NZ Award-Winners

Aroha by Dr Hinemoa Elder is an enlightening exploration of timeless Maori wisdom, intricately woven into a contemporary context. This top-selling non-fiction title from New Zealand in 2021 introduces readers to 52 traditional Maori proverbs, known as whakataukī, each offering a profound lesson for every week of the year. Dr Elder, a respected Maori psychiatrist, delves into these powerful sayings...

Nau mai, haere mai ki tenei kai hakari wainene! Christall Lowe invites you to a hakari (feast) at her family table, replete with mouthwatering dishes infused with the flavours of Aotearoa, brimming with manaakitanga (hospitality), and served with wonderful tales of nostalgia. In this beautifully illustrated story of feasting, you'll find a bountiful basket of kai and korero gathered all...

Before You Knew My Name by Jacqueline Bublitz is an evocative and poignant debut novel that transforms the traditional crime narrative into a deeply human exploration of identity, connection, and the invisible threads that bind us together. The story is set against the gritty and vibrant backdrop of New York City, where two lives intersect in a haunting and unexpected...

Taukiri was born into sorrow. Aue can be heard in the sound of the sea he loves and hates, and in the music he draws out of the guitar that was his father's. It spills out of the gang violence that killed his father and sent his mother into hiding, and the shame he feels about abandoning his eight-year-old brother...

It's time. Mary, an ex-cop, and her husband, retired librarian Pete, have decided to move into a retirement village. They aren't falling apart, but they're watching each other—Pete with his tachycardia and bad hip, Mary with her ankle and knee. Selling their beloved house should be a clean break, but it's as if the people they have lost keep returning...

Winner of the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Novel They never found Leah Parata. Not a boot, not a backpack, not a turquoise beanie. After she left me that day, she vanished off the face of the earth. A close-knit community is ripped apart by disturbing revelations that cast new light on a young woman's disappearance twenty-five years ago. After...

Hine Toa is an incredible memoir by a trailblazing voice in women's, queer, and Māori liberation movements. 'Remarkable. At once heartbreaking and triumphant' – Patricia Grace In the 1950s, a young Ngahuia is fostered by a family who believe in hard work and community. Although close to her kuia, she craves more: she wants higher education and refined living. But...

Better the Blood is described as 'a compelling, atmospheric page turner with an authentic insight into Māori culture' by Val McDermid. A DETECTIVE IN SEARCH OF THE TRUTH. A KILLER IN SEARCH OF RETRIBUTION. A CLASH BETWEEN CULTURE AND DUTY. THE PAST NEVER TRULY STAYS BURIED. WELCOME TO THE DARK SIDE OF PARADISE. Detective Senior Sergeant Hana Westerman is a...

The Space Between is a gripping historical novel set amid the New Zealand Wars in 1860. As English settlers wage war upon local iwi in colonial Taranaki, two women confront their pasts to survive the present. Frances is an unmarried Londoner newly landed in New Zealand in 1860, at the dawn of the First Taranaki War. Once well-regarded, her family's...

Three friends and a one-eyed raven find themselves up against the rulers who restrict the gifts of writing and reading to an elite few. They must go on a wild and unpredictable rescue mission. Who and what will they meet along their way? And what is the terrible truth behind everything they think they know about their world? 'You will...

These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong is a brilliantly imaginative retelling of Shakespeare's classic tale Romeo and Juliet set against the immersive and tumultuous backdrop of 1920s Shanghai. This gripping fantasy novel weaves together elements of romance, intrigue, and betrayal, creating a vividly atmospheric and unforgettable reading experience. In glittering Shanghai, a hidden monster awakens, spreading terror across the city's...

"There was this large world of rolling time and shifting spaces, and that small, stilled world of horror and unease - they fit inside each other, a sphere within a sphere." Set against the backdrop of New Zealand’s 1866 gold rush, The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton begins as young prospector Walter Moody arrives on the West Coast to seek his...

Once Were Warriors is a New Zealand classic, a raw and powerful portrayal of Māori in New Zealand society. This classic has been released in the Popular Penguin format to mark 50 years of publishing in New Zealand. The format reaches further back to 1935, when Allen Lane founded Penguin Books with a clear vision: 'We believed in the existence...

Dr Hinemoa Elder's bestselling Aroha, translated into te reo Māori. Published in collaboration with Kotahi Rau Pukapuka. Kia ora. Nau mai ki Aroha. He mātāpono tenei mea, te aroha, no te ao Māori, no mai ano. He taonga te aroha no te whatumanawa, e rongo ai te tangata i te hononga ki te ao wairua, ki te ao kikokiko, ki...

In The Bone People, Keri Hulme weaves a powerful and visionary tale set against the backdrop of New Zealand's rugged landscape. This deeply moving novel centres on Kerewin Holmes, a reclusive, part-Māori artist who isolates herself from the world in a tower she has built on the edge of the sea. Convinced that solitude is the only way to protect...

When a boy finds a sealskin in a cave, he unlocks an ancient spell that tips him into a terrifying adventure... an award-winning novel for tweens that inspired the Sky NZ Originals TV series! Selkie mythology meets Wellington's rugged, windswept south coast in this spine-tingling adventure novel, which won the 2013 Esther Glen Medal for Junior Fiction. Now a Sky...

