It’s the school holidays and Zac thinks he might go crazy with boredom. He’s living in exile with his disgraced father on the remote Terawhiti Station on Wellington’s wild southwest coast. Then Zac and his dad witness a boat sink during a storm. Investigating further, Zac finds a set of unusual animal prints on the beach. Whose boat is it? And what creature could have made the prints? Soon armed men are prowling the coast, and threatening Zac, his friends and his family. He must do all he can to protect the Phantom of Terawhiti from those intent on hunting it down.
Phantom of Terawhiti is an action-packed adventure story, packed with mystery, armed and angry Russians, brainless hunters, wild weather, a car chase, and a race against time. Des Hunt is a gifted storyteller who never fails to write a story that grips readers and makes you keep turning the pages to find out what happens next. In Phantom of Terawhiti there are plenty of heart-stopping moments, especially when Zac and Jess clash with the Russians. The mystery of the ‘Phantom of Terawhiti’ draws you in and, even when the creature is revealed, you wonder how it will survive in the wild with the hunters trying to track it down.
Like the main characters in his other books, Zac and Jess are just normal Kiwi kids, who happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time (or maybe the right place at the right time). Zac gets dragged by his dad to come and live on the remote Terawhiti Station, and it’s while he’s here that he discovers the wreck of the yacht and the paw prints in the sand. When they discover the Phantom of Terawhiti, Zac and Jess know that they must do everything they can to protect it.
Phantom of Terawhiti is one of Des Hunt’s best books so far and I can’t wait to see where in the country he will take us to next.
In the second of the Scrap series, Scrap starts life with a new team on the hills of Rocky Ridge Station. He’s still got a lot to learn, but at least he knows where his mum is. But to see her he has to get past Buster, the massive team leader, and the man that tried to drown him as a pup.
It’s interesting that every good story has a shape. It builds to a point towards the end of the story, everything depends on that moment and in a good story you never know quite how it is going to turn out. In this story that high point is pretty scary and you wonder if Scrap will even survive. Can you think of one moment in any story you’ve read where you’ve been so drawn in that you just have to keep turning the pages to find how it all ends?
I’ve got a new series coming out very soon, about a blond heading dog. It was partly inspired by this dog, Lana, who is a working sheepdog and won the National Heading Dog Champs in 2007. She’s blond, which is quite an unusual colour for a heading dog and some farmers don’t like them as they think the sheep don’t react the same to a blond dog. I wanted to write a book about a working sheepdog for a long time and her story gave me the inspiration I needed.
Gregor the Overlander is about a boy named Gregor who lives in an apartment in New York with his mother, grandmother and two sisters. One day, he goes to the laundry room with his sister Boots, and they discover the Underland. The Underland is a place hundreds of feet under New York filled with giant bats, cockroaches, rats, scorpions and strange people, who send Gregor and Boots on a quest searching for their missing father.
My favorite character is Luxa, the queen of the Underland. She is a little arrogant but very brave. Gregor the Overlander is the first in a five book series. I give it a 8 and a half out of 10. Gregor the Overlander is suitable for 9 to 13-year-olds; boys and girls alike. Suzanne Collins is also the author of the best-selling trilogy The Hunger Games.
This book is about two boys called Hal and Roger and their dad who set out in the Amazon to look look for rare and exciting but also dangerous animals to put in the zoo they run.
From time to time they get into trouble and soon they hear that the zoo and their house burned down because of a fire. Their father has to leave so he can help with the house that means Hal and Roger are left alone to tackle some of the biggest and most dangerous species in the world…
Roger is 14 and very funny and cheeky at times but Hal, well Hal is quite different. He is serious, thoughtful, kind but sometimes he does have quite a sense of humour.
I would give these series 10/10 they are so good. I think children ages 7 or over would enjoy these books so if you’re 7 or over and you like adventure books then you’d better get reading!
Hi everyone! It’s wonderful to be invited along to chat to you all and I’m looking forward to sharing a bit of my writing journey with you. As you can see from the books I’ve written, it’s obvious where much of my inspiration comes from! I’m animal mad, and that includes all animals – dogs, horses, wolves, cats, I love them all, and many of them pop up in my books. I also love learning about our fascinating past so often I try to weave history into my stories as well.
