On the New Books Display this Week

Picture:

• "A Day off School" by Oliver JEFFERS; illustrated by Kevin WALDRON

Fiction:

• "Dragon Girls : Selena the Sunflower Dragon" by Maddy MARA; illustrated by Jane PICA (Dragon Girls series)
• "Chaos!" by Andrew CRANNA
• "The Moonlight Mystery Agency : The Puzzling Paw Prints" by Vashti HARDY; illustrated by Agnes SACCANI
• "Landfall : A Place Between" by Tim PROBERT (Landfall series)

Non fiction:

• "The Ultimate Secret Builder's Guide to Minecraft"
• "Rock and Mineral" by Dr R.F. SYMES (DK Eyewitness series)

Senior Fiction:

• "Dawn Raid : The Apology" by Pauline (VEALUAGA) SMITH & Brooklyn TAYLOR

On the New Books Display this Week

Picture:

• "The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!" by Mo WILLEMS
• "The Pet Person" by Jeanne WILLIS; illustrated by Tony ROSS

Fiction:

• "The Magic Faraway Tree : Up the Faraway Tree" by Enid BLYTON; illustrated by Mark BEECH (The Magic Faraway Tree series)
• "A Clock Strakes Murder" by Michelle HARRISON
• "Benny's Bad Day" by Nathan LUFF; illustrated by Wayne BRYANT

Non fiction:

• "New Zealand's Backyard Birds" by Ned BARRAUD
• "Science : Science as you've never seen it before" (DK Knowledge Encyclopedia series)

Senior Fiction:

• "Fruitcake" by Rex OGLE

On the New Books Display this Week

Picture:

• "Flotsam" by David WIESNER

Mature Picture:

• "Ariā and the Monster Island" by Witi IHIMAIRA; illustrated by Isobel Joy TE AHO-WHITE
• "A Ariā Me Te Motu Pouākai" by Witi IHIMAIRA; illustrated by Isobel Joy TE AHO-WHITE

Fiction:

• "Lottie the Little Wonder" by Katherine WOODFINE; illustrated by Ella OKSTAD (Little Gems series)
• "Back of the Net" by Ruth AINSWORTH
• "Kimi the Kekeno's Big Adventure" by Sally BURNE-FIELD

Non fiction:

• "Natural Disasters" by Claire WATTS (DK Eyewitness series)
• "Horses" by Lucy THORN

Senior Fiction:

• "Mixed Feelings" by Sara AMINI; illustrated by Shardia AMIN

New Zealand Book Awards for Children & Young Adults 2026 - Winners

 

Book Fair 2026 - Update

St Brendan's Book Fair has wrapped up for another year. A BIG Thank You to everyone who came along and helped to make it another successful Book Fair. This year, sales earned us more than 30 free new books for our library collection.

An extra special thank you to the families and staff who purchased a "Red Dot" book for donation to the  library - keep a look out for them on the library “New Books Display” later this term and next term, they'll all have special Book Fair 2026 Donation book plates inside!

Book Fair 2026

Come to our Book Fair 

Where: in the Library

When: 

Tuesday, 28 July, 2.30-7.30pm 

Wednesday, 29 July, 8.30-9.15am and 2.30-3.30pm

Thursday, 30 July, 8.30-9.15am and 2.30-3.30pm

Friday, 31 July, 2.30-3.30pm 

Monday, 3 August, 8.30-9.15am and 2.30-7.30pm 

Tuesday, 4 August CLOSED

All purchases from the Book Fair help to 

earn new resources for our library.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

On the New Books Display this Week

Picture:

• "Mutt Dog" by Stephen Michael KING (21st Anniversary edition)
• "A Guide to Rocks" by Sacha COTTER; illustrated by Josh MORGAN

Fiction:

• "The Magic Faraway Tree : The Folk of the Faraway Tree" by Enid BLYTON; illustrated by Mark BEECH  (The Magic Faraway Tree series)
• "Roller Girl" by Victoria JAMIESON
• "Willa and Woof : Birthday Business" by Jacqueline HARVEY  (Willa and Woof series)

Non fiction:

• "Roarrr! : Ancient Creatures of Aotearoa" by Donovan BIXLEY
• "The Periodic Table of Elements : Understanding the Building Blocks of Everything" by Jon Chad (Science Comics series)
• "Axel Scheffler's Treasury of Fairy Tales" by Axel Scheffler

Senior Fiction:

• "Escape" by Sophie McKENZIE

Book Fair 2026 - Coming Soon

St Brendan's School Book Fair 2026 will be held in our school library, next door to Room 9. The Book Fair will be open before and/or after school most weekdays between Tuesday, 28 July and the evening of Monday, 3 August. More information about Book Fair opening hours will be on display next term. All purchases from the Book Fair help to earn free books for our school library.

Looking forward to seeing you there.

