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Freya is half blind, poor and lives in land-locked Medar. An unlikely heroine. So when she finds a mysterious tablet telling her about a beautiful land beyond the Wall free from the evil Master, she doesn’t think anybody will believe her. The same day, her family learns they have been selected to live in the Golden City, ruled over by the Master. But instead of entering the City with her family, Freya instead finds herself condemned to death by the Guards. At the last minute Freya is rescued by an invisible Watcher. What follows is an incredible journey, pursued by guards, that takes Freya to the very edge of the only world she has ever known. Will she unlock the clues hidden in the tablet? The key to the long lost path to Tyrelia — and freedom — is in her hands. -
A desperate odyssey through a dystopic future
Mika Tāura arrives in New York in the middle of a storm, where she accidentally kills a motorist and lands herself with an injured child. What’s more, she’s missed her rendezvous. Stan has problems of his own. Several of them just broke into his apartment and tried to kill him, which may explain why he hitching a ride in Mika’s armoured waka seems like a good idea. Besides, her business is taking her across to the West Coast, and so – conveniently – is his. On the run, Mika, Stan and the girl flee across the country to Stan’s reservation home, where they encounter a couple who may be the key to Mika’s mission. But time is running out, for the travelers and for those they left behind. -
Dream cars have no registration plate. One evening, just before tea, Adam’s mum pops out for the milk and doesn’t come back, launching a frantic nationwide search. After weeks with no leads, the television crews drift away, the police start asking hairy questions, and Adam’s dad starts seeing someone else. Adam’s life is falling apart. But perhaps it was already unravelling and Adam just hadn’t seen the signs? He’s spending so much time in the counsellor’s office, he’s beginning to think he’s a head-case. Then he meets Skye, who it seems has misplaced a parent too, and things start to look up. That is, until a body is found… A poignant coming of age story from award winning author, Lee Murray. -
The Extraordinary Story of the Europeans Who Lived as Māori in early New Zealand
This book describes one of the most extraordinary and fascinating stories in NZ history. In the early part of the last century several thousand runaway seamen and escaped convicts settled in Māori communities. Jacky Mamon, John Rutherford, Charlotte Badger and many others – this is their largely untold story. They were regarded as unsavoury renegades by the European settlers, but amongst Māori they were usually welcomed. Many Pākehā Māori took wives and were treated as Māori, others were treated as slaves. Some received the moko, the facial or body tattoo. Others became virtual white chiefs and fought in battle with their adopted tribe. A few even fought against European soldiers, advising their fellow fighters about European infantry and artillery tactics. In this, the first-ever book devoted solely to the Pākehā Māori, Trevor Bentley describes in fascinating detail how the strangers entered Māori communities, adapted to tribal life and played a significant role in the merging of the two cultures. -
The forgotten story of New Zealand's White Slaves
Slavery in the popular imagination has always been associated with the enslavement of Africans, and with good reason. Slavery however, is universal and not something that only white people did to black people. Throughout history, slavery has been practiced in many different forms and Māori slavery readily fits definitions of slavery elsewhere in world. This book discusses Pākehā (European) vassals or demi-slaves. Its main focus is the Europeans who lived and sometimes died as slaves in tribal New Zealand between the 1790s and 1880s. It examines when, where, why and how Māori obtained these slaves and the types of Europeans seized. It explores the diverse slave roles performed by white slaves, their sale prices and the immediate and long term physical and psychological effects of their servitude. Using published histories by hapū and iwi historians and writings on customary law by Māori scholars, captivity narratives by returned Pākehā slaves, and contemporary accounts about white slaves in newspapers, journals, letters and logs historian Trevor Bentley paints a vivid picture of the interaction between Māori and Pākehā and life in the early days of the colony.
