Skinny Dip Poetry
edited by Susan Paris & Kate De Goldi
“Bold and timely. A magnificent range of form from some of our best contemporary voices,” says Hera Lindsay Bird.
The school year. We all know what to expect: the nits, the crush, the history lessons and rainy-day lunchtimes. But what happens when you send a bunch of poets to school? They’ll loiter in corners and see between the lines, then give a crash course on how to play with poetic form.
Skinny Dip is a collection of all-new poetry for young readers from all the writers we love: Sam Duckor-Jones, essa may ranapiri, Bill Manhire, Anahera Gildea, Amy McDaid, Kōtuku Titihuia Nuttall, Ben Brown, Ashleigh Young, Rata Gordon, Dinah Hawken, Oscar Upperton, Nina Mingya Poweles, James Brown, Victor Rodger, Tim Upperton, Lynley Edmeades, Freya Daly Sadgrove, Renee Liang, Amber Esau, Nick Ascroft, Vanessa Mei Crofskey, and Jane Arthur.
The Sapling ‘Briar Lawry could not love it more’
Kete ‘The book will be a treat for teachers’
Kids Books NZ ‘an engaging, entertaining and relevant text to get kids excited by poetry’
ASPIRING BY DAMIEN WILKINS
WINNER OF BEST YOUNG ADULT FICTION IN THE NZ BOOK AWARDS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS 2020
A funny, moving novel about a boy trying to make sense of it all
She had her hair tied back and she looked much older. Make-up. Girls were lucky like this. They could become someone else in the blink of an eye, or however long it took to apply the make-up. A boy was just made of the same putty all the time. Our faces were bland, dull as pieces of dough. No wonder we wanted to punch each other, rearrange our noses and make our eyes balloon and rainbow. No wonder we ground each other’s faces into the mud …
Fifteen-year-old Ricky lives in Aspiring, a town that’s growing at an alarming rate. Ricky’s growing, too — 6’7”, and taller every day. But he’s stuck in a loop: student, uncommitted basketballer, and puzzled son, burdened by his family’s sadness. And who’s the weird guy in town with a chauffeur and half a Cadillac? What about the bits of story that invade his head? Uncertain what’s real — and who he is — Ricky can’t stop sifting for clues. He has no idea how things will end up . . .
With sunlight, verve and humour, award-winning writer Damien Wilkins brings us a beguiling boy who’s trying to make sense of it all.
The Sapling: An elaborate yarn told with honesty and hope…
Stuff: Aspiring to great heights
Damien’s launch speech here
Damien Wilkins has published novels, collections of short stories and a book of poems. He is the director of the International Institute of Modern Letters at Victoria University, Wellington.
#TUMEKE! BY MICHAEL PETHERICK
WINNER OF BEST FIRST BOOK IN THE NZ BOOK AWARDS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS 2020
An exuberant multimedia extravaganza for young readers and the young at heart
In the boundary-riding tradition of the Annual project, Annual Ink’s latest title #Tumeke! brings you the lives, loves and larrikin spirit of an inner-city neighbourhood. The story is told through texts, Instagram posts, emails, fliers, committee minutes, posters, diary entries, blog posts, chatrooms, school homework, raps and the reliably bonkers community noticeboard. Stuffed with big personalities, surprising friendships and a little intrigue, this multimedia story brims with creativity and comedy, and everyday heartaches, too. Debut novelist Michael Petherick juggles a large cast and multiple story threads with panache, giving us a window on a vivid, warm-hearted community.
A narrative — but not quite as we know it — for middle readers and anyone who loves to connect.
‘It is a delight to see a fiction book aimed at the middle reader age with such a unique and visually appealing layout. A quick riffle through the pages should captivate even a relatively unwilling reader. ... The real digital world is represented both realistically and as a subject of valid literary worth — The Sapling. Read the full review here.
‘Wildly inventive and a goatload of fun. A surprise triple reverse jackknife to the funny bone. I’ve never read anything like it. Tumeke!’ — Toby Morris
‘This is a piece of multimedia genius’ — The Sapling on ‘Community Noticeboard’ from Annual 2
Read NZ: So many laughs, a visual feast
Debut writer Michael Petherick lives, writes and plays music in Wellington, New Zealand.
HAZEL AND THE SNAILS BY NAN BLANCHARD
A debut story destined to become a classic
Six-year-old Hazel tends her colony of shoebox snails while observing, with varying degrees of understanding, her father’s illness and final decline. Impending loss forms the heart of this story, but it’s charming and funny, too, with black-and-white illustrations by Giselle Clarkson.
Richly rewarding and cleverly layered, adults will be as drawn to it as children. Nan Blanchard’s assured eye is a rare quality in a new writer; seldom has the world of a young child been so delicately or acutely observed. Hazel and the Snails takes you straight to the heart of childhood’s mysteries and delights.
‘Playful language, delightful descriptions (with a few words much is conveyed) and illustrations (note the snail on the foot of each page) provide the icing on the cake. A debut author to watch.’ — Stella Chrysostomou, Volume
‘Moving and sweet.’ — Crissi Blair, Family Times
‘A gentle story from a first-time author, told with heart and presented with quirky visual treats’ — The Sapling
NZ Poetry Box, Paula Green: It sings in my ears.
Isobella, 8 years: It’s a tiny bit sad…
ANNUAL 2 EDITED BY KATE DE GOLDI & SUSAN PARIS
An intrepid miscellany of fiction, comics, poems, essays, art, and high jinks
Annual Ink's much-anticipated second annual, featuring stories, poems, comics, crafts, cooking, art, music, drama and other high jinks by an impressive assortment of New Zealand’s most talented writers and illustrators. You’ll even find a specially commissioned song by Bic Runga complete with musical score. Read more about Annual 2 here.
Aimed at 9–13 year olds – but really a book for the whole family. “We channelled our ten-year-old selves: curious, discerning, up for anything. We tried to make a book we wish we’d been given,” the editors say.
The Spinoff book reviewer agreed. “Children and adults alike will open it and their mouths will drop and then they’ll keep it forever and love it to pieces.”
Other Annual 2 highlights include a tribute to body surfing by Lloyd Jones; the untold story, in comic format, of New Zealand’s space station by film director Johnathan King; emergency haiku from Kate Camp; DIY guides for a revolting mask, papier-mâché letterbox, and knitted digestive system; a recipe by Nikau Café’s Kelda Hains, Bill Manhire’s hilarious snapshot of time in the dentist chair (illustrated by Toby Morris); and the much-loved board game Blended Families by editor Susan Paris.
The Sapling: A sophomore success
Bobs Books Blog: Reading this book made me very happy…