The 2021 Storylines Notable Books List, for the highest quality books in five genres published between January 2020 and July 2021, is compiled from more than 188 entries from publishers by expert panels of authors, teachers, librarians, academics and parents.
The annual list was begun by Storylines in 1999 and selection is eagerly sought by authors, illustrators and publishers. It provides a valuable reading and purchasing guide to families, schools and libraries, and to young readers, with the books in each genre listed in ascending order of age range suitability within each genre.
In 2021 we have announced the Storylines Junior Fiction Awards ahead of other categories, so that we can work with TVNZ 2’s What Now programme on the Storylines Kids’ Pick Award.
All other categories will be announced in late October, and the awards will be presented in mid-November.
The 2021 Storylines Junior Fiction Notable Book Awards (age range 7- 13 years) go to:
Mallory, Mallory: The Revenge of the Tooth Fairy
by James Norcliffe, illustrations by Emily Walker
(Penguin Random House NZ – Puffin, September 2020)
The Inkberg Enigma
text and illustrations by Jonathan King
(Gecko Press, August 2020)
Viola Vincent Reporting – Troubled Water
by Anna Kenna
(Tiromoana Publishing, September 2020)
Charlie Tangaroa and the Creature from the Sea
by T K Roxborogh, illustrations by Phoebe Morris
(Huia, September 2020)
Red Edge
by Des Hunt (Scholastic New Zealand, September 2020)
Spearo
by Mary-anne Scott
(OneTree House, September 2020)
Three Scoops: Stories by David Hill
by David Hill, illustrations by Lisa Allen
(OneTree House, July 2021)
The Memory Thief
by Leonie Agnew, illustrations by Kieran Rynhart
(Penguin Random House NZ – Puffin, July 2021)
The Tunnel of Dreams
by Bernard Beckett
(Text Publishing, September 2020)
The Ghosts on the Hill
by Bill Nagelkerke, illustrations by Theo Macdonald (The Cuba Press, July 2020)
The calibre of entries was such that two additional books were named as Highly Commended by the judges:
Partners in Slime by Belinda O’Keefe (Scholastic NZ 2021)
The Forever Horse by Stacy Gregg (HarperCollins 2021)