Alan Dingley
“Of the books I read as a child, Under the Mountain and The Halfmen of O by Maurice Gee have stuck with me because they combined mystery and fantasy and their characters were New Zealand kids who didn’t realise how important or special they were…
I think I saw myself in Susan, Theo and Nick (also, let’s be honest, anyone who watched the 80s TV show version of Under the Mountain, found the Wilberforces utterly terrifying and pretty memorable). Another of my favorite slices of Aotearoa is Footrot Flats. I bought a large pile for my school library at a second-hand sale, and they are very rarely left on the shelves. It has so much that feels like New Zealand to me. I felt like I knew people in the strip and I won’t deny that I sometimes see myself in Dog … a bit of a wimp but love being among everything!
This year, I’m the Convenor of Judges for the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. I was lucky enough to be a judge last year too. As a school librarian, being present alongside such knowledgeable judges was and is awesome, but also it’s important for someone with school library experience to be involved. At the end of it all, our job is to select the books that will engage as many young readers as possible, books that children and young people would want in their hands. So, it’s vital that the panel includes people who work with children and young people on a day-to-day basis – and libraries are the places our young people can engage with literacy regardless of their situation in life.
As a panel, we read, reviewed and judged over 150 books. We were in regular communication, asking each other questions and giving our thoughts. To determine the shortlist, we held a day-long Zoom meeting – which was great fun. In the lead-up and over the course of the day we constantly revisited and reviewed our choices before making that final selection. Then, recently, we met in person to select the winners and, again, held ourselves to account on each decision.
The scope of entries was impressive. There are many, many New Zealand books this year that should be sought out and devoured both within, but also outside, the finalists. I truly believe there is a book for every young reader in those 150 plus books and I take so much joy in the thought that New Zealand children will be able to see themselves in these titles.
There are so many reasons that books written and published here are important for young people. Knowing that you are reading a book written by someone like you, someone who went to a school like yours, or lived in a neighbourhood like yours, can show a young reader that anything is possible. New Zealand books can also show readers the diversity and beauty of Aotearoa and help teach children a little more about people they haven’t yet met or places they haven’t yet been. In the context of the new history curriculum too, good non-fiction will be so very important to ensure students get the New Zealand history they need.”
Alan Dingley is the Convenor of Judges for the 2021 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.