Susan Brocker is the author of more than seventy children’s books for the trade and educational markets. She lives near Tauranga on a small farm with her husband and many pets. She has a history degree and a love of social history that is often reflected in her books. She also has a close affinity with animals which shines through in her writing.

In 2007, HarperCollins published her first NZ novel for older children, Restless Spirit, an adventure story about a wild Kaimanawa stallion. Her second novel, Saving Sam, was inspired by her faithful German shepherd, Layla. Saving Sam was a 2010 Storylines Notable Young Adult Fiction Book.

In 2010, HarperCollins published her non-fiction story about a special horse called Bess. In World War One, NZ sent over 10,000 horses to war, serving with the Mounted Rifles Brigade. Brave Bess and the ANZAC Horses is her story. Brave Bess was a 2011 Storylines Notable Non-Fiction Book.

A haiku on a plaque at the old Japanese POW camp near Featherston inspired Susan’s book, Dreams of Warriors. The story is about a teenage girl battling to save the family farm from ruin while her father is away fighting during the Second World War. Dreams of Warriors was a 2011 Storylines Notable Young Adult Fiction Book and a finalist in the 2011 LIANZA Esther Glen Award.

The Wolf in the Wardrobe, a modern-day adventure, was published in 2011. This is the tale of a cheeky and resourceful boy who tries to rescue a wolf from the clutches of a crazy clown. The Wolf in the Wardrobe was a finalist in the 2012 Lianza Esther Glen Award.

The Drover's Quest (2012) is an historical novel set in the 1860s West Coast gold mining era. It tells the story of a headstrong girl who disguises herself as a boy so she can join a cattle drive across the Southern Alps to find her missing gold-digger father. The Drover's Quest was a 2013 Storylines Notable Young Adult Fiction Book and is a finalist in the 2013 LIANZA Esther Glen Award.

Susan's book, 1914: Riding into War, was the first in the Kiwis at War series published by Scholastic NZ in 2015. Riding into War is the story of young Billy Bowman whose wartime experience with the mounted riflemen in World War One is not the big adventure he anticipated. The book was a finalist in the Children's Choice list of the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults 2015.

In 2019, Scholastic NZ published the first book in a picture book series Susan is writing on true historical New Zealand animals. The first book was about Bess, New Zealand’s famous war horse. The second book, Friday the Rebel Dog, was about the loyal companion of infamous sheep stealer, James Mackenzie. The third book, Mrs Chippy the Cat, tells the story of a tomcat who was the companion to the crew on Ernest Shackleton’s 1914 expedition to the Antarctic aboard the Endurance. The fourth book in the series, Pelorus Jack the Dolphin Guide, is the story of a famous Risso dolphin who escorted ships through the Sounds for over 24 years. Pelorus Jack was a Storylines Notable Picture Book 2022.

Early in 2022, Scholastic NZ published Susan’s latest novel for older children, Ice an action-packed mystery-adventure set in the wilds of southern New Zealand. A troubled boy and his rescued dog discover a ghastly secret buried beneath the mountains and must face their darkest fears to uncover the terrifying truth.

This year, Scholastic NZ published Caged, a gripping novel about a teenage girl from a homeless family who becomes entangled in crime. Eventually she must defy a gang leader and rescue puppies from a backyard breeder. Caged was highly commended in the Storylines Notable Book List 2023.

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