The Champion
$12.00
Summer, 1943. Rex and his family are about to play host to a wounded African-American soldier in their small New Zealand town. Rex is hoping for a hero — someone who’ll share his dreams and fire his imagination. But from the moment Jackson Coop steps off the bus, it’s clear this soldier brings more than stories from overseas. The visit changes everything, reshaping lives in ways no one could expect.
🛒 Buy a Copy: Available Editions of The Champion
Copy A — 1989 TV Tie-In Edition (Softcover)
📍 Publisher: Puffin Books NZ
📖 Edition: First edition, tie-in cover
🧼 Condition: Fair. Some edgewear and age-toning. A rare TV edition.
Description
Author: Maurice Gee
Publisher: Puffin Books (Penguin NZ)
ISBN: 0-14-034160-9
First Published: 1989
Format: Softcover, TV tie-in edition
What do you say when someone asks you who changed your life? For young Rex, the answer is easy: Jackson Coop. A visitor from America, Jackson brings with him the weight of war, mystery, and something else entirely — a presence that alters how Rex sees the world and his place in it.
Set in wartime Aotearoa, The Champion is a taut and heartfelt tale about race, growing up, and moral courage. Maurice Gee, one of New Zealand’s most celebrated authors, paints a vivid portrait of a boy on the cusp of adulthood and the ripples caused by an unexpected arrival.
This novel was also adapted into a six-part television series by TVNZ, directed by Peter Sharp and starring Michael James, Milan Borich, Louise Perry, and Scott Harman.
A lovely addition to Gee’s literary legacy, which includes Under the Mountain, the O Trilogy, and The Fire-Raiser.
Reviews
✽ “A powerful and sensitive story for younger readers about race and heroism.” – School Library Journal
✽ “Gee’s storytelling is crisp, humane, and utterly absorbing.” – The Listener
✽ “Captures a crucial moment in our social history with nuance and warmth.” – Reading Time (Australia)
![Cover of “Deadly Prospect” by Fleur Beale, showing a motocross rider mid-jump on a bright blue background. A high-action New Zealand teen novel about dirt biking, danger, and decision-making, published by Scholastic. [ Secondhand copy available at TheGravy.nz]](https://shop.thegravy.nz/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Deadly-Prospect-by-Fleur-Beale-at-The-Gravy-NZ-Seconndhand-bookstore-300x450.jpg)
![Back cover of No Rest for the Weary displaying white typewriter-style text against a dark forested background. The synopsis describes a disgraced former agent drawn back into CIA intrigues after his mentor’s violent death, balancing family safety with ruthless conspirators. A small author photo and bio sits above the publisher barcode at the bottom right. [ Secondhand copy available at TheGravy.nz]](https://shop.thegravy.nz/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/No-Rest-for-the-Weary-Nicholas-Brookland-The-Gravy-bookshop-2-300x450.jpg)
![Front cover of No Rest for the Weary by Nicholas Brookland showing a weathered map of Vietnam tinted green and blue, overlaid with a red circular “Central Intelligence Agency” seal and a compass rose. The bold white title sits at the bottom, with the subtitle “A twisting tale of real-world justice and bone-crunching vengeance” in red beneath. [ Secondhand copy available at TheGravy.nz]](https://shop.thegravy.nz/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/No-Rest-for-the-Weary-Nicholas-Brookland-The-Gravy-bookshop-1-300x450.jpg)
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.