New Zealand Book Awards for Children & Young Adults 2025 - Junior Fiction

Brown Bird written by Jane Arthur

Detective Beans and the Case of the Missing Hat written and illustrated by Li Chen

The Apprentice Witnesser written by Bren MacDibble

The Raven’s Eye Runaways written by Claire Mabey

Violet and the Velvets: The Case of the Missing Stuff written by Rachael King and illustrated by Phoebe Morris


Visit the blog again next week for the Non-fiction finalists or if you can't wait till then have a look here for a list of all the finalists.

Image via New Zealand Book Awards Trust 

On the New Books Display this Week

Picture: 

• "Kiana and Teiti" by Diane PERCY; illustrated by Claudia Pond EYLEY
• "Be You!" by Peter H REYNOLDS

Fiction:

• "Boy vs Beast : Water Beast" by Mac PARK (Boy vs Beast series)
• "LOL Collection 2" by Marcus EMERSON (LOL Collection series)
• "Karen's Grandmothers" by Ann M MARTIN; illustrated by D K YINGST (Baby-Sitters Little Sister - Graphic Novel series)
• "The Puppy Who Couldn't Sleep" by Holly WEBB
• "The Grimmelings" by Rachael KING

Non-fiction:

• "Pioneer Women" edited by Sarah ELL (The NZ Series series)
• "Look to the Stars" by Buzz ALDRIN; illustrated by Wendel MINOR
• "Paws, Claws and Jaws" by Terry DEARY; illustrated by Martin BROWN (Horrible Histories series)

New Zealand Book Awards for Children & Young Adults 2025 - Picture Books

 

Beddy-bye Time in the Kōwhai Tree written by Juliette MacIver and illustrated by Lily Uivel

Mataali‘i written by Dahlia Malaeulu (Vaivase Tai, Sinamoga) and illustrated by Darcy Solia

Ten Nosey Weka written by Kate Preece and illustrated by Isobel Joy Te Aho-White (Ngāti Kahungunu, Kāi Tahu)

Titiro Look written and illustrated by Gavin Bishop (Tainui, Ngāti Awa) and translated by Darryn Joseph (Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Rereahu)

You Can’t Pat a Fish written and illustrated by Ruth Paul


Visit the blog again next week for the Junior Fiction finalists or if you can't wait till then have a look here for a list of all the finalists.

Image via New Zealand Book Awards Trust

Most Popular in 2024

The most popular books in St Brendan's School Library in 2024 were:

1st    Allergic  by Megan Wagner Lloyd; illustrated by Michelle Mee Nutter

2nd     Baby-Sitters Club - Graphic Novel series by Mary Ann Martin; illustrated by Reina Telgemeier, Chan Chau & others

3rd     Dog Man series  by Dav Pilkey 

4th=  Minecraft Guides series; Baby-Sitters Little Sister - Graphic Novel series by Mary Ann Martin, illustrated by Katy Farina & others; I Survived - Graphic Novel series; Squished by Megan Wagner Lloyd.

            

5th=  Paris Takes over the World series by Zanni Louise; Click series by Kayla Miller.

6th The Piggy and Gerald series (Elephant and Piggy) by Mo Willems; Cat Kid series by Dav Pilkey.

7th= Minecraft Handbook series; Minecraft Legends - A Hero's Guide to Saving the Overworld.

8th= Catwad series by Jim Benson; Twins by Varian Johnson; The Pigeon series by Mo Willems; Swim Team - Small Waves Big Changes by Johnnie Christmas. 

9th    The Football Encyclopedia series by Clive Gifford.

10th=  Minecraft Bite-Size Builds series; City of Dragons series by Jaimal Yogis; Four Eyes by Rex Ogle, illustrated by Dave Valeza; Ham Helsing series by Rich Moyer; Pig the Pug series by Aaron Blabey; Real Friends by Shannon Hale, illustrated by LeYuen Pham; 1001 Cool Best Ever Jokes; Minecraft Epic Inventions by Thomas McBrien.

Some of these books are previous favourites and are also on earlier Most Popular in ... lists, but a few are new to the list this year. 

Is your favourite book, series or author on our Most Popular list for 2024? 

2025 Term 1 'Mini' Library service

Due to renovations currently underway at St Brendan's our library is being used as a temporary classroom. During Term 1, and possibly into Term 2, much of our library collection is packed away and unavailable. However a selection of popular material, including Picture books and Fiction, is available for borrowing. 

Explorer classes are able to book one library session per week where I take a selection of our picture book collection to the classroom to issue and return books. Our first visits were carried out this week and students were able to choose a book/s to take home and also a book/s for the classroom library. 

Our Navigator and Adventurer classes are also able to book a session each week. These students will be able to visit our 'mini' library, in small groups, to issue and return books.

While our own school library is operating in a reduced way students are still able to use in class resources borrowed from the National Library Schools collection and the Upper Hutt Libraries, Purehurehu Mobile Library visits every third Tuesday during term time.