• The best young adult novels that feature indigenous Pacific or Māori characters
• The best books on the Frontier Wars fought downunder
• The best books on Polynesian history
• The best travel memoirs for those who love to wander
• The best classic mysteries NOT written by Agatha Christie
• The best speculative young adult fiction from Aotearoa New Zealand that will challenge you to think harder
• The best girl-power middle grade books with magic
• The best historical fiction about the nineteenth century (from a specialist on the American Revolution)
• The best Kiwi picture books to get a taste of New Zealand
• The best books about Indigenous experiences by Indigenous writers (about us by us and why that matters)
• The best books on Pacific wayfinding
• The best books with young people trapped by draconian rules
• The best books that will change how you see history