zeborah: Map of New Zealand with a zebra salient (Default)
[personal profile] zeborah
This is a children's/young-young adult fantasy novel (the publishers reckon 9-12 years which sounds right.) The shape of the plot is a standard dealing-with-school-bully one, but the elements that make it up are a lot of fun.

The supernatural folk are as multicultural as the human cast: Josefa's Vu from Fiji battling the mostly-Scottish Cu Sith; Ming's dragon from China helping; and bully Jack's "Elenpi"s, New Zealand-ified brownies making mischief. As a more minor character Marama may not have her own protective spirit (or at least doesn't know it) but she brings her own iwi's knowledge and confidence to the problems the kids face. (And it's a nice, casual touch that she, rather than any blonde Pākehā, is described as "the prettiest girl in the school".)

I also liked that, though Josefa's family doesn't play an active central role in the plot, they do play their parts and aren't relegated to being nothing but an obstacle to get around.
(ETA: Whoops, meant to link to the publisher's website.)
[identity profile] cyphomandra.livejournal.com
This I liked unreservedly. NZ children’s book, about Josefa, who is the youngest son of a Fijian family living in Onehunga (Auckland suburb currently in the process of being gentrified) who meets a giant warrior claiming to be a protective ancestral spirit, just before dark clouds and pollution start attacking, and the over-entitled Pakeha son of Josefa’s dad’s boss comes over to their place and steals a whale’s tooth pendant that’s sacred to Josefa’s family. Plot, and multicultural fantasy, ensues.

No spoilers, although probably too many parentheses. )

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