New Zealand > NZ - Fiction > NZ - Young Adults - Children

A book of action stories and poems, Cor Blimey, Mate will thrill the hearts of young and old, with tales about experienced and not so experienced hunters, their dogs, wild pigs, deer, helicopters and guns. Many of the 18 short stories are based on true events and are told in the language of the hunter, allowing a glimpse into their lives, beliefs and culture, and demonstrating the loyalty and love they have for their dogs.

'Watch the road! Watch the road!' screamed David. 'I don't have to,' Harley replied in a strangled voice. Slumping back in his seat, he took his foot off the accelerator and held his hands away from the wheel. The soft hum of the car's motor did not decrease. The car did not lose speed. If anything, it seemed to move even faster than before. 'It's driving itself,' Harley said. A thrilling tale of danger, ghosts and secret experiments hidden deep in the forest. Organ Music weaves themes of bioethics and genetic experiments with a gh... read more

What happens when we die? This has been the third question on mankind's faq list since the dawn of time (numbers one and two being: Is this edible? and Excuse me, would you care to breed? ). I know what happens. Believe me, I'd rather not. But I do. There is a lighthouse, and it guides our souls along the narrow path to being reborn as humans. It's the light at the end of the tunnel. Unfortunately, as my undead granddad and the Tibetan special mission monk in my kitchen have kindly told me, there's a problem with the lightho... read more

Featherston in the Second World War is a tough and bleak place for fourteen-year-old Bella. Her father is away fighting overseas, while his family fight to save their farm from ruin and keep his dreams alive. Bella, her mother, and older sister have to cope with a herd of dairy cows, an unscrupulous neighbour who covets the farm, and a crazy, bad-tempered racehorse called Gipsy. Bella is terrified of the horse and doesn’t know where to turn. When help is offered from an unlikely source, will she have the courage to accept it ... read more

It's the 1930s Depression, and Maggie is growing up without a mother in the little Waikato dairying township of Waharoa. Maggie has to make do with her father's friends, neighbours and an old biddy who should know better but can't help herself. Maggie torments the boy down the road, sets fire to the dunny, helps with half the district to build a haystack, and sees the tragedy of unemployment. Along the way, Maggie makes new friends and receives kindness and help in learning what a girl needs to know.

BenÃÂÂÂÂÃ... read more

One of Chris's new year's resolutions for 1967 is to stop his older cousin, Roger, bullying him. Roger is physically impressive but academically slow, while Chris is puny and erudite; the two boys despise each other. But events that take place in that summer of '67 see Roger and Chris slowly begin to appreciate each other's differences. Then there is a terrible accident at the bridge... Set against a backdrop of 1960's rural New Zealand, this is a fascinating young-adult novel from award winning author David Hill.

Thirteen-year-old Jazzy is horrified when her parents decide to take the family sailing for a year in Tonga. However, it turns out to be a time of excitement, danger and even terror when the family stumble on a vanilla smuggling operation.

It's the year 2075. The island Republic has emerged from a ruined world. Its citizens are safe but not free. They live in complete isolation from the outside world. Approaching planes are gunned down, refugees shot on sight. Until one man, Adam Forde,rescues a girl from the sea. Anaximander, a young Academy student, is put through a grueling exam. Her special subject: the life of Adam Forde, her long-dead hero. What secrets has she discovered and what is her own surprising link to Adam? Genesis is a thriller that asks the big quest... read more

Fishy Tales is a collection of believe-it-or-not fishing stories from New Zealand and afar, painstakingly collected by long-time fishing writer Peter Jessup everything from the snapper that swallowed a watch to the shark that attacked a boat. It’s funny, it’s scary and it’s guaranteed to entertain.

