Take 2 Takahe, isolate them for a million years and what to you have? Now add humans, and the predators they bring... Conservation and maths literacy themes.
There are now only 500 takahe left in NZ. Lots of interesting facts.
Jason Mason is a pretty average kid. The kind of kid who doesn't get chosen for the rugby team. The kind of kid who gets his lunchbox picked over by the school bully every day. The kind of kid who finds it hard to concentrate in class. The kind of kid who is, actually, a SECRET AGENT. WAIT . . . WHAT? You won't believe the crazy, laugh-out-loud, risky, save-the-world type stuff this pretty average kid gets up to. This book is destined to leave you itching for more Jason Mason adventures!. Such a funny book!
Three Autistic friends try to save their school from never-ending maths in this fast and fun story, told from a rarely seen perspective. Superheroes for a Day tells the engaging story of Max, Daniel, and Natalie's mission to save their school from endless maths lessons. Using their unique abilities like heightened memory and attention to detail, they turn their differences into strengths. While handling their individual traits, they find the courage to become heroes, at least for a day, in the eyes of their schoolmates. The book seeks to normalize the experiences of Autistic kids who are often seen as uncool because of their quirks. By making them the heroes, the story offers insight into their personal experiences and perspectives in a fun and engaging manner, resonating with readers in mainstream classrooms. Filled with delightful illustrations, Superheroes for a Day is an empowering tale of friendship, bravery, and the remarkable abilities that often go unnoticed in those who are different.....Wheelers
Join Flit the fantail and his forest friends on a nighttime adventure, this time to capture a star shining brightly on the horizon. It is one of a cluster of nine stars and Flit is determined to explore! But when he gets lost, wise Ruru swoops down and Flit learns about Matariki stars and navigation.
The wild mokopuna loved their Nanny Jo. She took them to the park, to the river, to the bush. But when Nanny Jo became sick, the wild mokopuna gathered around her to hear the story of the great fisherman Taramainuku and Te Waka o Rangi. A touching story that celebrates grandmothers, while also highlighting the significance of Matariki as a time to farewell the spirits and celebrate the Māori New Year. He kōrero aroha tēnei e whakanui ana i ngā kuia, he pūrākau hoki mō te wā whakahirahira o Matariki.
Night was falling, dark and dank. The dog stood beside the wreckage, gazing up at the sky. Slowly a large red moon rose over the mountain, flooding the snow in bloody light. Ice lifted her muzzle to the moon and howled, long and sad. When Zac chooses the rescue dog with the startling ice-blue eyes, little does he know the danger and adventure that will unravel as the mystery around the tracking dog becomes a fight for survival against a terrifying enemy.
I loved this book. It would be a great read aloud! Recommended by Mrs Kewish
Sometimes it can take one special friend to show you what you’re capable of, even if does take you a while to believe it.
Eleven-year-old Rebecca tries to make herself invisible so people won’t call her weird. Resigned to spending the holidays by herself in a new neighbourhood while her mum works long hours at the supermarket, she meets Chester, who has come to stay for the summer. He is loud and fun and full of ideas. But will Rebecca be able to cope with being taken so far from her quiet comfort zone?
Rebecca is about to find out that she can be braver than she ever thought possible . . .
A gentle, warm-hearted novel about leaving the comfort of your shell and making friends, for fans of Judy Blume, Jacqueline Wilson, Kate DiCamillo and Kate de Goldi. ...From Penguin website
I really enjoyed this book. It was easy to read because it is in verse. It reminded me that it is always good to remember that no one can read minds and if you are feeling bad to share your feelings. I wished the way Kai treated Calab had been resolved by him apologising and hopefully being kinder..... Mrs Kewish
WINNER OF A STORYLINES NOTABLE BOOK AWARD!
It’s 1861, and gold fever is sweeping New Zealand. Otherwise sensible adults have gone mad and will do anything to get their hands on the precious metal.
But two children have been caught up in the rush.
Michael and Atarangi couldn’t be more different, but they share one thing: each has a remarkable and magical talent.
Circumstances conspire to bring the children together in the remote and inhospitable goldfields, and they’re thrust into a world where lawlessness, greed, and cruelty reign.
When the children find out that a cut-throat gang stalks the goldfields, preying upon the innocent, they have a choice to make: turn a blind eye, or fight back?
"Gritty, thrilling, and yet beautiful. I loved this, and you will too!"
Weng Wai Chan, author of Lizard’s Tale, winner of the NZ Junior Fiction Award
“Rich characters and nail-biting action, with a sprinkling of fantasy. There's gold in this here book!”
Tom E. Moffatt, award-winning author of books and jokes for kids
"Terrific!"
Joan Mackenzie, head book buyer, Whitcoulls
from....https://dragonbrothersbooks.com/products/children-of-the-rush
A lovely book to read if your best friend moves away or something sad happens to you. It shows great ways to be resilient and how to be happy.
A very short book
A great dystopian fiction novel. The winner of the Newbery Medal 2022 from Mrs Kewish
There lived a girl named Petra Peña, who wanted nothing more than to be a storyteller, like her abuelita.
But Petra's world is ending. Earth has been destroyed by a comet, and only a few hundred scientists and their children – among them Petra and her family – have been chosen to journey to a new planet. They are the ones who must carry on the human race.
Hundreds of years later, Petra wakes to this new planet – and the discovery that she is the only person who remembers Earth. A sinister Collective has taken over the ship during its journey, bent on erasing the sins of humanity's past. They have systematically purged the memories of all aboard – or purged them altogether.
Petra alone now carries the stories of our past, and with them, any hope for our future. Can she make them live again? from Goodreads.com
A bright, contemporary and fearless novel about an ordinary extraordinary eleven-year-old trying to win back her best friend and get her mother to stop sighing.
Cricket Karlsson is going to become an artist just like her aunt, who loves cheese and art and always speaks her mind. Not like Cricket’s mother, who is dieting and sighs at everything. But now Aunt Frannie has lost her joy and Cricket’s best friend has dumped her for the horse girls.
Eleven-year-old Cricket Karlsson is a warm and complex character with an artistic soul. Written as a diary, tween readers will fall in love with Cricket’s tough yet charming voice as she shares her secret thoughts about her best friend break-up, her Aunt’s breakdown and experimental chewing gum sculptures. Punkish and surprising comic-style illustrations perfectly compliment this coming of age story.
This is a liberating and unexpected story about growing up, fitting in, and sorting out the adults in our lives that will reach the hearts of young readers (and older ones).
Kristina Sigunsdotter is a Swedish writer, artist and playwright. She is also the founder of The Poetry Factory, a poetry workshop for children.
Ester Eriksson is an artist and cartoonist from the Netherlands.
Activity sheet | Q&A with the author
Translated by Julia Marshall.
Information from Geckopress.com
Amorangi and Millie lost their mum. Their only clue to her whereabouts is a carving on atree that says I’m in the past! Rescue me! To do this, Amorangi and Millie must travel up
every branch of their family tree and collect an object from each ancestor they meet.
They must then be back in the modern day before the sun sets, or they’ll all be trapped
forever in the past. But can they do it in time?
In their travels, the children experience aspects of events in New Zealand history, such as
the invasion of Parihaka, the Great Depression, World War Two, the Musket Wars and the
eruption of Mount Taranaki. They also experience changes in the town and landscape, the
attitudes of people and the way people live their lives. .........from Huia.co.nz
