New Releases by Jackie French

An exciting new tale of a brumby, a boy and a bushranger in the Animal Stars series. A story of survival, second chances ... and a dance with danger. Young Billy Marks is a pickpocket, transported to the penal colony of New South Wales. He reckons he''ll become a bushranger - but that''s before he''s had a chance to see the bush up close. And when he buys the big white brumby stallion, covered with scars but refusing to bend to any man''s will, he knows he made the right choice. Billy''s daughter Mattie Jane thinks her father can ride any horse who ever lived ... and so can she! But when tragedy strikes, the Marks clan, including Mattie''s beloved horse, Rebel Yell, will need all their courage to keep the family together. The deeds and disputed stories of Jackie French''s own ancestors inspire another novel - a tale of proud horses, trailblazing farmers and their resilient wives, and desperate men forced to break the law to survive. PRAISE FOR ANIMAL STARS SERIES: ''beautifully written ... a significant addition to the books about Gallipoli'' - ReadPlus.com.au ''marvel at Jackie French''s versatility and her skill in making the past live for young readers'' - Magpies

She has been banished from the city to a remote area and a murdered girl lands on her doorstep ... Danielle has always been ''linked'' to others so when her links were cut and she was banished from the city it was a shock in more ways than one. She no longer had fast access to information, food, friends - anything. Now she will fend for herself and she is notorious for having been part of an experimental type of linking with 3 others. They are either dead or dead to Danielle anyway. Then, soon after moving in, an injured young girl turns up on her doorstep - the girl soon dies and Danielle cannot let go of the mystery of her death. With Neil, who lives in a neighbouring commune, she begins to make enquiries at places all over the countryside and starts suspecting that someone is making illegal modifications to humans - could it be that vampirism is becoming a trait in some humans from this illegal activity And, if so, how far has it gone - can Danielle find the source before they are all dead An exciting, fast-paced read from one of Australia''s premier storytellers for young adults. Ages 16+ She has been banished from the city to a remote area and a murdered girl lands on her doorstep ... Danielle has always been ''linked'' to others so when her links were cut and she was banished from the city it was a shock in more ways than one. She no longer had fast access to information, food, friends - anything. Now she will fend for herself and she is notorious for having been part of an experimental type of linking with 3 others. they are either dead or dead to Danielle anyway. then, soon after moving in, an injured young girl turns up on her doorstep - the girl soon dies and Danielle cannot let go of the mystery of her death. With Neil, who lives in a neighbouring commune, she begins to make enquiries at places all over the countryside and starts suspecting that someone is making illegal modifications to humans - could it be that vampirism is becoming a trait in some humans from this illegal activity? And, if so, how far has it gone - can Danielle find the source before they are all dead? An exciting, fast-paced read from one of Australia''s premier storytellers for young adults. Ages 16+

Jackie French explores a distant and fascinating world, where the future is not always as it seems, and the king''s displeasure means death.Ages 10 - 14 After Nikko and thetis are taken from their village, their amazing acrobatic skills save them from slavery and make them the focus of the Mycenaean court. the courtiers are in awe of them; the King is enchanted.But thetis may destroy them both when she tells the King a truth about his future that he doesn''t want to hear. Nikko and the daring horse dancer Euridce must travel across Greece to find his sister again - and the extraordinary future that awaits them all - in Delphi.Can one young girl change history?Jackie French waves history, myth and fantasy together into one enthralling tale of horse dancers, earthquakes and tsunamis, as well as love and courage, from beyond recorded time.Ages 10-14

BUStER LIVES IN tHE HAPPIESt WOLF CLAN AROUND. Dad can catch dried cow pats with his teeth, Mum''s corgi milkshakes are to die for (unless you happen to be a corgi) and Aunty Paws mkes one of the best dead rat sandwich in the world. One day Mum and Dad disappear without a trace. Have Buster''s parents been wolfnapped? And now, Uncle Wal is leader of the pack. He wants the clan to move from Werewolf Mountain, and for Buster to go to SCHOOL! But Buster has other plans... Find out what Buster discovers as this thrilling and hilarious adventure unfolds in the Wacky family series! Ages 7+

A collection of four more favourites from the Wacky Families series. So you think your family is wacky? Wait till you read these stories... How can Buster solve the disappearance of his werewolf parents when Uncle Wal keeps bugging him to act like a human all the time? What would tJ''s friends say if they knew his gran was a gorilla? Is Drackie''s Auntie Chook really a vampire chicken? And what will Fuzz do when his Pa makes him travel in the Arctic dressed as a polar bear? With drawings by award-winning illustrator Stephen Michael King, this collection of four new hilarious Wacky Family stories is guaranteed to delight younger readers. Containing: My Uncle Wal the Werewolf My Gran the Gorilla My Auntie Chook the Vampire Chicken My Pa the Polar Bear Ages: 7 - 10

