David Hill

Meet Dame Whina Cooper, the kuia who championed Māori rights and women's rights and led a famous hīkoi for positive change. The true story of one of Aotearoa New Zealand's most exceptional leaders and a courageous wahine toa, who united thousands of Māori and Pākehā to address injustices, and whose mana and determination continue to inspire us today. David Hill's...

Meet Peter Blake, the famous New Zealand yachtsman, who won the world's most famous yacht races and worked to help save the world's precious waterways. A stunning biographical picture book for young readers about Sir Peter Blake, world-renowned New Zealand yachtsman, adventurer, and environmentalist. "Remember," he wrote, "this is the most beautiful world, and it's the only one we've got."...

Meet Dame Whina Cooper, the kuia who championed Māori rights, women's rights, and led a famous hīkoi for positive change - te reo Māori edition of Mother of the Nation, translated by Stacey Morrison. A Māori-language, illustrated true story for children about Dame Whina Cooper, one of Aotearoa New Zealand's most exceptional leaders - a courageous and outspoken wahine toa...

Meet Joan Wiffen, a super-determined, self-taught palaeontologist, and join her on the hunt for the fossils that will prove New Zealand once had dinosaurs. The award-winning true story of science superstar Joan Wiffen, whose fossil discoveries proved that dinosaurs lived in ancient New Zealand. Once there was a clever girl who liked searching for interesting things on the ground. She...

Meet Jean Batten, the brave, trail-blazing and glamorous aviator, who strove to set new records in death-defying solo flights across the world. Brave, trail-blazing and glamorous, this stunning picture book tells the true story of how Jean Batten became an international superstar for her solo flights across the world. The little plane has been flying across the sea for eight...

Meet Sir Edmund Hillary, a shy but determined beekeeper from New Zealand who dreamed of being the first person to climb to the summit of Mt Everest, the world's tallest mountain. First to the Top, by David Hill and Phoebe Morris, is an award-winning picture book that tells the story of Sir Ed and his climb to the top of...

Finding by David Hill is an exciting novel for intermediate readers, tracing the fortunes of two New Zealand families over seven generations. The story navigates through wars, depressions, disasters, protest, and social change, beautifully penned by a master storyteller. Follow the journeys of two families as they experience triumphs and disasters, losses and discoveries. This enthralling novel by the bestselling...

See Ya, Simon is the story of a typical teenager named Simon, who enjoys girls, weekends, and playing practical jokes. However, Simon is different in one significant way—he has muscular dystrophy, is in a wheelchair, and does not have long to live. The tale is narrated by Simon's best friend, Nathan. This narrative is funny, moving, and devastatingly honest, capturing...

Meet Burt Munro, an unknown, elderly New Zealander whose obsession with setting a world land-speed record at Bonneville on his ancient Indian motorcycle made him a Kiwi legend. In 1967 an unknown, elderly New Zealander and his ancient Indian motorcycle set a world land-speed record at Bonneville. The man was Burt Munro, and he became a Kiwi legend. How did...

The story of how David Hill and the other Forgotten Children took on the institutions that tried to break them - and won. The Forgotten Children was David Hill's heartbreaking account of the abuse that he and other 'orphans of empire' survived at the Fairbridge Farm School in New South Wales. Part memoir, part oral history, the book became a...

The British plan to settle Australia was a high-risk venture. We now take it for granted that the first colony was the basis of one of the most successful nations in the world today. But in truth, the New World of the 18th century was dotted with failed colonies, and New South Wales nearly joined them. The motley crew of...

Meet Jacinda Ardern, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, who hopes the things she's done will help everyone, especially children, to believe that they can do great things too. An inspiring illustrated story for children about Jacinda Ardern, and her meteoric rise to become the world's youngest female leader. Nobody is too young to start changing the world. When Jacinda...

When hundreds of Japanese captives arrive at Featherston POW camp, the tiny town is divided. Tensions run high and then, on 25 February 1943, disaster strikes. Three boys witness it all. Enemy Camp is a compelling new novel by an award-winning author. 'We knew straightaway that something was happening. Extra men in khaki uniforms stood at the main gates. Behind...

A nerve-wracking underground adventure from an award-winning storyteller . . . Caught in a tunnel collapse, Liam and Imogen have to use all their wits to survive in this gripping novel for readers eight years and up. Wright Family Foundation Esther Glen Award for Junior Fiction 2023 When you stood deep inside the tunnel, you could hear the mountain groaning...

In 1959, David Hill's mother, a poor single parent living in England, reluctantly decided to send her sons to Fairbridge Farm School in New South Wales, where she was led to believe they would receive a good education and a better life. David was fortunate; his mother was able to follow him out to Australia. However, for most children, the...

