Highly recommended and very definitely cinematic.

Maori folklore is also included, giving the book an even more authentic New Zealand feel. Each story is inspired by a well-known children's fairy tale so part of the enjoyment of reading Tui Street Tales is working out, from sometimes subtle clues, which traditional fable they're based on. Magical creatures walk, and fly, among its residents each of the story's cast of young characters gets to star in an adventure where she or he is swept up in something fantastical and thrilling. So Tui Street might seem like an ordinary place with ordinary kids but there are extraordinary goings-on here.

The writing is never patronising and while it has an innocence about it, the hard realities of life aren't ignored. While it's highly contemporary, there's a nostalgic feel that will appeal to grown-ups who may be reading it with young ones. Well told from a first person perspective at the time. The kids, a gaggle of girls and boys who go to the same local school, are written without artifice and allowed to have their own foibles difference is treated as part of life rather than attention being drawn to it and focused on. An important book for kiwi young adults who need to be aware of this period of our nations history. It's got all the great young adult novel ingredients (making it a good old adult read too!) and it really works.Tui Street Tales is set in a typical New Zealand cul-de-sac - could be, say, urban Whangarei - a more rural centre in Manawatu or a quiet corner in Pakuranga, Auckland the point being the location is vividly drawn, instantly recognisable and comforting in its familiarity. There's a lot to get fired up about in In Our Own Backyard - a healthy dose of romance, friendship and family issues. The term gaslighting is used for this behaviour now, and the author's investigation into it is sensitive and non-judgmental. All goes well for a while, but Harry doesn't like Liza hanging around with Rewi and there are instances where Liza knows Harry is being unreasonable and controlling but he manages to convince her she's done something wrong. Racism, the Dawn Raids, and Liza's first love, Harry. The story centres around the protests, but there's much more going on here. This becomes more tense as the book progresses and reflects how families became divided on the issue.

Liza's family are all against the tour and want to join in the protests, but her brother Pete plays rugby at school and doesn't want to get on the wrong side of his team-mates who are saying 'it's just a game'. The police are watching their house and Rewi gets questioned by them every day - the same questions, over and over. Her best friend is Rewi, and his mum is a photographer, chronicling the protests against the Springbok tour. We go back with Liza to 1981 when she's 15.

In Our Own Back Yard by Anne Kayes