Inspired stories from the garden of one of Australia''s best... ''Here in the valley, food is part of our lives ... When I eat a peach I remember the smell of the soil as I planted the tree ...'' Jackie French brings vividly to life her wonderful experiences living in the Araluen Valley, an extraordinary part of the NSW Southern tablelands. Sprinkled in between her stories are natural remedies and tips for the home, and over eighty wonderful recipes Jackie has derived from the valley''s four seasons. During spring you can try asparagus omelette, artichokes Araluen, or orange-blossom jam. In summer, there''s mulberry crush, peach sorbet and the classic Aussie tomato sandwich. From autumn comes harvest tart, verjuice veal and a basil aphrodisiac! And in winter you can choose from hearth cakes, duck stuffed with dried peaches and Jackie''s favourite carrot soup. though the valley has changed over the years, its remarkable smells and tastes, the unique rhythm of days and nights are still engaging, and captured so deliciously in A YEAR IN tHE VALLEY.

TJ''s gran has hairy legs and arms. She also makes the best banana cake in the universe, as well as baked bananas, choc-coated bananas and Roast Lamb Surprise (which is mostly bananas) too. In fact, there is only one little problem about having a gorilla for a gran. And the little problem''s name is Linda. What will cool clever Linda think when she finds out who tJ''s gran really is? And what will she think of a pet who''s a slimy Giant Skateboarding Slug called Egbert? Will she still want to perambulate with tJ? But then again, perhaps Mr Pifflewhiskers, their teacher, is not what he seems... When wombat poachers come to Gobbledygook - it''s up to tJ and Gran, with help from Linda and Egbert - and a surprise discovery - to save the day. Join tJ and his gran the gorilla in another exciting adventure in the Wacky Families series.

Companion non fiction title for the bestselling Diary of a Wombat that explores everything you''ve ever wanted to know about wombats. Jackie French loves wombats. She''s been living with and studying them for over 30 years, and they have been featured characters in many of her books. Now her beloved wombats take center stage, as Jackie reveals everything you have ever wanted to know about them - from their zoological history to habitation and habits. Jackie also shares some personal stories from her experiences living with these wonderful creatures. There are also wombat Q&As and wombat jokes sprinkled throughout the book.

The sequel to LESSONS FOR A WEREWOLF WARRIOR - continuing the crazy adventures of Boo, werewolf and hero-in-the making. Ages: 8 - 12 Boo''s back ... in another crazy adventure of Heroes, dinosaurs and the most fearsome weapon in the universes ... the zombie sausage. Boojum Bark, werewolf puppy and would-be-Hero, is about to do what no other Hero has done before - go into the scariest universe of them all, the Ghastly Otherwhen, rescue his mum and come back alive. And he''ll need help from his friends: mysterious Yesterday, gorgeous Princess Princess Sunbeam Caresse of Pewke, Mug the down-to-earth zombie, and Squeak the warrior mouse. But the Ghastly Otherwhen isn''t what Boo expects! And his friends start acting strangely, too ... What is the bond between Yesterday and her dinosaurs? And why won''t she let Boo rescue her from slavery? Can Mug really be as dumb as he looks, or is it a clever zombie disguise? And could Princess Princess be an actual Hero underneath her cowardly exterior? the bogeys are scarier - and the food is grosser than ever - it''s Jackie French at her hilarious best! Ages 8 - 12

A modern tale of truth and lies woven with a story from the past. Luke lives in modern-day Australia with his mother and stepfather, Sam. He is burdened by a guilty secret: Sam has helped him to cheat in an entrance exam for a prestigious school.Lulach lives in ninth-century Scotland with his mother and stepfather, Macbeth. Macbeth becomes a great king and restores peace to the land.Luke dreams about Lulach and Macbeth at night. He is also studying the play Macbeth at school and in Shakespeare''s version, Macbeth is a villain who murders the rightful king. Why did Shakespeare lie about who Macbeth really was? When is it okay to lie and when should you tell the truth? Similarly to Hitler''s Daughter, Macbeth and Son challenges the reader to consider the actions of people, both in the past and present, and from a seemingly simple storyline, Macbeth and Son arrives at the morally complex question of ''What is truth? And how important is it?'' AWARDS Shortlisted - 2007 CBCA Book of the Year Awards (Younger Readers)

