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Other Writing

Reviews, essays, articles and more

I write book reviews and essays, mostly about books, and mostly about children’s books. I have a regular series in The Spinoff looking at old children’s books that are worth revisiting as an adult, and my Newsroom reviews won Best Reviewer at the 2023 Voyager New Zealand Media Awards. I’ll be posting new work here, and a selection of current and past work can be found in the links below.

The Press   /   Newsroom   /   The Spinoff   /   The Sapling   /  ANZ Review of Books

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Books Beyond Great Britain: Reading New Zealand

Books Beyond Great Britain: Reading New Zealand

An article for UK magazine Books for Keeps on the state of New Zealand's children's books scene Chances are, if you live in the UK, you can’t immediately call to mind the names of very many New Zealand children’s authors. This is because, while British books are almost all shipped…
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Why I’m no longer writing (novels) for adults

Why I’m no longer writing (novels) for adults

I’m a children’s author. I write for kids. I am shielded from the question most children’s authors get: “When are you going to write an adult novel?” The unspoken: a real book. Susan Cooper, the legend, talks about her early years when children’s books were not seen as literature –…
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A new essay about horses

A new essay about horses

"A horse can hear your heartbeat from four feet away. If your pulse is elevated, the horse will interpret it as danger. The notion of staying calm around a horse because they can sense your fear comes not from the worry it might exploit you, but from the chance it…
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My Year of Reading (and Writing) 2023

My Year of Reading (and Writing) 2023

I had hoped to finish this by the end of the year but it became somewhat of a behemoth. As demonstrated in my last round-up, 2022 was a huge reading year for me. I revelled in reading wherever my interests led me and knocked off about 60 books (partly helped…
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My Year of Reading 2022

My Year of Reading 2022

This has been a watershed year of reading for me. For the eight years prior, I was locked into reading for my job as programme director of a festival, which meant I was constantly reading new books and trying to keep up with the latest authors and conversations that festival…
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