Author and storyteller LP Hansen is a New Zealand based author of young adult and youth fiction. These are her most recent books:
The Argonaut Queen
(2024)
The Argonaut Queen, a captivating story for young naturalists, weaves together the marine science of these fascinating creatures and the woman we have to thank for it. Madame Jeanne Villepreux-Power was one of the earliest students of the little argonaut octopus and the many features that make it so unique. Bill Shortt, shell enthusiast with one of the larger collections of argonaut or paper nautilus shells in New Zealand writes,’ Linda has created an excellent story that I recommend. Anyone wanting to instill a love of shells and other marine marvels in young readers aged up to 12 years will appreciate the engaging and accurate story, while the illustrations are both detailed and colourful. There’s natural history plus an introduction to an early marine biologist as well.’
Calling herself Countess X, one of Europe’s richest billionaires invites the world’s youth to take up a modern-day Quest. Will they help her to challenge a colossal abuse of human rights? Teenagers submitting the most effective suggestions will be welcomed at her European residence to present their plans. But these submissions must be their own work.
More than forty young people converge on the château to share their plans and meet with wealthy philanthropists and others prepared to put the plans into practice. Tensions accelerate as cheats are expelled, hostilities revealed and romances bloom. Then the pace of the Quest quickens – changing the participants forever.
The Fire Keeper’s Girls (2018)
Two rebel teenage cousins uncover their true talents and outwit oppressors in this fast-moving real time story. Sent to spend summer at a lonely beach in the care of an eccentric mentor, they’re introduced to a mysterious women’s network through a game. Gradually the girls gain clarity and insight into their own troubled histories. They learn from other women’s lives and acquire new, practical skills. But when they return home and dangers threaten once more, will this be enough to keep them safe? The Fire Keeper’s Girls is called ‘the book every woman wishes she had read as a teenager’ by Alexia Hilbertidou, Founder and CEO of GirlBoss NZ and Winner of Westpac Women of Influence (2016). Twenty-five brief biographies of influential women from twenty-five countries are included.
Bad Oil and the Animals (2016)
Relevant at this time of Greta Thunberg and climate protests, this fast-moving and exhilarating tale involves teenagers’ exploits to expose the threat to orangutan habitat from factory farming’s use of palm kernel extract. There’s daring, disguise and quite a lot of mischief as the multi-cultural group aims a spotlight at animal welfare in New Zealand and elsewhere. Their stunts attract public attention but with scholarships at stake, maintaining their anonymity is critical. So when the police come calling at their school, has there been one prank too many? Sources for further study included.
An Unexpected Hero (2014)
Matt, a city boy plunged into the unfamiliar world of a small rural New Zealand school, encounters his worst nightmare; he has to speak in public. Under pressure Matt stammers, and the pressure intensifies as he decides to speak about World War 1 pacifist Archie Baxter, father of poet James K. Baxter. In a district where almost every family has lost someone to war, it’s not the smartest choice. There’s tension, trouble and triumph as Matt, described by David Hill as ‘a very likeable, very credible and genuinely unlikely hero’ startles everyone, including himself, by what he’s able to do. An Unexpected Hero has twice been chosen by teachers for Year 7-8 in NZ ReadAloud, the national reading programme, in 2017 and 2019.