Stories of growing up and finding your place in life, magic and enchantment, words and libraries, and the splendour of our amazing native animals stand out in the top books for children and young adults in 2024. Ann Packer chooses 50 of the best.
Young Adult
GRACEHOPPER by Mandy Hager (OneTree House)
Wellington-based Grace, born during a major earthquake in Taiwan, practises martial arts to cope with the aftershocks that still disrupt her life, while rediscovering a preschool friendship that’s metamorphosing into romance. So many valuable insights into the everyday lives of little people, people of Asian heritage and those suffering from PTSD. Another YA novel that deftly disentangles family relationships, from a novelist at the top of her powers.
THE HARROWING by Kristen Kiesling & Rye Hickman (Amulet)
A graphic cautionary sci-fi tale that explores the moral dilemmas faced by teens who find themselves caught up in an experimental project that senses potential mass killers.
THE MESS OF OUR LIVES by Mary-Anne Scott (OneTree House)
Jordan, 17, can’t wait to leave home and his unwell mother, barricaded inside her overstuffed house. But his younger sister Tabitha, 11, is still trapped by that smothering love. This Hawke’s Bay author knows teenage boys so well – musicians, too – enriching the impact of this wake-up call for all who teeter between collecting and hoarding. Mind-boggling and marvellous.
MY FAMILY AND OTHER SUSPECTS by Kate Emery (A&U)
A light-hearted, highly believable take on the country-house murder mystery, replete with revelations of mismatched relatives – this time in an Australian setting. Laugh-out-loud funny.
WHEN THE WORLD TIPS OVER by Jandy Nelson (Walker)
Names like Wynton, Miles, Dizzy and Cassidy point to the jazz theme in this epic, five-generation Californian wine-country saga that somehow stays strongly rooted in the present – much as improvisation keeps returning to its original motif. Every character in this third YA novel from a New York Times bestselling author (previously a literary agent for many years) is utterly convincing.
Junior Fiction
AWATEA’S SECRET by Fraser Smith (Huia)
Third in a series of adventures by the principal of a Far North enviro-school, featuring a heady mix of summer holiday mystery, good-hearted family relationships and rural resourcefulness. With its gentle spirit presence, there’s more than a passing resemblance to the recently reprinted When the Kehua Calls.
THE BEST WITCH IN PARIS by Lauren Crozier (Text)
A deliciously witchy tale set in the City of Light – and Melbourne and the Otago Peninsula – starring an abandoned infant, adopted by a trio of witches, who grows up not quite sure of her witchiness. Spoiler alert: arachnophobes be on guard.
BROWN BIRD by Jane Arthur (Puffin)
The sweetest story of a painfully shy girl finding her place in the world. Everybody needs a friend, but Rebecca, 11, just didn’t imagine her neighbour’s brash nephew, Chester, might be the one for her.
CHRONICLES OF A LIZARD NOBODY by Patrick Ness & Tim Miller (Walker)
A rollicking school story with a pun at its heart (monitor lizards, anyone?) that riffs on animal stereotypes and introduces Ness to a whole new generation. He’s so sure of himself he can take crazy risks – and get away with it.
CHRONICLES OF WHETHERWHY: The Age Of Enchantment by Anna James (HarperCollins)
What’s not to like about James’s worlds, first encountered in the Pages & Co books? Enchantment, magic, books and a bookbindery feature in this gentler, first-in-a series tale of twins who were divided by destiny but then reunite undercover.
THE CLOCKWORK CONSPIRACY by Sam Sedgman (Bloomsbury)
A race-against-time puzzle – from an author who lives atop a London railway station – about aspiring inventor Isaac Turner whose dad, the horologist in charge of Big Ben, disappears on the night the clocks go back.
GIRAFFE ISLAND by Sofia Chanfreau & Amanda Chanfreau (Gecko)
A truly magical story, with marvellous illustrations and a circus to boot, of a lost mother, absent father, eccentric granddad and a child in search of a family.
