Books published by publisher Random House New Zealand Ltd

A warm-hearted story for junior readers about a young girl's friendship with a dog. Harriet is missing her brother. She's refusing to believe that he's not coming back. She wants him to return to his untidy bedroom and make her parents happy again - like they used to be before Toby went away. Ten-year-old Harriet is lonely and is having difficulty coping with school. But she notices the dog next door is receiving visits from other neighbourhood dogs who are teaching him how to slip his collar - then slip back into it. Meanwhile, mysterious parcels are arriving in the mail for her. The dogs, who talk amongst themselves, befriend Harriet, and lead her to a garden shed where they've hidden a small, stray dog called Girl. Harriet's life becomes intertwined with the doggy community in her neighbourhood and she makes some wonderful friends: Max and Gus. In the middle of a botched rescue, Gus is whisked off to the dog pound. And Max, distressed and upset, sets out with Girl through a violent storm in order to save him. Harriet realises she must help her new-found friends, and also gradually comes to terms with the fact that Toby isn't coming back. This affecting and warm-hearted story by an award-winning writer is about the grief of a child and the healing powers of man's best friend. Missing Toby will be encouraging to children who are frightened by dogs, and gives pleasure to those who already love them.

Two teens dare to take on a multi-national corporation in this YA thriller novel by award-winning writer Bernard Beckett.Deep Fried is a fascinating mixture of intrigue, psychological thriller and rebel-of-the-moment youth culture. Peter and Charlotte are itchy, bored by life. They decide through a chance happening to take on a corporate giant (a very large corporate giant cleverly disguised as the Prince of Burgers). Using the media and the internet, they quickly gather quite a following. However, the corporate giant fights back using some very slick enticements and snares to really test the ethical and moral fortitude of our hero and his catwoman. The pitfalls and seductions of the internet are nicely drawn, there's some rather obsessive stalker behaviour, not to mention chat rooms and hackers, lots of suspense and a great thriller ending. Politically savvy, fast-paced and compelling Deep Fried tests the temperature of the disenchanted. A standout novel featuring the debut of Clare Knighton along with veteran writer for teens, Bernard Beckett.

Elliot is on the run from a situation that's just too big to handle. Sooner or later, it's going to catch up with him. 'You’re seventeen, left school, scarred for life,’ Dad said, pointing at Elliot’s tattoo, ‘and living off us like a child.’Elliot’s in need of a fresh start, so he’s dispatched to a new city to work as an apprentice electrician. His boss, Arnie, is an ex-naval officer whose bad temper and frequent advice don’t make for easy living — but Elliot’s out of options. Elliot is just settling into some sort of routine when a disturbing rumour surfaces about his ex-girlfriend, Lena. As Lena tries to track him down, Elliot dives for cover. But a problem this big only attracts more problems, and, after a shocking workplace accident, they’re all going to catch up with him at once. The question is, will Elliot come out of hiding and face them head on? Coming Home to Roost is a fast-paced, bighearted novel about an age-old situation, from the award-winning author of Snakes and Ladders.

Shortlisted for the 2011 NZ Post Children's Book Awards, Young Adult Fiction category. Convincing post-apocalyptic drama. A sequel to the award-winning novel The Sea-wreck Stranger. 'No matter how much you might want to leave a place, if it's where you were raised it holds a piece of you it doesn't easily give up.' In the two years since Ness and Dev fled from the wrath of the Islanders of Dunnett, Ness has begun to come to terms with a world very different to that of her childhood. Her new home, the city of Vidya, is in ruins. The air and water are polluted, the buildings scarred by fire. Amidst the rubble of the past, the community of Vidya is bravely building a new society, and Ness yearns to find a place where she might belong. Sent to work on the home farms, she is caught up in surprise attack - not all the mainland's survivors are as tolerant and forward-looking as those in Vidya. Working tirelessly in the medic room at Ebony Hill, Ness begins to grapple with the ethics of violence, of war, of survival. The experience challenges her commitment to this brave new society. Can she find a place for herself here? This stunning sequel to The Sea-wreck Stranger, is a gripping and suspenseful novel, packed with a standout cast of characters, that explores not only the harshness of war but the resilience of the human spirit.

Exciting historical novel set on New Zealand's West Coast during the goldrush era. Mary Kendrick lives with her family in an isolated community in South Westland, New Zealand. They are awaiting news of the conviction of the men who took the community’s horde of gold at gunpoint, and hid it nearby. Daily life in the settlement – where the men dig gold on the beaches, and fell trees inland for cattle pasture, and where the women are engrossed in domestic work and childcare – is woven through with anxiety that the robbers will come back for the gold, especially once news breaks that the dangerous John Southern has given his jailers the slip in Lyttelton Harbour. Feisty, funny, affectionate and resourceful, Mary is seventeen, teacher to her siblings and neighbours, and anticipating her marriage to Nik, who is away most of the time clearing bush and preparing their farm and house. A bright, likeable protagonist, Mary is worth any modern girl’s attention. Drama and suspense are provided by the trickle of news from Christchurch about the trial and Southern’s ‘escape’. John Southern turns up in disguise, fooling Mary only momentarily. She rides for help; the men stake out the site of the hidden gold; there’s shooting, some blood and a death, but they get their man and the gold.

Elgard Duet - Book 1 Magnificent fantasy adventure story, with a romance at its heart, this book is a page-turner.This is a richly imagined fantasy adventure story, beautifully and forcefully written by NZ Post Award-winning Anna Mackenzie. Risha is strong and outspoken, and at 16 has developed into a leader of men, a strategic thinker, and a woman - one can imagine - who will assume the legacy left by her mother.The story begins with 13-year-old Risha living a simple life in the mountains with her father. When her father suddenly dies, Risha is left alone, an outcast of her village. Disguised as a boy, Risha leaves the village with a group of traders, on a quest to find out the truth about her mother and her heritage. Here begins a grand sweeping adventure as Risha is caught up in dangerous pursuits, intrigue, trickery and betrayal. She is left for dead, confused by the actions of many, and is made to hide from those who wish her harm. She finds out by chance that she is Cattra's daughter. Who is Cattra - and why do so many wish Risha harm?

An inspiring illustrated story for children about Jacinda Ardern, and her meteoric rise to become the world's youngest female leader. Nobody is too young to start changing the world. When Jacinda was little, she wanted to be a clown. But when she saw schoolmates who didn't have lunch, or even shoes, she knew she had to do something. Some kids laughed at her for wanting to help people so much, or said she couldn't do it. But that didn't stop Jacinda. She became the Prime Minister of New Zealand, and the worlds youngest female leader. This is the true story of a trailblazer who has inspired people around the planet, told by an award-winning author and illustrator.

A powerful young adult novel about the importance of friendship and love for teen girls.Sea Dreamer is about relationships, especially that of Cassie and Rana - who have been friends since they were tiny girls. When this once strong friendship begins to disintegrate Cassie tries to hold onto Rana, tries to hang on to the way things were. But in life nothing ever remains the same.Then when Cassie discovers through a school project the possibility that an ancestor who lived in the 16th century may have been a pirate, she uses it as an anchor in the now turbulent friendship.Cassie, who lives within the smell of the sea, is a sea dreamer. So strongly linked are her thoughts and moods to the sea, it's as if she was born on the ever-ebbing tide. She relates much of her inner and outer world to the spirit of the sea.With a wonderful sense of place - the wild, striking coastline of Otago, New Zealand - this novel is theperfect read for young teenage girls.