KPE Episode 411: "The Short Voyage of the Albert Ross"

Waata has read "The Short Voyage of the Albert Ross" by Jan Mark while he was in Room 17 in 2011 and Darius interviews him about it.

A young boy finds a raft down by the river but before he can take it on its maiden voyage he must stand up to the school bully.  The day Steven found the raft by the river was special. But the next day John found out about the raft. John was a bully and thought the raft should be his. This is the story of how Steven stood up to John and how the raft fared on its maiden voyage.

KPE Episode 401: "Gulliver's Travels"

Starford and Waata review the classic tale, "Gulliver's Travels" by Jonathan Swift in this episode of KPE.  Many kids have seen the movie made from this book, but as these boys share, it is a great idea to read the book too.  Check out their podcast and tell them what you think of the story.

KPE Episode 377: "Zac's Wild Rescue"

Donyae has been reading "Zac's Wild Rescue" by H.I. Larry and Waata is his DJ for this podcast. This book is from the Zac Power series and in this book Zac has two new gadgets to test drive. Are they cool enough for Zac's wild rescue at the zoo?


As well as listening to the podcast, we recommend you visit the very cool website developed around the Zac Power series.

KPE Episode 371: "Kura Toa: Warrior School"

This podcast by two Room 17 boys, Waata and Darius , reviews "Kura Toa: Warrior School" by Tim Tipene.


In this book, a high school student named Haki must learn what it takes to become a warrior.  


After a mysterious old man who seems to know a lot about him steals a precious jade stone from him, Haki’s search for his belongings brings him into conflict with his family, his friends, and his school. Throughout the search, he must confront his fears, find a way to answer the challenge to serve his people and his land, and fight the taniwha, a dangerous mythical predator that lives in deep rivers and dark caves.

KPE Ep 369 : "Goosebumps- Zapped in Space"

Gabriel and Waata from Room 17 bring us the 23rd Goosebumps book "Zapped in Space", by R.L. Stine.  You will enjoy their lively dialogue and the animations interspersed throughout the podcast.



It's a space jam-med with aliens!
Strap yourself into the console! You've just entered Madame Zapp's new Virtual Reality arcade. But once you take on these virtual worlds, forget about scoring. You'll be too busy trying to stay alive!
If you're a real space cadet, check out "Adrift Off Vega" where you end up in space, fighting super-smart - and super-deadly - Arcturian aliens. Or maybe you'd like to try an Arctic adventure in "Abominable Snow Woman." But remember to pack your parka - or you could end up a human popsicle...
The choice is yours in this scary GOOSEBUMPS adventure that's packed with over 20 super-spooky endings!

KPE Ep 368: "Nasty Stinky Sneakers"

Darius and Waata from Room 17 review
 "Nasty Stinky Sneakers" by Eve Bunting.


You will enjoy their banter and their fun graphics!



Colin has spent weeks perfecting his sneaker odor for the Stinkiest Sneakers in the World contest. If he wins, he'll get three brand-new pairs of Slam Dunkers sneakers: one for himself, one for his little sister, Amy, and one for his best pal, Webster.
But now, after weeks of working toward stinky perfection -- not washing his feet, wearing no socks, jogging to get his feet juicy, and even sleeping with his sneakers on -- the nasty, stinky sneakers are missing!

KPE Episode 355 :"My Dad, the All Black"

Crusader and Waata from Room 17 review the perfect book in the Rugby World Cup year - "My Dad, the All Black".

As New Zealand gears up for total rugby fever, these boys from Room 17 bring this classic from Sandy MacKay back to KPE.

Will McCann, 12 years old, is a top notch rugby player. Everybody says he gets his talent from his famous All Black father, but Will never knew his dad. After a game goes wrong, Will wonders if he plays rugby because he loves the game, or because everybody says he should?

When Will's grandad dies, Will meets Jim, his reclusive uncle with a troubled past. Why has Uncle Jim stayed away from Will and his mum for so many years? What really happened the night Will's dad died? While, on the other side of the world, the All Blacks battle for the 1999 Rugby World Cup, Will battles to discover the truth about the past. He eventually unlocks a secret that helps him decide things for himself.

Anyone who ever wanted to be an All Black should read this book!

KPE Episode 348 :"Something Weird About Mr Foster"

Darius and Waata from Room 17 have been reading "Something Weird About Mr Foster" by Ken Catran.

Joe Bennett is a typical intermediate student. He enjoys school for the most part but would like it even more if it weren’t for Raymond. Raymond is the school bully. He is mean and ugly. Raymond takes money off the other kids and never pays them back. He’s always getting into fights. Joe spends a lot of his time avoiding Raymond so that he doesn’t have to give him money. 

Raymond is the reason why Joe leaves school through the teachers’ car park one day, instead of out the front gates. This is when he sees something extraordinary. His favourite teacher, Mr Foster drops a ball on the ground and instead of going over to pick it up he simply reaches out his arm, which grows and grows to over 4 metres long! Joe can hardly believe what he has seen, but he’s sure he’s not imagining it – especially when weird things start to happen. Joe has a very strange feeling that Mr Foster can read his mind and suddenly he has this amazing power and strength. Raymond is no longer a problem anymore – in fact, now the other kids aren’t scared of Raymond; they’re scared of Joe! But it seems that time is running out for Mr Foster. He is from outer space and all of the parts that make up his physical form are becoming weaker by the day. Earth is too polluted by humankind and Mr Foster is slowly dying. Joe needs to use all of his resources in order to save Mr Foster. The only problem is that he needs Raymond’s help to do it…

KPE Episode 330: "Scary Story"

Starford and Waata have enjoyed yet another of Joy Cowley's wonderful books written for New Zealand kids.  

Ross Beansack, the big hairy author, has been asked by young readers to write a story about ghosts. The very modern publisher is horrified when she hears of his plans. "We don't do ghosts," she says. "Go back home and save the rainforest." Ross Beansack sets off to do his own research in the local haunted house ...

KPE Episode 305: "Whitebait Fritters"

Darius and Waata from Room 15 have finally published their podcast of "Whitebait Fritters" by Kingi McKinnon.  This is a pretty popular book with Pt England readers and you may have seen Leauma and Sam's earlier podcast of the same book. Of course it is a really interesting story, but we supspect all the talk of food and fishing is popular with our readers too. Why don't you check out both podcasts and see what each pair of podcasters found interesting to them.

KPE Episode 250: "Harry Houdini - Wonderdog!"

Waata and Darius - Room 15

For our 250th episode of Korero Pt England Waata and Darius have chosen to bring us the exploits of William Taylor's Wonder Dog - Harry Houdini!