Novels and stories by Māori, Pasifika and Pākehā writers, classics that changed how we see ourselves, and a few from the wider world.
Stories from Aotearoa let you meet characters who live in places you know, speak the way people around you speak, and face problems from our own history. Here are some to look for in your school or public library.
New stories, strong voices
Charlie Tangaroa and the Creature from the Sea by T.K. Roxborogh (Ngāti Porou): Charlie and his brother find a ponaturi, a sea creature, washed up on the beach, and are caught in an old conflict between Tāne and Tangaroa. It won the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year in 2021.Dawn Raid by Pauline (Vaeluaga) Smith: 13-year-old Sofia's diary during the 1970s, when police raided the homes of Pacific families, and the Polynesian Panthers fought back peacefully.Whetū Toa and the Magician by Steph Matuku: a funny, fast adventure with talking horses, a golden ram and a rabbit who has gone too far with magic.Mophead by Selina Tusitala Marsh: a graphic memoir about a Samoan-Tuvaluan-English-Scottish-French girl with big hair who became Poet Laureate.Classics that shaped us
Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera: Kahu fights to be seen by her great-grandfather, who is looking for a boy to lead the tribe.The Haunting by Margaret Mahy: Barney is haunted by a ghost who says he is a relative. It won the Carnegie Medal, one of the world's top children's book prizes.Under the Mountain by Maurice Gee: twins discover that the volcanoes of Auckland hide something ancient and dangerous.My Brother's War by David Hill: two brothers in the First World War, one who enlists and one who refuses to fight.From the wider world
Holes by Louis Sachar (USA): a boy wrongly sent to a desert camp where the boys dig holes all day.Wonder by R.J. Palacio (USA): Auggie starts school for the first time, told from several points of view.The Arrival by Shaun Tan (Australia): a wordless graphic novel about a migrant in a strange new land. You read it entirely by inference.Sources and further reading
Written for Kōkiri Learn students in our own words. Check facts against the sources.