This is certainly true for my latest book, The Drover’s Quest, which is set in the 1860s gold-mining era. It’s the story of a headstrong girl who disguises herself as a boy so she can join a cattle drove across the Southern Alps to find her missing gold-digger father. During this time, many cattle were driven from Christchurch to the West Coast over the newly formed Arthur’s Pass to feed the miners. Charlotte (“Charlie”) has many adventures and mishaps riding her horse and working her dog across the wild mountain pass.
This story was inspired by the horses in my life and the trekking I do for pleasure. I love riding through the bush and having fun rounding up our pet cow, Bubbles, on my horse. And horses feature largely in our pioneering past. They were the main form of transport of course, but they were also used to move vast herds of cattle and sheep across the land. In some ways, our history in the late 1800s was similar to the taming of the “Wild West” of America. Rugged pioneers, bush cowboys, gun-toting outlaws, and desperate diggers feature in our past too. In The Drover’s Quest, many of these colourful characters gallop through the pages. I hope you’ll enjoy their journey.
While holidaying at his father’s house, Jake explores Wellington’s wild south coast, with its high cliffs, biting winds, and its fierce seals. When he stumbles upon a perfectly preserved sealskin, hidden in a crevice at Red Rocks, he’s compelled to take it home and hide it under his bed, setting off a chain of events that threatens to destroy his family. Can he put things right before it’s too late?
Red Rocks is a magical adventure story, set in New Zealand. Rachael King has taken the Celtic myth of the selkies and transplanted it into a New Zealand setting that kiwi kids will relate to. Jake is an average kid who gets sent to live with his dad for a few weeks, and like any kid, soon gets bored and sets off to explore the coast. I really liked Rachael’s interesting cast of characters, from old Ted who lives in a run-down shack along the coast, to the mischievous Jessie and mysterious Cara.
One thing that I really love about Red Rocks is Rachael King’s beautiful writing. She’s very descriptive so she paints a vivid picture of the wild, windy coast. It’s the sort of book that you want to read snuggled up in bed because you almost feel the biting wind and the freezing ocean.
Reserve your copy of Red Rocks at the library. You can also win a copy this week on Free Book Friday.
Our fantastic June Star Author is New Zealand author, Susan Brocker. Susan has written a wide range of books for children and teenagers. Some of them are non-fiction about topics like wildlife conservation and natural science. Her favourite books are stories she’s written about her favourite things, such as horses, dogs and animals of all sorts. She loves bringing history alive and making it exciting.
Our fantastic June Star Author, Susan Brocker has been writing some great posts about her stories and giving us some cool writing tips. One of her books that Susan has been talking about is her latest book, The Drover’s Quest, a historical story set in 1860s New Zealand. It’s a fantastic book and you can read my review of it here on the blog.
We’re starting our monthly Star Author Competition again this week with your chance to win a copy of The Drover’s Quest by Susan Brocker. Thanks to HarperCollins NZ we have 3 copies to give away. All you have to do is leave a comment, with your name and email address, telling us:
What is your favourite animal story?
This competition has now closed. The winner is Tierney.
The first pony I rode was called Johnny. The size of a St Bernard dog, and brownish black, Johnny was a Timor pony, who belonged, I think, to a family that lived a few baches down from ours. I don’t remember exactly, because I was four years old at the time. This memory comes mostly from a photo of myself in a sundress, sitting on Johnny’s back, my jandals dangling next to his sides as Dad leads him along Ocean Beach[1]. I do remember being enchanted by Johnny’s kind, dark eyes with the sun-bleached lashes, and his sweet, horsy smell.
This, Mum tells me, was the beginning of the obsession. Dad bought himself a dapple-grey gelding called Poncho. He kept his horse at Mahara Riding School, run by a man called Mr Green. Mr Green ate molasses (a black syrup) on bread and slept in the tack room. He lived with his horses and knew, I thought, everything about them. Soon, Dad wanted to go to shows, sports days and one-day events. He needed a horse float and a vehicle heavy enough to tow a horse float. Edward, our yellow sedan, would not do.
