Adele Broadbent's Blog, page 10

The Forest of a Thousand Eyes

Feather lives on a crumbling wall with her little sister, mother and the rest of her village. They are surrounded by an ever-creeping forest which is a mass of mysteries and monsters. Creatures lurk through the shadows and if they don’t get you, the forest itself will. At least, that’s what the children of the wall are told to keep them safe.

Even with this ever growing malice in mind, Feather yearns for adventure. While foraging for food along the wall one day, she discovers a stranger. He says he’s from somewhere else, but Feather has always believed that her village is the only one that exists. There are no other humans out there? Or is the stranger telling the truth?

Regardless, Feather relishes having a secret of her own. She tells no-one of this strange boy with even stranger tales to tell. But when he betrays her, she has no option but to set out after him across the wall and into the unknown. She must put things to right in her world before she returns.

What she discovers in her search not only changes her narrow view of the world, but those of every tribe she meets. Even her own.

 

Another luscious Frances Hardinge adventure, beautifully brought to life on the page by illustrator Emily Gravett. This multi-award winning team (and individually), have given readers yet another door into a fantastical world of creepy creatures, adventure and discovery.

Main character Feather’s quest to avenge her village and a brush with terrible danger, captures readers early and allows them to ride alongside her into the unknown.

Loved it!

 

Author – Frances Hardinge

Illustrator – Emily Gravett

Age – 11+

 

 

(2025, Pan Macmillan, Too Hoots, Action, Adventure, Secret, Betrayal, Fantasy, Forest, Creatures, Dystopian, Nature, Stolen, Thief, Chase, Pursue, Spyglass, Telescope, Courage, Determination, Bravery, Quest, Mystery, Growing up)

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Twigs and Stones

Snake and Lizard are great friends and live together in a burrow under a rock. One day, Lizard has an idea.

“Why don’t we have our names in large letters over our entrance?” 

Snake can’t understand how this could be done, but Lizard is excited about the idea, and races off to begin.

Lizard works hard on the idea, gathering sticks and mud. it is much trickier than first thought, but Lizard perseveres. Snake is still not convinced.

Finally, when Lizard is finished, Snake is impressed. But when something happens to the sign, Snake tries to fix it, with unexpected results.

The sign, meant to bring the closer together, has done the opposite.

 

From the multi-award winning team of NZ literary legends, Joy Cowley and Gavin Bishop, this new episode of friends Snake and Lizard is a simple but clever picture book and a play with words.

Lizard has an idea to display their friendship for all to see, but the result tests the very friendship they want to celebrate.

Gavin Bishop’s illustrations of the friend’s emotions during this test, are clear on the page. From early excitement at the idea, confusion from Snake then joy at the result from them both, Bishop’s distinctive style shows the reader the ups and downs of Snake and Lizard’s friendship.

This full colour hard back will be a great read aloud with children on a knee or at bedtime, talking about what the characters are feeling and why, but just as entertaining for children aged 5-8 with the clever word play.

Another treasure for kiwi kids!

 

Author – Joy Cowley

Illustrator – Gavin Bishop

Picture Book – Age 5+

 

 

 

(2025, Gecko Press, Snake & Lizard, Series, Animals, Friendship, Sign, Humour, Hurt, Names, Nicknames)

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The Only Dinosaur in School

Theo loves his parents. After all, they can’t help it if they are human. They have taught him all the things young dinosaurs need to know and he’s very happy – until the first day of school.

Everyone looks different. It seems he is The Only Dinosaur in School. Worried about not fitting in, Theo decides he’s not going to this human school.

Mum has an amazing solution and she works hard all night on it. It is enough to sooth Theo’s worries the next day, so this time he walks through the school gates. No one is looking at him. His worries about not fitting in have all but vanished. But the more confident he gets, and after making a new friend, his secret is finally out.

But wait! The other children aren’t quite what they seem either.

 

From multi award winning NZ author Leonie Agnew, comes The Only Dinosaur in School. Illustrations by Julia Hegetusch highlight all the fears and worries of the first day of school, fitting in, and finally being able to be yourself.

This delightful picture book shows a child wanting to be the same as his classmates, who in fact are all wanting the same thing. Celebrating differences, first friendships and new experiences are all things that children can discover in this gorgeous story. The surprise that awaits Theo will delight young readers too!

