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Into The River
Into The River | Ted Dawe
6 posts | 6 read | 6 to read
Winner of the Margaret Mahy Award "Some rivers should not be swum in. Some rivers hold secrets that can never be told." Te Arepa is an adventurous Maori boy, bound to the history, customs and rituals of his people. Yet when he comes upon a giant eel while fishing, he is convinced the creature is a taniwha, or water demon, and follows it. Yet what Te Arepa finds in the river is far different, far more sinister. And it will change his life forever. Te Arepa has always been curious about experiencing life beyond his tribe. His wishes seem granted when he is awarded a scholarship at a prestigious boarding school, far away from the Maori. Leaving behind his family and their traditions, Te Arepa sets out to discover a strange new world with customs of its own...as well as new enemies. When he arrives at school, Te Arepa finds the freedom and everything it offers intoxicating. But to fit in, he realizes that he must shed his identity, culture, and even his name. And he comes to realize that what the water demon showed him in the darkness of the river that day changed him, and that freedom comes with a heavy price.
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review
Redheadrambles
Into The River | Ted Dawe
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Pickpick

⭐⭐⭐ 1/2

This NZ YA novel comes freighted with all the hoopla surrounding it's rather inexplicable "interim restriction" of September 2015. Made further curious by the fact it won the NZ Post Children's book award of 2013.
This book mostly charmed me, Te Arepa Santos (Devon) is an unforgettable character. Parental advisory sticker probably earned in the second half.

Read Harder Task 16 - Banned Book in your country #readharder2017

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ReadingEnvy
Into The River | Ted Dawe
Mehso-so

Read this for #bannedbooksweek - love the inclusion of Maori culture and multiple sexualities, bothered by the predatory relationship and lack of consent that aren't addressed (but would I ban it? Never!

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elbisivni
Into The River | Ted Dawe
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Found a book that's banned in NZ which can be one of the most liberal countries in the world. Looking forward to getting my hands on this one. #BannedBooksWeek

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NikkiA
Into The River | Ted Dawe
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Thinking about #bannedbooks, I've decided it's about time I read this one... It won Children's Book of the Year here in New Zealand a couple of years back, then was temporarily banned following pressure from religious groups (they didn't like the sex scenes, apparently). From what I understand, it sold like hotcakes when the ban was lifted, so that backfired nicely for the complainers 😉

ReadingEnvy I've been reading this one and I love all the landscape and Maori words used so far. It feels very grounded in its place. 8y
39 likes4 stack adds1 comment
review
Fancypants
Into The River | Ted Dawe
Panpan

Couldn't really get into this book. Seemed to have too much going on and couldn't really follow the point of the story or the story itself.

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Fancypants
Into The River | Ted Dawe
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Picked this book up because it had been challenged in Australia.