Most Popular Books by Jackie French

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.

There''s no cutting corners on this durable edition featuring Pete and other favourite friends at Sean''s Sheep Salon. the award-winning team behind Diary of a Wombat have joined forces again to create another highly amusing picture book.Sean is a shearer and instead of a sheepdog to help him, he''s got a sheep sheep - Pete. After being rejected by the other shearers and their dogs, Sean and Pete set up a sheep salon in town. Sheep from everywhere arrive to have their wool shorn in the latest style and even the shearers'' dogs end up arriving for a cut in order to look gorgeous.Jackie and Bruce have created the perfect combination of words and illustrations in this irreverent look at the world of sheep shearing.Ages 4-9

NEW REVISED EDITION TO CELEBRATE THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FIRST MOON LANDING Who were the Honeysuckle Creek mob? And how did they assist the first moon landing? When man took the first step on the moon it was a bunch of Australian technicians who tracked the spacecraft and sent the first television pictures to the world. No, not at Parkes - the movie ''The Dish'' got it wrong. They were from Honeysuckle Creek in the ACT. This is their story, told by Bryan Sullivan, one of the technicians on duty at the time, and his wife, children''s author Jackie French. And to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first manned Moon landing, Bryan and Jackie have revisited this book to reflect on the enormous strides that technology has made since this book was first published in 2004. Winner of the 2005 CBC Eve Pownall Award for Information Books in 2005, To the Moon and Back includes information about the space program and the birth of the internet, as well as supplying the answers to questions such as: How do you go to the toilet in a spacecraft? Have the astronauts ever seen an alien? What made the moon? Can I have a holiday in space? PRAISE ''... fascinating insights into the part that the Australians played in getting the astronauts to the moon and back.'' -- Bestselling author, Dr Karl Kruszelnicki

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.

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+

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

The school sports day is on and Mothball wombat is competing! She eats. She sleeps. She scratches. But can this wombat win? From the award-winning, bestselling creators of Diary of a Wombat. This is a book about a wombat ... winning. Yes, Mothball has become an athlete, albeit a little accidentally. In her never-ending quest for carrots Mothball stumbles upon the children at the local school competing in the school sports. And despite her somewhat limiting physique and lack of training, Mothball manages to go home with a gold medal. Why puff and pant when you can eat, sleep and scratch? PRAISE ''A great addition to any first reader''s library and a book to be savoured many times, alone or in shared reading. Highly Recommended.'' -- Reading Time

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

Australian Children''s Laureate, book lover and dyslexia sufferer Jackie French gives a wonderful insight into how you can help your child discover a world of books. Does your child love books, but can''t stay still long enough to focus on reading one? Would you like to improve your child''s reading ability? Don''t know where to begin to stimulate a greater love of reading in your child? Award-winning author Jackie French knows what it is to struggle with reading and literacy. Drawing on her own experience with dyslexia, Jackie has written this book to help parents identify the possible reading difficulties their children may have. All children learn differently, and Jackie offers many fun and rewarding way s to help launch your child into literacy. these include games for coordination, concentration and focus as well as helpful steps to kickstart your child into reading and to foster a life-long love of books. I SPY A GREAt READER is filled with a wealth of advice, anecdotes and activities - it''s a book every parent should own.

the Fascinating History of Your Lunch is an historical look at food and the food from right around the world. Who invented cheese? Or bread or margarine? Where did lettuce and tomato plants originally come from? the plants we eat nowadays come from all over the world and the way we cook and eat them also come from many different cultures. Apples travelled with the Romans, oranges with the Muslim armies and chocolate started off as ancient Aztec coins. the history of food is the history of the world - the Spanish conquistadors conquered the South American Aztec empire and brought home the bitter beans that would eventually become chocolate. they also brought potatoes and chillies with them. Wars, famines and revolutions bring people from one country to another and they bring their favourite food, too. the most important things to learn from history are how people once lived and thought and how that has led to the world we know today. And one of the most interesting ways of understanding history is to look at what we eat. Ages 10+

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 life of a wombat as told by a wombat Critics hailed DIARY OF A WOMBAT as \"hilarious...adorable \" \"Laugh out loud \" And the Bulletin for the Center of Children''s Books gave it a starred review. This magnificently droll autobiography gives new meaning to the word persistent. Young readers everywhere will be begging for one to move in under their house after they meet our girl

there are hundreds and thousands of Missing Persons ... whether they have changed identity to remain hidden from those who love them, whether they have been abducted or some other reason is not always known. Missing You, Love Sara is a story of such a person and the effect on those left behind. At 11.35am, thursday May 4th, Sara''s sister Reenie disappears. Was she kidnapped Did she kill herself Did she simply decide to vanish Or is her body lying somewhere waiting to be found this is Sara''s story as she tries to work it out. How can someone like Reenie just disappear And are the police really doing everything they can to find her ... Ages 12+ there are hundreds and thousands of Missing Persons ... whether they have changed identity to remain hidden from those who love them, whether they have been abducted or some other reason is not always known. Missing You, Love Sara is a story of such a person and the effect on those left behind. At 11.35am, thursday May 4th, Sara''s sister Reenie disappears. Was she kidnapped? Did she kill herself? Did she simply decide to vanish? Or is her body lying somewhere waiting to be found? this is Sara''s story as she tries to work it out. How can someone like Reenie just disappear? And are the police really doing everything they can to find her ... Ages 12+

