigate from Alaska to New…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Tramp to the Blue Range Hut

  Bartholomew, Caz

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  Non-Fiction. "This slim pick-a-path adventure story for teens by tramping enthusiast Caz Bartholomew is about two friends taking a tramp in the Tararua Ranges. Bartholomew’s lean style of writing takes the reader from one possible…Read moreRead more of this annotation