THE GRIMMELINGS by Rachael King (A&U)
In a Central Otago setting, a potent brew of real life (small rural riding school) and enchantment (water horses known as kelpies), in which the wafer-thin veil between one world and the next is manipulated with the utmost skill by a seasoned wordsmith. This had me reaching for English nature writer Robert Macfarlane, rereading Alan Garner, and recalling Andy Scott’s steel kelpies at Falkirk, west of Edinburgh, which pay tribute to the working horses that shaped the landscape of Scotland, as well as the mythical kelpies.
THE HOTEL BALZAAR by Kate DiCamillo (Walker)
An exquisitely constructed, elegantly illustrated tale that slowly reveals the truth about Marta’s family – her absent father, her mother working as a maid – through objects that offer clues to her early life. Another Norendy Tale from one of the best writers for children.
THE HOUDINI INHERITANCE by Emma Carroll (Faber)
From the queen of historical fiction, an engaging tale, seen through kids’ eyes, based on the last days of legendary escapologist Harry Houdini, whose death has never been satisfactorily explained.
LANDOVEL by Emily Rodda (A&U)
From the author of Deltora Quest, the first in a simultaneously released trilogy about stories, memories and who controls history. There’s a library here, too, in the most dystopian of these four literary fantasies.
NINE GIRLS by Stacy Gregg (Penguin)
A teen from a posh Auckland suburb returns to her mother’s home town of Ngāruawāhia, divided by race and a river. The Margaret Mahy Book of the Year features a buried treasure mystery dating back to the land wars, and a talking eel – a device for imparting nuggets of historical information.
THE RAVEN’S EYE RUNAWAYS by Claire Mabey (A&U)
Delicious writing – with some strong stuff, too – in this alt-historical look at who owns written knowledge, and the lengths to which some will go in order to hold on to their power. It’s told through the eyes of Getwin, a young bookbinder, and her scribe friend Lea. The cast of characters also includes Getwin’s staunch mum, Gunnora, a seasoned bookbinder. Then there’s Getwin’s faithful friend Buckle and a one-eyed raven ‒ an echo of Getwin’s own visual disturbances.
SKANDAR AND THE SKELETON CURSE by AF Steadman (Simon & Schuster)
Fourth in a bestselling series about an academy on an island somewhere between Britain and Ireland, where students are bonded with winged black unicorns and live in interconnected treehouses. Addictive.
THE SUGARCANE KIDS AND THE EMPTY CAGE by Charlie Archbold (Text)
Five Queensland kids are on the trail of a bunch of exotic animal thefts – starting with parrot Gloria and the scrub python from the library’s terrarium. The friendly woman who runs the school canteen has been replaced by a tyrant who may have something to do with the thefts. Not everyone is who they seem …
SUPERHEROES FOR A DAY by Craig Cormick (Exisle)
Another school setting with a trio of unlikely stars – three neurodiverse kids whose special power is their ability to solve problems by thinking differently – that takes a swipe at prevailing attitudes.
TURTLE MOON by Hannah Gold (HarperCollins)
Another conservation adventure from the queen of nature writing. Silver travels to a Costa Rican turtle rescue centre, where his artist father paints and his mother grieves for her lost babies – a delicate subject not often encountered in children’s books. The author acknowledges the personal pain that precipitated her writing career – with miraculous consequences.
WE DO NOT WELCOME OUR TEN-YEAR-OLD OVERLORD by Garth Nix (A&U)
Celebrating 50 years of Dungeons and Dragons is this spooky tale of a girl caught in an extra-terrestrial enchantment and her brother’s attempts to rescue her. It’s surprisingly believable.
PICTURE BOOKS
BUT THEN . . . by Swapna Haddow & Daron Parton (Scholastic)
It’s a decade since Alligator in an Anorak first exposed us to UK-born Daron Parton’s stylish pictures. Here, he brings to life fellow Brit-Kiwi Swapna Haddow’s tall tale of why the library books are so overdue – including the coolest granddad ever.
