NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults

​It was such an honour to be a finalist in this year's Book Awards.
The day started with BooksAlive in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Wellington, where I was thrilled to meet some of the other finalists as well as thousands of book-loving tamariki and rangatahi. Ned Barraud and I read our book Tuatara, A Living Treasure to a packed auditorium at the National Library, followed by a joint workshop: Writing and Illustrating Nature. It was the first time we'd presented together (and also the first time we'd met in real life) so it was a pretty special occasion all round!
After BooksAlive, Scholastic NZ and the Publishers Association of New Zealand (PANZ) put on drinks and nibbles at the Backbencher. I really appreciated this opportunity to meet and chat with more finalists, publishers, and others involved in the industry in a relaxed setting before the big event ... the awards ceremony at Pipitea Marae. Da dum, da dum, da dum.
As a first timer at the awards, I felt a little starstruck being in a room filled with so many of my kidlit heroes. What ensued was a warm and wonderful evening, full of joy and laughter, and a few tears – a fitting celebration of children's literature in Aotearoa. It was a fabulous event to be part of and I was so grateful to be included. It was evident that many people had put in months of hard work behind the scenes – the judges, organisers, sponsors, the NZCYA Trust, and others – what a special community we have! 
Photo by Vijay Paul (via NZ Book Awards Trust)