Our first 10-Year Book Giveaway — Kura Toa: Warrior School, by Tim Tipene (2009)

Kura Toa: Warrior School  – Tim Tipene

The first giveaway to celebrate our 10 years of books is the first title Oratia published back in mid-2009: Tim Tipene’s Kura Toa: Warrior School. 

Haki, the hero of this young adult novel, is a high-school student who’s been going off the rails. With the guidance of his tribe, Haki finds his identity and grows into a warrior in defence of their land.

Click here to view the book.

Kura Toa had been previously published but was out of print when Tim agreed to us taking it on. Oratia committed to our authors to try and keep their books in print, and we’ve managed thanks in part to short-run digital printers in New Zealand. In fact the giveaway copy of Kura Toa is hot off the press from YourBooks in Wellington — the latest print run has just reached the Northcote warehouse of Publishers Distribution Ltd, our awesome distributors.

To be in to win a copy of Kura Toa: Warrior School go to our Fb Page.

Prize available to New Zealand residents only.

Competition closes on Monday 3 June, and winner announced on Tuesday 4 June.

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Out on the Water at the Blake Regatta

Torbay Sailing Club hosted another fantastic two days of sailing for the Sir Peter Blake Regatta over the past weekend. Click here for the Blake Regatta site

Tessa Duder with renowned sailor and MC, Mark Orams

Tessa Duder attended the prizegiving on the Sunday afternoon, where she joined MC Professor Mark Orams to give away two signed copies of Out on the Water: Twelve Tales of the Sea to the young girl and boy sailors who had travelled the furthest to take part in the sailing.

This young winner had travelled from the Bay of Islands

Out on the Water includes a story based on a young Peter Blake sailing with his brother, and another about a girl's first Optimist regatta - something familiar to all the Green Fleet sailors on the weekend.

It was beautiful 'out on the water' at the Blake Regatta - well done to all the participants and the hard-working organisers

Libro International 2014 - final publishing dates and covers

We're pleased to have finalised dates and covers for the eight books on our 2014 list. Here's the Libro International programme that we're sending out to the book trade now.

Patu out now

M E D I A    R E L E A S E

12 November 2012

PATU

Tim Tipene                                                                                 

Hard-hitting young adult novel young from award-winning children’s author

A powerful new novel out this week will challenge teenage readers to confront issues of identity, historical truth and life choices in contemporary New Zealand.

Patu, a first young adult novel from award-winning children’s author and counsellor Tim Tipene, tells the story of Jahnine Byrne – a 16-year-old West Aucklander who has dropped out of school to support her mother in her fight against cancer, helped only by an aunt (her dad is no longer around, and her elder brother has disappeared).

A family legend blames their bad luck on a patu (greenstone club) that her great-great-grandfather took during the New Zealand Wars. The patu’s curse needs to be lifted, something that can happen only if the weapon is returned. But returned to where? Jahnine meets a strange Maori boy, Andy, who out of kindness offers to help her, and with his brother and friends leads her away from the city to try and put things right. But then everything starts to go wrong  …

Patu is an honest and hard-hitting novel that answers a pressing need for Maori-themed junior fiction on New Zealand bookshelves.

Release Date: 16 November 2012  | ISBN: 978-1-877514-50-5 | RRP $29.99

236 pages