![]() Its March 2020 and Liza, her husband and two teenage children are at home in Auckland in level-four lockdown due to Covid-19. She has created such awkward, relatable characters, I think most young adult readers won’t notice - or care. Buy In Our Own Back Yard by Anne Kayes for 22.00 at Mighty Ape NZ. The writing is a little bit juvenile and jarring, it feels a little bit like a school creative writing project, but maybe that just adds to it’s relatability and impact. I highly commend her motive and message with this book. Anne Kayes is a storyteller of junior and young adult fiction set in Aotearoa New Zealand, featuring characters from multi-ethnic and multi-lingual backgrounds, and drawing broadly on Pasifika, Mori, Irish and Scottish myths and legends. Kayes has thought carefully about her audience and how to portray the story and has done a great job, treating all the important historical moments she includes in the book with responsibility and insight. Kayes, quite rightly, doesn’t shy away from the grim reality of the events and controversies of 1981 Springbok Tour, from the shameful behaviour of some New Zealanders and our own government and police force and I hope young kiwis are shocked and outraged when they read about these events. ![]() All very important themes, respectfully and honestly told. Also has an added moral tale of recognising the dangers of a controlling relationship. ![]() Well told from a first person perspective at the time, but cleverly linked and themed to early 2020 lockdown in NZ and the Black Lives Matter movement. An important book for kiwi young adults who need to be aware of this period of our nation’s history. ![]()
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