Banquo's Son

Fleance is the son of Scottish thane Banquo, friend and then victim of the ruthless Macbeth. Ten years have passed since his father’s brutal murder and still Fleance lives in hiding in the woods of northern England—his identity cloaked, his birthright denied. With sweet, beautiful Rosie by his side, he has settled into a simple life rather than one of power and prestige. But every man has his price. For Fleance is owed great things. The witches prophesied them to his father, and his father’s ghost now demands vengeance. A callous murderer must be brought to justice and there will be no peace for Scotland—or for Fleance—until that day. Sacrificing his life with Rosie, he must steal unobserved back into his homeland to avenge the past and fulfil his father’s dying wish. The choices Fleance makes have the power to change his life, his country—and history.

Bloodlines

An epic tale of love, loss and revenge set amidst the turmoil of Scotland after Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The rebellion is over, Scotland has its rightful king, and the battlefields lie still—for now. Fleance, son of Banquo, has brought a new dawn to Scotland, and in the process become a very different man from the lowly huntsman who rode north to save his country. A generation has passed since Macbeth, but still there are evil forces at work across the land. Civil war is imminent, and there are traitors at the castle gates. The witches who foresaw Fleance’s rise to power are watching and scheming once again. And there is turmoil, too, within the king’s own soul: urged to marry a princess and strengthen his claim to the throne, he must choose between Rachel, of royal bloodline, and his first love, Rosie, whom he left behind. With the rebels circling and his crown starting to slip, the time has come for Fleance to prove that Scotland is in his heart as well as in his blood.

Birthright

Birthright is the heart-stopping conclusion to T. K. Roxborogh's epic Banquo's Son series. Fleance, King of Scotland, has made a political marriage to Rachel, the sister of dead King Duncan. It may seem that happiness is not far around the corner with a royal baby expected, but things are far from peaceful in the realm. The young king and queen must dodge daggers in hallways and hold together a nation swept by a savage rebellion and a mysterious illness. And Fleance is still haunted by his first love, Rosie, now married to one of his most trusted friends. Can he keep the throne of Scotland when treachery is around every corner? A storm is brewing and soon the nation may experience the biggest battle in its history.

Third Degree

Ruth is in her first year at university when she comes across an obscure headline that acts as a catalyst for traumatic memories of her childhood. These memories drive her to seek answers to some questions that have troubled her for nearly a decade: past and present interleave powerfully in the compelling novel. As a ten-year-old, Ruth accidentally runs into her father who is carrying a large pot of hot water. She is horrifically scalded, and suffers third degree burns. She is rushed from their isolated farm-house to the city hospital and goes into intensive care. We spend the next month with her as she endures hours of treatment as the nurses help her heal. With Ruth, we get to know some of the other children in the ward and the routines of the New Zealand hospital system in the 1970s - including the use of these children for an experimental antibiotic. When Ruth becomes very ill following the 'tests', she is perturbed by the continuing absence of her mother. Because there are no mirrors in the ward, it is not until Ruth returns home that she discovers the full extent of her injuries. Nineteen-year-old Ruth finds she has to confront the effect her accident and the scarring have had on her and her relationship with her mother. Ruth's developing relationship with her friend Anton allows her the freedom to begin to accept her scars, both physical and emotional, and she starts to mend the brokenness of her relationship with her mother.

Fat Like Me

A searingly honest, personal account of the living hell of being very, very fat. New Zealand children's writer and teacher Tania Roxborogh has had a weight problem since late teens and in this book she talks about the factors in her life which made her obsessed with food, the despair of yet another failed diet and the humiliating behaviours that result from being fat. Tania eventually resorts to stomach stapling surgery to control her weight and since then has dropped over 50 kg of weight. In doing so she has transformed not only her own life, but those of her husband and two daughters. Fat, Like Me exposes the inner hell of being obese - a story that will shock and inspire you.

Bastion Point: 507 Days on Takaparawha

This is a children’s novel set during the time of the occupation of Bastion Point by Ngati Whatua protesters led by Joe Hawke and the Orakei Maori Committee Action Group. The novel is to be part of Scholastic New Zealand’s My New Zealand Story series. The novel is told through the eyes of a 13 year old Northland girl, Erica Tito, who lives on Bastion Point during the entire time of the occupation along with her father (Ngati Whatua), mother (Ngapuhi) and three siblings. Through Erica’s diary entries we learn about the daily lives of the protestors, witness some of the grand speeches and confrontations between the protestors, Ngati Whatua elders, police and politicians and we witness the distressing eviction of the occupiers – all seen through the eyes of a young M?ori girl previously unused to and unaware of race and land issues.

Charlie Tangaroa and the Creature from the Sea

Margaret Mahy Book of the Year at the 2021 NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults

Winner - 2021 NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults - Wright Family Foundation Esther Glen Award for Junior Fiction

On a beach clean-up, thirteen-year-old one-legged Charlie and his half-brother, Robbie, find a ponaturi - a mermaid - washed up on a beach. An ancient grudge between the Maori gods Tane and Tangaroa has flared up because a port being built in the bay is degrading the ocean and creatures are fleeing the sea. This has reignited anger between the gods, which breaks out in storms, earthquakes and huge seas. The human world and realm of the gods are thrown into chaos. The ponaturi believes Charlie is the only one who can stop the destruction because his stump is a sign that he straddles both worlds. So begins Charlie's journey to find a way to reunite the gods, realise the power in the ancient songs his grandfather taught him, and discover why he was the one for the task.

Maori traditional stories and characters are central in this contemporary story, and mythology is melded with current-day lives and people. This adventure story has a great pace and loveable characters who infuse the story with humour, warmth, wisdom and humanity. The story highlights current environmental issues from Maori and western perspectives and the wider impacts of local decisions. The story weaves many themes, including traditional stories and knowledge, care for the environment, having courage and overcoming obstacles, family and brotherly relationships, and community.