Book giveaway: six of the best for you to read

We have a series of books to give away to News readers – and all you have to do is email us with the title.
Simply send an email to [email protected] and put the title of the book into the subject line and your name and address in the text field field.
We have the books in our Cambridge office and if your name is drawn as a winner, you’ll be contacted and invited to collect the book from us.
If there are sufficient requests for all books, we will aim to ensure there are different winners for each publication.

Birds of News Zealand

By Melissa Broadman

A tussock of takahe? A hoon of kaka? A whistling of whio? This beautifully illustrated book of collective noun names for our native birds reveals something unique about their character, so we can get to know them better. It also includes information on how they live, so we can help protect them. Birds of Aotearoa New Zealand: Collective Nouns, Nga Manu o Aotearoa: Nga Kupuingoa topu, is a book for all bird-lovers.

With the Wind Behind Us

By Matt Elliott

From red socks to kauri yachts, these are the stories that made New Zealand Aotearoa a sailing nation. Stretching back to the Pacific navigators and the great migrations from Polynesia to the humble ‘P’ class dinghy and the world-beating success of Team New Zealand: With the Wind Behind Us is a celebration of the stories that gave us our legendary sailing reputation.

Codename Bananas

By David Walliams

Go back in time with bestselling author David Walliams for a whizz-bang epic adventure of action, laughter and secret plots – and the extraordinary friendship between a little boy and a huge gorilla that just might save the day. Eleven-year-old Eric spends his days at the place that makes him most happy: London Zoo. And there’s one animal in particular he loves: Gertrude the gorilla. Britain is at war with Germany and with bombs falling all over London, Eric, his Uncle Sid, a keeper at the zoo, and Gertrude go on the run. But while hiding out at the seaside they uncover a top-secret plot…

The Covid Chronicles

By Paul Little

On March 15, 2020 the New Zealand government closed the country’s borders for the first time. What followed was a story unprecedented in almost every way imaginable. Featuring Finance Minister Grant Robertson, science communicator Siouxsie Wiles, Queenstown Mayor Jim Boult, funeral directors Francis and Kaiora Tipene, Student Volunteer Army founder Sam Johnson, the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Adviser Juliet Gerrard, businesswoman Jenene Crossnan and Auckland City Missioner Chris Farrelly – from a kura kaupapa principal to real estate agents: The Covid Chronicles is a multi-stranded account of one of the most extraordinary times in Aotearoa’s history, and the lessons we must heed for our future.

Sam Bloom – Heartache & Birdsong

By Cameron Bloom, Samantha Bloom, Bradley Trevor Greive

Sam Bloom tells her own story – how a shy but determined Australian girl became a nurse and travelled across Africa. How she fell in love with a like-minded free spirit, raised three boys and built a life together on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. And then, in a single moment, how everything changed. Sam’s journey back from the edge of death and the depths of despair is a captivating true story.

New Zealanders, The Field Guide

By Tome Sainsbury

After years of mimicking celebrities and Kiwi stereotypes on social media, comedian Tom Sainsbury has compiled all his favourite character types into a book. His array of Kiwi heroes includes the useless Farmhand who is forever jack-knifing the trailer, the Martyr Mother who constantly guilt-trips her children, and the Officious New Zealander who loves narking on his office co-workers for the mildest of misdemeanours. All these descriptions are lovingly collated into a concise, easy-to-use field guide that’ll give you an in-depth insight into the people of Aotearoa.

 

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