Trevor Agnew, of Christchurch, has been a tireless advocate for and promoter of children’s and young adult literature, particularly books by New Zealand authors. Trevor began his career as a teacher and then became one of this country’s first qualified teacher-librarians. In more recent years he has been an insightful reviewer for the Christchurch
Press and the Australasian magazine
Magpies, to which he has also contributed many articles as well as numerous interviews with authors and illustrators.
Trevor has single-handedly written close to three thousand citations of New Zealand books (current and retrospective) for
The Source (owned and run by
Magpies Magazine), an extensive online database of children’s and young adult literature from Australia and New Zealand. He has also written many entries about New Zealand young adult books and writers for the
Continuum Encyclopedia of Young Adult Literature (2005).
Trevor maintains the children’s book blog
Agnew Reading and is a staunch supporter of Te Tai Tamariki, reporting on its events for a wide readership. He was a judge for the New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards in 2010.
Awards:
- Nada Beardsley Literacy Award for Services in the Promotion of Literacy, Canterbury Reading Association, 1993.
Other resources: