Wizard’s Guide to Wellington by A.J. Ponder
2013 Sir Julius Vogel Award finalist
An adventure for the young at heart through Wellington City, including Miramar, Eastbourne, and the Wellington Waterfront.
Alec’s Dad is kidnapped, his mysterious English cousin, Perrin, has gone missing, and he has found a talking book that insists the ground beneath his feet is dangerous – and alive!
Perrin has arrived at Wellingtowne Airport only to discover Ike, her cantankerous wizarding guide, has disappeared. Worse, her uncle is missing and she is all alone in the dangerous city of Wellingtowne.
Ghosts, taniwhas, magic … and a warning: “Bad men watch you”. Something is very wrong, and it’s up to the two cousins to rescue Wellingtowne & Wellington.
“Wizards and a taniwha running wild in Wellington – who would have thought it. Perrin’s adventures in the capital city are fun to follow and full of surprises. My (unpointy) hat is off to Alicia Ponder. Now where’s my broom…”
Fiona Kidman
“Fantastic story – setting – character –full of tension and surprises – very cool.”
Mary McCallum
“Alicia Ponder has conjured a whirlwind of wizardry that will have you reaching for the nearest broomstick in this delightfully wild and unpredictable tale of magic, monsters and mayhem.”
Emanuel E Garcia
“A truly magical book.”
Lorraine Williams
Available in these Great Wellington bookstores:
Arty Bees & Children’s Bookshop
Rona Gallery, Eastbourne and Writer’s Plot, Upper Hutt
Also available in all good New Zealand bookstores and through Amazon. (Wholesalers, retailers and booksellers, please order from Phantom Feather Press: phantomfeatherpress at gmail dot com)
Enjoy the adventure!
Ike

Sounds intriguing. Dying to learn more about Ike. I live in Wellington, New Zealand. I hope it’s ‘my’ Wellington?
I’m terribly sorry, Ike is so excited about getting back into print (October/November) that he temporarily forgot there are many wonderful Wellingtons in the world – this one is Wellington, New Zealand, or Wellingtowne if you are magically inclined. Cheers, AJ.
Running behind schedule, it looks like the book won’t be released until February now, February 14 to be exact, but advance copies are looking good – so good Ike is getting rather jealous.