KEY POINTS:
The author who took top prize as well as best non-fiction book at the New Zealand Post Children and Young Adults Book Awards was "overwhelmed" at the recognition her work received.
Marcia Stenson, from Auckland, won Book of the Year for her Illustrated History of the South Pacific.
After the ceremony at Parliament Buildings last night she said she felt "a great deal of pleasure because I felt that the topic really deserves a lot of attention from New Zealanders".
Stenson visited Samoa as part of her research for the book.
"It was quite good to be there in person and get some sort of feel for the place.
"But you have to make yourself aware of the fact you're not actually talking about golden sands and palm trees - we're talking about a very real culture which forms the basis of much of what we are."
The judges said interpreting history for young people was challenging, but Stenson's book more than met the challenge.
"Both publisher and author should be commended for producing a very visual and accessible presentation of a history topic we all need to know about."
New Zealand Post chief executive John Allen said that based on the finalists, young people were interested in more than Paris Hilton.
"The truth is our young people are dealing with big issues and the nature of humanity itself."
Other Winners:
* Picture Book: Kiss! Kiss! Yuck! Yuck! by Kyle Mewburn from Millers Flat in Central Otago, illustrated by Wellington's Ali Teo and John O'Reilly.
* Junior Fiction: Thor's Tale by Janice Marriott of Wellington.
* Young Adult: Genesis by Bernard Beckett of Kapiti Coast.
* Best First Book Award: The Three Fishing Brothers Gruff, written and illustrated by Ben Galbraith from Gisborne.
* Children's Choice Award: Kiss! Kiss! Yuck! Yuck!
The winners of each category, except Best First Book Award and Children's Choice Award, were awarded $5000, with an extra $5000 for the top prize.
The Best First Book Award and Children's Choice Award winners were presented with $1000.
- NZPA