THE DICTIONARY STORY by Oliver Jeffers & Sam Winston (Walker)
Dictionaries may be full of words but they don’t tell a story. However, when Alligator appears, a story begins to unfold, rolling through pages collecting chaos. Smart readers will spot the deliberate mistake on the back cover. Inspired by an earlier Sam Winston book, this is a genius collaboration resulting in a stunning production, a great story and, of course, puns galore.
FRANK AND BERT: The One With The Missing Biscuits by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros (Nosy Crow)
Oh dear – something always goes wrong for this unlikely couple of friends. This time, it’s a picnic involving a surprise box of caramel crunch biscuits, a tall story about why there are none left, and a scurry of squirrels.
GREY by Laura Dockrill & Lauren Child (Walker)
An exquisite depiction of depression, from one who wrote her way out of postpartum psychosis, with pictures by the much-loved Lauren Child. Following a sequence of pages drained of colour, a sympathetic adult offers hope, presenting chalk to colour grey pavements. The colours are still there; they reassure her, “inside you, not gone away”.
I AM by Dana Winter (Beatnik)
The all is in the small, says this Taranaki author-illustrator, who reveals the life cycle of natural things through the eye of a worm looking for God.
KIA ORA PĒPI by Donovan Bixley (Upstart)
A welcome addition to the bicultural read-aloud repertoire – even the English version integrates te reo words without missing a beat.
LITTLE AXEL’S AXOLOTL by Juliette MacIver & Christopher Nielsen (Walker)
Chock full of marvellous words, this rollicking rhyme, from a Kiwi author and Sydney-based illustrator (the dedication to his Year 7 art teacher says it all), is a treat. In spite of being coddled, Harris Aristotle the axolotl feels incomplete, longing to bask in summer’s heat, feel the earth beneath his feet, to swim and run full-steam – but most of all, to fly.
THE LITTLE YELLOW DIGGER AND THE HELICOPTER by Peter Gilderdale & Fifi Colston (Scholastic)
The Gilderdales, who brought us the original little yellow digger, make an appearance in this contemporary update on the role played by heavy machinery in extreme weather events. Mums, dads and grandparents who’ve lived through recent floods will enjoy reading this iteration.
A LOT OF SILLY by Joy Cowley & David Barrow (Gecko)
There’s a laugh on every page of this marvellous collection of poems old and new, ridiculous and sublime, short prose, and ghoulish treats like “Business Lunch” and “My Tiger”, originally a school reader.
A RAINY DRAGON DAY by Julie Völk (Gecko)
A child looking forward to a rainy day inside – “I’ll read and play, muck around, daydream” – gets a knock on the door from a friend needing to use the bathroom. But where does a dragon go when he needs to go? This Austrian award-winner has a beguiling illustrative style that perfectly suits the whimsical solution to this problem, with a charming twist at the end.
THE REMARKABLES by Clotilde Perrin (Gecko)
In which the French artist better known for fold-outs and hidden flaps exposing monsters turns her phenomenal attention to children she has met. It’s a mind-boggling array of types, embodying emotions from icy and prickly to the impressively loud and the fragile. Enough intriguing detail to entertain even bigger children for hours.
THANK YOU by Jarvis (Walker)
A novel take on gratitude, with a child making specific their thanks – the tree for shade, boots for knowing the way, clouds for the puddles, and “my sister for going first” (into the pool). From a record sleeve designer and animation director, which perhaps explains the sheer quirkiness of his work.
TITIRO by Gavin Bishop (Gecko)
Take a LOOK (titiro) at this beautifully bilingual, first-words addition to this koro’s splendid collection of board books for babies. Key details are named in English and te reo Māori, and the likeness between the human and toy in each spread are uncanny.
WHERE TO HIDE A STAR by Oliver Jeffers (HarperCollins)
For those who dream of having a star for a friend, this continuation of earlier tales about the boy and his companions, the penguin and star, throws up some unexpected possibilities. Lost after a game of hide and seek, the star fetches up a continent away, just as a girl who has always dreamed of having one for a friend, walks on the frozen shore. You can guess the rest.
