Books with author Dave Hill

With his signature matter-of-fact humor, comedian and musician Dave Hill explores his increasingly close relationship with his recently widowed father in a series of painfully funny essays you will want to read again and again by the fire, at the beach, in a truck stop men’s room, or just about anywhere. It’s your call, really.These days, Dave has just the right amount of spare time to write books at home, preferably in his underwear, but things weren’t always perfect. When he found himself pushing thirty while still living with his parents in Cleveland, unsuited for anything but what an “employment expert” vaguely called a career in “art, music, writing, or entertainment,” he decided to visit some friends in New York for the weekend and never left. However, getting his life together wasn’t as easy as he’d hoped, and even an illegally subletted, rent controlled fifth-floor walk-up studio apartment with a (for the most part) working toilet wasn’t glamorous enough to erase the fact that his four siblings were all married with steady jobs and actual human offspring. And in recent years, Dave’s father had grown tired of loaning him cash and living alone in the empty family home, neither of which made much sense to Dave, but whatever.Through the process of his father’s eventual move to a retirement community, Dave and his dad bonded over the things in life that really matter: scorching-hot rock jams, the gluten allergy craze, eighteen-wheelers, Italian food (pizza and spaghetti), and whatever else could possibly be left after that. Meanwhile, Dave discovered his late-blooming manhood via experiences as disparate and dangerous as a visit to a remote Mexican prison, where he learned that people everywhere love the Eagles, and a martial arts class that pushed his resolve and his groin to their limit. In Dave Hill Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Hill’s voice is sharp, carefree, laced with just the right amount of profanity, and he is—seemingly despite himself—deeply empathetic as he portrays a difficult time in his family’s life and grows up just enough to realize that maybe he and his dad aren’t so different after all.

With his signature matter-of-fact humor, comedian and musician Dave Hill explores his increasingly close relationship with his recently widowed father in a series of painfully funny essays you will want to read again and again by the fire, at the beach, in a truck stop men’s room, or just about anywhere. It’s your call, really.These days, Dave has just the right amount of spare time to write books at home, preferably in his underwear, but things weren’t always perfect. When he found himself pushing thirty while still living with his parents in Cleveland, unsuited for anything but what an “employment expert” vaguely called a career in “art, music, writing, or entertainment,” he decided to visit some friends in New York for the weekend and never left. However, getting his life together wasn’t as easy as he’d hoped, and even an illegally subletted, rent controlled fifth-floor walk-up studio apartment with a (for the most part) working toilet wasn’t glamorous enough to erase the fact that his four siblings were all married with steady jobs and actual human offspring. And in recent years, Dave’s father had grown tired of loaning him cash and living alone in the empty family home, neither of which made much sense to Dave, but whatever.Through the process of his father’s eventual move to a retirement community, Dave and his dad bonded over the things in life that really matter: scorching-hot rock jams, the gluten allergy craze, eighteen-wheelers, Italian food (pizza and spaghetti), and whatever else could possibly be left after that. Meanwhile, Dave discovered his late-blooming manhood via experiences as disparate and dangerous as a visit to a remote Mexican prison, where he learned that people everywhere love the Eagles, and a martial arts class that pushed his resolve and his groin to their limit. In Dave Hill Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Hill’s voice is sharp, carefree, laced with just the right amount of profanity, and he is—seemingly despite himself—deeply empathetic as he portrays a difficult time in his family’s life and grows up just enough to realize that maybe he and his dad aren’t so different after all.

Simon is a typical teenager - in every way except one. Simon likes girls, weekends and enjoys mucking about and playing practical jokes. But what s different is that Simon has muscular dystrophy - he is in a wheelchair and doesn t have long to live. See Ya, Simon is told by Simon's best friend, Nathan. Funny, moving and devastatingly honest, it tells of their last year together. Winner of the Times Educational Supplement Nasen Award, the Silver Pen Award and the Storylines Gaelyn Gordon Award for a Much-loved Book, See Ya, Simon has been published in the USA, UK, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, China, Japan and Slovenia.

