Do our middle readers deserve better quality books? Kate De Goldi and Susan Paris believe so. The pair say while there has been a big focus on picture books and young adult fiction, New Zealand's middle readers - children aged 9 to 11 - are being under-served. In recent years they've observed a boom of series imported from abroad, but they're often formulaic and repetitive, usually full of goof-ball humour.
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In their view, young readers need a wider variety of books that transport them to different places and grow their minds. Kate De Goldi and Susan Paris have co-edited Annual 3: A Miscellany from Aotearoa New Zealand, a collection of stories, comics, poems, crosswords, games and songs - created by some the best New Zealand writers and illustrators - now up to its third edition.
Kathryn speaks with Susan Paris, editor of the School Journal for the last 17 years, and Kate De Goldi, an award winning writer of fiction for younger readers, and teaches creative writing in schools.