Greta & Valdin, a bestseller and international sensation, has captivated readers everywhere with its offbeat comedy and quirky goodness. Valdin is still in love with his ex-boyfriend Xabi, who used to drive around Auckland in a ute but now drives around Buenos Aires in one. Greta is in love with her fellow English tutor Holly, who doesn't know how to...

Lloyd Jones's dazzling novel is set on a Pacific Island ravaged by war. Told through the eyes of young Matilda and drawing on the elusive power of great literature, it has caught the imagination of readers the world over. This classic has been released in the Popular Penguin format to mark 50 years of publishing in New Zealand. The format...

A young boy learns about the customs around celebrating Matariki from his grandfather. They watch the stars from the top of a mountain, prepare their offering of food for the gods, and the boy learns about Te Waka o Rangi and the tradition of calling out the names of loved ones who have passed away so that they can become...

'Splendidly inventive, expertly controlled, full of passion and compassion, and a narrative I would give four fingernails to have thought of.' — David Hill 'A compelling and lovingly crafted novel.' — David Mitchell The same evening Josh Underhill went missing, the black horse appeared on the hill above the house. Thirteen-year-old Ella knows that words are powerful. So she should...

WINNER OF THE OCKHAM NZ BOOK AWARDS 'The most exciting novel I've read in ages... I gulped it down, so readable, so EXCELLENT about people. Read it.' Marian Keyes ‘This novel is perfection.’ Glamour 'A coolly ironic look at modern womanhood… This is an excellent novel.’ The Times You know how we say we devoured a story, and also that...

Wildlife of Aotearoa by Gavin Bishop takes readers on an extraordinary journey through the diverse and unique natural habitats of New Zealand, showcasing the remarkable flora and fauna that inhabit this beautiful land. This stunningly illustrated volume offers an immersive experience, weaving together intricate illustrations with compelling narratives that bring New Zealand's wild treasures to life. Through the pages, you'll...

Jamie Orange is careening out of control the closer he comes within reach of his dreams—the powerful, frenetic, heart-stopping winner of three YA fiction awards! A fifteen-year-old reaches for stardom as he slides into psychosis in this multiple-award-winning novel for teens. New Zealand Book Awards Young Adult Fiction Award 2024 NZ Booklovers Best Young Adult Book 2024 Storylines Notable Young...

New York Times Editors' Choice - "A heartfelt portrait of a complex family." --People - "Laugh-out-loud-funny." --Harper's Bazaar - "Quintessential rom-com meets the delicious family sprawl of a Russian classic." --Vanity Fair An irresistible, "generous, [and] tender" (The New York Times) international bestseller that follows a brother and sister as they navigate queerness, multiracial identity, and family drama, all while...

Ceremonial murder has returned to Florence. Only two men can end the destruction. Featuring Officer Cesare Aldo, Ritual of Fire is an atmospheric historical thriller by D. V. Bishop, set in Renaissance Italy. 'Fast becoming a serious rival to C. J. Sansom and S. J. Parris' - Historical Novel Society 'A deft and engrossing historical thriller set in Renaissance Florence'...

City of Vengeance was shortlisted for the 2021 Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize. "An impressive and immersive debut set in a beautifully realized sixteenth-century Florence" - Antonia Hodgson "A first-class historical thriller . . . Bishop's spirited and richly detailed story is a tour-de-force" - David Baldacci "Richly atmospheric . . . transports you to another time and place" -...

Kia Kaha is an award-winning and powerful illustrated storybook that invites tamariki (children) and rangatahi (youth) of Aotearoa (New Zealand) to celebrate Māoritanga (Māori culture). This heartfelt collection shines a light on the true stories of incredible Māori individuals who have made a remarkable impact in their respective fields. Written by Stacey Morrison and Jeremy Sherlock, Kia Kaha beautifully illustrates...

Migration by Steph Matuku follows the story of Farah of Untwa, who joins a school dedicated to training fighters, strategic thinkers, and military personnel. This opportunity allows her to escape her domineering mother and the tedious duties associated with being part of a Ngati in the upper echelons of society. At the school, Farah, an intuitive, is paired with Lase,...

Poorhara is the story of nineteen-year-old Erin, her older cousin Star/Whetu and an impromptu road trip taken over a few days. With the demands and heartbreaks of whanau, poverty and trauma nipping at their heels, Erin and Star trace the path back to their whenua, in the hope of salvation – something they ultimately find in each other.

The Squeakling: The tale of Spike, Max and the tiny intruder by Kristin Kelly is a charming narrative focusing on the lives of Spike and Max, two pet pals in a bit of a pickle. Max and Spike find themselves unsettled when their owners bring home a new baby, who immediately steals the spotlight. They dub the infant a 'squeakling'...

One of the biggest novels ever published in New Zealand, and a bestseller throughout the world, the dazzling Mister Pip becomes available in B-format. Lloyd Jones' novel has been acclaimed throughout the world as a love song to the power of the imagination and of storytelling. It shows how books can change lives.

A young boy learns about the customs around celebrating Matariki from his grandfather. They watch the stars from the top of a mountain, prepare their offering of food for the gods, and the boy learns about Te Waka o Rangi and the tradition of calling out the names of loved ones who have passed away so that they can become...

Everywhere, the birds: sparrows and skylarks and thrushes, starlings and bellbirds, fantails and pipits - but above them all and louder, the magpies. We are here and this is our tree and we're staying and it is ours and you need to leave and now. Tama is just a helpless chick when he is rescued by Marnie, and this is...