What I’m reading: Nicola Daly, convenor of judges, NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults
The New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults are just around the corner (the awards will be announced at a ceremony on 10 August). We spoke with convenor of judges for the Awards, Nicola Daly to find out what she’s been reading in the moments when she hasn’t been immersed in this year’s submitted, longlisted and finalist books.
Right now I’m reading:
I had an amazing summer of immersing myself in over 150 children’s books as part of the judging panel for the New Zealand Book Awards for Children’s and Young Adults (NZCYA), so it has been nice to take my judge’s hat off and enjoy reading a book purely for pleasure, no judgements to be made! I am currently enjoying the winner of another book award — The 2022 Booker Prize — The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka who spent some of his life in Aotearoa where he went to school at Whanganui Collegiate School and Massey University. Having travelled in Sri Lanka, I am enjoying reading a story set there, and hearing (in my head) the use of Sri Lankan idiom.
The last great book by an Aotearoa New Zealand author I read was:
I read many brilliant finalists books from picturebooks to non fiction; junior novels to young adult as part of the judging process, but for my bookgroup, I chose to ask us all to read The Axeman’s Carnival by Catherine Chidgey. It felt good to read something by a local writer, one of my colleagues at the University of Waikato. I loved so many things about this book — the voice of Tama the Magpie (and I love following him on Twitter), and the subtle and disturbing portrait of domestic violence.
Some of my favourite books for reading together with children are:
Hairy Maclary because of the impeccable rhythm and rhyme, humour and story arcs; Taming the Taniwha by Tim Tipene and Henry Campbell because of the great message about bullying and the stunning illustrations; Finding Serendipity by Angela Banks because of the absolutely unexpected and original story line and characters as Tuesday travels into a fantastic world to find her well known author mother, Serendipity. Having recently read the books submitted for the NZCYA awards this year, I can confidently predict there will be some new classics joining these old favourites off the back of this year’s winners.
A book that was part of the fabric of my own childhood is:
A book my mother had read as a child, Seven in Switzerland by Mabel Esther Allan. In this story a young orphan (Jacklin Drury) is sent to a small orphanage in Switzerland where she gains confidence and becomes multilingual. As a young monolingual child, I was absolutely fascinated by the idea of being able to speak more than one language. This led to me to applying for an exchange scholarship in Thailand where I learned to speak and write Thai; on returning to New Zealand, I took Māori at university. In those days (the early 1980s) it was more unusual than it is today for a young Pākēhā to take Māori, and I remember being interviewed by Te Kārere about why I wanted to learn Māori.
A book I wish I’d already read is:
There are so many! One of them is The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida which I am currently reading. In my work teaching children’s literature at the University of Waikato, I am reading new children’s books all the time and I love it. Being in a bookclub helps me know what is going on outside children’s literature as my fellow members suggest great books to read.
The children’s book by a writer from Aotearoa I recommend time and time again is:
For older readers, The 10pm Question by Kate De Goldi and for younger readers, Piano Rock by Gavin Bishop. I love the quirky characters De Goldi shares with us, and the insights we are given into anxiety; I enjoyed reading Piano Rock to my daughter multiple times. Bishop shares lovely vignettes from his childhood imbued with a strong sense of family and place in the Queenstown region.
Nicola’s reading list includes
The NZCYA finalist books
The 10pm Question by Kate De Goldi
The Axeman’s Carnival by Catherine Chidgey
Finding Serendipity by Angela Banks
Hairy Maclary by Lynley Dodd
Piano Rock by Gavin Bishop
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka
Seven in Switzerland by Mabel Esther Allan
Taming the Taniwha by Tim Tipene and Henry Campbell
“Having recently read the books submitted for the NZCYA awards this year, I can confidently predict there will be some new classics joining these old favourites off the back of this year’s winners.”