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Pedro has changed his name even though he belongs to a herd where everyone has the same name and the chief would not let him change his. Now he has a dilemma. If he keeps his new name the chief will throw him out of the herd, but if he changes his name back to Zeb he won’t have the feeling that he can now achieve anything he wants to, because of his new name. Pedro and his parents decide to leave the herd and find that life on the African savannah on their own is dangerous. This is a sequel to "Zeb's Search" but can be read alone. ISBN: 978-0473453916 -
Stinky mud, a wild bull, cute calves, road works, and the beach—these are all part of Pop and Zac’s busy week with the blue truck. Come and join them on their adventure. Gordon Miller’s illustrations add interest and humour to this picture book which is enjoyed by the children and their parents. ISBN: 978-0-473351-13-7 -
POWERFUL PUNCTUATION is a self-published, small, handy reference for those punctuation dilemmas we so often wonder about. Most of your questions about basic punctuation will be answered in this little book. -
A moving and exciting adventure story for 9-12 year olds, set against the sweeping landscape of the North Island's volcanic plateau and Desert Road, Restless Spirit tells the story of a wild white Kaimanawa stallion who cannot be tamed and the two young troubled teens who come to love him. Lara is new in town and resents it — Kahu is a talented carver, outwardly cocky and confident but riddled with doubts and fears. Hunters slaughter the young stallion?s family and he learns to fear and distrust humans, but when a brutish trainer targets the white stallion during the annual DOC muster, he must learn to trust Lara and Kahu if they are to have any chance of saving him. To accomplish this, Lara and Kahu must both reach out — Lara to her peers and her estranged mother, and Kahu must reveal his hidden talent. Both must also face the reality that to help the stallion, they must ultimately lose him. Parallel to their journey, the white stallion must face and overcome his fears. He must call on the strength and wisdom of his ancestors and place his trust in Lara and Kahu. -
It’s midsummer night, Litha, and the triplet witches have traversed the veil between the realms to collect their dues from the humans. Rather than the roaring bonfire and naked revellers they expect, they discover the human realm is vastly changed and only a ragtag group of rebels awaits them. Captured by the mad monk and stripped of their magic, the witches are caught in a deadly race against unseen forces to save themselves, their new acolytes, and the realms from a never-ending winter. Rose Moon is an erotic fantasy, suitable for adults only. -
Te Ara Mo Te Rongopai — the Gateway of the Gospel
New Zealand’s colonial history began when Samuel Marsden found his young Maori friend Ruatara near death on a convict ship bound for Australia. Five years earlier Northland chiefs, Te Pahi and Hongi Hika, concerned about the negative influence of whalers and traders on the Maori people, had invited Marsden to New Zealand. The Boyd burning delayed this plan; it was now too dangerous to bring settlers to New Zealand. Once in Australia Marsden cared for Ruatara on his farm at Paramatta. Later he helped Ruatara introduce European agricultural skills to Rangihoua Pa at Oihi Bay in the Bay of Islands. The Gospel of Jesus Christ brought peace between tribes, a peace also facilitated by the successful introduction of wheat and vegetable crops. Join Ruatara and Marsden on their adventures as they begin this shared journey towards a better New Zealand-Aotearoa. Simon Fletcher’s illustrations bring more life to this historical story, for ten to fourteen year-olds and older. ISBN: 978-0-473351-12-0 -
Saving Sam is about a sad and lonely boy and the dog he grows to love. The book was inspired by my old dog, Layla , who passed away several years ago. Just like the Layla in the book, she was nervy and frightened at times. But she was also a gentle and kindly soul who loved kids and understood they'd never hurt her. She seemed to know if they were hurting too... Ben's mother is dead, his father is in jail, and his older brother is heading off the rails at a million kilometres an hour. The social worker is fast running out of options, when the boys' aunt and uncle reluctantly agree to take them in. Just as well: they were the last on her list. Ben's uncle has bought a guard dog from a man at the pub, but she's useless — afraid of loud voices and frightened of her own shadow — and he's decided to have her put down. Ben and the unwanted dog recognize each other for what they are — damaged goods — and find some comfort and companionship together, which slowly grows into love and trust. That love will be needed when Ben's brother gets into seriously bad trouble, and Ben's trust in his dog is put to the ultimate test. -
Six science fiction and fantasy novellas from Aotearoa New Zealand
Interdimensional forests, atomic ghosts and future tech gone horribly wrong abound in this collection of six works by acclaimed New Zealand sci fi and fantasy writers. Tim Jones explores desperation and betrayal on New Zealand’s shores in his climate refugee novella, Landfall AC Buchanan tells a story of creatures and people displaced in time and space in Bree’s Dinosaur Grant Stone’s tale of jealous muses and musical prodigy: The Last. Lee Murray and Piper Mejia’s sci-fi adventure Mika throws the reader into an odyssey through a dystopic USA. A husband with a secret in IK Paterson-Harkness’ Pocket Wife. Grief, ghosts, and atoms: Octavia Cade explores Ernest Rutherford's discoveries of loss in The Ghost of Matter. From award-winning boutique publisher Paper Road Press. -
