Aotearoa Fiction (YA)

Looking for a great book by a New Zealander, for business (NCEA) or pleasure (it just makes you happy to read a good book)? Look no further than this very list, with approximately 45 of our fave Aotearoa YA titles. These books have been hand-selected for their delicious use of language and gripping, yet relatably Kiwi, narratives. You can find a much deeper exploration of Māori authors over on this list, so be sure to check it out as well.

Updated June 19, 2024
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Wellington City LibrariesYouth team at Wellington City Libraries
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Tonight, I burn
Adams, Katharine J
Paper Book
From one of the most exciting new voices in romantasy comes the tale of a thorn witch with the power to walk between the realms of Life and Death who finds herself at the center of a magical rebellion--and a dangerous romance--that could destroy her coven and her soul in this dark and decadent...
I am not Esther
Beale, Fleur
Ebook
Imagine that your mother tells you she's going away. She is going to leave you with relatives you've never heard of - and they are members of a strict religious cult. Your name is changed, and you are forced to follow the severe set of social standards set by the cult. There is no television, no...
The 10 pm question
De Goldi, Kate
Ebook
Worry-prone Frankie keeps his family secret under control--until a bold, inquisitive girl enters his life--in this warm, witty, and captivating YA novel. (Ages 12 and up) Twelve-year-old Frankie Parsons is a talented kid with a quirky family, a best friend named Gigs, and a...
Eddy, Eddy
De Goldi, Kate
Paper Book
A series of earthquakes exposes the fault lines in a teenager's unconventional life in a powerful crossover novel that explores raw emotion with wit and warmth. After the deadly 2011 earthquakes in Christ Church, New Zealand, Eddy Smallbone must navigate the ruins of his hometown...
These violent delights
Gong, Chloe
Paper Book
An Instant New York Times Bestseller! A BuzzFeed Best Young Adult Book of 2020 Perfect for fans of The Last Magician and Serpent & Dove, this heart-stopping debut is an imaginative Romeo and Juliet retelling set in 1920s Shanghai...
When we wake
Healey, Karen
Paper Book
My name is Tegan Oglietti, and on the last day of my first lifetime, I was so, so happy. Sixteen-year-old Tegan is just like every other girl living in 2027--she's happiest when playing the guitar, she's falling in love for the first time, and she's joining...
The Rarkyn's Familiar
Lee, Nikky
Ebook
A perfect story for fans of Sarah J. Maas' THRONE OF GLASS. An orphan bent on revenge. A monster searching for freedom. A forbidden pact that binds their fates. Lyss had heard her father's screams, smelled the iron-tang of his blood. She witnessed his...
Gideon the ninth
Muir, Tamsyn
Paper Book
Gideon the Ninth is the first book in the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Locked Tomb Series, and one of the Best Books of 2019 according to NPR, the New York Public Library, Amazon, BookPage, Shelf Awareness, BookRiot, and Bustle!...
Dawn Raid
Smith, Pauline
Paper Book
"Imagine this: You're having an amazing family holiday, one where everyone is there and all 18 of you are squeezed into one house. All of sudden it's 4 o'clock in the morning and there's banging and yelling and screaming. The police are in the house pulling people out of bed ..." Sofia...

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