Notes

Matt McPherson is cycling around town delivering the last edition of the town newspaper, The New Zealand Times. It is being closed by its owners. Using wonderfully detailed illustrations of the changing landscape of the town in combination with excerpts from the newspaper, author Bob Kerr takes the reader through a brief history of New Zealand, from the first settlers up to the present day. At the end of the book, we find Matt saving the newspaper by appointing himself editor, putting it online and running it from his laptop. Here the reader can actually go online to a web site related to the book to learn more about New Zealand history, and access our national online encyclopedia, Te Ara. Changing times is a fascinating introduction to our history for 7-12 year olds. It will also engage parents and grandparents who will recognise their own lives and family histories in its pages.