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On a beach clean-up, thirteen-year-old one-legged Charlie and his half-brother, Robbie, find a ponaturi – a mermaid – washed up on a beach. An ancient grudge between the Māori gods Tāne and Tangaroa has flared up because a port being built in the bay is degrading the ocean and creatures are fleeing the sea. This has reignited anger between the gods, which breaks out in storms, earthquakes and huge seas. The human world and realm of the gods are thrown into chaos. The ponaturi believes Charlie is the only one who can stop the destruction because his stump is a sign that he straddles both worlds. So begins Charlie’s journey to find a way to reunite the gods, realise the power in the ancient songs his grandfather taught him, and discover why he was the one for the task.
'Do you think that fate controls our lives or that we have the freedom to choose our own path?' For Fleance, the only son of Banquo, Thane of Lochaber, the time has come to make a choice. Since his father's brutal murder ten years ago, he has hidden in the woods of Northern England, keeping his identity a secret from all. Now Fleance must unmask his enemies and discover why he is plagued by his father's ghost. But everything in life has a price. Fleance must sacrifice his love for Rosie and journey back to his homeland if he is to find the answers and fulfil his father's dying wish. The choices he makes will change his life forever while the secrets from his past threaten to bring down the throne of Scotland. An epic tale of love, loss and revenge set amidst the turmoil of Scotland after Macbeth.
'Do not feel guilty that you do not love me like her. Our union will be another story. Fleance. I will be a good wife and an excellent queen.' Fleance is the new king of Scotland, but he is the ruler of a divided nation. According to his advisors he must marry a woman from a royal bloodline to strengthen his position. It seems that Rachel, sister of Fleance's dead friend King Duncan will be the next Queen of Scotland, although Fleance cannot forget Rosie, his first love. But when Rachel is abducted, Fleance's position becomes even more dangerous and a bloody civil war seems inevitable. Love and duty collide in this gripping tale of valour and betrayal. The epic story that began with Banquo's Son continues.
¿I¿m writing this by lamplight. That¿s right. Like Swiss Family Robinson or something. We¿re up here with no electricity or running water, while just across from us and down the road is the real world.¿ Erica Tito had the perfect summer holiday planned. Then her father decided the whole family would pack up and join the protestors at Bastion Point in Auckland. No way! Instead of spending dreamy summer days training Silver, her first-ever horse, Erica and her family have to camp in tents, without basics like running water and electricity. At first, everyone thinks the protest will be over quickly, but as weeks turn into months, it becomes clear that Erica will not be going home and, wors...
Birthright is the heart-stopping conclusion to T. K. Roxborogh's epic Banquo's Son series. Fleance, King of Scotland, has made a political marriage to Rachel, the sister of dead King Duncan. It may seem that happiness is not far around the corner with a royal baby expected, but things are far from peaceful in the realm. The young king and queen must dodge daggers in hallways and hold together a nation swept by a savage rebellion and a mysterious illness. And Fleance is still haunted by his first love, Rosie, now married to one of his most trusted friends. Can he keep the throne of Scotland when treachery is around every corner? A storm is brewing and soon the nation may experience the biggest battle in its history.
A searingly honest, personal account of the living hell of being very, very fat. New Zealand children s writer and teacher Tania Roxborogh has had a weight problem since late teens and in this book she talks about the factors in her life which made her obsessed with food, the despair of yet another failed diet and the humiliating behaviours that result from being fat. Tania eventually resorts to stomach stapling surgery to control her weight and since then has dropped over 50 kg of weight. In doing so she has transformed not only her own life, but those of her husband and two daughters.
Sent to live with his grandmother in Hastings after his father is jailed, Matt becomes the victim of bad friends and false accusations. Packed off on a military-style school camp to the wilds of Lake Waikaremoana, Matt again gets in trouble for something he didn't do, and is unjustly punished. Not allowed to join his school friends on their activities, he spends time alone down by the lake where he discovers a massive eel. Unfortunately, the class 'bad boy', Cam, is determined to kill it. But it's a strange twist of fate when Matt finds himself in a position to save Cam's life ...
"The noise was awful; such howling and snarling and whimpering. Men in bush coats pressed against one another outside the ring, shouting out encouragement to the dogs in the centre. Nadine knew her stepfather was brutal but the truth behind where he went with her brothers and why his truck was always covered in blood only becomes clear when she accidently stumbles on to The Ring. What she finds there makes her sick to her stomach but worse is to come"--Back cover. Suggested level: intermediate, secondary.
Jamie just wants to fit in. She doesn't want to be seen as a stereotypical Muslim girl named Jamilah, so she does everything possible to hide that part of herself, even if it means keeping her friends at a distance. But when the cutest boy in school asks her out and her friends start to wonder about her life outside of school, suddenly her secrets are threatened. Jamie has to figure out how to be both Jamie and Jamilah before she loses everything...
Sir Peter Siddell's intricately detailed paintings of New Zealand urban scenes and landscapes that are not quite a replication of actuality are much loved and enduringly popular. Both technical tours de force and rich with acute observation, they feature in all our national art collections and never fail to fascinate.