The Making of Australia is the story of how a struggling convict settlement grew into six dynamic colonies and then the remarkable nation of Australia. Told through the key figures who helped build it into the thriving nation it is today, David Hill once again offers up Australian history at its most entertaining and accessible. In his latest book, David...

The fever that forever changed Australia. David Hill relates the extraordinary people and staggering events of Australia's great gold-rush years. From the mid- to late-1800s, people from all corners of the globe and all walks of life, including two future prime ministers of Great Britain and Australia, threw off their previous pursuits and made the often perilous journey to the...

Never before or since has there been an experiment quite as bold as this. Set against the backdrop of Georgian England with its peculiar mix of elegance, prosperity, progress, and squalor, the story of the First Fleet is one of courage, short-sightedness, tragedy, but above all of extraordinary resilience. It is also, of course, the story of the very first...

No training could have prepared Frank for a dangerous coastwatching mission against the Japanese in this award-winning WWII novel by David Hill. David Hill's tense, exciting war adventure inspired by the coastwatchers of Operation Pacific - winner of the 2022 NZSA Heritage Children's Book Award. It's not going to be a cushy job, young Benson. You're on your own. Japs...

It's New Year's Day, 1967, and Chris has made a resolution: he is going to stop his older cousin, Roger, from bullying him. What can he really do about it, though? Roger is a National Championship wrestler, while Chris is puny and bookish—the two boys despise each other. But as the summer progresses, Chris begins to think there may be...

The kind of book you need to clear a space for, so you can read it in one satisfying gulp.Paula Green, POETRY BOX When a sporty teen's leg is crushed in a mountain-hiking accident, he has to face new challenges, one tiny but huge step at a time. A fast-paced, powerfully told novel for middle-grade readers about limb loss, resilience,...

The Tangiwai disaster, on the eve of Christmas 1953, remains one of the major disasters in New Zealand’s history. My New Zealand Story: Journey to Tangiwai by David Hill offers a compelling narrative set against this backdrop. Peter Cotterill, age 13, starts the year writing in a journal given to him by his great aunt. We follow him through a...

It's 1974, and a dark, cold New Zealand winter. So when Darryl's mum announces she is going to the remote Pacific island of Mangareva for work, and she's taking him with her, he is thrilled. But even as Darryl soaks up the warmth and idyllic beauty of French Polynesia, his holiday is darkened by ugly anti-nuclear protests. And then there's...

Boy Seaman Russell Purchas is stationed on HMNZS Taupo. It's 1952, and the frigate has just entered hostile waters off the coast of Korea. Russell is determined to prove he is a hero, to shake off the shadow of his spineless uncle who died in the Second World War. Russell doesn't have to wait long to be tested. Never far...

Five minutes ... Two minutes ... Young soldier Jim McLeod waits in the trenches of World War I for the order to attack the enemy. With him are his friends and Nipper, the messenger dog. When they charge across no-man’s land, Jim is shot ... and finds himself face-to-face with an enemy soldier. A sensitively-written war story that shows the...

Meet Jonah Lomu, one of the greatest All Blacks of all time. His speed and strength on the rugby field made him famous around the world, and his fun and generous personality made him beloved, but all the while he faced a big battle with his health. “[David Hill’s] stories are wonderful, full of action and are always teaching the...

Three Scoops by David Hill is a compelling collection of stories that beautifully weave together themes of history, fantasy, and the future. Historical: Coming Home - The story of Harry and his loyal horse Blaze during New Zealand's rush to support the British in the Boer War. On the eve of departure, Blaze panics and escapes, leaving Harry to face...

Five minutes ... two minutes ... Young soldier Jim McLeod waits in the trenches of World War I for the order to attack the enemy. With him are his friends and Nipper, the messenger dog. When they charge across no-man’s land, Jim is shot ... and finds himself face to face with an enemy soldier. A sensitively-written war story that...

My Dear Mother, Well, I've gone and done it. I've joined the Army! Don't be angry at me, Mother dear. I know you were glad when I wasn't chosen in the ballot. But some of my friends were, and since they will be fighting for King and Country, I want to do the same. It's New Zealand, 1914, and the...

The Special Relationship by David Hill explores the unique and intriguing bond between Australia and the British monarchy. An undeniably special relationship, it juxtaposes the rebellious, egalitarian nation with an ancient symbol of social inequality. So what is the magic the royals hold over Australians? Queen Victoria was revered in Australia, despite never having visited and showing little interest in...

Australia and the Monarchy explores the intriguing relationship between Australia and the British monarchy—an odd couple, with the young, rebellious, egalitarian nation bound to an ancient symbol of power and social inequality. Even today, receiving an invitation to meet a member of the royal family is regarded as a pinnacle of social achievement. What is the magic that the royals...