 

Author – Leonie Agnew

Illustrator – Julia Hegetusch

Picture Book

 

 

 

(2025, Scholastic NZ, New Zealand Author, Aotearoa, NZ Illustrator, School, Fitting in, Confidence, Making friends)

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Tomboy the Headstrong Horse

Tomboy doesn’t like being hemmed in by the thick NZ bush around him. Carrying heavy packs and his woman rider doesn’t please him either. But Caroline Chevalier is kind, understanding and patient with him, so he strives to do his best for her.

Tomboy is part of a group of four horses and three people. The trek is long from Christchurch to the West Coast of the South Island of NZ and back again. They must travel through bush, across raging rivers and soaring mountains, following the path Maori have done for many years before them.

Crossing over Arthur’s Pass on barely-there tracks, spending many nights in tents, and sleeping on ferns, it is a long, hard journey – and the first time a European woman has travelled it. Documenting their travels, this English couple enjoy the stunning beauty of the New Zealand bush, beaches and vistas they see. When they finally reach their destination, they are not the only ones changed by the journey.

 

As soon as you see the first double page spread of this book, you understand this is going to be an epic tale of adventure.

Following the journey of Nicholas Chevalier and his wife Caroline on horseback from Christchurch to the West Coast and back, Tomboy the Headstrong Pony is a true tale from 1866 New Zealand.

Working for the Canterbury Provincial Council, Nicholas captured the NZ landscape, birds and bush in his paintings and sketches, and Caroline wrote daily diary entries of their travels.

Caroline’s pony named Tomboy is a boisterous horse, and the growing bond between them is a heartwarming part of this true tale.

Tomboy the Headstrong Pony is the 4th book in this series by this award winning creative duo, telling tales of historic New Zealand, featuring remarkable animals. This series is perfect for those young readers 5+ ready for more text in their picture books.

 

For more in this series, click on the titles below:

Pelorus Jack

Mrs Chippy the Cat

Friday the Rebel Dog

 

 

Author – Susan Brocker

Illustrator – Raymond McGrath

Publisher – Scholastic NZ

Age – 5+

 

 

 

 

(2025, Scholastic NZ, Aotearoa New Zealand, NZ Author, NZ Illustrator, Animal, Historical, Horse, Series, Based on truth, True Stitch, Artist, Diary, Caroline Chevalier, Nicholas Chevalier, 1866, Southern Alps, West Coast, Courage)

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Detective Stanley and the Mystery at the Museum

Detective Stanley is preparing to enjoy his first day of retirement. His plan is a sleep in, followed by a leisurely morning with a pile of pancakes.

But when a letter flies through his front door mail slot with a heartfelt plea inside, he just can’t resist. Something strange has happened at the museum.

When he arrives, Museum Director Rosenbaum is relieved to see him. She explains what they found when the museum opened, and cannot explain the mess they found. But when it is discovered that nothing was stolen, the mystery deepens. What is going on?

The police superintendent arrives, ready to solve the mystery, but the opposite happens. He believes he is right, but Detective Stanley knows for a fact he is not. But how is he going to prove it?

Much pacing and thinking finally brings the answer. But will the police superintendent listen?

 

This bright, fast moving mystery stars animals as characters, with a whisper of the age old rivalry of dog vs cat in the villainous crime.

Readers get to know ex Detective Stanley before he is called back into service before he even eats his pancakes. As things go from bad to worse for him, the tension rises. Clues are laid before readers as the story is revealed, and Detective Stanley looks out from the page asking readers what they think.

Perfect for young mystery lovers and budding crime busters!

 

Author – Hannah Tuncliffe

Illustrator – Erica Harrison

Age – 6+

 

 

 

(2025, Flying Eye Books, Mystery, Series, Animals, Crime, Detective, Police, Museum, Painting, Cheetah, Clues, Set up, Framed, Bleat Mondrian, Art works)

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We Who Are Forged In Fire

Priscilla is now training with the only other Hollow Warrior with her power. Arnold is quiet, almost sullen, and she thinks of him as a robot during their training. No matter how he tries not to show it, his frustration at her reluctance to let her power loose during training is obvious to her. She knows it’s strength, as it burns her under her skin, but she doesn’t yet trust herself.