The ''War to end all Wars'', as seen through the eyes of three young women War is being fought on a horrific scale in the trenches of France, but it might as well be a world away from sixteen-year-old New Zealander Midge Macpherson, at school in England learning to be a young lady. But the war is coming closer: Midge''s brothers are in the army, and her twin, Tim, is listed as ''missing'' in the devastating defeat of the Anzac forces at Gallipoli . Desperate to do their bit - and avoid the boredom of school and the restrictions of Society - Midge and her friends Ethel and Anne start a canteen in France, caring for the endless flow of wounded soldiers returning from the front. Midge, recruited by the over-stretched ambulance service, is thrust into carnage and scenes of courage she could never have imagined. And when the war is over, all three girls - and their Anzac boys - discover that even going ''home'' can be both strange and wonderful. Exhaustively researched but written with the lightest of touches, this is Jackie French at her very best. AWARDS Shortlisted - 2009 ABIA Awards Honour Book - 2009 CBCA Book of the Year Awards (Younger Readers) PRAISE ''Highly recommended for teenage to adult readers'' - Readings ''A book of many voices. Poignant, graphic and compulsive fiction about women who volunteered during WWI'' - Sunday Age ''Beautifully written. An important story. The use of a sixteen year old protagonist will make the story more real and more confronting for teen readers'' - Aussie Reviews ''A well-researched story about the invaluable support women provided during the war. Recommended for secondary school-aged children'' - Australian Bookseller and Publisher ''... rousing stuff, and it hasn''t been watered down. French doesn''t shy away from the nightmarish conditions of trench warfare. Highly readable, scrupulous in its history ... an ideal text for schools'' - Sydney Morning Herald ''... entertaining and uplifting'' - Sun-Guardian Blacktown ''This is a moving story about the love, kindness and humanity of the people involved in the bloodshed and carnage of World War I'' - Launceston Examiner ''Jackie has woven her usual magic with her deft light touch and humour in this gripping story'' - Toowoomba Chronicle ''A warm tribute to extraordinary women in extraordinary times. We must remember them'' - Woman''s Day ''Younger readers will enjoy this story about the soldiers of World War I and the volunteers who supported them'' - Brisbane News ''Comprehensively researched and beautifully written'' - South Coast Register

What do you do when your school librarian starts dressing in leopard-skin and goes off chasing dinosaurs? A school excursion to the Big Koala goes horribly wrong when Phredde, Pru and Bruce - and their vampire teacher Mrs Olsen, and Miss Richards, librarian and martial arts expert - head back into the time of the dinosaurs, not to mention giant marsupial lions, a dinosaur with diarrhoea and an exploding volcano. Who will save them? Can one kid, two phaeries, a vampire and a librarian dressed in leopard-skin survive in the past with just a laptop computer, a flying carpet and a plastic spoon? Ages 7-12

Take a closer look at Australia''s best-known marsupials. Why does Australia have animals that are so different from others anywhere else in the world? Why do ''roos and wallabies have such big tummies? Who were the kangaroos with fangs that lived 10 million years ago? What''s the best way to become invisible (to kangaroos, at any rate)? Which wallaby is a ''living fossil'' - the same as the wallabies that grazed 10 million years ago? Why do joeys eat their mother''s droppings? Fnd out in this fascinating new book! PS: What do you call a kangaroo with a flower behind their ear and a big grin? A happy hippy hoppy. Ages 7-12

Can enemy warriors become your friends? A story of adventure in a new land When Vikings raid and destroy a small coastal village, Hekja and her dog, Snarf, are captured and taken to Greenland. In this harsh and cold land, Hekja becomes a thrall - a slave - to Freydis Eriksdottir, daughter of the infamous Erik the Red. Hekja''s fiery determination earns her the respect of her mistress. But Hekja''s journey was just the beginning, as she and Snarf and other colonists join their leader, Freydis, on a voyage to Vinland to establish a new settlement where more perilous adventures await them... AWARDS Shortlisted - Young People''s History Prize, NSW Premier''s History Awards (2006)

Captain Cook''s goat is the first of many historical animals to bring the past to life. the HM Bark Endeavour is sailing to tahiti to map the transit of Venus, but there are rumours that once the task is completed, Lieutenant James Cook has a set of secret orders - orders that command him to search for the Great South Land. Isaac is twelve and has joined the crew of the Endeavour as a master''s servant, good for scrubbing decks and not much else. He''s certainly not considered good enough to fetch hay for the Goat who will provide fresh milk for Cook and his officers. And this goat even has more experience at sea than Isaac - she has already sailed around the world once, watching the ocean and lands slip by from her spot on the quarterdeck. Over the months on board the Endeavour, a friendship grows between the Goat and Isaac, one that will last through shipwreck, bushfire and illness. A friendship that helps in the discovery of exotic new lands ... Ages 9 - 13

Another spell-binding and spooky story starring Phredde, a fractious but fun-loving phaery, Bruce, a mosquito-eating frog, and Pru, an everyday-normal school girl - except that she lives in a fairy castle, keeps pet piranhas, has a werewolf for a brother and a vampire for a teacher. AND EXCEPt that now she has just inherited her very own mansion and is the envy of ALL her friends. Is this too good to be true? Is there something suspicous about Mr Nahsti, the solicitor? Why do Phredde and Bruce, Pruᱠbest friends in the world, keep sneaking off to Phaeryland without her? And most important: who keeps stealing Pru''9291s underpants? A hair-raising, spine-tingling GHOStLY tale of phaeries, underpants and adventure!

