School Journal Level 3 May 2020
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Kia Māia
by André Ngāpō, illustrations by Minky Stapleton
Jayson has just arrived in New Zealand to stay with his nan. He is staying at her marae preparing for an unveiling but is feeling out of his depth. With help from his younger cousin, Nikora, Jayson slowly feels his way, learning about tikanga Māori and how he, too, belongs.
Ghost Walk
by Renata Hopkins, illustrations by Rosie Colligan
Grumpa wants to take a walk, but the narrator has other ideas. Grumpa wins, and the pair tour Christchurch’s Red Zone, where the narrator learns to see what’s no longer there – and ways we can preserve the past.
Want Relief
by Paul Mason, illustrations by Andrew Burdan
The Auckland Islands, a New Zealand territory in the Southern Ocean, were the site of nine shipwrecks in the nineteenth century. Paul Mason uses this as a starting point for his fictional story about Nell, who becomes a castaway with several others and must play her part in keeping their precious fire going.
The Longest Walk
by Rebekah White
The Rapsey family, including nine-year-old Elizabeth and her six-year-old brother, Johnny, spent just over four months walking the entire length of New Zealand. During this time, they lived a simple life, learning about the natural world around them and the various ways to engage with it. Rebekah White captures both the sense of adventure and the contemplative moments through her lyrical style, which contains some elements of creative non-fiction.
Changing Lives: The Omeo Story
by Lucy Corry
Kevin Halsall is an engineer and inventor who likes to solve problems. Over a four-year period, he designed and built the Omeo: a ground-breaking mobility device that gives people much greater freedom than a traditional wheelchair. In this article, Kevin discusses his motivation and design process, and his friend Marcus shares the impact the Omeo has had on his life.
Bad Advice
by Tim Upperton
Tim Upperton plays with poetic form, especially the pleasures of a tight rhyme scheme, to give readers some unusual “advice”. His poem is a homage to the nonsense text of Doctor Seuss, with a black-humour twist.
A Mugging in Maths
by Cassandra Tse, illustrations by Josh Morgan
This classroom mystery is solved by Ruby, a student who loves detective novels and who has honed her skills through reading. The author delights in mysteries and plays – and works both forms to their advantage.
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