There was dazzle, sparkle, fun and laughter at the Reading Rave at Tūranga on Sunday 16 August, as we celebrated Aotearoa NZ Children’s Book Week. and the upcoming WORD Christchurch Festival 2026.
Sacha Cotter and Josh Morgan (Dazzlehands, A Guide to Rocks) hosted the event alongside Waitaha writers Sarina Dickson (Mumapalooza, Dadapalooza), Belinda O’Keefe (Tales Through the Cat Door) and Melanie Koster (The Dragon at the Zoo). It was a high energy crowd that filled Tautoru / TSB Space for storytime with writers, crafty activities, music and dancing. There was also a prize for the best dressed - maybe that went to Cedric the dragon?!
"The Reading Rave was a blast!" says Melanie Koster. "Cedric and I had so much fun! It was a wonderful way to start NZ Children's Book Week!"
Winners of the New Zealand Book Awards for Children & Young Adults were announced on Wednesday 19 August with Cotter and Morgan's book A Guide to Rocks / He Taonga te Toka (Huia Publishers) taking out the BookHub Picture Book Award, the Wright Family Foundation Te Kura Pounamu Award for a Book Translated into Te Reo Māori, and the overall winner, the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year.
- Read about all the winning books
- See our NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults page and read the winners
- Visit our Aotearoa New Zealand Children's Book Week page
Reading Rave was held with support from Read NZ Te Pou Muramura.
WORD Christchurch Festival 2026
WORD Christchurch Festival is on from Tuesday 1 September to Sunday 6 September 2026.
Go to our WORD Christchurch 2026 page - read books by Festival writers, get librarian recommendations, and explore our WORD coverage.
- Get a copy of the WORD programme at libraries or check it out online.
- Visit our WORD Christchurch 2026 page
- WORD Christchurch's website
A Guide to Rocks
Dazzlehands
Dadapalooza
Mumapalooza
Tales Through the Cat Door
The Dragon at the Zoo
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