Storylines Children’s Literature Charitable Trust of New Zealand | Te Whare Waituhi Tamariki o Aotearoa

Storylines Notable Books 2012

Storylines Notable Book Awards winners for 2012, for books published in 2011) were:

Storylines Notable Picture Books

Books for children and / or young adults where the narrative is carried equally by pictures and story.

  • Nana’s Colours by Pamela Allen (Penguin)
  • Whetu: The Little Blue Duck by Jennifer Beck, illustrated by Renee Haggo (David Ling)
  • Bruiser by Gavin Bishop (Random House)
  • Out of Bed, Fred! by Lucy Davey, illustrated by Harriet Bailey (Scholastic)
  • Phoebe and the Night Creatures by Jenny Hessell, illustrated by Donovan Bixley (Scholastic)
  • Tom & the Dragon by Juliette MacIver, illustrated by Scott Tulloch (Scholastic)
  • Hester & Lester by Kyle Mewburn, illustrated by Harriet Bailey (Random House)
  • Stomp! A Dinosaur Follow-the-Leader Story by Ruth Paul (Scholastic)
  • Râhui by Chris Szekely, illustrated by Malcolm Ross (Huia)
  • Lest We Forget by Feana Tu’akoi, illustrated by Elspeth Alix Batt (Scholastic)

Storylines Notable Junior Fiction

Fiction suitable for primary and intermediate-aged children.

  • Super Finn by Leonie Agnew (Scholastic)
  • Just Jack by Adele Broadbent (HarperCollins)
  • The Travelling Restaurant by Barbara Else (Gecko Press)
  • At the Lake by Jill Harris (HarperCollins)
  • The Peco Incident by Des Hunt (HarperCollins)
  • The Flytrap Snaps by Johanna Knox, illustrated by Sabrina Malcolm (Hinterlands)
  • Nest of Lies by Heather McQuillan (Scholastic)
  • The Loblolly Boy and the Sorcerer by James Norcliffe (Random House)

Special Mentions:
Just One More: Stories by Joy Cowley, illustrated by Gavin Bishop (Gecko Press), although ineligible as much of the material has been published previously. However the Storylines Notable Books judging panel considers this collection worthy of highlighting. 
The judging panel would also like to make special mention of the Nitty Gritty Series, published by Pearson Education, as a consistently good series for this age group.

Storylines Notable Young Adult Fiction

Fiction suitable for upper-intermediate and secondary school age.

  • Dirt Bomb by Fleur Beale (Random House)
  • Yes by Deborah Burnside (HarperCollins)
  • The Bridge by Jane Higgins (Text Publishing Company)
  • Finder’s Shore by Anna Mackenzie (Random House)
  • Sacrifice by Joanna Orwin (HarperCollins)
  • Shaolin Burning by Ant Sang (HarperCollins)

Storylines Notable Non-fiction

For authoratative, well-designed informational books accessible to children and young adults.

  • When Gulls Fly High by Peter Bland, illustrated by Joanna Bland (Penguin)
  • Our Children Aotearoa: O Tatou Tamariki by Sue Copsey (Pearson Education)
  • Nice Day for a War: Adventures of a Kiwi Soldier in World War I by Matt Elliott, illustrated by Chris Slane (HarperCollins)
  • The Call of the Kokako by Maria Gill, illustrated by Heather Arnold (New Holland)
  • New Zealand Hall of Fame: 50 Remarkable Kiwis by Maria Gill, illustrated by Bruce Potter (New Holland)
  • Yates Young Gardener: Get Your Hands Dirty by Janice Marriott (HarperCollins)
  • Digging Up the Past: Archaeology for the Young & Curious by David Veart (Auckland University Press)
  • The Taniwha of Wellington Harbour by Moira Wairama, illustrated by Bruce Potter (Penguin)
  • Party Food for Girls by Allesandra Zecchini & Arantxa Zecchini-Dowling, photographs by Shaun Cato-Symonds (New Holland)
  • I Spy NZ Art: New Zealand Art from the Collection of Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki (Auckland Art Gallery).

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