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Annual
Fiction, comics, poems, essays, art, satire, and things to do! This is a book for intrepid readers to dip into, pore over, return to again and again. —Kate De Goldi and Susan Paris
ANNUAL features new work from some of New Zealand's best writers and illustrators. Look for Bernard Beckett, Fifi Colston, Gavin Bishop, Dylan Horrocks, Barbara Else, Samuel Scott, Coco Solid, Jenny Bornholdt, Kieran Rynhart, Whiti Hereaka, Ben Brown, Sharon Murdoch, Jonathan King, and more.
Annual features a dictionary of crazy words that come in handy on car trips, a sophisticated "spot the similarity", a found poem from school newsletters, a maths-nerd's memoir full of tricky logic puzzles, comics that embrace other worlds, a very unlucky zebra, and top-class fiction that spans Christchurch Botanic Gardens in the 19th century, the loss of a brother, a Kiwi beach holiday, and a Fontanian boarding school. This is a book for readers who are hungry for sophisticated, wide-ranging, and challenging content. It aims to revitalize the reading experience for this age group and create lifetime readers.
ANNUAL features new work from some of New Zealand's best writers and illustrators. Look for Bernard Beckett, Fifi Colston, Gavin Bishop, Dylan Horrocks, Barbara Else, Samuel Scott, Coco Solid, Jenny Bornholdt, Kieran Rynhart, Whiti Hereaka, Ben Brown, Sharon Murdoch, Jonathan King, and more.
Annual features a dictionary of crazy words that come in handy on car trips, a sophisticated "spot the similarity", a found poem from school newsletters, a maths-nerd's memoir full of tricky logic puzzles, comics that embrace other worlds, a very unlucky zebra, and top-class fiction that spans Christchurch Botanic Gardens in the 19th century, the loss of a brother, a Kiwi beach holiday, and a Fontanian boarding school. This is a book for readers who are hungry for sophisticated, wide-ranging, and challenging content. It aims to revitalize the reading experience for this age group and create lifetime readers.
- GenresShort StoriesHumor
135 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2016
1 person is currently reading
15 people want to read
About the author
Kate De Goldi
26 books71 followersKate De Goldi is a full-time writer who grew up in Christchurch and now lives in Wellington. Her first book was for adults: called like you, really, it was published under the name Kate Flannery, and gave a series of interlinked short stories about the women in a Catholic family. Since then she has won numerous awards and accolades for her fiction, including the American Express and Katherine Mansfield Awards for short stories, and the overall Children’s Book Award in 1997 for her young adult novel Sanctuary.
In 2000, her novel about adoption, Closed, Stranger won an Honour Award in the New Zealand Post Children and Young Adults' Book Awards, and in 2001, Kate was made an Arts Foundation Laureate. Her book Clubs, illustrated by Jacqui Colley, won the picture book category of the New Zealand Post Children’s and Young Adult Awards in 2005; that year it also won the overall book of the year, and it also gained the Russell Clark Award at the LIANZA Book Awards.
Kate’s most recent novel, The 10PM Question (2008), won Book of the Year and Best Young Adult fiction at the 2009 New Zealand Post Children and Young Adults' Book Awards. It was also runner-up in the Fiction category at the Montana NZ Book Awards 2009, at which it won the Readers' Choice Award. It was a finalist in the LIANZA Children's Book Awards for the Esther Glen Award, and was shortlisted for the Nielson BookData NZ Booksellers' Choice Award.
The 10PM Question has been selected to appear in the prestigious international publication The White Ravens 2009 and with sales of over 14,000 copies the book now wears a Silver Premier NZ Bestseller sticker and remains at No. 1 on the NZ Bestsellers List (week ending 22 August 2009). The rights have been sold to Allen & Unwin Publishers in Australia, and Dutch and German rights have also been sold. It is due to be published in North America later this year.
Kate is also very well known as an astute and energetic book reviewer for radio and television.
In 2000, her novel about adoption, Closed, Stranger won an Honour Award in the New Zealand Post Children and Young Adults' Book Awards, and in 2001, Kate was made an Arts Foundation Laureate. Her book Clubs, illustrated by Jacqui Colley, won the picture book category of the New Zealand Post Children’s and Young Adult Awards in 2005; that year it also won the overall book of the year, and it also gained the Russell Clark Award at the LIANZA Book Awards.
