NZ Booklovers Awards 2026

Dragons and phoenixes roam the skies of Seoul, meals magically appear based on your mood and dreams literally come to life... Nevermoor meets Pokemon in New Zealand author Graci Kim's thrilling new middle-grade fantasy series! Dare to enter a world of secrets and spells, where your wildest dreams—or your darkest nightmares—come to life before your eyes... Fourteen-year-old Aria Loveridge lives...

An inspiring and heartwarming book about the relationship between a working mum and her daughter by the former prime minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern.Today I got out of bed and asked Mumwhat day it was. 'Monday,' she said.I asked if that was a day care day.She said yes. I stomped my feet. Even though day care is fun, it’s...

From the best-selling author of Aroha, Wawata, Waitohu, and E Moko Dear Moko, comes a unique exploration of how to think about thinking, rooted in the wisdom of Māori culture. Dr Hinemoa Elder introduces us to a profound journey guided by Hinengaro, the Māori goddess of the mind, leading us through 23 specific rua, caves, into the unfamiliar depths of...

Detective Beans: Adventures in Cat Town is back to solve all the mysteries that you need solved, and even the ones you don't need solved. He's that good. In between playing Scrabble, having sleepovers, and trips to the beach, there's always time for crime solving. Whether it's who ate Mum's donuts, who has lost their handbag in the park, which...

The amazing Gavin Bishop brings us a monster-sized book about the mythical monsters of Aotearoa! Award-winning weaver of stories Gavin Bishop retells a variety of tales about the taniwha of Aotearoa, from the guardians who accompanied waka voyages to present-day inhabitants of the whenua and moana. Taniwha are all around us. They are good at hiding or changing their shape....

'I absolutely loved this page-turning family mystery and didn't want it to end. The author so effortlessly transported me to another place and time, and every character leapt off the page. An extraordinary, exquisitely written debut.' Liane Moriarty, author of Here One Moment 'An absolutely riveting read. A Beautiful Family held me captive from the first page to the last,...

A beautifully illustrated guide to sourcing wild ingredients, with detailed recipes showing how to cook with them. From the coast to the mountains to the native bush, set off on a delightful wild food adventure across Aotearoa.Eat Wild is a guide to getting your wild ingredients, then cooking with them. This beautifully illustrated book showcases some of New Zealand’s most widely...

Best-selling author Dominic Hoey's much-anticipated third novel. It's 1985 and Obi is on the cusp of teenagehood, after a childhood marked by poverty, dysfunctional family dynamics, (dis)organised crime, and street violence. His father is delusional, his mother is dying, the Rainbow Warrior is bombed, and it's time for Obi to grow up and get out of the arcade. When he...

When a purler of a storm tears apart the campground, champion knitter Granny McFlitter is determined to stitch it back together. But there's a bothersome goat chasing after her tasty knitting, and she'll need to be more creative than ever before... Kids will love this wild-weather adventure from the award-winning creators of Granny McFlitter! Can our favourite champion knitter use...

Te Motu Kairangi Miramar Peninsula, Wellington 1912. Doctor Matti Loverock spends her days and nights bringing babies into the world, which means her daughters—seven-year-old triplets Ada, Oona and Hanna—have grown up at Wonderland, the once-thriving amusement park owned by their father, Charlie. Then a grieving woman arrives to stay from the other side of the world, in pain and incognito,...

Beautiful and heart-achingly sad animal adventure with CATS and a strong environmental message. Perfect for fans of Michael Morpurgo, Sarah Lean and Hannah Gold's The Last Bear... ‘Captures the magic that animals bring to our lives.’ Sarah Ann Juckes, author of The Night Animals The Last Journey by Stacy Gregg is a tale of unyielding bonds and courageous adventures. Pusskin...

Things are going well for Matt Buchanan. After some hard times, life is peaceful as sole-charge constable for the small, isolated settlement of Haast on New Zealand's wild West Coast. He's made friends among the locals, won their trust. He keeps their little world safe. And he's working in spectacular surroundings - the fierce Tasman Sea, the dense beech forest,...

Long ago, Ataraxia was a magical, united nation where dragons lived in harmony. Now, the three dragon tribes—Cliffs, Fireflys, and Ferns—are divided and live in fear, hiding from monsters like the ferocious Blade Wolf. King Cliff rules the Cliff dragons with an iron fist and will stop at nothing to keep his tribe the strongest. Firefly sister dragons Dessa and...

Meet Violet Grumble: a music-loving, guitar-toting tween whose dream is to compete at BandChamps. The problem is that none of her friends can play an instrument. Violet won't let that stop her! But things get tougher when the band's gear starts to go missing - what's going on? Can Violet solve the mystery and harness her ADHD powers? Can she...

It's almost a year since Nissa Marshall was found alive after miraculously surviving a month lost in the vast, dense, isolated bush of Fiordland. Strange, magical things happened when Nissa was lost in the wilds, but was it actually real? Or had she made it all up in the forest inside her head? When the mysterious forest creatures come for...

'Heart-poundingly brutal, heart-poundingly romantic, this compelling mystery is utterly absorbing.' Amie Kaufman, New York Times bestselling author of The Isles of the Gods Recently dumped, heart-broken Ana struggles to put the past behind her on a post-graduation summer holiday. When a catastrophic earthquake hits, Ana and the other survivors emerge in a world they don't recognise, stumbling into a 14th...