The Adventures of Crimson and the Guardian BOOK ONE: The Battle of the Snake Crimson, the last of the secretive and elusive medieval unicorns, steps into young orphaned Kinsey’s path and life. Within minutes Kinsey finds herself battling a huge and dangerous snake-like river monster with nothing but a magical cloak and a dagger. somehow she survives, and with her sense of adventure awakened, she agrees to travel with Crimson on an incredible journey towards more danger and peril than she could ever imagine. Kinsey must overcome a band of monsters called jagotchies before rescuing the kidnapped leader of the dwarfs and helping save the life of a young troll-like creature, a Shadow-Blood. As she travels closer to the battlefield where the nation’s enemy is gathering his forces, she has to avoid wolf-like creatures called mungas intent on tearing her limb to limb, escape the clutches of the small but deadly bobaho and kill a giant dragon to rescue Crimson from a band of shape-shifters. At every encounter, Kinsey discovers more about the cloak's magic secrets, and surprises herself with her own abilities. But war is looming, and old enemies and warriors are gathering their forces. Has she learned enough to be able to defeat the deadliest enemy of all—the man called the Snake? -
The Carbonite's Daughter
To lead or to breed? Calista has this choice, but before she can make a decision she needs to leave the protection of the tunnels and chance her life outside, where radiation kills and people wither—so she is told. Who can she believe—her father or the MICs (Men In Charge)? Fear battles with her desire for adventure, and if she stays another insemination looms. Set in dystopian New Zealand, post a Nuclear Dawn, this is a story of growth and discovery and the realisation that things aren’t always as they seem. -
Crime-stopping adventure kids Logan, Meeka, Poet and Ninja-Nate find themselves caught up in a deadly crime ring mystery in the most unexpected place: Meeka’s mansion-like home, where everyone has secrets, even Meeka. When Logan, Ninja-Nate and Poet visit their new friend Meeka in her over-the-top wealthy home, they were expecting some fun and laughter. Instead, Meeka is obviously hiding something. She even acts like she wishes they weren’t there. Meeka has a secret she can’t share, and things turn from bad to desperate when her father ignores her and her problems. Only one person sees the danger everyone is in as the evil mastermind from the kids past closes in on them. But there is nothing they can do to stop him and before too long, Nate is kidnapped. As Nate's life hangs in the balance, Logan, Meeka and Poet know what they must do. Go and rescue Ninja-Nate. No matter what the risk. Even if it means running straight into deadly danger. Who will save them this time? -
The Kingsfort family is exiled royalty, once powerful rulers of an other-world monarchy where connection to the elements equals status, favour and control. Their only son will be the 40th king of Arvalonia when he turns 16. Pity they ‘forgot’ to tell him. Wrenched from Earth, thirteen-year-old Brave Kingsfort lands alone in a wild new world. On the run from a ruthless dictator and torn from everything he knows and loves, his unpredictable talent for connecting to the elements is the least of his worries until he discovers it might be his only way out. Seventeen-year-old True Harboursfort is determined to prove she’s more than her parents’ bargaining chip. When her plans for elemental advancement are sabotaged and the callous decision at the heart of her dysfunctional family is revealed, everything changes. Including herself. Beyond recognition. It’s terrifying. So why does it feel so good? Forced to make an alliance, Brave and True must overcome their families’ lies to trust one another and survive. All the while, deeply guarded mysteries lurk in the shadows, waiting to reshape their world forever. ISBN: 978-1738595570 -
'Tell us where you've got the nugget and this will go well for you,' the tall man with the horrible voice rasped. Rumour is flying around the west coast gold fields that tom McGee has struck it rich and found a nugget of gold as big as a man's fist. So no one is surprised when next his campsite is found wrecked and abandoned. Men have been killed for a lot less on the tough goldfields of 1860s New Zealand. But one person is convinced tom is not dead. His headstrong daughter, Charlotte. Solving the mystery is not her first task, though. First, she must get to the coast. A skilful horse rider, she disguises herself as a boy and joins a cattle drive across the Southern Alps. to survive the dangerous drive over Arthur's Pass and to keep her identity hidden from the vicious trail boss, she'll need the help of her dog, her horse, and her father's friend, tama. She knows she can do it — she has to — but what will she find? And will her new American friend, Joseph, help or hinder her quest? Charlie is in for the ride of her life — and the stakes couldn't be higher. -