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

Mike is just like any other normal kid - he lives with his mum in an ordinary house, in a small town, where nothing unusual ever happens. His next-door neighbour is Lance Loosley, a boy who''s known at school as ''Loser'' because he''s so unpopular. Loser tells Mike that ''tenterfield'' - the old property nearby, which was recently bought by some foreign investors is being used as a laboratory to run dangerous experiments. Of course, Mike doesn''t believe Loser for a second. He''s always concocting stories to make himself look good. But one day at school, Loser is pushed too far by the other kids. this time the humiliation and teasing is too much, and Loser seeks revenge. He smashes a test tube in class, a test tube that he says contains a deadly virus from the ''tenterfield'' property. Is Loser telling the truth Have they all driven him into becoming a killer Will they all die from the virus Mike is just like any other normal kid - he lives with his mum in an ordinary house, in a small town, where nothing unusual ever happens.His next-door neighbour is Lance Loosley, a boy who''s known at school as ''Loser'' because he''s so unpopular. Loser tells Mike that ''tenterfield'' - the old property nearby, which was recently bought by some foreign investors is being used as a laboratory to run dangerous experiments. Of course, Mike doesn''t believe Loser for a second. He''s always concocting stories to make himself look good.But one day at school, Loser is pushed too far by the other kids. this time the humiliation and teasing is too much, and Loser seeks revenge. He smashes a test tube in class, a test tube that he says contains a deadly virus from the ''tenterfield'' property.Is Loser telling the truth? Have they all driven him into becoming a killer? Will they all die from the virus?

In the third title about this pair of friends, Mole and Shrew are short of cash, so they head into the working world with hysterical results. Illustrations.

The much-loved sequel to the bestselling DIARY OF A WOMBAT He sleeps. He eats. He gets bored. He creates havoc wherever he goes! He''s Mothball''s baby - and he''s even cuter, naughtier and more determined than his mum. Created by writer Jackie French and illustrator Bruce Whatley, the award-winning duo of the international bestseller Diary of a Wombat.

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.

Drawing on her own family history, this is a story from Jackie French about education in Colonial Australia - and how women once had to fight for their right to it. January 1901 Sharks circle a stranded ship as a young girl and her family stagger from the waves ... Rescued by a Pacific Islander boy named Jamie, Hannah''s family begin a new life in Port Harris, which at first seems a paradise for the schoolmaster''s daughter. But local fortunes are built on slavery and the whip. As the new Federal Parliament passes the law that will force Pacific Islanders from their homes, Hannah and her mother risk everything to run a secret school, while Hannah and Jamie must fight for their rights to education and equality. Can friendship and love win against prejudice and power? Inspired by real events, this powerful new novel brings to life the bravery and battles of the past, and gives us courage for the challenges of today. AWARDS Longlisted - Book Links Children''s Historical Fiction Award

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

''French knows how to conjure [an] imagined past, full of detail about how people lived during particular periods and within particular cultures'' -- Viewpoint Martin lives in the city with his mum. He''s come to walk the boundaries of the farm that''s been in his family for generations. It sounds easy, especially as he''ll own the land when he gets back. Martin''s great-grandfather, Ted, doesn''t even want him to walk around the farm''s fences, just up the gorge and along the hills. But up in the gorge Martin meets Meg from almost a century ago and Wullamudulla from thousands of years in the past. Despite their differences they discover that they''re all on the same journey ... and that walking the boundaries means more than following lines on a map. PRAISE FOR NANBERRY: BLACK BROTHER WHITE ''For really, really good Australian young-adult (and middle-grade) historical fiction, Jackie French has always been a winner ... With Nanberry: Black Brother White she delivers an excellent fictionalised account of the First Fleet''s settlement at Sydney Cove ... a powerful novel'' -- Australian Bookseller & Publisher, 5 stars ''She is one of few masters who can embed historic characters in rattling good tales, and her meticulous research is seamlessly inserted so that you live the detail rather than learn it. Even if you are not into history, Nanberry will hook you in ... Irresistible for history buffs of any age'' -- Good Reading Magazine, 5 stars ''I''ve been telling all my friends to read this book, and to give it to their kids to read. It''s absolutely engrossing'' -- Herald Sun

At first his whole world had been the pouch; the sweet scent of his mother, her warmth, and the steady thud of her pulse. Now, he wants to find another world. the warrior is ready to explore. But finding a world, his world, away from the safety of the creel flat and his mother\''9291s hole, is hard and dangerous. And for the warrior to make a new world his, he has to overcome his fears and the 㟴he Enemy. Ages 8+

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.