When a farmer called Mr White advertised a horse float and Ford Falcon in the Classifieds section of the newspaper, my father called him. At the inspection, we decided the car should be named The Shark, as it was great and white. Before we left, Mr White asked my father, ‘Would your daughter like a pony, to go with the float?’ Dad looked at me. It had been agreed that I would not have a pony of my own until I was at least eight. I was five. But, a little bay gelding called Twinks was being offered for free! He was sixteen years old and needed a retirement home, so we took him to Mahara Riding School to live with Poncho and Mr Green’s many horses.
Like Jade, the heroine of Pony Tales, I acquired my first pony unexpectedly. The only other things I have in common with Jade are being an only child and loving pony books, especially old English ones like Jill’s Gymkhana, National Velvet and Pony Club Cup. As a ten-year-old I read a range of books; I enjoyed Roald Dahl, Margaret Mahy, Maurice Gee and Jack Lasenby. But, when I’d had my tonsils out and needed comfort, I reached for an old favourite with a horse on the cover. I wrote four books about Jade’s adventures with her ponies Pip and Taniwha because when I was younger this was the kind of book I most enjoyed reading.
This is the world-famous in Queenspark School series called Warriors!! This is such an awesome series by cat-lover Erin Hunter, and this is my summary of the first book, Into the Wild.
This story is about an ordinary but adventurous housecat - kittypet in Warrior-speak – called Rusty, who meets Graypaw - a Warrior apprentice – while out exploring in the forest. Graypaw is being followed by his mentor, Lionheart and the ThunderClan leader Bluestar. The she-cat invites Rusty to become a ThunderClan warrior, he accepts, and becomes Firepaw, because of the way the sunlight almost sets his fur on on fire. But a mysterious force is on the loose in the forest. What will the Clans do to stop it?
Very, very alluring eh? Well, in my words this book is O FOR ORSOME!. Firepaw is a mysterious, mischievous, adventurous and interesting kittypet that I have enjoyed following throughout the series. He has no urge to stay with his twolegs (housefolk), and wants to explore an interesting forest just outside the twolegplace (suburb).
I give this series a complete 100000000/10 stars, because it is my favourite series, and everyone else that I have recommended this to has loved it too! This series is intriguing, and you just can’t wait to pick up the next one because they are so good.
The series order is: #1 Into the Wild, #2 Fire and Ice, #3 Forest of Secrets, #4 Rising Storm, #5 A Dangerous Path, and #6 The Darkest Hour. Once you have finished this series, there is another called The New Prophecy, which follows the enormous adventures of his latest apprentice, Brambleclaw, and his two daughters, Squirrelpaw and Leafpaw-the medicine cat apprentice.
Keeper is a great story, when I had got to the end of the chapters I was desperate to keep on going .
There are about three stories going at once and then near the end they all weave in together, I’ve got to admit you never know whats going to happen next.
There’s a girl named Keeper – she believes in myths and mermaids, and believes that her mum was a mermaid .
Keeper has set off in a small boat called The Scamper with her dog named BD (best dog) and a seagull named Captain (you’ll find out when he comes in).
Keeper’s on a mission to find her Mum, Meggie Marie, who left her when she was just three. But things don’t go to plan and the heavy waves start taking her out to sea.
This is one of my 5 star books, one of the ones that I really want to have as my own. (Some lovely, lovely pictures in there as well.)
If you like animals and magical, moving stories then you’ll love this book.
So far in my month as Star Author I’ve talked a lot about myself and my books. So, for something different I thought today I might look at some other people’s books. I was lucky growing up that I lived in a house where reading was valued and where there were always good books. I got lots of books for birthdays and Christmases, and no trip to Perth was complete without a visit to the multi-storeyed Angus & Robertson bookshop. I still have some of the books I loved way back then, and others I have tracked down again in recent years. Amazingly, most of my old favourites are still in print. Anyway, here (in no particular order) is a list of some of the books I loved when I was in primary school:
The Borrowers, by Mary Norton. The idea of family of tiny people who lived, rather like mice, in the walls of a house, tickled my fancy. The borrowers ‘borrow’ things from humans to survive, but often live in peril of being caught by the humans, or their cats. It isn’t always easy being small.
