Samuel Whitelock
Harper Collins

The most capped All Black in history speaks for the record about his storied career, spanning four World Cups, nine Super Rugby finals and 153 appearances in the black jersey.

In this autobiography, Whitelock speaks in his own words about physical and mental toughness, leadership and coaching, friends and foes on the footy field, tradition, darkening the jersey and how family and farming provided the bedrock for global success.

View from the Second Row is an inspiring story and a journey like no other, and the epitome of what makes New Zealand rugby special.

Tracey Slaughter
Te Herenga Waka University Press

our task is to sing in this killer place – but how does the body go on singing, in pain, in isolation, in dead-end love?

Tracey Slaughter’s powerful new collection of poems begins with the sequence that won the £10,000 Manchester Poetry Prize in 2023, opioid sonatas, which travels the jagged aftermath of a high-speed crash, charting the fallout of grief and the body’s long-term struggles with dosage and damage.

‘Haunting and harrowing, yet executed with such forceful luminous brilliance. . . . We kept reading the poems aloud, revelling in the breath-taking momentum, beautiful language, and galloping rhythmic quality. . . . Outstanding.’ —Malika Booker, Manchester Poetry Prize 2023

Deborah Robertson
HUIA

Marnya, her mother and sister left South Africa in secret and have arrived in New Zealand. Marnya's mother cuts Marnya's hair, changes her clothes and insists she now be a boy - George. But why? What are they hiding from? 

At a rural school in Ohakune, George starts to build another life with the help of a new friend and a wild horse. And in the space under the mountains, George pieces together her identity and a family story that is more complex than she thought.

Swapna Haddow
Scholastic

The far-fetched, tall tale of why a library book is 293 days overdue!

“…A seal came flying out of the water at us.
‘I like stories,’ she said and snatched up the book in her jaws …”

A child and their grandfather are returning a book to the library. When the librarian points out it’s two hundred and ninety-three days overdue, Grandad recounts an outrageous, funny and far-fetched story of why it took so long to get the book back to the returns desk.

From the award-winning children’s author, Swapna Haddow and creative talent and illustrator, Daron Parton, comes the best excuse for an overdue library book.

Kristin Kelly
Scholastic

Max and Spike were troubled. Hey Babe and Sugar had brought home a 'squeakling' and they were not getting as many pats as usual. Whatever will the poor pups do about the tiny intruder? Perhaps they can come up with a plan...