Find out just how wacky some families can be in the eighth book of this hilarious series. Fuzz and his family live at the zoo. Fuzz''s dad is a blood-thirsty tiger, his mum a mud-cake-making rhinoceros, his sister a tap-dancing giraffe and his brothers a pair of somersaulting monkeys. Fuzz makes great pocket-money pretending to be a polar bear, and at the end of each day his family take off their costumes. Well, most of the time, anyway. Fuzz''s pa loves being a polar bear so much he wants to be one! And when he wins two tickets for a cruise to the Arctic, things don''t quite turn out as planned! Who is the mysterious girl with pointed ears? What are those strange jingle bells Fuzz keeps hearing? How can two part-time polar bears cope with real ones? Will Fuzz and Pa have to eat raw fish forever? And do reindeer really fly ... Find out what happens at the North Pole with Fuzz and his pa on this amazing Arctic adventure in the Wacky Families series. Ages 7-10

Book 2 in the Animal Stars series - where history comes alive through the eyes of special animals. To outsiders, Mary is a queen and a threat, but to her devoted dog Folly, she is his world To the world outside her luxurious prison, Mary Queen of Scots was either a shameless beauty who killed her husband, or the rightful Queen of England and Scotland, tragically held captive by Elizabeth I. But to the dog who loved her, Mary was simply his mistress, and the centre of his world. While Mary desperately plotted to seize both her freedom and the throne, her dog Folly''s world is one of chasing mice behind the tapestries and enjoying turkey legs with quinces for supper. Until the day comes when they try to take his Queen away ... Based on the true story of the dog who was with Mary when she died, the Dog Who Loved a Queen is a fascinating tale of religious bigotry, plots and passion - and the unquestioning loyalty of a small Scottish terrier.

Cuter, stroppier and even more determined than her mother - meet Mothball''s baby. This baby wombat and her mum are finding it hard to fit into their home. When setting out to dig a new, bigger hole with room for them both, Shaggy Gully''s newest resident gets some help from a friend, causes more mayhem than Mothball ever did.

From bestselling author, Jackie French comes a book about the possibilities from the greener world of tomorrow. Suitable for ages 4-8. A timely picture book about a young prince who is determined to rule over a country where the future is filled with environmental hope - and practical solutions, such as common usage of solar and wind power. Lively, fun and positive, this book serves to give young people information about their world and shows them that a lot of environmental solutions are simple and relatively easy to put in place. Produced on recycled paper to reflect the message within, this is a beautiful book.

It''s Christmas Day in Shaggy Gully. The kangaroos are bouncy, the echidnas are being prickly, the emus are feeling peckish and the bats and possums are just hanging about. Only the Bunyip is gloomy. [from back cover].

One hot summer day, four bored children start a watermelon seed-spitting battle that soon spreads throughout their town.

When Viking raiders attack Hekja''s peaceful village and take her and her puppy prisoner, they are at first terrified of the strange new surroundings. Soon, to their amazement, they find their place within the clan and embark on incredible sea voyages.

Buster is a werewolf. He shouldn''t have to go to school!

Cecil''s mom wears high black boots and makes her enemies walk the plank. Is she really a pirate?

Horace''s school assignment is to kill a dragon. How can he get out of this awful mess?

Gunk and his family get an unusual-looking puppy from the animal shelter, but when it grows up to be a dinosaur, no one can believe it.

One by one, seven monkeys who go out to have a good time wind up falling in love over the course of a week.

Ratso the shearer has a sheep dog called Brute. Big Bob theshearer has a sheep dog called Tiny. But Sean-- the new shearer--has a sheep-sheepnamed Pete. The sheep love Sean and Pete, because they give cool cuts. Now theother shearers are miffed, suggesting the talented duo take their trimmerselsewhere. So Sean and Pete open Sean''s Sheep Salon--with hair raisingresults! Pete the Sheep-Sheep is another spin through French''s andillustrator Whatley''s cheeky sense of absurd fun.

Pamela the cow loves pears so much that no one else ever has a chance to eat any.