Mission Girl (My New Zealand Story)

Author(s): Fleur Beale

Children's Māori Books

When her tribe is defeated in battle, Atapo is captured and becomes a slave of her enemies. Freedom seems impossible; the penalty for runaway slaves is death. But when sickness strikes the village, Atapo is blamed - and now it is even more dangerous to stay. To save her life, she escapes to the Pakeha mission station at Paihia.


Product Information

"The author skilfully uses Atapo's story [...] to fill in many historical and domestic details of everyday life in Paihia in the months leading up to the signing of the Treaty." - Around the Bookshops; "Beale's writing is first rate and this is a novel that will help young people understand how our nation was formed." - Dominion Post; "Young readers will enjoy this journal as a vivid adventure and love story." - Magpies

Fleur Beale is a Wellington-based award-winning author. Beale was born in Inglewood, Taranaki, on the farm where her father was born. Her father was a dairy farmer, her mother was a teacher and a writer. Fleur attended Victoria University in Wellington, followed by Christchurch Teachers' College, where she met her husband. Beale's first stories were written for the children's radio programme, Grandpa's Place. Her first full novel, Slide the Corner, was published in 1993. Writing a novel taught her how to develop the plot and expand the characters and their intentions towards one another.

General Fields

  • : 9781775436188
  • : Scholastic New Zealand Limited
  • : Scholastic New Zealand
  • : January 2020
  • : books

Special Fields

  • : Fleur Beale
  • : Paperback
  • : 823.2
  • : 208