NZ BookLovers Awards 2025

One Tree House congratulates Mandy Hager and Mary-anne Scott for being shortlisted for the YA Award. Click here to view.

Grasshopper by Mandy Hager: ‘A compelling young adult novel set against Wellington's vibrant landscape, exploring Grace's intricate journey of self-discovery and cultural resilience. Hager crafts a remarkable narrative that intertwines personal struggle with broader themes of heritage, trauma, and belonging. Grace's character—inspired by martial arts philosophy and drawing strength from her cultural roots—navigates complex familial silences and personal challenges with remarkable depth. The novel's nuanced portrayal of diverse experiences, including a sensitively rendered relationship with Charlie, a character with achondroplasia, elevates it beyond a simple coming-of-age story. Sharp, evocative prose and a keen eye for emotional complexity make this a work that speaks to universal experiences of love, ambition, and inner strength.’

The Mess of Our Lives by Mary Anne Scott: ‘Jordan has a secret he must hide from others which prevents him from making friends and leading an average kind of teenage life. It also means he must do his best to look after his sister, Tabitha, whose health is being badly affected. The Mess of Our Lives, in addressing an issue which is rarely written about in children’s fiction, courageously guides the reader through the chaos, devastation, shame and danger that results from compulsive hoarding. Every room of their home is piled high with ever-increasing mounds of rubbish, Jordan and Tabitha must scavenge for food and the essentials of life and their mother, Susan is too deeply affected by her obsession to respond to their needs. Hard-hitting and, at times, brutally honest in the depiction of the children’s circumstances, this is a powerful and thought-provoking novel.