A strange and mischievous story written with exceptional style, pace and grace — a true classic in the making. It’s 1740 . . . The Firefly is taken in the night by pirates who sail the Caribbean. The ship’s boy and a handful of men are set adrift in a jolly-boat. Without food or water the half-starved men eye up the young boy. Astonishingly, a mysterious Mr Wicker saves the boy by turning him into an unearthly creature — an invisible flying boy with beautiful emerald-green wings. When the boy is drawn to a ghost ship sailed by Captain Bass, he learns of the dangerous power of a magical astrolabe which Mr Wicker desperately seeks — and why Wicker must never find it. The boy cannot trust Wicker . . . but is there anyone he can trust? Captain Bass? Sophie Blade, the pirate’s daughter? And who can return him to himself? 2016 Storylines Notable Junior Fiction Award

Scheming Mallory and her reluctant sidekick Arthur have a Halloween misadventure involving nasty tricks, time travel and a sneaky cat. Mallory wants candy, as much as she can grab, and she’s prepared to play some tricks (and kick a pesky black cat) to get it. But when she and her reluctant sidekick Arthur tangle with the owner of a spooky old house, the trick is on them. In the beat of a bat’s wing, they’re a century back in time with a mission to find that slippery cat, or Mallory will change shape forever . . . From the magical pen of James Norcliffe, and with fantastical illustrations by Emily Walker, Mallory, Mallory: Trick or Treat is a spooky tale of time travel and intrigue, and people getting their (un)just desserts. Don't miss Mallory and Arthur's first hilarious misadventure Mallory, Mallory: The Revenge of the Tooth Fairy!

An enchanting story of a story, Twice Upon a Time is a charming junior fiction novel by award-winning writer James Norcliffe. What happens when you find yourself trapped inside a story? What happens if the only way out is to solve the riddles of the Very Bad Very Good Storyteller, Mr Aesop Sod? And where, oh where, is Pop? Ginny and her strange new friend, Digger Dagger, must navigate their way through this upside down, topsy turvy world where Don's Dairy has become Nod's Diary, the fish and chip shop is full of tropical fish tanks and wood chips, and the ghost train at the fun fair really is a ghost train. How will the story end? Will Ginny and Digger Dagger find the answers they need? Sometimes the answers are right there in front of you. Award-winning author James Norcliffe has written a delightful story full of wordplay, old-world charm and imagination, reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland.

“What a pleasure to see Laksmi Pamuntjak’s poems and prose texts in one generous volume that bears witness to her versatility and dexterity in both those genres, long before her name became internationally known for her splendid fi rst novel. Her multivocal stories intertwine with the lush, layered textures of art and music, and her elliptical, deft poems observe with a clear eye the cityscapes of our own restless lives, whether in Jakarta or London, New York or Berlin.” —Aamer Hussein, author of Another Gulmohar Tree, The Cloud Messenger, Insomnia “It is clear from her beautiful poetry and prose that Laksmi Pamuntjak knows the human heart has many chambers (who cares what doctors think!) and that love, desire and longing is never so easy and simple as to occupy only one room in the hotel of our hearts. This staggering collection is both delicate and dangerous, forceful and faultless. She draws back the curtains on the aching complexities of vulnerability; all you have to do is enter.” —Sean M. Whelan, author of Tatooing the Surface of the Moon ‘Laksmi Pamuntjak’s poems start in the thinking mind, intelligently constructed and seemingly softly spoken. But they roam wildly into everything that surrounds it, both by way of the material, the bodily, the sensuous, and along the transformative power of the imagination. Her verse brings these two distinct modes of being together as if they are not separate at all. In so doing, her poetry is one where the personal, the political and the mystical are one. As they should be.’ —Joost Baars, poet, essayist, former manager of Perdu Poetry Theater in Amsterdam “Pamuntjak moves through cities and bodies and imprints and sends us these pages like postcards to cherish: on one side, poems and musings; on the other, vignettes and visuals. So we travel with her through her eyes, seeing and savoring each experience, renewed by every fresh taste or tableau.” —Sharanya Manivannan, author of The High Priestess Never Marries “ ... Aesthetically intense and powerfully sensual ... the poetry is attuned, meticulous, deft, and the reader is transfigured by a ‘lea of silences.’ —Books of the Year, 2005, The Herald UK, for Ellipsis “ ... hard not to get caught up in the (poems’) sheer energy and celebration of language, or as Pamuntjak writes, ‘a world of the word.’” —The Straits Times (Singapore) for Ellipsis “ ... hard-edged and heartfelt, her translations of desire ... may be measured in pure delight.” —Christopher Merrill, director of the International Writing Program, University of Iowa, and author of Brilliant Water: Poems, Things of the Hidden God, Only the Nails Remain for The Anagram

