Tania Roxborogh

ABOUT

In Brief

Tania Roxborogh is a children's writer whose works range from teaching resources to gritty young adult novels. Roxborogh has worked as a high school English and drama teacher since 1989, and her first published work was a drama handbook. Her stories for young adults deal with the anxieties and problems of teenagers in an engaging, realistic manner. In 2006, she was a Writer in Residence at the Dunedin College of Education. She reviews young adult books for the Otago Daily Times. Visit her website www.tkroxborogh.com to find out more.

In Detail

Tania Roxborogh (born in 1965) is a children's writer whose works range from gritty young adult novels to Fifteen Minute Shakespeare. Roxborogh teaches English full-time at Columba College and reviews Young Adults books for the Otago Daily Times.

Born in Christchurch, Roxborogh moved town many times as a child, attending the first of seven schools in Te Puke. 'I have a very clear picture of the two teachers there,' she writes. 'One who was lovely and taught us all sorts of wonderful things and an old bag who strapped me for taking a pencil. I decided then that I was going to be a teacher and be like the nice one and definitely not like the old bag.'

Educated at Massey University and the Auckland College of Education, Roxborogh has worked as a high school English and drama teacher since 1989. Her first published book was a drama handbook, Performing With Purpose (1996).

Roxborogh's other teaching resources are Fifteen Minute Shakespeare (1997); Three Funny Plays (1997); Twenty Minute Shakespeare (1998); Three Spooky Plays (1999); English Basics (1999); and More English Basics (2000).

The inspiration for her first novel for young readers, If I Could Tell You (1997) came when Roxborogh was pregnant with her first child. 'I wondered what she would think of me if I should die and she read my journals.'

Roxborogh's stories deal with the anxieties and problems of teenagers in an engaging, realistic manner. Her characters are far from squeaky clean, but she doesn't glamorise their high-risk behaviour.

Runaway (1998) follows a thirteen year old boy who escapes from his latest foster home to look for his distantly remembered father. Grit (1998) tells the dramatic story of Sophie who must go for help after a car she is riding in crashes on a remote Northland road.

The protagonist of Compulsion (1999) turns to alcohol and drugs when he faces the troubled realities of his sixteen-year-old existence.

Tania Roxborogh is available for school visits as part of the Book Councils Writers in Schools programme.

Roxborogh had three titles published in 2002; Whispers, Limelight and The Ring. Third Degree was published by Longacre Press, 2005. Fat Like Me, an autobiography of her 10 year battle with obesity, was published by Penguin in 2005.

In 2006, Roxborogh was a Writer in Residence at the Dunedin College of Education.

No, it’s Not Okay (Penguin, 2007) tackles the issue of bullying – offering strategies for parents and caregivers in tackling bullying – whether it’s your child
being bullied or your child is a bully. Kids Behaving Bravely (Penguin, 2008) is about building a resilient child and hopes to offer parents ways through life’s tricky moments. . .

Space Gum (Longacre Press, 2008) is a children’s novel. Carl just doesn't get it - he's always in Mum's bad books. If only she could lighten up and see the humour in the practical jokes he and Dad play on one another. From eggs to toilet seats, nothing's sacred when they're dreaming up pranks. But Carl's world is turned upside down when his father introduces him to an elusive ex-NASA scientist, who gives Carl a peculiar gift - one that contains a secret. What does Carl have that could possibly be so valuable? Who is responsible for the break-ins? Where have the two strangers taken Dad in the black van, and is he safe? Carl summons all his intelligence and inventiveness to unravel the mystery. A page-turning novel about science and subterfuge and one boys problem-solving skills put to the test.

Banquo's Son (Penguin New Zealand) was listed as a 2010 Storylines Notable Young Adult Fiction Book. The work has also been recently listed as a finalist in the young adult fiction category of the 2010 New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. Results will be announced in May.