Dunedin Public Libraries News & Reviews Blog

The New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults reward and recognise authors and illustrators contributing to New Zealand literature for children and young adults.

Twenty great books were short listed in February this year, with the announcement of the overall winners for this annual event happening on Wednesday 21 May at 6pm.

Many celebrations are held throughout New Zealand to observe these awards and Dunedin Public Libraries are proud to be associated, partnering with the University Bookshop, to bring you a programme to be proud of - we hope to see you there!

Opening Event:

Come celebrate the opening of New Zealand Post Book Awards and meet our special guest award winning author Kyle Mewburn, Author of Kiss! Kiss! Yuck! Yuck!. Kyle will be launching his latest children’s picture book, Duck’s Stuck.

Suitable for children under 8 years. Limited numbers. Collect your tickets from the University Bookshop or the Dunedin City Library.

• Monday 12 May 6.00pm
• 4th Floor
• Dunedin City Library
• FREE EVENT

Happy Birthday Hairy Maclary:

Come along and celebrate Hairy Maclary’s 25th birthday! Lynley Dodd will be reading and signing books.

• Friday 16th May 1.30p.m.
• Storypit
• Dunedin City Library
• FREE EVENT

Limited numbers - telephone 474 3670 or collect tickets from Dunedin City Library.

Character Hunt:

Join us in having lots of fun finding some of your favourite book characters hiding around the Library.

• Sunday 18 May 2.00pm - 3.30pm
• Dunedin City Library

Bubbles Storytimes:

Join us for a special bubbly New Zealand Post Book Awards storytime reading of “The King’s Bubbles” by Ruth Paul.

• Friday 16 May 10.30am Port Chalmers Library and Blueskin Bay Library
• Tuesday 20 May 11.00am Waikouaiti Library and Mosgiel Library
• Wednesday 21 May 10.30am City Library

The twenty finalists have been announced in this years NZ Post Book Awards.

The winners will be announced on Wednesday May 21st.

The categories and finalists are:

Picture Books

• The Kings Bubbles - Ruth Paul
• Out of the egg - Tina Matthews
• Rats! - Gavin Bishop
• Tahi: one lucky kiwi - Melanie Drewery
• To the harbour - Stanley Palmer

Junior Fiction

• Dead Dan’s Dee - Phyllis Johnston
• The dumpster saga - Craig Harrison
• The mad tapdpole adventure - Melanie Drewery
• Sitting on the fence: the diary of Martin Daly - Bill Nagelkerke
• Snake and Lizard - Joy Cowley

Non Fiction

• A mini guide to the identification of New Zealand’s land birds - Andrew Crowe
• Reaching the summit: Sir Edmund Hillary’s story - Alexa Johnston
• Weather watch New Zealand - Sandra Carrod
• What is a fish? - Fena Tu’akoi
• Which New Zealand spider? - Andrew Crowe

Young Adult Fiction

• Salt - Maurice Gee
• The sea-wreck stranger - Anna Mackenzie
• Tomorrow all will be beautiful - Brigid Lowry
• The transformation of Minna Hargreaves - Fleur Beale
• Zilla - Penelope Todd

“I was conceived in a bath in Norfolk in September 1946. How do I know? Well, my  mother told me. As she put it, they were all rather exhausted after the war and there weren’t many opportune occasions”
This is the opening paragraph of Spilling the beans by Clarissa Dickson Wright

When Two fat ladies hit the television screens they revolutionized cooking and travelling the English countryside by motorbike and sidecar.

We were all sorry when Jennifer Paterson passed away and with it the demise of the popular programme.

Here is the story of the “other” Fat Lady – Clarissa Dickson Wright.

This is a wonderfully funny and sad biography of a woman who  has battled her demons throughout her life -  a fractured childhood, successful barrister, drunk and then a household name and with it the pressures of stardom.

A truly honest and harrowing account of her early life gives you an insight into the person she has become. She is a woman who lives life to the fullest.

This story is chock-full of famous names and events.

 It was finally the cooking which has brought her success, sobriety and peace.

 This book makes up one of a tremendous range of biographies and autobiographies found in the Mosgiel Library.

Drawing on her vast knowledge of Shakespeare and Elizabethan times, Germaine Greer has written a scholarly but very interesting book on Ann Hathaway. She forms a picture that is quite different from the accepted view of Ann’s place in Shakespeare’s life.

Instead of an older (26) woman seducing a handsome young (1 Shakespeare, a hateful marriage and time spent mostly apart, Greer puts the few known facts firmly in the perspective of the times.

She portrays Ann as an intelligent, independent woman who runs the family home and business, and raises the children in her husband’s absence.

I did skim through some of this, especially the quotes, but I recommend Shakespeare’s Wife to anyone who enjoys history, Shakespeare and/or Greer’s witty style of writing.

The latest issue of Childrens Choice has been published and contains a good list of books for kids spanning fiction, non-fiction, picture books as well as news updates from staff working in the childrens area.

Read the latest issue (.pdf) online today.

Vampires are real. Filmmaker Mark Ferns travels the world in search of the most flesh-crawling blood feeders.

Making the ultimate sacrifice in the name of science and his film Mark submits to their wicked ways as some of the little suckers demonstrate their toothsome techniques on him.

At times gruesome, at times gory, Bloody Suckers is always enthralling.

• Thursday 3 April 10.30am & 5.30pm
• First Floor
• Dunedin City Library
• Free Event
  

On the ground floor of the City Library the area that used to house our Star Biographies has been replaced by a nice selection of books - old favourites from the Stack!

Here’s a chance to delve in to a wide range of interesting books that are usually out of sight in our lower basement.

You are sure to find a great read here. Look for the display located around the corner from the self issue machines near the Science Fiction & Fantasy shelves.

The latest issue of Childrens Choice has been published and contains a good list of books for kids spanning fiction, non-fiction, picture books as well as news updates from staff working in the childrens area.

Read the latest issue (.pdf) online today.

Are you a fan of documentaries? Check out our selection of new titles on our website.

Clicking on the image covers will take you to their online catalogue details.

Her Magazine is a very interesting NZ based business magazine.

It’s published monthly and available to borrow from the 2nd floor of the City Library.