What I’m Reading: “Battle Of the Birds” By Lee Murray

Battle of the Birds (Te Pakanga O Nga Manu), by Tauranga author, Lee Murray, won the Sir Julius Vogel Award for Best Youth Novel in 2012, so as you can tell this is a long overdue read—but a fun one.

Lee’s novel is Junior fiction, and I am enjoying its weaving together of traditional Maori folklore and New Zealand’s natural history, into an adventurous story involving three young protagonists, Annie, Moana, and Kahurangi. There is also a nice overlay into North Amercian folklore associated wit...