Some of you may already know that it is new zealand book month this October. I (the yellow polka dot) come from new zealand, so i’m going to write a post on my 4 favorite new zealand children books. I can’t do a book a day like my mothers blog, so i’m going to do a little bit about my favorite new zealand children books. Some of you will have clicked through to this from my mothers blog, so you would have already read about childrens books, but that was childrens books from the point of view of an adult. This is from the point of view of a kid.
Book number one: Kauri In My Blood
Kauri in my blood is the diary of a girl called Laura Ann Findlay, who lives in the bush camps of the coromandel valley, where the great kauri trees are felled. Laura’s father has problems with his gut, so when he had to have a massive operation, the family (five kids) had to move to Auckland to live with Laura’s grandmother. Laura hated it there. Eventually, Laura’s mother got a job as a bush cook back in the coromandel valley, and everyone was happy to move back. Laura talks about her experiences in the bush camps…
What a night! They started triggering the dams at midnight. By two o’clock, they were all running. The whole valley was thundering. The Main Dam ran at full bore for nearly two hours as the flood of water from the side dams joined with it’s own flow.
Book number two: Kaitangata Twitch
Kaitanata Twitch is a book about a girl called Meredith who lives by the bay where a small island called Kaitangata. Meredith is very imaginative and often makes up stories. When Marriott Carswell, a developer, comes to the bay, the people of the bay take sides. Marriott wants to develop Kaitangata, but the island, and Meredith, disagree…
“What we need is a powerful enchantress” Meredith cried. Someone who could put a spell on Marriot. As she spoke, a strange thought came into her head, running round and round inside her like a pet shop wheel.
Book number three: Maddigan’s Fantasia
This is a book about Garland Maddigan, the 12 year old daughter of Ferdy, the ringmaster of the traveling circus, Maddigan’s Fantasia. They are trying to get through the land of the remaking, but even though they have made this journey before, the chaos ripped the world apart, leaving Maddigan’s Fantasia to try to get through a land of many new challenges. In the mist of this all, three mysterious children join Maddigan’s Fantasia, and Garland struggles to find out the truth of their origin…
The Fantasia had taken the boys in, but they didn’t belong with the fantasia or with the wild country rolling around them. Yet,nobody seemed to feel this strangeness Garland was feeling with the two boys… this quality they had of not truly belonging to this world.
Book number four: Alex
Alex is a book about a teenage swimmer. In 1959 Alex is trying to qualify for the Olympic games in Rome. She gets side-tracked when her boyfriend dies, and she recieves a broken leg, but she is strong through it all. Many reporters give Alex a hard time but she keeps on trying. There are 3 other books in this series, in which Alex tries desperately to reach her dream…
I’ve always known that in another life I was – or will be – a dolphin. I’m silver and grey, the sleekest thing on fins, with a permanent smile on my face. I leap over and through waves.
So that’s my new zealand book month post. I highly recomend all the books listed here. And P.S. please comment! We’ve only had one comment (so if your out there, person who left a comment, THANK YOU!!!) and we would love some more.