Children will love guzzling their garden - and it''s not too much work as this book will show them. Jackie French is well-known as a gardening expert from her articles in many magazines and newspapers and her tV spot on ''Burke''s Backyard''. In this book she will describe and show children how to easily and quickly set up a garden and be able to eat thing from it with little financial outlay and not too much work! they will be munching their garden in no time at all. this book will also be terrific for schools and other groups to use in teaching children all about growing edible plants. Ages 10+

Queen Victoria was Empress of half the world. She owned palaces and huge armies. Mighty sultans gave her precious jewels. But she didn''t have any knickers!

A delightful and entertaining peek into the life of one very busy wombat! Ages: 3-7 Monday Morning: Slept. Afternoon: Slept. Evening: Ate. Scratched. Night: Ate. A typical day. Don''t be fooled. this wombat leads a very busy and demanding life. She wrestles unknown creatures, runs her own digging business, and most difficult of all - trains her humans. She teaches them when she would like carrots, when she would like oats and when she would like both at the same time. But these humans are slow learners. Find out how one wombat - between scratching, sleeping and eating - manages to fit the difficult job of training humans into her busy schedule.

Werewolves, wacky creatures and lots of crazy humour - sounds like another hilarious series from Jackie French!! Ages 8-10 Boojum Bark is a werewolf - and a hero. He doesn''t really want to be, but it''s the only way he''ll save his mum. Now he has to go to Hero School to learn the Right Way to achieve hero status.Werewolves are at the bottom of the pecking order when it comes to heroes - especially when they lift their legs on the doorpost and do outrageous things on stage in the middle of school assembly.But something strange is happening at the School for Heroes. Could the school be under attack? If so, by whom? And who will protect it? Can Boojum sniff out the perpetrators?Join the funniest assortment of strange (but heroic!) characters ever to attend one school as they try to find out what being a hero really means.Ages 8 - 10

Beautiful new editions of popular titles that will entice a whole new generation of readers to the exploits of Phredde and her friends. Phredde and a Frog Named Bruce and other stories to eat with a watermelon When your teacher''s a vampire, your brother''s a werewolf, and a frog named Bruce refuses to try to help to save Sleeping Beauty from the Prince, what else can happen? Ages 7-12

This adorable buggy book is perfect for little ones to enjoy. Ages: 0-3 He''s cute. He''s fluffy. He''s naughty. He''s Mothball''s son and he is having one very busy day

Some people eat stories as they would a banana or potato chips: something delicious just for fun. A collection of short connected stories from this popular award-winning author about a \"phaery\" named Phredde and her friend Prudence and a cast of werewolves, vampires and dragons. A punkish and funny treatment of fairyland.

Three women from very different backgrounds, bound by friendship, separated by destiny It was impossible, but in full view of the church, the Governor and wedding guests ... The bride had vanished. Some girls are born to be loved, some are born to be useful. Some girls are born to be bad. Indulged and wealthy Kat Fitzhubert is seemingly ''sold off'' in an arranged marriage in a colony across the world. Lady Viola Montefiore is the dark-skinned ''changeling'' of a ducal family, kept hidden and then shipped away. Titania Boot is as broad as a carthorse, and as useful. In the turmoil of an Australia in 1853 that reinvents itself from convict colony to a land of gold, one woman forges a business empire. One brews illegal poteen with a bushranger. And the third vanishes on her wedding day in a scandal that will mystify the world. In this magnificent and broad-sweeping saga, Jackie French defies the myth of colonial women as ''merely'' wives, servants or whores. Instead portraying them as business women, farmers, bushrangers and brewers of illegal poteen, as well as arbiters of their destiny.

