Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 21, 2026

Adele Broadbent

Adele Broadbent is a New Zealand children's author.

Last revised
Jun 21, 2026
Read time
≈ 3 min
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Wikipedia ↗
Adele Broadbent
Born (1968-04-17) 17 April 1968
Napier, New Zealand
OccupationChildren's author
Known forWriting
WebsiteAdele Broadbent official website

Adele Broadbent (born 17 April 1968) is a New Zealand children's author.

Biography

Broadbent was born in Napier, New Zealand, on 17 April 1968.1

Broadbent's early book publications include The Bike Race (2008), Ninjas! (2008), Not Exactly (2008), The Biggest Catch (2010) and The Winner Is (2010).23

Too Many Secrets (2010) was nominated in the 2011 New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards.4 The story was one of Broadbent's first novels for children and young adults.56 One reviewer found the main character, Rebecca, too selfish to be likeable at first, but then became engrossed in the mysteries Rebecca encounters in her new home in the country.6

Just Jack (2011)7 deals with the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake as part of the plot.8 The story borrows from Broadbent's own family stories, told by her grandfather.89 New Zealand Books calls Broadbent's writing in Just Jack "fresh, convincing and distinctive."10 It was named a Storylines Notable Book in 2012,11 and a 2012 New Zealand Children's Book Awards Junior Fiction finalist.12

Trouble in Time was shortlisted for the LIANZA Esther Glen Junior Fiction Award,13 and was named a Storylines Notable Book in that year.14

Broadbent appears as a character in Bookshop Detectives: Tea and Cake and Death, a 2025 novel by Louise and Gareth Ward.1516

Books

Further reading

Further reading

  • "The Incredibly Busy Adele Broadbent" in Magpies: Talking About Books For Children17
External links
References

References

  1. "Interviews with NZ Children's Authors: Adele Broadbent". Christchurch City Libraries. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  2. "Adele Broadbent". New Zealand Book Council. Archived from the original on 30 May 2019. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  3. "Adele Broadbent". storylines.org.nz. Archived from the original on 30 May 2019. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  4. "Best of Books". Waikato Times. 3 May 2012. Retrieved 4 September 2019 – via EBSCOhost.
  5. De Hamel, Joan (2010). "No Holds Barred". New Zealand Books. 20 (3): 13 – via EBSCOhost.
  6. Johnson, Jilaine (1 August 2010). "Too Many Secrets". Reading Time. 54 (3). Children's Book Council of Australia: 28. ISSN 0155-218X.
  7. McIntyre, John (11 February 2011). "Nine to Noon: Children's book review with John McIntyre". Radio New Zealand. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
  8. Earle, Ian (22 January 2011). "Quake Rattles Plots". Manawatu Standard. Retrieved 4 September 2019 – via EBSCOhost.
  9. Hall, Linda (27 January 2011). "Out of sadness comes a fascinating story". Northern Advocate. Northland Region, New Zealand. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
  10. Hebley, Diane (2011). "Saving Their World". New Zealand Books. 21 (2): 16–17 – via EBSCOhost.
  11. "Children's Book Awards". Storylines: The Inside Story. Children's Literature Foundation of New Zealand: 66. 1 January 2012. ISSN 1175-0170.
  12. "Hawkes Bay Authors Nominated For Awards". New Zealand Herald. 28 February 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  13. "Library Association of New Zealand Aotearoa (LIANZA) Awards". Storylines: The Inside Story. Children's Literature Foundation of New Zealand: 42. 1 January 2015. ISSN 1175-0170.
  14. "2015 Notable Book Awards". Storylines: The Inside Story. Children's Literature Foundation of New Zealand: 39. 1 January 2015. ISSN 1175-0170.
  15. "Review: Bookshop Detectives: Tea and Cake and Death". www.ketebooks.co.nz. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
  16. Ward, Gareth and Louise (1 April 2025). The Bookshop Detectives 2: Tea and Cake and Death. Penguin Random House New Zealand Limited. ISBN 978-1-77695-401-8.
  17. Maria Gill (July 2015). "The Incredibly Busy Adele Broadbent". Magpies: Talking About Books For Children. Magpies Magazine. pp. 1–3. Retrieved 8 September 2019 – via InformIT.