NZ Children's and Young Adult Book Awards
A taonga for this generation and the next wins Book of the Year at Children’s Book Awards…
Facing off against 199 children’s book entries, and competing across six main categories, Gavin Bishop’s Atua: Māori Gods and Heroes has been crowned the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year at the 2022 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.
“The book is much more than a list of Gods and legendary heroes – it’s a family tree, presented with power and simplicity. The text is never overstated, with the glory of the illustrations as the primary mode of storytelling, rewarding the reader who closely examines them,” said convenor of judges Pauline (Vaeluaga) Smith.
Praised by the judges for its sense of magic and the way it validates matauranga and te ao Māori truths, Atua: Māori Gods and Heroes also won the Elsie Locke Award for Non-Fiction and the Russell Clark Award for Illustration.
“Atua is an instant classic, a ‘must have’ for every Kiwi household and library, that is packaged in stunning production values,” said Smith.
FUN FACT...
This is the fifth time Ōtautahi-based Bishop's work has been acknowledged with the coveted Book of the Year prize. He has now won it three times for titles he authored and illustrated and twice for books where he was the illustrator.
This is more than any other children’s author or illustrator in New Zealand, even the award’s namesake Margaret Mahy, who won the supreme award twice!
Picture Book Award
Winner: Lion Guards the Cake, written and illustrated by Ruth Paul
(Scholastic New Zealand)
While Atua took out the lion’s share of the prizes on the night, it was a cheeky lion who impressed the judges when it came to the Picture Book Award, which went to Lion Guards the Cake by Wellington’s Ruth Paul.
The judges loved the masterfully blended words and images.
The house is quiet, no one is awake, and Lion guards the cake. Little by little the cake disappears ... but where does it go?
Lion is full of pride when it comes to guarding his home and when the birthday cake has been made for the next day's celebrations, he goes where he is needed most ... to guard the cake. But in the morning, the household awakes to a chaotic scene. What happened when Lion was guarding the cake?
Wright Family Foundation Esther Glen
Award for Junior Fiction
Winner: The Memory Thief, written by Leonie Agnew
(Puffin, Penguin Random House)
An imaginative, thought-provoking novel with “a bit of creepy stirred in” was how The Memory Thief by Leonie Agnew of Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland was described.
It won the Wright Family Foundation Esther Glen Award for Junior Fiction, with the judges praising the skill and writing craft of the author, as well as the depth and quality of language.
One night in a city garden, a girl meets a troll. He’d like a friend and she’d like help, so they make a deal that changes both their lives. This is an imaginative, polished and thought-provoking novel, with important themes of family, memories, and being careful what you wish for – and a nail-biting and unexpected conclusion.
Young Adult Fiction Award
Winner: Learning to Love Blue, written by Saradha Koirala
(Record Press)
Learning to Love Blue by Melbourne-based New Zealander Saradha Koirala was awarded the Young Adult Fiction Award.
The judging panel was enamoured by this novel that deals with striking out alone, navigating relationships and finding one’s feet in a new city, calling it an emotional and always relatable read.
Paige has left school, her band, her family and Wellington behind to strike out alone in the Melbourne music scene. She’s following in the footsteps of her musical heroes, and it helps that her high school crush Spike lives in Melbourne – but will she fit into his new life? This is a joyous, relatable story of finding independence in a new city.
Wright Family Foundation Te Kura Pounamu
Award for te reo Māori
Winner: I Waho, i te Moana, written by Yvonne Morrison, translated by Pānia Papa and illustrated by Jenny Cooper
(Scholastic New Zealand)
The standard and beautiful flow of reo in I Waho, i te Moana, translated from Yvonne Morrison’s text by Pānia Papa (Pōneke Wellington) and illustrated by Jenny Cooper, saw it awarded the Wright Family Foundation Te Kura Pounamu Award for te reo Māori.
The judges praised the expertise of the translator and also said the illustrations bring to life the authenticity of this story about the many taniwha that act as guardians in the moana.
The many types of taniwha that act as guardians in the moana form the mauri of this story. There is a lovely flow to the reo, and the illustrations bring to life the authenticity of the story and the creatures of the moana.
NZSA Best First Book Award
Winner: Spark Hunter, written by Sonya Wilson
(The Cuba Press)
Among the 199 entries into this year’s awards, some of the most exciting for the judges to read were those from new voices. With the calibre encouragingly high, it was a tough category to call but the NZSA Best First Book Award went to Spark Hunter by Sonya Wilson from Auckland.
The judges felt the book was perfectly pitched for middle fiction readers, with its debut author deftly weaving history, culture, conservation, humour, tension and adventure into the story.
Following mysterious moving lights, Nissa strays from her school camp in the Fiordland bush. As she is drawn into another realm, a vast search for her begins. She has been chosen for an important mission in a world of ancient creatures that need help.
Spark Hunter is a fast-moving, original and informative book that deals with themes of conservation and courage.
Enter to win one of NINE…
NZ Book Awards bundles
Thanks to the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults you have the chance to get your schnoze into one of these award-winning titles!
We have NINE book bundles to giveaway. To make sure you get the perfect books, we’ve broken the prizes up into three age categories…
6 years and under
Three lucky winners will each receive a copy of Lion Guards the Cake by Ruth Paul PLUS two other finalist picture books.7 - 10-year-olds
Three lucky winners will each receive a copy of The Memory Thief by Leonie Agnew PLUS two other finalist books.11 - 14-year-olds
Three lucky winners will each receive a copy of Spark Hunter by Sonya Wilson PLUS two other finalist novels.