Life in her new home base is lonely, as all the other trainees distrust her after her relationship with a Renegade. She is left alone to eat each meal, and has only Arnold to talk to. This is far from what she’d dreamed of as a trained Hollow Warrior of the Guild.

When an enemy attack hits the base, even more goes wrong and Priscilla decides she’s had enough of the base treatment of her. She knows she needs to prove herself to everyone around her, including her powerful grandmother Geema.

Her decision on how to do this also doesn’t go well, but while away from The Guild, she learns things about Geema’s past, and the past of The Guild that doesn’t sit right with her. These revelations change her entire life, but first she must fight with her awesome power to save her beloved Emerald City, her family, girlfriend and her entire world.

 

The sequel to We Who Hunt the Hollow, We Who Are Forged in Fire is a gripping read and even better. Priscilla is a likeable and relatable character with her feelings and fears alive on the page. We learn more about the history of her world and experience more heartbreak along with her.

The stakes are even higher in this sequel and the sacrifices huge, but this is also a coming of age for the girl who wishes nothing more than to follow all the women in her family to become accomplished Hollow Warriors.

I highly recommend this series, and wish I’d discovered it earlier. Step inside this world of women warriors. You won’t regret it. 

 

Author – Kate Murray

Age – 13+

 

 

(2023, Hardie Grant, NZ Author, Sequel, Series, Monsters, Strong women, Family, Relationships, Grief, Strength, Courage, Fantasy, Romance, Romantasy, Action, Familiars, Animals, Friendship, Horror, Secret, Spy)

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Wētāpunga – The biggest wētā in the world

Aotearoa New Zealand has many beautiful native birds, a real life dinosaur (tuatara) and other wonderful creatures.

Did you know we also have the Wētāpunga – the biggest wētā of all and a resident of Aotearoa for over 80 million years!

Wētā look a bit freaky with their spiky legs and long swaying feelers. They are a very large insect (as heavy as a sparrow), but they are quite harmless. They mostly eat leaves (their favourites are native to NZ) and they prefer to hide than jump out and scare you.

So much so they only come out at night. Generations ago, this kept them safe, but many years passing and people bringing rats from Polynesia, stoats and weasels, rabbits and hedgehogs from other places, this amazing insect has been endangered for a long time.

Luckily now there is a special part of the Auckland Zoo that is helping them breed, before they are placed on predator free islands to thrive as they should.

 

Wētāpunga – The biggest wētā in the world is a book for everyone to learn about this amazing creature, hopefully soothing fears of this giant insect, and also full of tons of fascinating facts.

From where and how long they live, how many times they shed their skin (and eat it!), to how big their poo is, this glossy picture book chocka with full-page photography, is the perfect way to learn about them.

There is a search and find concept within the pages, and a handy glossary of terms to reinforce what’s explained in the book. Cute sketches of children are sprinkled throughout the book, learning as the reader does.

I never knew where their ears were, or how they smell and taste their world. I never knew so many introduced animals (including cats), eat wētā. But I do know now, that the next time someone has one in a presentation, or in the bush – I won’t just run in the other direction!

 

Author – Jo van Dam

Illustrator – Laura Rayner

Picture Book

Non-Fiction

 

 

(2025, Bateman Books, Non Fiction, Aotearoa, New Zealand, NZ, Insect, Arthropod, Endemic, Predators, Exoskeleton, Taonga, Te Hauturu-o-Toi, Little Barrier, Protected)

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A Kids Book About Divorce

Divorce. It’s a difficult topic. Hard to talk about or even just to begin to talk about. It means changes, big feelings, and often painful ones.

A Kids Book About Divorce helps broach the topic before it happens or while it’s happening, all in a simple easy to understand format and text.

Beginning with a note to parents, this book helps break down the parts of divorce. The author is divorced herself, and she speaks directly to the reader.

Do they have lots of questions? Ashley answers many of them in a clear, calm way.

She explains what Marriage is first, then explains what Divorce is. Feelings can be racing around and that’s OK.

