Penelope Todd

Book of the Year
A Bird in the Hand, Janet Hunt (Random House)

Children's Choice
Oh Hogwash, Sweet Pea! Ngareta Gabel, Ali Teo & Astrid Jensen (Huia Publishers)

Best First Book
Thunder Road, Ted Dawe (Longacre Press)

Honour Award
Napoleon and the Chicken Farmer, Lloyd Jones and Graeme Gash (Mallinson Rendel Publishers)

Young Adult Fiction
Thunder Road, Ted Dawe (Longacre Press)

Junior Fiction
Juggling with Mandarins, VM Jones (HarperCollins)

Picture Book
Cuthbert's Babies, Pamela Allen (Viking)

Non Fiction
A Bird in the Hand, Janet Hunt (Random House)

Finalists

• Watermark, Penelope Todd (Longacre Press)
• Thunder Road, Ted Dawe (Longacre Press)
• Tiggie Tompson's Longest Journey, Tessa Duder (Puffin)
• No Safe Harbour, David Hill (Mallinson Rendel)
• Lin and the Red Stranger, Ken Catran (Random House)

• Evil Fred, Kylie Begg & Jacob Leaf (Scholastic New Zealand)
• Fred the (Quite) Brave Mouse, Murray Ball (Scholastic New Zealand)
• My Story: Journey to Tangiwai, David Hill (Scholastic New Zealand)
• Juggling with Mandarins, VM Jones (HarperCollins)
• The Serpents of Arakesh, VM Jones (HarperCollins)

• Selafina, Catherine Hannken & Trish Bowles (Mallinson Rendel)
• Oh Hogwash, Sweet Pea! Ngareta Gabel, Ali Teo & Astrid Jensen (Huia Publishers)
• Cuthbert's Babies, Pamela Allen (Viking)
• Grandpa and Thomas, Pamela Allen (Viking)
• Enough is Enough! Scott Willis & Jenna Packer (Scholastic Australia)

• To the Max, Mark Inglis (Random House)
• Pick up a Pack, Keith Olsen (Reed Publishing)
• The Life-size Guide to New Zealand Wildflowers, Andrew Crowe (Penguin Books)
• A Bird in the Hand, Janet Hunt (Random House)
• I am an Insect, Dr Simon Pollart (Reed Publishing)

Book of the Year
Clubs: A Lolly Leopold Story, Kate De Goldi and Jacqui Colley (Trapeze)

Children's Choice
The Other Ark, Lynley Dodd (Mallinson Rendel)

Best First Book
Cross Tides, Lorraine Orman (Longacre Press)

Young Adult Fiction
Malcom and Juliet, Bernard Beckett (Longacre Press)

Junior Fiction
Aunt Effie and the Island that Sank, Jack Lasenby (Longacre Press)

Picture Book
Clubs: A Lolly Leopold Story, Kate De Goldi and Jacqui Colley (Trapeze)

Non Fiction
Welcome to the South Seas, Gregory O'Brien (Auckland University Press)

Finalists

• Coming Back, David Hill (Mallinson Rendel)
• Dark, Penelope Todd (Longacre Press)
• Malcolm and Juliet, Bernard Beckett (Longacre Press)
• Out of Tune, Joanna Orwin (Longacre Press)
• Robert Moran - Private, Ken Catran (Lothian Books)

• Aunt Effie and the Island that Sank, Jack Lasenby (Longacre Press)
• Beyond the Shroud, VM Jones (HarperCollins)
• My Story: A New Song in the Land, Fleur Beale (Scholastic New Zealand)
• Walking Lightly, Fleur Beale & Michaela Sangl (Mallinson Rendel)
• You've Got Guts, Kenny Melrose, Shirley Corlett (Scholastic New Zealand)

• Clubs: A Lolly Leopold Story, Kate De Goldi and Jacqui Colley (Trapeze)
• Koro's Medicine, Melanie Drewery & Sabrina Malcolm (Huia Publishers)
• The Night Kite, Peter Bland & Carl Bland (Mallinson Rendel)
• The Other Ark, Lynley Dodd (Mallinson Rendel)
• Taming the Sun, Gavin Bishop (Random House)

• Everything You Need to Know About the World by Simon Eliot, Lloyd Jones & Timon Maxey (Four Winds Press)
• From Weta to Kauri, Janet Hunt & Rob Lucas (Random House)
• The Life-size Guide to the New Zealand Beach, Andrew Crowe (Penguin Books)
• John Britten, Jennifer Beck (Scholastic New Zealand)
• Welcome to the South Seas, Gregory O'Brien (Auckland University Press)

Book of the Year
Snake and Lizard, Joy Cowley & Gavin Bishop (Gecko Press)

Best First Book
Out of the Egg, Tina Matthews (Walker Books)

Children's Choice
The King’s Bubbles, Ruth Paul (Scholastic New Zealand)

Young Adult Fiction Winner
Salt, Maurice Gee (Penguin)

Honour Award
The Sea-wreck Stranger, Anna Mackenzie (Longacre Press)

Junior Fiction Winner
Snake and Lizard, Joy Cowley & Gavin Bishop (Gecko Press)

Picture Book Winner
Tahi – One Lucky Kiwi, Melanie Drewery, Ali Teo & John O’Reilly (Random House)

 Honour Award
To the Harbour, Stanley Palmer (Lopdell House Gallery)

Non-fiction Winner
Which New Zealand Spider? Andrew Crowe (Penguin)

Honour Award
Reaching the Summit, Alexa Johnston & David Larsen (Penguin)

Finalists

• Salt, Maurice Gee (Penguin)
• The Sea-wreck Stranger, Anna Mackenzie (Longacre Press)
• Tomorrow All Will Be Beautiful, Brigid Lowry (Allen & Unwin)
• The Transformation of Minna Hargreaves, Fleur Beale (Random House)
• Zillah, Penelope Todd (Longacre Press)

• Dead Dan's Dee, Phyllis Johnston (Longacre Press)
• The Dumpster Saga, Craig Harrison (Scholastic New Zealand)
• The Mad Tadpole Adventure, Melanie Drewery & Jenny Cooper (Scholastic New Zealand)
• My Story: Sitting on the Fence, Bill Nagelkerke (Scholastic New Zealand)
• Snake and Lizard, Joy Cowley & Gavin Bishop (Gecko Press)

• The King’s Bubbles, Ruth Paul, (Scholastic New Zealand)
• Out of the Egg, Tina Matthews (Walker Books)
• Rats! Gavin Bishop (Random House)
• Tahi – One Lucky Kiwi, Melanie Drewery, Ali Teo & John O’Reilly (Random House)
• To the Harbour, Stanley Palmer (Lopdell House Gallery)

• A Mini Guide to the Identification of New Zealand Land Birds, Andrew Crowe & Dave Gunson (Penguin)
• Reaching the Summit, Alexa Johnston & David Larsen (Penguin)
• Weather Watch New Zealand, Sandra Carrod, Karsten Schneider & Richard Gunther (Reed New Zealand)
• What is a fish? Feana Tu'akoi (Scholastic New Zealand)
• Which New Zealand Spider? Andrew Crowe (Penguin)

The awards ceremony for the 2008 New Zealand Post Book Awards was held on the evening of Wednesday 21 May at the Wellington Town Hall.

The entrance to the Wellington Town Hall was transformed into an enchanted forest, complete with toadstools, fairylights and a pathway made from the jacket covers of the 2008 finalist titles.