Her mother is a psychic artist, driven near to breaking point by a husband bent on conformity and control. The ugly childhood scenes have burrowed into Tess's mind and festered there. Buried, too, are Tess's own fledgling artistic and psychic abilities – unwanted 'proof' of the same inherent evil that has destroyed her family and stalked her dreams into adulthood. Tess flees into the safety of a teenage marriage, not realizing that the price of safety is her sense of self. When her husband...

An award-winning and extraordinary story of a boy who protects a baby whale that locals believe is threatening their livelihood. Winner of the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults 2015 Young Adult Category Winner New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults 2015 Storylines Notable Young Adult Fiction Award 2015 Will Jackson is hiding out, a city boy reluctantly stayi...

What happens when the 12th century’s most famous French lovers are caught in the crossfire of factions, religious reform and blind ambition? Heloise is a determined young woman with an exceptional mind, longing to pursue learning rather than marriage or life as a cloistered nun. Her path inevitably crosses with Peter Abelard, the celebrity philosopher, theologian and master at Paris’ famed Cathedral School. When two such brilliant minds meet and engage, sparks are likely t...

A prize-winning, fast-paced thriller that explores love and loss, assumptions and prejudices, truth and fiction, and the many faces of 'family’. Ash McCarthy thinks he finally has it made, revelling in the freedom of being a student. But life is about to take a drastic turn when two police officers knock on his door. Their devastating news forces him to return home and propels him into a shady world of political intrigue, corruption, terrorism and lies . . . so many lies. ...

Just as authors create books, books create authors — and these essays by thirty-one writers for young people offer a fascinating glimpse at the books that inspired them the most.What if you could look inside your favorite authors’ heads and see the book that led them to become who they are today? What was the book that made them fall in love, or made them understand something for the first time? What was the book that made them feel challenged in ways they never kn...

A compelling dystopian novel; winner of the 2010 New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards: Young Adult Fiction. Maryam refused to play by the Rules, and now they're out to get her blood… The people of Onewere, a small island in the Pacific, know that they are special-chosen by the great Apostles of the Lamb to survive the deadly Tribulation that consumed the Earth. Now, from their Holy City in the rotting cruise ship Star of the Sea, the Apostles control the population-manipulating texts fr...

Award-caliber social science fiction with a strong message about race and the abuse of religious faith by those in power. Maryam, Ruth, and Joseph have fled Onewere, reluctantly taking Joseph's troublesome cousin, Lazarus, as well. They arrive at their destination, Marawa Island, filled with hope for rescue and reprieve. But at first glance the island appears to be solely populated by birds. Perhaps the Apostles' dire warnings about the fall-out of the Tribulation were true after all? As M...

A futuristic novel for young adults, The Blood of the Lamb trilogy is, at its heart, political - a reflection on the way a few very powerful (mostly white) men hold the balance of power all around the world and maintain it through intimidation, incarceration, and fear. When Maryam arrives back at Onewere and tries to loosen the Apostles' religious stranglehold by sharing the miraculous remedy for Te Matee lai, she finds herself captured once again - prey to the Apostles' deadly game. The r...

Friendship, loyalties and values are thrown into confusion by a rape in this gritty YA novel. Smashed tells the story of three teenage friends, and how their friendship, loyalties and values are thrown into confusion when the main character’s younger sister is raped by one of his best friends. His reaction sets in motion a “ripple effect”, which culminates in a violent act of revenge upon the rapist. Has our hero done this? As he finds himself deep in trouble and ...

The gripping sequel to the prize-winning thriller The Nature of Ash. Ash McCarthy thought he had done enough by broadcasting his story to the world, exposing the corruption and lies of Prime Minister Chandler and his cronies. With his small band of friends and family on a remote campsite in the backcountry, he awaits the international community to answer his call for action. But the public response is not what he had hoped for and...

A collection of 32 personal stories.The Book That Made Me is a celebration of the books that influenced some of the most acclaimed authors from Australia and the world. Edited by Judith Ridge, it features non-fiction stories from 32 inspiring and award-winning authors including Markus Zusak, Jaclyn Moriarty, Shaun Tan, Mal Peet, Ambelin Kwaymullina, Simon French, Alison Croggon, Fiona Wood, Bernard Beckett, Ursula Dubosarsky, Rachael Craw, Sue Lawson, Benj...