Ashley is honest about divorce, and that it can not be fixed and is not the reader’s fault in any way. There will be changes ahead, but they aren’t all bad, and explains some of the positives – from everyone’s point of view.

The format of this book (as in others in this series) guides the reader through a part of life that many young and old will experience. Its limited, simple text, with colour at appropriate times, can be read as fast or as slow as required – allowing the reader and young listener to absorb the sentence on the page, and stop and ask questions.

A Kids Book About Divorce is a helpful bridge between adult and child on this often distressing, confusing concept.

 

 

 

Author – Ashley Simpo

Age – 5+

 

 

 

 

(2025, Divorce, Family, Fears, Feelings, Questions, Answers, Way forward, New ways of being a family, Two homes, Series, A Kids Book)

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A Kids Book About Anger

An intro for grownups begins this book with the fact that we all feel anger, but the following pages hold the skills to recognise, manage and turn anger into something positive.

‘Happy’ is a positive emotion and there are songs about it, but we don’t sing about anger. Anger is an emotion that is discouraged, hidden, suppressed and told to avoid. There are lots of reasons for that. The author wants to share his story with his anger that originated way back in middle school. Bullying is a topic that many young readers can understand and even may experience, so a connection with the author can be made right at the beginning.

Anger is then explained in clear, simple terms but in a positive way. There is no anger on these pages about someone getting angry. In fact, the opposite is true.

Sure, anger is a powerful emotion, sometimes hurtful or even destructive, but it can be used in positive ways if you know the steps to take. Anger brings other emotions with it, like jealousy or frustration. Anger affects many parts of our bodies, and even can over ride our thinking processes. This book discusses all the things that can happen inside us when we’re angry.

But it also offers some useful, easy suggestions to help anyone feeling anger diffuse it, calm it, and even turn it into something good.

The format follows the same style as other books in this informative, helpful, revealing series for children. Each one does differ a little depending on the subject, with A Kids Book About Anger using large capital fonts and lots of red throughout – showing the emotion itself.

Brilliant.

 

Author – Fabian Ramirez

Age – 5+

 

 

 

 

 

(2025, akidsco.com, A Kids Book About, Anger, Feelings, Series, Kids Are Ready, Sharing, Talking, Emotions, Healthy, Positive Change, Unfairness, Exclusion, Bullying)

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Violet and the Velvets

Violet Grumble loves music. She has grown up with it all around her and her mum has told her stories about her travels as a bass player in bands. Now Violet is a bass player herself and is excited to audition for the school band.

There are many auditioning, and Violet doesn’t like to say, but some are much better than others. But her teacher says they’re all in. What? That means three guitars and too many singers. That won’t work!

Violet has a solution. She gets her friends together and gives them her idea. They start their own band. At first, they don’t believe her. They can’t even play any instruments! But Violet is determined. Especially since she watched a Band Competition the year before, with mostly boys with instruments, and boys winning all the prizes. This is their chance to shine.

The start is rocky with so much to teach and learn among the band. Violet refuses to give up, encouraging her friends to keep practising. This suddenly becomes impossible as important equipment begins to go missing. What is happening? Will they find out before the competition date arrives?

Violet and her band mates discover the answers to this terrible conundrum, which brings other problems. All they want to do is play, and have a chance to compete after all their hard work. Was it all for nothing?

 

Violet and the Velvets is a fun, musical, middle grade novel. Violet Grumble is the star of the book with her can-do attitude, fun personality and authentic challenges. ADHD is in the mix, as Violet explains how it affects her day to day – with strengths and things that don’t quite go as well as they should. Her easy to like authentic personality shares all the trials and tribulations of starting, encouraging and being in a band.

The villain of the story is also authentic and dastardly as she carries out her plans – but not all evil, as the reader will discover.

Violet’s description of her mum might just be a little like the author of this first book in this new New Zealand series. The well spaced large font, doodles and illustrations throughout and friendship dynamics between Violet and her besties will capture readers hearts.

Go Violet and the Velvets!

 

Author – Rachel King

Illustrator – Phoebe Morris

Age – 9+

 

 

 

 

(2025, Allen & Unwin, Humour, NZ, Aotearoa, New Zealand, Music, Friendship, Series, School, Betrayal, Band, Competition, Practising, Bass Player, Mystery)

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