A special new edition of the much-loved modern classic -- celebrating 20 years of Australia''s best-loved wombat, Mothball MondayMorning: Slept. Afternoon: Slept. Evening: Ate.Scratched. Night: Ate. A typical day. Don''t be fooled. this wombat leads a very busy and demanding life. She wrestles unknown creatures, runs her own digging business, and most difficult of all - trains her humans. She teaches them when she would like carrots, when she would like oats and when she would like both at the same time. But these humans are slow learners. Find out how one wombat - between scratching, sleeping and eating - manages to fit the difficult job of training humans into her busy schedule. PRAISE FOR DIARY OF A WOMBAT: ''One read and Diary of a Wombat was an instant favourite, as it is with children across the country'' - Kids'' Book Review

the hole was moving! the walls were falling down... there was a rope under his arms. there was a face above. An anxious face, yelling something down to him, something he didn''t understand. A strange face, with something wrong about the eyes. tanned skin, unshaven, black hair a bit too long. Joey knows there is a Japanese soldier hiding in the hills. It was a Japanese man, a soldier, who hauled him out of the mineshaft, who lit the fire to bring the searchers, and then disappeared. But nobody believes Joey. After all, it is World War 2 and children have nightmares. Joey knows he will have to find the soldier himself - must find him. Could he be part of the invasion force Could he be sending messages to waiting submarines Ages 12+ the hole was moving! the walls were falling down... there was a rope under his arms. there was a face above. An anxious face, yelling something down to him, something he didn''t understand. A strange face, with something wrong about the eyes. tanned skin, unshaven, black hair a bit too long. Joey knows there is a Japanese soldier hiding in the hills. It was a Japanese man, a soldier, who hauled him out of the mineshaft, who lit the fire to bring the searchers, and then disappeared. But nobody believes Joey. After all, it is World War 2 and children have nightmares. Joey knows he will have to find the soldier himself - must find him. Could he be part of the invasion force? Could he be sending messages to waiting submarines? Ages 12+

From bestselling author Jackie French comes a compelling story of murder, mystery, and mutiny on the high seas - and a love so intense it can overcome two different cultures. You never know what the sea will give you ... or what it will take back. When Mair McCrae follows her island tradition and hunts for a husband cast up on the beach, she has no notion that the naked, half-drowned man she rescues is not just Captain Michael Dawson, heir to a major shipping firm, but that he''s obsessed by a ''ghost ship'' carrying golden cargo. On Big Henry Island women make the decisions and knit the patterns that mark a man as their own. But Big Henry is also a volcano, and threatening to erupt. Yet when Mair agrees to accompany Michael home, she finds that the Australian comfort he promised has a danger just as real: a social system that tries to keep women confined to small roles at the edges of men''s lives. And as Michael hunts for the ''Ghost'' in his revolutionary new steamship, a string of mysterious deaths upends Mair''s new life in Sydney. Who is the murderer, and why is Mair the only one who realises what is happening? PRAISE FOR BECOMING MRS MULBERRY ''... a captivating story of personal growth, of generosity in its true sense and ultimately one of courage and hope. Not to be missed.'' DARRY FRASER, AUTHOR OF THE FORTHRIGHT WOMAN ''A captivating masterpiece - insightful, humorous and heart wrenching. A total delight.'' TEA COOPER, AUTHOR OF THE BUTTERFLY COLLECTOR

Conclusion to The Keepers trilogy. Nell and her recently discovered twin brother, Owen, vie to be named the next Imperial Wizard. 8 yrs+

This story is equal parts Downton Abbey and Wartime Action, with enough romance and intrigue to make it 100% not-put-down-able.'' - Australian Women''s Weekly on Miss Lily''s Lovely Ladies Paris,Christmas 1914 Despite her love for Huw, Elspeth will not give up her espionage work while World War One rages. She will wear his ring around her neck, and marry him when the war is over. But a pregnant unmarried woman cannot, officially, work either. Sent on a secret mission into occupied Belgium, and unable to contact Huw, Elspeth begins to realise she is risking not just herself, but also her unborn baby. As danger escalates, will there ever be a joyous Christmas for Elspeth, Huw and their child? For those who love the Miss Lily series, this is a story about the ''army of women'' who played such a major role in World War One, but were left out of official histories. It is also a story of a love so strong it will survive until the chance to bloom again.

Renowned for her historical fiction titles, Jackie French now tells the story of the brilliant and famous evacuation of Gallipoli. Sixteen-year-old Nipper and his Gallipoli mates Lanky, Spud, Bluey and Wallaby Joe are starving, freezing and ill-equipped. By November 1915 they know that that there is more to winning a war than courage. The Gallipoli campaign has been lost. Nipper has played cricket with the Turks in the opposing dugout, dodged rocket fire and rescued desperate and drowning men when the blizzard snow melted. He is one of the few trusted with the secret kept from even most of the officers: how an entire army will vanish from the Peninsula over three impeccably planned nights. Based on first-hand accounts of those extraordinary last weeks of the Gallipoli campaign, this is the fascinating ''lost story'' of how 150,000 men – and their horses and equipment – were secretly moved to waiting ships without a single life lost. An unforgettable story told through the eyes of a boy who lied about his age to defend his country.