The first in a terrible, terrific, funny and heartwarming new series by award-winning children’s author, Swapna Haddow, hilariously illustrated by Minky Stapleton. In a world where all animals have superpowers, café workers Zeb the zebra, Margarine the penguin and Barry the lemur have been given the worst powers of all. Watching all the other superheroes save the world, day in...

Thea, a young woman crushed by guilt, flees to Central America to escape her life in New Zealand.In Guatemala, she meets the charismatic Chris and his partner, Sarah, and the three of them form a tight bond. While the rest of the world is caught in the grip of the global financial crisis, the three friends find a false reality...

This is the inspiring true story of one big, fierce mama kiwi, two caring communities, three conscientious kiwi dads, over 60 thriving chicks, and a wild population restored after a 150-year gap! Written and illustrated for kids by award-winning author Ruth Paul, this visionary conservation project literally took place in her own back yard. This is a true story about...

Prickly, messy, deeply human characters. - Rachael Craw, bestselling author But now Zelle is back, and their lives are about to get a whole lot more complicated. Zelle is in denial about her alcohol use that threatens to spiral out of control, and she's deeply annoyed at having to leave the city. Callum's future is thrown into jeopardy after both...

In the dying days of the Roman republic, a remarkable woman steps out of the shadows and beyond the boundaries imposed on her sex, driven by an unstoppable ambition. Kaarina Parker's stunning debut novel, told in the compelling voice of this brilliant woman from history, brings Fulvia and the society in which she lived vividly to life. Born into a...

As the sun sets, which creatures come to life as others drift to sleep? What goes on in the forest under cover of darkness? This stunning picture book explores the hidden world of nocturnal creatures in Aotearoa New Zealand's bush. A perfect bedtime lullaby for tamariki. Te ngahere i te pō The forest at night by Kiri Lightfoot invites readers...

A family's delightful journey across town and into a place which is fun, restful, informative, musical and absorbing in turn. A very special treat for library lovers, young and old alike, from one of Aotearoa's best-loved author/illustrators.

Tender and wickedly humorous - such an important story. KAREN FOXLEE, bestselling author of Lenny's Book of Everything Jasper Robinson-Woods is not okay - his name is too long, his mum has an annoying boyfriend, he never sees his dad, and he can't sleep because of a terrifying nightmare. Oh, and to top it off, his goldfish is dying. Jasper...

Vex is used to people being afraid of her special power, the ability to persuade others to do what she wants. But when she arrives at a new school, Tiebold Academy, it is packed with people who have the same special power as her, and who might even like her. There is her roommate Ronnie, a coolheaded high achiever, and...

The Tractor Has a Wobbly Wheel by Tim Saunders poses the intriguing question: How do you fix a wobbly tractor wheel? Goat, pig, horse, and friends have some ideas! But which one will work?

Three Dogs, Two Murders, and a Cat by Rodney Strong Nicolette Briggs doesn't do humans. As Wellington's premier, and possibly only, animal detective, Nicolette mostly investigates missing pets and cases of animal cruelty. So when her latest client asks her to investigate a case of a poisoned cat, it seems right up her alley. Until a body shows up, then...

For many of us, the love of cooking has been lost in the busyness of life. My Weekend Table is a book overflowing with beautiful, comforting recipes that allows us to rediscover the joy of connecting with others at the end of a long day through simple, delicious, joyous food. Gretchen loves combining unexpected flavours with recognisable classics for outstanding...

Life is already unfair for 15-year-old Mariana. Her father's missing and her activist mother is dead. Marooned with her grandparents in the cyclone-wrecked South Island, life is dominated by Carapace, a corrupt corporation. When Mariana wears a red dress to her new school, she breaks an obscure rule and puts her family at risk. Mariana yearns to stand up for...

The Girl from Sarajevo Young and self-assured immigrant Katia will do anything to become a writer. When she encounters her neighbour, an aging novelist from the old country, she embarks on an audacious plan to represent Dragan’s new novel as her own. Weaponising her sexuality, she enters into a cynical, twisted affair with the elder wordsmith. But Dragan holds a...

Food Farm

Where In All The World

In a future world, supplies of drinkable water are depleted, except for a few hydrospheres. A huge gulf grows between the water-rich few with watercards and the water-poor scavvos. Alex is a mnemopath, a memory machine for a senior manager in water export trading, feeding facts into her boss’s earpiece and eavesdropping. Her job isn’t noble, but she needed the...

'The People I Know Now' is a moving YA novel about love, loss and the courage to move forward. After a devastating year, 19-year-old Lyla finds healing and friendship in a seaside town. But when trauma resurfaces, she must confront the past and discover what family, love and resilience truly mean.

Something is making a racket in the attic!Since the mysterious disappearance of their parents, Willow and Hunter have been living with their grandfather in his creaky old house. But Grandpa’s memory is fading fast, and the twins dread the prospect of being placed into foster homes.Willow can barely sleep for the worry, not to mention the crashes coming from the...

Olveston is one of New Zealand’s most remarkable and beautiful heritage homes. Built in 1907 by David Theomin, a wealthy merchant and one of Dunedin’s accomplished Jewish businessmen of that era, its opulence reflects the economic power that was concentrated in Dunedin at the start of the twentieth century, largely thanks to the earlier gold rush and the booming farming...

Keith and the Kitten (Keith Vs Queenie, Book #1) by Elaine Bickell introduces readers to Keith, a tiny Chihuahua with a big attitude. He rules both his house and his Mama’s heart. However, his world is turned upside down when his Mama brings home Queenie, a fluffy kitten who steals all the attention. Determined to stay on top, Keith causes...