A disappearance. An infatuation. The Frog Prince is an intriguing, multi-layered novel giving us a story, within a story, within a story. Remember the kiss between the frog prince and the princess? What about the part where the princess angrily flings the frog against the wall? What was that about? At an international school in France, the young teacher Cara writes her own version of the classic tale by the Brothers Grimm. Their fairy tale is nothing like Cara’s relationship with David, but when Cara disappears, can the story help David unravel what has happened? As for the various princesses and frogs in this intriguing multi-layered novel, will any live happily ever after? This is a stunning debut adult novel by James Norcliffe, who is renowned for his award-winning children’s books and for his poems, which David Eggleton says ‘invariably get us to attend more closely to the spirit of existence, to moments of being’.

Fantasy, adventure and realism combine in a junior fiction novel by an award-winning writer. When David’s uncle comes to visit he sets off a bizarre series of events. Things become complicated when the pet rats turn bright red. David senses that somehow the red rats are connected to the story he is reading, and he becomes more convinced when the colour red becomes contagious. The parallel story sees Felix and his friend Bella inadvertently shifted into a strange land where they must solve a riddle. But this puts them into great danger. How will they escape and find their way home? Young readers will want to solve the confusing conundrum of the red rats; they’ll delight in the word riddles and be absorbed by David’s story as well as by the fantastical adventures of Felix and Bella, skilfully told by the NZ Post Award-winning writer James Norcliffe.

An exciting fantasy novel for 8 to 12 year olds involving enchantment, mystery and a garden gnome. To the boy called Red, it seems the most marvellous escape he could wish for: a gift that grants him more freedom than he ever believed possible - the chance to fly, to soar with the gulls, high over the tall brick walls that have imprisoned him for so long. But this gift comes with a terrible price - and puts him in grave danger. Is there anyone Red can trust to help him? The curious Captain Bass who has strange powers of his own? The wildly unpredictable twin sisters he is strongly drawn to? In this magical, mysterious story, Red's adventure is like a chamber of mirrors at a carnival - a dazzling and breathtaking tale. 'This is a rich fantasy - alive with original twists, surprises and mysteries which I dare not reveal. Children's Literature is about to be enriched with a new classic.' Margaret Mahy

When Mallory and her sidekick Arthur kidnap the tooth fairy, they get more than they bargained for in this sparkling fantasy adventure novel for children. Mallory is a nasty piece of work. Her one friend is Arthur, who only puts up with her because he has no one else. When Mallory loses a tooth, she comes up with an evil idea to capture and blackmail the tooth fairy for an endless supply of money. But it’s never a good idea to meddle with a magical creature, and Mallory and Arthur are about to find out just how bad it can get. With James Norcliffe's signature magic and humour, and Emily Walker's equally magical illustrations, The Revenge of the Tooth Fairy will delight fans of the Harry Potter series, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, the Wizard of Oz and top-quality fantasy adventures.

How do you escape being the loblolly boy? Find the boy who stole your life and Exchange. An exciting fantasy novel for junior readers The NZ Post Junior Fiction winner returns with outstanding sequel! Following on from the highly acclaimed The Loblolly Boy, this magical and astonishing story, full of lurches and unexpected twists, will keep readers captivated from beginning to end. How do you escape from being the loblolly boy? The answer is simple: find the boy who stole your life and Exchange. But when the loblolly boy seeks help from the mysterious Captain Bass, he discovers it's not going to be simple. Standing in his way will be the Jugglers, the unpredictable Gadget Man and the sinister Sorcerer. Lost in a strange town with only one friend - the feisty Mel - the loblolly boy has to deal with the biggest obstacle of all: Benjy, the treacherous boy who stole his life.