New Zealand Book Awards for Children & Young Adults 2026 - Non-fiction

Hooked: Learning to Fish written by Al Brown and illustrated by Hope McConnell

Omnibird: An Avian Investigator’s Handbook written and illustrated by Giselle Clarkson

Survive Aotearoa written by Bronwen Wall and Jonathan Kennett and illustrated by Kimberly Andrews

Taniwha written and illustrated by Gavin Bishop (Tainui, Ngāti Awa)

Whenua: Māori Pūrākau of Aotearoa written and illustrated by Isobel Joy Te Aho-White (Ngāti Kahungunu, Kāi Tahu)


See the list of Te Reo Maori, Young Adult and other award finalists here.

Image via New Zealand Book Awards Trust 

On the New Books Display this Week

Picture:

• "Hauraki Broo / Ngā Purū o Hauraki" by Nikki SLADE-ROBINSON (Trilingual Chinese Language Week edition)
• "Pūkeko Who-Keko?" by Toby MORRIS; illustrated by Sara OGILVY
• "Left to Nowhere" by Ian CHAPMAN
• "Koro Wētā" by Heather HAYLOCK; illustrated by Sarah TROLLE

Fiction:

• "The Terrible Trio : The (Not So) Superheroes" by Swapna HADDOW; illustrated by Minky STAPLETON (The Terrible Trio series)
• "The Case of the Angry Ghost" by Rachael KING; illustrated by Phoebe MORRIS (Violet and the Velvets series)
• "Death Sets Sail" by Robin STEVENS (Murder Most Unladylike series)
• "Boy vs Beast : Ice Beast" by Mac PARK (Boy vs Beast series)
• "Creaky Acres" by Calista BRILL; illustrated by Nilah MAGRUDER

Non fiction:

• "Insect" by Laurence MOUND (DK Eyewitness series)
• "Hooked : Learning to Fish" by Al BROWN; illustrated by Hope McCONNELL
• "Roald Dahl's Marvelous Joke Book" by Roald DAHL
• "Simple Machines" by Nicolas BRASCH

Senior Fiction:

• "Hiva and the Heartbeats" by Selina Alesana ALEFOSIO

New Zealand Book Awards for Children & Young Adults 2026 - Junior Fiction

Detective Stanley and the Mystery at the Museum written by Hannah Tunnicliffe and illustrated by Erica Harrison

Dreamslinger written and illustrated by Li Chen

Kimi the Kekeno’s Big Adventure written by Shelley Burne-Field (Ngāti Mutanga, Ngāti Rārua)

The Terrible Trio 1: The (not so) Superheroes written by Swapna Haddow and illustrated by Minky Stapleton

Violet and the Velvets 2: The Case of the Angry Ghost 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:

• "The Best Dog Ever" by Smriti PRASADAM-HALLS; illustrated by Chris JEVONS
• "Meri Kirihimete Kererū!" by JulietteMacIVER; illustrated by Daron PARTON

Fiction:

• "Dragon Girls : Ash The Blaze Dragon" by Maddy MARA (Dragon Girls series)
• "1000 Minutes of Danger" by Jack HEATH 
• "Ella and Olivia : Kiwi Club" by Yvette POSHOGLIAN; illustrated by Danielle McDONALD (Ella and Olivia series)
• "The Magic Faraway Tree" by Enid BLYTON; illustrated by Mark BEECH  (The Magic Faraway Tree series)
• "I Survived : The California Wildfires, 2018 - Graphic Novel" by Lauren TARSHIS; illustrated by Cassie ANDERSON (I Survived - Graphic Novel series)
• "Molly and the Bear : An Unlikely Pair" by Bob SCOTT & Vicki SCOTT (Molly and the Bear series)

Non fiction:

• "LEGO Play Book : Ideas to Bring Your Bricks to Life!" by Tim GODDARD and others
• "Electricity : Energy in Action" by Andy HIRSCH (Science Comics series)
• "Fish" by Steve PARKER (DK Eye Witness series)

Browsing:

• "Life Through Time : The 700-Million Year Story of Life on Earth" by John WOODWARD

Senior Fiction:

• "Wings of Fire : Talons of Power - Graphic Novel" by Tui T. SUTHERLAND; illustrated by Mike HOLMES (Wings of Fire - Graphic Novel series)
• "Dreamslinger" by Graci KIM (The Slinger series)

New Zealand Book Awards for Children & Young Adults 2026 - Picture Books

A Guide to Rocks written by Sascha Cotter and illustrated by Josh Morgan (Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki, Rongowhakaata)

Koro Wētā written by Heather Haylock, illustrated by Sarah Trolle and translated by Ngairo Eruera (Ngāti Ranginui, Tūhoe, Ngāti Awa)

Left to Nowhere written and illustrated by Ian Chapman

Pūkeko Who-Keko? written and illustrated by Toby Morris

The Only Dinosaur in School written by Leonie Agnew and illustrated by Julia Hegetusch (Muaūpoko)

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