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The Impossible Story Of Hannah Kemp
by Leonie Agnew
Winner of the Tessa Duder Award 2022, this is a brilliant young adult novel. Teenage life is hard enough at times, but Hannah Kemp is dealing with the trauma of an accident, which her whole town seems to blame her for, while navigating the cliques of school, stressed parents and a best friend who seems to invite trouble into their lives. And then Hannah stumbles across a mobile library bus that has books that seem to weirdly tell true stories about everyone she knows. Of course a boy is involved, but there is also an orphaned duckling, a gloriously astute librarian, a book quoting father and that best friend who really should know better. This is a story of memory, love and, ultimately, forgiveness.
Billy Bush: A Front Row View On Life
by Kingita Ngahere (Bush) Te Pohe
In this memoir, co-written with Phil Gifford, Billy Bush focuses mainly on his rugby career and his insights into Maori rugby. It was never his goal to be a rugby player, let alone an All Black. He was more interested in swimming and fishing, and only started playing at 11 after being enticed by a Fanta and a pie as a reward. We learn about his family life in Whakatane, his various jobs and then his growth and ascendency in rugby. He fondly recalls his days playing club rugby for Belfast, his time with Canterbury and then, of course, the All Blacks and the Maori All Blacks. There are lots of anecdotes from international tours and Billy Bush is very upfront about his memories of playing in apartheid South Africa. He played with and was coached by some of the biggest names in NZ rugby and Tane Norton, Grizz Wyllie, Waka Nathan and Buck Shelford are just a few mentioned. But what shines through as the most important thing to Bush is his Maori heritage and his support of Maori rugby. If you’re a rugby fan, I think you’ll enjoy this totally honest account of Billy Bush’s rugby life and times.
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