Spark Hunter

Winner of the Best First Book Award in the 2022 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults
The judges said: ‘Perfectly pitched for middle fiction readers. Making this story’s light shine bright is te reo Māori blended throughout and a cast of supporting characters that are easily recognisable.’

Something is hiding deep in the forest – Nissa has seen mysterious, supernatural lights in the trees.

What are they, why do they seem to be trying to attract her attention and why does no one else seem to notice them?

When Nissa sneaks away from her school camp to track down the lights, she finds herself lost in a dangerous wonderland.

She’s not the only one at risk – the Fiordland forest and the creatures in it are under threat too.

What can she do where adults have failed? And can Nissa find her way back home?

In Fiordland, the lost usually stay lost …

Author Biography

Sonya Wilson is an award-winning novelist, journalist, television reporter, presenter and producer. She has a degree in Broadcasting Communications and has worked across a variety of platforms and programmes including TVNZ’s Breakfast, 1News, 20/20, Sunday and Q+A programmes.
​
She also has a Masters in Creative Writing with First Class Honours from the University of Auckland. Her first novel, Spark Hunter, has made several bestseller and best-of lists since its release in October 2021. It won the NZSA Best First Book Award at the 2022 NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, a Storylines Notable Book Award 2022 and was shortlisted for the Esther Glen Junior Fiction prize.
​
Sonya also writes essays, reviews and opinion pieces for a variety of publications including North & South, Newsroom, Canvas and The Spinoff, and produces and hosts the Bookland Presents: How to Love podcast series.
​
She is the founder and chief executive of the charity Kiwi Christmas Books (www.kiwichristmasbooks.org.nz) and is the co-director of a small film and television post-production company with her husband, colourist Pete Ritchie.
​