Kate’s most recent novel, The 10PM Question (2008), won Book of the Year and Best Young Adult fiction at the 2009 New Zealand Post Children and Young Adults' Book Awards. It was also runner-up in the Fiction category at the Montana NZ Book Awards 2009, at which it won the Readers' Choice Award. It was a finalist in the LIANZA Children's Book Awards for the Esther Glen Award, and was shortlisted for the Nielson BookData NZ Booksellers' Choice Award.
The 10PM Question has been selected to appear in the prestigious international publication The White Ravens 2009 and with sales of over 14,000 copies the book now wears a Silver Premier NZ Bestseller sticker and remains at No. 1 on the NZ Bestsellers List (week ending 22 August 2009). The rights have been sold to Allen & Unwin Publishers in Australia, and Dutch and German rights have also been sold. It is due to be published in North America later this year.
Kate is also very well known as an astute and energetic book reviewer for radio and television.
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 4, 2017
Loved it! A real nostalgia trip! Reminded me so much of the Christmas Annuals we used to get as kids. I LOVED them then! Loved this now! Especially the bad luck Zebra lol
October 19, 2022
What an amazing collection. Kate De Goldi has long been one of the best authors who write children's books that anyone can read, and this is one such (even if it's not written by her)
Susan Paris has been an editor for those nostalgic NZ school journals for as long as I can remember, and this Annual is similar to those, but better.
Just really really brilliant I suppose. Made me laugh quite a lot - the satire with Lorde & John Key & Richie McKaw & Taylor Swift & Timmie Trumpet (whoever that is) and a Zombie was one of my favourites.
2022 update: this is still GREAT and just so packed full of good stuff.
Susan Paris has been an editor for those nostalgic NZ school journals for as long as I can remember, and this Annual is similar to those, but better.
Just really really brilliant I suppose. Made me laugh quite a lot - the satire with Lorde & John Key & Richie McKaw & Taylor Swift & Timmie Trumpet (whoever that is) and a Zombie was one of my favourites.
2022 update: this is still GREAT and just so packed full of good stuff.
March 21, 2017
From the fun Contents Page to the Naked Grandmother puzzle and Bad Luck Zebra cartoon at the close, “Annual” has 136 pages of prose, poetry, music, cartoons, film scripts, art, puzzles, fun words and to-dos that will entertain and inform the young reader.
The idea for such a book came from the Boys' Own and Girls' Own Annuals of yesteryear. If Gecko can put together the range of talent that is apparent in this New Zealand version of the tried and true Annual on an annual basis, then they are on to a certain winner.
Stories are told in so many genre, with subjects that range from the scientific and historical to sport and adventure. Some are told in cartoon style while others use maps, fact boxes, diary form, film script.
Art works discussed and explained cover a wide spectrum from tattoo art and graffiti to painting and photography to ceramics.
This is a book that will be dipped into, referred back to. Its successors will be eagerly awaited if Gecko can maintain the high standard of this first in what will hopefully become an annual series.
The ideal birthday or Christmas gift for the 9-12 year old.
Reviewed by Chris Wright (Bookrapt)
The idea for such a book came from the Boys' Own and Girls' Own Annuals of yesteryear. If Gecko can put together the range of talent that is apparent in this New Zealand version of the tried and true Annual on an annual basis, then they are on to a certain winner.
Stories are told in so many genre, with subjects that range from the scientific and historical to sport and adventure. Some are told in cartoon style while others use maps, fact boxes, diary form, film script.
Art works discussed and explained cover a wide spectrum from tattoo art and graffiti to painting and photography to ceramics.
This is a book that will be dipped into, referred back to. Its successors will be eagerly awaited if Gecko can maintain the high standard of this first in what will hopefully become an annual series.
The ideal birthday or Christmas gift for the 9-12 year old.
Reviewed by Chris Wright (Bookrapt)
October 28, 2016
I really enjoyed this intelligent collection of short stories, comic strips, activities, games, poetry, art and art appreciation/think pieces. The book is thoughtfully curated and lovingly produced. Not every piece spun my dials but I would have been surprised if they did and there's plenty here to ensure everyone will find something they love in it.
August 29, 2025
A reinvention of the classic children's annual for a current New Zealand generation: Stories, puzzles, comics, jokes, songs, activities. Annual ran to three annual annuals in the end. I believe the first two are now out of stock so it'll be second-hand shops to find, but the third can be ordered from their website [as of 2025], and presumably from any good bookshop. They should be a great present for a primary & intermediate school aged kid, birthday, xmas or even - "its the school holidays, have this".
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews