Kiwi grandmother raising children a finalist in book award

6 March 2013

Kiwi grandmother raising two children is a finalist in a global book award

First-time author Sally Kabak is the only New Zealander among the five finalists for the best Grandparenting Book for 2013 in a Readers’ Choice Award competition run by About.com, formerly owned by the New York Times. Published in YEAR, her book Grandchildren, Our Hopes and Dreams: A Modern and Practical Guide to Raising Grandchildren has given grandparents around the world crucial tips and advice for raising grandchildren.

No ordinary author, and no ordinary grandmother, Kabak is currently raising two of her daughter’s eight children: 8-year-old Lucy and 15-year-old Bella. (The girls’ names have been changed to protect their identities.)

Originally from Wellington, Kabak was living in the US with second husband Norman in 2007 when she got a call asking her to attend a family group conference called by Child, Youth, and Family. Kabak’s granddaughter Lucy, then two, needed care and protection, and the couple didn’t hesitate before giving up their dreams of a relaxed retirement to move back to New Zealand to raise her. In early 2013, Bella, 15, came to live with them too.

Unable to find useful, practical information on how to raise grandchildren, Kabak filled the niche herself by starting up www.raisinggrandchildren.net.nz in 2009. It became an instant success, and her blog was named one of the top ten in the world by US-based Grand magazine in 2010. That same year, Kabak was named New Zealander of the Year for Community by North & South magazine.

Voting finishes on 19 March 2013 at midnight Eastern Standard Time in America and 6pm on 19 March in New Zealand. You can vote at http://grandparents.about.com/b/2013/02/19/vote-for-favorite-grandparenting-book-by-1-3-authors.htm. Voting is permitted once every 24 hours, and you may vote more than once.

For more information, or to arrange interviews, please visit:
www.raisinggrandchildren.net.nz
www.4raisinggrandchildren.com

ENDS

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