In 1967 an unknown, elderly New Zealander and his ancient Indian motorcycle set a world land-speed record at Bonneville. The man was Burt Munro, and he became a Kiwi legend. How did he do it? His amazing true story is now a stunning picture book. A crowd of people stand on a flat white plain. In the distance, a snarling, roaring dark speck is hurtling towards them. It's a motorbike. The rider is inside the shell, lying almost flat. 'Go, Burt!' The red bike blurs past. Fingers click stop-watches. How fast has Burt Munro gone this time? The moment young Burt Munro saw a motorbike chugging down a quiet Invercargill street, he was hooked. More than 50 years later, he and his ancient Indian motorcycle would amaze the world by setting a land-speed record—one that remains unbroken to this day. Burt didn’t have much money. He wasn’t young. But he was determined. And he became a Kiwi legend. A wonderful true story about a very unlikely New Zealand champion, by the award-winning author and illustrator of First to the Top.

The bells stopped, so suddenly that their sound quivered in the air. For the first time in an hour, the loudspeakers spoke, but this time the words were different. 'We are about to abandon ship. All passengers proceed immediately to the starboard side. We are about to abandon ship.' � Stuart and his twin sister Sandra are coming home to Wellington on the ferry. Stuart knows he'll enjoy the trip - he's a good sailor. But it's April 1968 and the ship is the Wahine. � As the tragic events unwind Stuart and Sandra must�battle to stay alive. � A vivid and compelling picture of the Wahine's last hours.

Scotland, September 1886. A family boards a ship bound for New Zealand. What will their new lives hold? Will they find the opportunities and riches denied them in their homeland? And will they ever call this strange, faraway country home? Leap forward a decade and the family have settled near the banks of a river, befriended by the people of the neighbouring pa. But their new existence has been paid for with some terrible losses. Through the decades and right up to the present day, more tests lie ahead - war, earthquakes, protest marches, brushes with death. And so do some thrilling discoveries. Life in this quiet river valley is never boring. Master storyteller David Hill traces the fortunes of two New Zealand families, through seven generations and over 130 years of fast-flowing change, in this exciting and richly rewarding novel.

A gripping novel for young adults that captures both the daring and the everyday realities of serving in the Air Force during the Second World War.Pete and Paul yelled together. 'Bandit! Nine o'clock! Bandit!'Jack spun to stare. There was the Messerschmitt on their left, streaking straight at them.Eighteen-year-old Jack wanted to escape boring little New Zealand. But he soon finds that flying in a Lancaster bomber to attack Hitler’s forces brings terror as well as excitement. With every dangerous mission, he becomes more afraid that he’ll never get back alive. He wants to help win the war, but will he lose his own life?My Brother’s War: '... there are stories that need to be told over and over again, to introduce a new generation of readers to important ideas and to critical times in their country's history ... Hill's descriptions of trench warfare are unforgettable.' from the Judges' Report of the New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults 2013

Simon is a typical teenager – in every way except one. Simon likes girls, weekends and enjoys mucking about and playing practical jokes. But what s different is that Simon has muscular dystrophy – he is in a wheelchair and doesn t have long to live. See Ya, Simon is told by Simon's best friend, Nathan. Funny, moving and devastatingly honest, it tells of their last year together.Winner of the Times Educational Supplement Nasen Award, the Silver Pen Award and the Storylines Gaelyn Gordon Award for a Much-loved Book, See Ya, Simon has been published in the USA, UK, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, China, Japan and Slovenia.

'We knew straightaway that something was happening. Extra men in khaki uniforms stood at the main gates. Behind the wire, figures in blue sat on the ground. None of the usual moving around, washing up, wrestling, anything like that. Just rows of prisoners, sitting silently.' It's 1942, and the tiny farming town of Featherston is about to receive hundreds of Japanese soldiers into its prisoner-of-war camp. Ewen, whose dad is a guard there, can't stop wondering about the enemy just down the road. Some say the captives are evil and cruel and should be treated harshly - or shot. But when Ewen and his friends ride out to the camp to peep through the barbed wire, the POWs just seem like . . . well, people. Then a new group from a captured warship arrives and the mood in the camp darkens. Guards and inmates begin to clash. As tension builds the boys are told to stay away. But on 25 February 1943, Ewen and his friends are there at the moment the storm breaks - and terrible, unforgettable events unfold before their eyes.

Follow the fortunes of two families – their triumphs and disasters, losses and discoveries – in this enthralling novel by a bestselling author.A family boards a ship bound for New Zealand. What will they find there? Tests lie ahead – war, earthquakes, protest marches, brushes with death. And so do some thrilling discoveries . . . Master storyteller David Hill traces the fortunes of two New Zealand families, through seven generations and over 130 years of fast-flowing change, in this exciting and richly rewarding novel for intermediate readers.