The Loblolly boy wants his old life back and his plight is all the more poignant for his searching.
In this stunning junior fiction fantasy sequel to The Loblolly Boy, Michael convinces the unhappy boy at the Great Hall to Exchange with him once again, and Michael begins a magical journey home. Complications, twists and stunts abound once the mischievous and perverse Sorcerer and the bumbling but well-meaning Gadget Man decide to assist in the bizarre turn of events. This is a poignant yet magical and inventive tale writte... read more

There's more backstabbing and drama as loyalties are tested to the limit in the third episode of the high life at elite riding school, Blainford Academy. Georgie tests her skills on the polo field in the latest from the author of the Uk's bestselling pony series 'Pony Club Secrets'. Georgie Parker has come out on top after her first term at Blainford 'All-Stars' Academy. But after excelling in the showjumping ring can Georgie outclass her rivals on the polo pitch too? And is Kennedy Kirkwood out to cause trouble again? Find ou... read more

Jake's life is sweet. He's got no money and doesn't have a mobile, but he's got two best mates; Buzz and Robbie. Buzz is generous and doesn't mind buying stuff for his mates. Jake wouldn't change a thing. But then Robbie has the idea of the century: rescue the old wreck from the ditch and make it into a paddock basher. Yes! Buzz, however, puts a spanner in the works by saying he's not paying for it all. Even stevens or no deal. Robbie gets a job. Jake refuses. It's just not his style to work for a boss. But he desperatel... read more

Light-hearted, humorous story about three siblings aged 18, 15 and 14 whose parents go to Europe for a month, supposedly leaving them in the care of their aunt with the neighbour as back-up. However, things get out of hand when they end up hosting an impromptu party, with disastrous results ...

Mumbai, October 2010: Bollywood actress Sunita Ashoka will marry the man who wins her hand in Swayamvara Live, a reality show on television. Vikram Khandavani decides to participate, hoping to draw out his nemesis Ravindra. It's a deadly gamble, one that could cost him everything and everyone he loves.
North India, 1175: King Prithviraj Chauhan is about to storm the swayamvara of the beautiful Sanyogita. But Ravindra is coming, riding at the side of a fierce invader. Only Vikram, in his life as Chand Bardai, stands between Ra... read more

Thrown hard on the bottom boards, I stared up at distorted mouths, faces so red I could feel their heat. They stank of rage and of something else; several frothed at the mouth; their howls drowned the clatter and shriek of gulls swerving and tilting above the mast … Banishment is the cruellest punishment, and one of the people driving out Selene is the person she loves. Calling the Gods is for older readers.

The first in a high octane sci-fi adventure series by best-selling and award-winning author, Brian Falkner. It is 2030, and the world is at war with an alien race. The Bzadians. The battleground: Earth. Recon Team Angel, made up of teenagers from around the world, has been training for years. They have learned Bzadian languages. Learned how to operate their weapons. How to work, eat, and think like them. Now it is time to act. Recon Team Angel must slip behind enemy lines, work their way into the top-secret alien facility under Ulu... read more

Libby has a idyllic life on an apple orchard and is close to her grandfather, a cider maker.  When he dies in a freak accident, Libby is devastated.  She finds it difficult to talk to her parents about her feelings as her mother seems cold and her father says little.  Grieving, angry, and feeling distant from her parents who are struggling with their own relationship, she begins compulsively pulling her hair out.  To get away from the unhappiness, Libby unwillingly goes to boarding school.  There, she befri... read more

Wee Jack Baines is tired of living in his brother's shadow. Unlike his brother Robert, Jack is no good at sports or rabbit-shooting, and is not popular at school. Luckily for him, though, his Uncle Onslow notices that, as well as being short, Jack has a gift with horses: perfect for a jockey! And so he arranges an apprenticeship for Jack with a trainer in Napier. Determined to prove to his family that he can be as good as Robert, Jack sets out with high hopes and dreams of success - so at last he can be called just Jack. Instea... read more

When Mr Patel asks his class what they'd like to be when they grow up, Finn (most famous for getting in trouble and doing stupid things) chooses 'superhero'. With his friend Brain, the two boys make a list of things needed to be a superhero, including superpowers and saving someone's life. Can Finn use his superpowers to help save his World Vision sponsored child? Sometimes, despite the best intentions, things don't always work out as planned. Join the hilarity as the boys' money-making scheme comes unravelled. Look out, world.... read more