The Adventures of Crimson and the Guardian BOOK TWO: The Return to Deephaven For over two hundred years, no one has dared attempt to enter the Deephaven caves—not since the two-headed, dragon-like tworns viciously attacked the dwarves who lived there and took the caves for their own. But since their overwhelming defeat at the Battle of the Snake, everyone wants to know how many tworns are still alive. And there’s only one way to find out—do what no one has chanced for decades—disregard common-sense and venture inside the caves. Armed with not much more than her dragon-dagger and her courage, Kinsey makes the journey with Crimson, the wise and insightful unicorn, ever beside her. The cave-hating but tworn-ready young dwarf, Anvil Treegrasper, reluctantly joins them. However, ferocious tworns are not the only danger in their path. An unlikely but cunning spell master has one thought on his mind—steal the Pendant of Peace worn around Kinsey’s neck for his own deadly purposes. And he is closer than Kinsey could ever imagine, with a powerful black crystal full of evil enchantments that could destroy them all. -
You could say this is the story of an ordinary boy who lived life to the full, growing up in the 1940s to manhood in the 1950s. Peter was born in Grimsby England in 1936 three years before the start of World War 2. Grimsby then was the world’s premier fishing port. He was the youngest of three brothers and four sisters. In his first seven years, he hardly knew his merchant seaman father and brothers because they were fighting for their country. After the years in war-torn Grimsby and many unhappy school days, Peter discovered in sports — mainly football, cricket and fishing — a refuge from the classroom. He left school at fifteen with a school report that said, “You must do better.” He began his apprenticeship in 1951 with the Grimsby Humber Graving Dock where after five hard years he earned his qualification as a steel fabricator, skills that later took him on many interesting worldwide journeys south from Grimsby. In 1964 Peter and his wife, Patricia emigrated to Africa. While living in Africa, he raised two children making these important years. The work he took in different countries demonstrated that this Grimsby lad could indeed, and would do better! Now Peter and his wife Patricia are enjoying their final journey retiring in Tauranga, New Zealand’s sunny Bay of Plenty. -
Fourteen-year-old Aleryck is good with a slingshot and at herding goats, but not much else. When the mysterious voice of ‘The Ancient’ tasks him with inscribing words of freedom on a magical tablet, he starts to believe he is important … more important even than his elder brothers. Then the Ancient asks Aleryck to hide the tablet in Medar--beyond the perilous Chasm--for a future generation, forcing Aleryck to reluctantly seek the help of his jealous siblings. Left for dead in the treacherous Wastelands when his brother, Taran, steals the tablet, it soon becomes a race against time to recover the tablet or it will be lost forever. If Aleryck and Taran can't settle their differences and learn to work together to fulfil the task, the people of Medar will be enslaved for all eternity. -
Logan hadn’t bargained on making friends with a secretive, rich and mysterious family when he’d trespassed onto the private beach by abseiling down a cliff that first morning of school half-term break. But his “be alone” plans are interrupted when he meets the adventurous Meeka and her secretive, mysterious parents. After spending a thrilling day full of adventure and Ferraris, he finally realises the identity of his mysterious new friends—but what’s better, with the help of their friendship, it looks like that elusive sense of belonging is finally within his grasp. Until his older foster brother shatters his hopes for his new friendship. But it’s not just his happiness that is at stake as a mystery unfolds around them. His suspicions of a shipwreck pirates’ smuggling ring turn into reality, putting Meeka and his life, plus the lives of his foster family, at risk. Caught by the ruthless pirates, they are all tied up and held captive, but a bigger shock is still to come, one that will hit Logan the hardest. How can he possibly escape now? -
Finn had seen those eyes before. They were golden yellow, like the colour of the moon hanging low in the sky. And they were full of pain. When Finn comes across a car accident, little does he realize his life is about to change forever. The huge, injured animal he discovers is no dog ‑ but a wolf, escaped from the circus. Finn is bewitched. Instinctively, he knows he must save the wolf, Lupa, and prevent her return to the cruel circus. Where to hide the wolf, and how to feed her, are just the beginning of Finn's problems. For the sinister circus clown, Cackles, is hot on their trail and will stop at nothing to get Lupa back. In a race against time to save Lupa, Finn gets help from unlikely quarters. But will it be enough? Like many of my books, The Wolf in the Wardrobe was inspired by one of our much-loved pets. Yogi is a long-haired German shepherd and he adores playing with kids. But people often say to me when they first meet him, "He looks like a wolf!" And that got me thinking – imagine if he really was a wolf! -
Three Little Wax-Eyes: Nga Tauhou e Toru
Learning something new isn't always easy. This is the story of how three little chicks faced their fears with help from mum and dad.Bilingual in english and te reo.ISBN: 978-0473531539 -