Non-fiction
DEAR MOKO by Hinemoa Elder (Puffin)
This junior version of Aroha from 2020 is a handsome “love letter to all mokopuna” that uses whakataukī (proverbs) to illustrate the pillars of te ao Māori – manaakitanga, kaitiakitanga, whanaungatanga and tino rangatiratanga. Wisdom for all ages.
DON’T SCARE THE DENTIST by Sam Smith & Daron Parton (Little Moa)
From “a silly man who was a dentist but now does comedy for a living” and an illustrator (Daron Parton again) who cleans his dog’s teeth as well as his own, this story of a dentist who’s scared of “icky sticky” kids has tips for parents as well as kids. (See also: Joy Cowley’s My Tiger.)
THE GAVIN BISHOP TREASURY (Puffin)
This anthology from the Christchurch author-illustrator spanning 45 years is well overdue. It shows Kiwi kids a world they recognise – rather than the snowy Christmases of his own childhood reading. They cover the field from the miserable Mrs McGinty, BidiBidi the companion sheep and Rats, to fairy tales such as Chicken Licken, Three Little Pigs and Three Billy Goats Gruff, set in Godzone.
INTO THE ICE: Reflections on Antarctica by Alison Lester & Coral Tulloch (A&U)
For all who’ve ever been, or never been, to Antarctica, where “time is measured in the thickness of an ice sheet”. Reflections from as far back as the 18th-century explorer Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, assembled and added to by two Australian Arts Fellows. Awesome.
KIWI BEES HAVE TINY KNEES by Rachel Weston (Weston Books)
Informative and entertaining facts about our 28 species of ngaro huruhuru or native bees – which are often mistaken for flies – and the fascinating things they do. Plus a cool poem by young insect lover Tora Lavack.
LISA CARRINGTON CHASES A CHAMPION by Lisa Carrington & Scott Pearson (Huia)
“Sometimes you just need to be kind to yourself and say, my best is good enough.” That’s the message that stays with the multiple medal-winning Olympic paddler, as well as: “It’s not all rainbows and butterflies but I keep showing up.”
NEW ZEALAND’S NATIVE MAMMALS by Carolyn King (White Cloud/Upstart)
We’re so used to thinking a couple of bat species are our only native mammals that we forget about the wealth of marine mammals in our region, which includes Antarctica. There are, in fact, 57 species. A comprehensive round-up of native mammal fauna, plus historical, cultural and geographical backgrounds.
PENGUINS DON’T SEND POSTCARDS by Jeanette Goode (Jeanette Goode)
From the author of A Little Blue comes the tale of another avian survivor, Jack the tawaki, a Fiordland crested penguin that fetched up on a beach in the Far North before being treated in two vet hospitals and transported back to the South Island’s West Coast by helicopter.
THE PROUD PŪTEKETEKE by Peter Millett & Fifi Colston (Puffin)
At one time, the pūteketeke was down to a population of just 200, but now there are about 1000 of these birds, aka Australasian crested grebes. These highly distinctive “chunder wonders” were the winners of the Aotearoa Bird of the Century award last year. They eat their own feathers to protect themselves against fish bones in their diet.
RURU: Night Hunter by Katie Furze & Ned Barraud (Scholastic)
From the creators of Tuatara, an up-close-and-personal look at our only surviving native owl, heard more than seen. Beginning and ending with a sleepy child, it’s a comfortable mix of lyrical text and simply stated facts.
SAVING WĀNANGA by Kris Herbert & Dïne (Potton & Burton)
The story of a sassy kea rescued with signs of lead poisoning by a police officer (he sang to it on the trip to the vet) is told by a science journalist with visual help from a French Kiwi living in Glenorchy.
TASTING WITH YOUR FEET by Ned Barraud (Potton & Burton)
A catchy title for a superb book, covering all the senses that humans and other animals use to, well, make sense of the world.
WATSON THE DETECTIVE DOG by Susan Brocker & Jenny Cooper (Scholastic)
A seasoned combo join to bring the mahi of a conservation dog to young readers: Gavin, who loves piglets and rolling in pūkeko poo, is being trained to sniff out whitebait eggs.