2. The Wombles, by Elizabeth Beresford. Funnily, another favourite was also about collectors. The Wombles were funny furry animals, a bit like a cross between hedgehogs and mice who lived underneath Wimbledon Common in England, and collected anything humans left behind, from food to clothing, to umbrellas and even furniture. They all had wonderful names chosen from a world globe – names like Orinoco and Uncle Bulgaria. This was made into a television series which I was also pretty fond of.
3. Mandy, by Julie Andrews. This one was the first book I remember reading that made me wish I had written it – and, in fact, I did write my own story which was very similar when I was about 7. Mandy was an orphan who nobody wanted to adopt and so she was stuck in an orphanage. But over the fence of the orphanage she discovers an abandoned cottage in some woods, and sets about creating a home for herself to escape to.
4. The Secret Seven, by Enid Blyton. Not as famous as the Famous Five, this was a series of books about a group of kids who get together and solve mysteries. For some reason I preferred these to the Famous Five, even though I loved those too. Later, I also loved the Trixie Belden books and Nancy Drew too. The idea of kids getting out and solving mysteries really appealed to me. I still love mysteries.
5. Shadrach, by Meindert Dejohng . I am really excited about this one because I have been trying to remember the name of this book and track it down for years and only this morning I managed to locate it. My memory of this is vague – I know it is about a boy who desperately wants a pet rabbit, which he gets and names Shadrach – and then it escapes. I also remember it being sad enough to make me cry, which books rarely did when I was a kid (though do all the tie now – I’ve turned into a softie). I can’t wait to reread it now that I’ve found and ordered a copy.
These are only a few of the many books I loved when I was a kid. Some I’ve forgotten the names of, others I remember loving but don’t remember what they were about. I’d love to hear which books you love – and whether you’ve read any of these ones!
I have been busy visiting lots of schools and libraries lately, celebrating Children’s Bookweek here in Australia, and talking about myself and my books.
One of the books I’ve really enjoyed reading is my newest book, Head Hog, illustrated by Ben Wood. This one is fun to read because it has lots of silly words and phrases like ‘Bumpetty bompetty, bomp’ and “Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeee”. And it’s especially fun to read because it is so brand new – meaning I’ve only read it aloud a few times. In fact this one’s so new that it hasn’t been released yet. I have my copies, and it’s for sale from the publisher’s website, but hasn’t been released to stores yet.
When I visit schools and read my books I often get asked which book is my favourite – and I always explain that I don’t have a favourite because it’s a bit like asking a Mum which child is her favourite. But, just like a mum is excited to show off her new baby, whenever I have a new book I love to show it off, because I know people haven’t seen it yet, and because I have often waited a long time to see the book published. In the case of Head Hog, I’ve had to wait a reaaaaally long time – because it’s been about six years since I started writing it.
So, while I don’t have a favourite book – here is my new baby for you to admire (the cover, anyway).
Brian Falkner’s new book, Northwood is one of the best books I’ve read lately. I always enjoy his books because they’re really unique. I asked Brian if could tell us a little bit about Northwood, so here are 10 things you didn’t know about Northwood.
1. Northwood, Lake Rosedale, Brookfield, and many of the other place names in the book are real places in Albany where I used to live.
2. When it says at the beginning “usually at this stage of a story the person telling it has some idea of how it will end, but I can tell you quite honestly that I have no idea at all” … that was true! I wrote the first chapter without any idea what would come next. The story just grew naturally and I found out what was going on one chapter at a time!
3. To some extent Northwood was inspired by my favourite Roald Dahl book: Matilda. I wanted to write a book like that about a girl with a special ability.
4. The very last sentence in the book is based a quotation from Bhudda that I found intriguing. I actually used this quote also in Brainjack, but it got removed in the final edit.