During the 1800s published stories about Europeans captured by 'savages' thrilled and horrified British, Continental and North American audiences. Hugely popular and known as captivity narratives, they entertained urban audiences and frightened those still living on the frontiers. This anthology contains 20 first hand captivity accounts written or dictated by 16 men and four women captured by iwi throughout New Zealand between 1816 and 1884. Some were seized when they unknowingly transgressed tikanga Maori (the customary laws of tapu, utu, mana and muru). Others were seized when they or their countrymen were involved in committing blatant acts of aggression against Maori. Two of the women (Maria Bennett and Mary Jane Briggs) were captured when they were shipwrecked, as traditional Maori salvage law dictated that any craft and those aboard it, wrecked or stranded in tribal waters, automatically became tribal property. The captives were held for weeks, months and in several cases for years before they were rescued or ransomed, for utu (redress) could be obtained by preserving life as well as taking it. Some escaped and others were freed by their captors. Of interest to Bay of Plenty readers will be the captivity of John Atkins (Whakatane, 1829), George Budd (Opotiki, 1834) and James Curlett (Tauranga, 1867). A government surveyor seized at Paengaroa during the Tauranga Bush War of 1867, Curlett spent six months amongst Maori 'rebels' in the Kaimai Ranges before escaping and travelling to Cambridge. Packed with drama and action, the narratives create a vivid picture of Maori and Pakeha interactions during the 1800s. They also provide rich insights into Maori life, including the principles of captivity and utu, social order, religious practices, everyday customs and the conduct of warfare. Each narrative is followed by a brief essay providing historical and cultural context. This anthology makes an important contribution to understanding the cross-cultural tensions from which contemporary New Zealand society has emerged. Many anthologies containing first-hand accounts by Europeans captured by American Indians and North Africa's Barbary pirates have been published overseas. Transgressing Tikanga is New Zealand's first anthology of Maori captivity narratives. -
The Story of Māori Artillery in 19th Century New Zealand
European sailing ships arriving in New Zealand waters during the early nineteenth century, brought with them terrifying and destructive gunpowder weapons that Māori soon termed pū repo (great guns). Sold to some 120 chiefs in the shape of muzzle loading cannon, carronades and swivel guns, 165 documented artillery pieces were acquired by the coastal and inland tribes. Set during the bloody intertribal Musket Wars (1818-1839) and the Anglo-Māori New Zealand Wars (1845-46 and 1860-1872), this book reveals a hitherto unknown dimension of this country's military history. It brings to light the various ways Māori acquired, mastered and deployed ships artillery, ceremonially in times of peace, and as instruments of destruction in offensive and defensive warfare. It resurrects or reconstructs long forgotten accounts of tribal artillery pieces, artillerymen and artillery battles, whose details were known throughout old tribal New Zealand. The history of New Zealand artillery and artillerymen begins with the tribal gunners. The book describes their professional approach to gunnery and the impact of artillery on military tactics during the Musket Wars. It shows how artillery became the catalyst for a new type of amphibious campaign and contributed to the evolution of gunfighter pa designed to deliver and resist musket and artillery fire. Drawing on contemporary accounts by European visitors and settlers, and the Māori and Pākehā-Māori artillerymen themselves, this book combines modern scholarship with old tales of unbridled ambition, innovation, adventure, courage, and tragedy, to provide an engaging and full history of New Zealand's tribal guns and gunners. Events of the past leave various records and 24 of the original 165 tribal guns can still be seen on marae, within nearby urupa (graveyards), public parks and museums. Photographs of many of these guns and the chiefs who owned and fired them are included here to enhance their stories. -
TUI’S FRIENDS, based on the antics of a bossy tui in Jan’s native garden, is a delightful picture book for three to ten year-olds, illustrated by Ruth Reinsfield. It is best read aloud to enjoy the alliteration used throughout the story. Your children will learn about the character of seven of New Zealand’s native birds and the native trees in which they live. It is published by Studio Seven Publishers in Inglewood, NZ. ISBN: 978-1-877219-93-1, 1877219932 -
What will Santa put under your tree this Christmas? A present that growls? Or one that smiles? The Best of Twisty Christmas Tales – crazy Christmas adventures for the whole family! Christmas in outer space or at the beach, havoc in Santa’s workshop, monsters running amok, and mad scientists who turn Christmas into chaos. Come along for the sleigh ride of your life, as these Twisty Tales weave their festive magic, whipping across New Zealand pastures, scattering fairy dust on the way to a Christmas BBQ! ISBN: 978-0994115508 -
She escaped death. She unlocked the mystery of the Tablet to discover the long-lost bridge across the chasm. She passed through the Wall. But fourteen-year-old Freya's biggest challenge is yet to come: all alone, she must enter Tyrelia, following new clues that lead her on a new quest deep into Tyrelia. All communication lost, will Freya to find the Ancient before it’s too late for her family trapped in the Golden City, who are torn between trying to escape and being seduced by the guiles of the City? Tyrelia is the second book in the Realmshift Trilogy -
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Like spiders we spin yarn from deep within
