Author Talk: Weng Wai Chan

Name: Author Talk: Weng Wai Chan
Start: 2026-01-19T00:00:00+13:00
End: 2026-01-19T01:00:00+13:00
Location: 545 Parnell Road, Auckland, New Zealand 1052

Schedule

Mon Jan 19 2026 at 12:00 am to 01:00 am

UTC+13:00

Location

545 Parnell Road, Auckland, New Zealand 1052 | Auckland, AU

Join author Weng Wai Chan for an interactive session on her award-winning children’s book Lizard’s Tale, an adventure mystery set in 1940s Singapore. Presented in English, Mandarin, or Cantonese, the talk explores her inspiration - including growing up in multicultural Singapore - the novel’s themes of war and spies, book excerpts, Weng Wai's writing process, and her love of books and reading.
Lizard's Tale won the New Zealand Junior Fiction Book Award and the Wright Family Foundation Esther Glen Award for Junior Fiction. It is aimed at age 8+.
'It's Singapore in 1940, war is just around the corner-but twelve-year-old Lizard doesn't know that. He lives in Chinatown above a tailor's shop, surviving on his wits and hustling for odd jobs.
When he steals a small teak box containing a Japanese code book from a Raffles Hotel suite, he finds himself in a dangerous world of wartime espionage. Lizard doesn't know who to trust. How is the mysterious book inside the box connected to his friend Lili, a girl full of secrets and fighting skills? Can he trust her, or will she betray him in the end?'
This event is wheelchair accessible. Children with adult supervision. Parnell Library and Weng Wai Chan look forward to seeing you there!