Aaron Topp

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Topp, Aaron (1975 - ) writes young adult fiction. He was born in Waipukurau and has worked as a primary school teacher. He currently lives in the Hawke’s Bay.

His first book, Single Fin (Random House, 2006), is a coming of age tale about a boy obsessed with surfing, based on a true story. The work won the Young Adult Fiction Honour Award at the 2007 New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, and was also listed as a 2007 Storylines Notable Young Adult Fiction Book.

Creating Waves: How Surfing Inspires our Most Creative New Zealanders (HarperCollins, 2009) is an exploration of the relationship of the role surfing and the sea plays in the creative lives of a selection of leading musicians, painters, sculptors, poets and fellow writers. A reviewer for Boat Books said 'Full of fascinating insights into New Zealand's surfing world, Creating Waves will make you want to pick up the surfboard and head for the beach.'

2015 saw the publication of Topp's Young Adult novel Hucking Cody: A Tale of Betrayal, Jealousy, Brotherly Love and Freeriding (Mary Egan Publishing). The novel tells the story of Cody, a young mountain biker whose unlucky run with girls, his family, and his job starts him on a journey of self-discovery. Hucking Cody received a Storylines Notable Book Award in 2016 and was a finalist for the Young Adult Fiction Award in the 2016 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.

In the novel Nor'east Swell (OneTree House, 2022) Topp heads back to the beach with a story about teenager, Witi. His father is listed as having abandoned his family and that’s just how Witi sees it. But when he is on his surfboard, feeling the surge of the sea, he somehow feels close to him.

WRITERS IN SCHOOLS INFORMATION

Aaron Topp is available to visit secondary schools as part of the Writers in Schools programme. He enjoys discussing the journey to becoming a writer, tips on being a successful writer, and his novel Single Fin; and will speak on specific focus topics such as voice or tone as required. He would prefer to speak to classes from 20 students upwards and is happy to run workshops for smaller groups as well, by prior arrangement.