5. As a kid I loved Enid Blyton books, full of mystery and secret passageways. I always wanted to include a secret passageway in one of my books, and finally I did, in Northwood!
6. The story of Princess Annachanel of Storm was originally going to be a book by itself. The idea sat around for a long time and I never managed to turn it into a book, so I decided to include it as part of Northwood. I thought it worked well and added a sense of history to Castle Storm.
7. Jana, who comes from the Bahamas, originally spoke in “Broken English” which is a version of English spoken in the Bahamas. However it was a bit hard to understand, so we changed it to English, with just of tint of the Bahamanian style of talking.
8. I once had to spell rhododendron at a Trivia night, and failed.
9. Mr Jingles,who owns the safari park in Northwood, was the name of the mouse in a Stephen King story called “The Green Mile”.
10. My favourite line in Northwood is when Cecilia tries to explain to the twins where pizza comes from. I won’t explain it, you have to read it.
I hope you enjoy reading Northwood as much as I enjoyed writing it!
I love both stories about war and stories about animals, which is my I love Michael Morpurgo. Most of his stories are about war or animals and sometimes both. His latest book is called Little Manfred and it’s about war, and a dog that sparks the memories of an old man.
It’s the summer of 1966 and Charley and her little brother, Alex, are walking their dog Manfred on the beach by their home when they notice two old men staring out to sea. When the two men discover that their dog is called Manfred, this sparks the memories of Walter and he tells the children about his experiences during World War II. Through Walter’s story, Charley and Alex learn about their mother’s past and her connection to Manfred, a German prisoner of war who was posted at her farmhouse when she was a little girl.
Michael Morpurgo has woven another amazing story of friendship, bravery, and forgiveness that transported me to another time and another place. Whenever I read a Michael Morpurgo book it’s almost as if he is sitting on my couch or in the library beside me, telling me the story, because I can hear his voice in my head. If you’ve ever seen one of his videos of him reading you’ll know that he’s got the perfect storytelling voice. Michael Foreman’s illustrations, once again, perfectly match the story because they can be bright and happy or dark and gloomy. I think Michael Morpurgo’s books are perfect for anyone and if you haven’t read any of his books, Little Manfred is a great one to start with.
Recommended for 7+ 10 out of 10
If you want to know more about the story and find out what Michael Morpurgo’s inspiration was, you can read about it on the Guardian Children’s Books website.
HarperCollins NZ also have Little Manfred featured as their Book of the Week on their Facebook page. Head on over for your chance to win a copy.
HI EVERYONE – Are you getting snow? The weather forecasters said we were in for a big dump but in Twizel we’ve only had sprinkles so far and now the sun is shining brightly. I love snow. I love skiing on it, I love walking through it, I love how it paints the hills white. I do feel sorry for farmers and animals when big dumps of snow come though, and for people who need to drive somewhere when roads are closed or dangerous.
Congratulations to the winners of the LIANZA Awards – that’s the books librarians like the most. So well done from me to Fleur Beale, Diana Menefy, Kyle Mewburn and Vasanti Unka, James Campton and Marianna Terezow. Writers sometimes get together to talk about books and writing. I have met Fleur two times, and she has given me wonderful advice about my writing. Fleur is a very talented and hardworking writer and a gentle, caring person whom I consider a friend. I met Diana and Kyle in Auckland earlier this year. Diana had her book published by the wonderful team at Harper Collins, as I did; Kyle is a fellow South Island high country person (although he lives further south than me so he is probably getting snow right now) and he was a recnt Star Author on this blog! Kyle is also, well, let me say, I bit of a character!
The poem I am going to share today is from the third and last (?) book about Paddy. This story is currently called ‘Playing with the Past’ and I am probably about two-thirds of the way through writing it, but I still don’t really know how it is going to end or even if it is going to turn out to be a good story or not. I won’t know until it’s finished and I leave it for a few weeks or months and then read it again.
Here is a secret about my writing:
I’m not very good at planning out my stories yet, so they sometimes get a bit muddled or ‘lost’ and I have to go back and change them lots. I find that the problem with planning stories too much is that I find I don’t want to write the story because it is boring if I already know what is going to happen. Mostly, I like it when the character talks to me when I am writing and tells me what is going to happen next.
