NZ Book Awards for Children & Young Adults
The New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults are a celebration of New Zealand's children's authors and illustrators.
In addition to the six categories, in which each winner is awarded a prize of $7500; a Best First Book prize of $2000 is presented to a previously unpublished author or illustrator; and a prize of $7500 is awarded for the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year.
Shop the nominees in each category below.
The Day the Costumes Stuck by Toby Morris
$19.99 NZD
Category: Illustration
A delightfully quirky tale that will stimulate the imagination, and will leave a fun and lasting impression on children. Filled with striking and colourful illustrations by Toby Morris, this book will bring a smile to adults and children alike. The moral of the story that 'everyone has a role to play' i ...Show more
The Discombobulated Life of Summer Rain by Julie Lamb
$25.00 NZD
Category: First Book
Making people laugh is what Summer does best. It’s how she fits in. And is it any wonder with a family like hers? Top of the list of crazies is Pop, her stingy grandfather, who whips up possum stews and turns chicken scraps into the worst school lunches ever. So why does Juanita suddenly want to be her ...Show more
The Genius of Bugs by Simon Pollard
$24.99 NZD
Category: Non-Fiction
The Genius of Bugs is a new, fresh take on the world of bugs, inspired by the blockbuster science exhibition Bug Lab, brought to Wellington this summer by Te Papa and Weta Workshop. Illustrated with up-close, dramatic bug photography throughout, The Genius of Bugs is filled with bug tales, facts and fi ...Show more
The Impossible Boy by Leonie Agnew
$19.99 NZD
Category: Junior Fiction
Can an imaginary friend become real? A spell-binding and exciting new novel from Leonie Agnew, author of the award-winning Conrad Cooper's Last Stand. Benjamin figures Vincent Gum can do anything. Which I can. I'm not possible. Yet here I am. Ben literally pushed me out of his head and into the world. ...Show more
The Mouse and the Octopus by Lisala Halapua
$21.00 NZD
Category: First Book
This children's picture book tells an old Tongan fable about a mischievous mouse and an unwitting octopus. An origin story, its illustrations take the reader from a Tongan forest to the edge of a fringing reef. The story is a parable to teach fishing lure design and exemplifies the knowledge contained w ...Show more
The Severed Land by Maurice Gee
$19.99 NZD
Category: Young Adult Fiction | Reading Level: very good
This gripping, page-turning fantasy adventure follows a dangerous quest through a divided world. From the high reaches of a tree, Fliss watches the soldiers attempting yet again to break through the invisible wall. Amid the explosions, a drummer boy tries to escape. As he is about to be shot, Fliss reac ...Show more
The Singing Dolphin/Te Aihe i Waiata (English/Maori) by Mere Whaanga
$19.99 NZD
Category: Picture
"Every once in a while, a dolphin will come to the island beside The Pathway of the Whales. It will leap and play with people, bring gifts and sing songs." Award-winning author Mere Whaanga tells a story of land, sea and seasons; of living creatures and family ties, and the songs that connect us all. ...Show more
Torty and the Soldier by Jennifer Beck
$19.99 NZD
Category: Non-Fiction
Meet Torty! She's one tough little tortoise with a beat-up shell and some missing toes. Torty survived a great war that raged in Europe 100 years ago. Torty was rescued back then by a young Kiwi soldier. She is a World War One survivor.
Tuna raua ko Hiriwa (Tuna and Hiriwa) by Ripeka Takotowai Goddard
$20.00 NZD
Category: Te Reo Maori
This picture book, in te reo Maori , tells the story of how the tuna got its silver belly but forever had to live in the dark depths of the river. Tuna is in awe of a nymph, Hiriwa, that glows and dances along the river bank in the moonlight. Night after night he meets the nymph and basks in the moonlig ...Show more
Wairau 1843 (Wars in the Whitecloud #1) by M. H. McKinley
$27.99 NZD
Category: First Book | Series: Wars in the Whitecloud
In a small clearing of land nestled within the Wairau valley two peoples met; the recently established settlers of Nelson, and the governing tribe of that region - the renowned Ngati-Toa. When they marched, both sides were prepared for confrontation...yet they weren't expecting that their actions would ...Show more