Anyway:
Playing with the Past is about exactly what the name of the story says – it’s about playing with the past in your head. Is that a good idea do you think? It does get Paddy into trouble and it means he isn’t always enjoying his own life because he is too busy finding out about and worrying about things that have happened in the past.
Here is a short poem that is in the story:
The ghost of Hooker Hut
Lives in the ladies room.
It sneaks out in the dead of night,
A shadow in the gloom.
Take care out there!
From Sandy Nelson
Writer of THE GHOSTS OF IRON BOTTOM SOUND
And from my border terrier puppy Kim, who likes:
1. Long walks
2. Food – lots of it!
3. Adventures
4. Cuddles from all of us
5. Trying to chase cats (she has to stay on a lead when we are out for walks; she is learning to not chase our cat Molly, but Molly is a tease who walks right past Kim and brushes her tail against Kim’s face in a very tantalising manner – sometimes Kim just has to give chase!)
The best books grip you from the first few sentences and you want to keep reading until you get to the end. Northwood by Brian Falkner is one of those books. Here are the opening sentences:
“This is the strange story of Miss Cecilia Undergarment and the black lions of Northwood. It is probably not true, but who really knows for sure.”
Straight away, you want to know all about Cecilia Undergarment (like why does she have such a funny name?), why the story is so strange, and what are black lions? So now you’re sucked into the story and want to find out what happens to Cecilia.
Cecilia Undergarment lives with her extraordinary family in her extraordinary house, which is shaped like a huge bunch of balloons (to find out why you’ll have to read the book). Wouldn’t it be great to live in a house made of balloons! One day while looking out her window she sees a sad and neglected dog trying to escape from the house next door. She rescues the dog, but the dog’s mean owner destroys her home and sends her balloon room floating away, until it lands in the dark forest of Northwood. The forest is home to the ferocious black lions and anyone who has entered Northwood has never returned. Cecilia and the dog, Rocky find refuge in Northwood at Castle Storm, which is ruled by the horrible King Harry. Cecilia is determined to find a way out of Northwood, but King Harry will do anything to stop the people leaving.
Brian Falkner has created an amazing world. When I started reading I was transported into the world of Northwood and felt like I was right there with Cecilia on her adventure. I could picture the dark tarblood trees of the forest and the dusty rooms of Castle Storm, smell the damp forest, and hear the low rumble of the black lions. Cecilia is a really cool character and someone who you would want to be friends with. I also really loved Donovan Bixley’s illustrations, especially the way he portrays King Harry, and the cool cover that really stands out.
This is a great book for the ones that love horses, it is the first in the series and I recommend the whole series to anyone that loves horses! The Phantom Stallion is the first series and it’s about Sam who has an accident and looses her horse Blackie into the wild. But after 3 years she is driving back home from San Francisco with her Aunt Sue but while she is driving home she sees a white horse is it Blackie or not?
I enjoyed this book because it is attachable and an amazing story. I got it out three times because I enjoyed the book so much. I am now in the middle of the series two and I am enjoying the book as well.
The info on the back:
It’s been two years since Blackie, the horse Sam raised from a foal, threw her in a near-fatal accident. She’s been separated from her family, her ranch and the wild mustangs she loves. Now she’s home again, but her beloved Blackie has been missing since the day Sam was injured.
Then, on the night she returns, a mustang comes to Sam. Is it Blackie, grown up and gone wild? Is it the legendary stallion known as the Phantom? Or could it be both?
It’s the school holidays and Zac thinks he might go crazy with boredom. He’s living in exile with his disgraced father on the remote Terawhiti Station on Wellington’s wild southwest coast. Then Zac and his dad witness a boat sink during a storm. Investigating further, Zac finds a set of unusual animal prints on the beach. Whose boat is it? And what creature could have made the prints? Soon armed men are prowling the coast, and threatening Zac, his friends and his family. He must do all he can to protect the Phantom of Terawhiti from those intent on hunting it down.
