Fast-paced and fesity adventure where slave girl turns warrior in the battle for survival. Hekja is nothing but a slave. The property of her Viking masters. But one day soon, those masters will live to see a slave become a heroine: they will live to see her fight alongside them, for the very survival of the clan. `Hekja's ma was white with terror and twisted with pain too. She screamed out, 'Run!' That was the last thing she ever said. One of the men - the largest, with a chin like a cod fish and almost no beard at all - plunged his sword into her heart, then pulled it out, all bloody. Hekja screamed. She ran towards her ma's body and knelt down. Her ma's eyes stared at the sky and there was a froth of blood from her mouth...' When Hekja's family and friends are killed by Vikings, she is taken as a slave and carried away to Greenland. But she is lucky: her mistress Freydis is a kind woman who wishes her no harm. Fiery determination, intelligence and fleet-footedness soon make Hekja indispensable to her new owner - as a messenger, an advisor and a friend. So when Freydis sets off for America with her husband, Hekja accompanies her, along with the treacherous Viking lord Finnbogi. There, she finds a forbidden love with a free man. But this new world holds even greater dangers. Before Hekja can be free, she has to take a bloody stand alongside her captors: against the furious natives, but also against enemies closer to home...

A powerful novel from master storyteller Jackie French The soldiers she saved called her the Angel of Waterloo. The husband she loved and lost called her Hen. The patients she treated in secret called her Auntie Love. She was Henrietta Bartlett, a surgeon's daughter, a survivor of the Napoleonic Wars. But now the battlefield is just a blood-soaked memory, and Hen dreams of peace, a home, and a society that allows women to practise medicine. On the other side of the world, the newly founded colony of New South Wales seems a paradise. But Europe's wars cast long shadows ... From bestselling author Jackie French comes the story of one woman's journey from the hell of Waterloo to colonial Australia, where she can forge her own dreams in a land of many nations. PRAISE FOR JACKIE FRENCH 'a master storyteller ... [she] gives women a rich, strong, and brutally honest voice' - Better Reading 'Heartwarming, heartbreaking and hard to put down' - Australian Women's Weekly on If Blood Should Stain the Wattle

Darek must rescue Zantor and Pola from the dangerous mists of Krad in this fifth book in the fantastical Dragonling chapter book series!

When Darek's beloved dragonling, Zantor, and Darek's best friend, Pola, disappear into the mists of Krad, everyone assumes they're gone for good. But Darek just knows that Zantor and Pola are alive. He can hear the dragonling's cries for help, deep inside his own head. And much to his surprise, Rowena--the cause of all the trouble--hears them, too.

Together Darek and Rowena sneak into Krad to rescue their friends. But they soon find that Krad is even more dangerous than they'd feared. So dangerous that it may be impossible to save anyone, even themselves...

A boy is pushed too far by his peers, resulting in dramatic and life-threatening consequences as he threatens to release a deadly virus into his school Mike is just like any other normal kid. He lives in a small town where nothing unusual happens. His next door neighbour is Lance Loosley, known as Loser at school, a bit of a weirdo, always boasting, a kid no one wants to be friends with. One day Lance is pushed too far by his peers and this time the humiliation and teasing is too much. Lance seeks revenge. He has in his possession a test-tube filled with brown powder that he claims is a deadly virus. No one believes him until the test-tube gets smashed in the classroom. First the teacher starts having seizures, then the pupils. Lance disappears. The school is put into quarantine and isolated. No one goes in. No one is allowed out, except perhaps in a body bag. Mike feels he has to do something, and manages to escape and sets out to find Lance. He discovers that the brown powder is not a deadly virus. The reason for the illness is rat poison which Lance had tipped his classmates' and teachers' pencils in, the end some people like to chew or suck. Mike has saved the day, but not without personal cost to himself as he reflects on who is really to blame. 'But I should have been kind to him. I should have been honest with him. I shouldn't have laughed behind his back.' A chilling and thought-provoking novel about the devastating effects of an unhappy childhood, peer-group pressure and the desperate measures taken to be liked. An immensely exciting novel and a worthy follow up to Hitler's Daughter, by the same author.

'The 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 Australian heiress Sophie Higgs was 'a rose of no-man's land', founding hospitals across war-torn Europe during the horror that was WW1. Now, in the 1920s, Sophie's wartime work must be erased so that the men who returned can find some kind of 'normality'. Sophie is, however, a graduate of the mysterious Miss Lily's school of charm and intrigue, and once more she risks her own life as she attempts to save others still trapped in the turmoil and aftermath of war. But in this new world, nothing is clear, in politics or in love. For the role of men has changed too. Torn between the love of three very different men, Sophie will face her greatest danger yet as she attempts an impossible journey across the world to save Nigel, Earl of Shillings - and her beloved Miss Lily. In this sequel to the bestselling Miss Lily's Lovely Ladies, Jackie French draws us further into a compelling story that celebrates the passion and adventure of an unstoppable army of women who changed the world.

The final and thrilling conclusion to the popular and bestselling Miss Lily series A mysterious telegram that says, 'Lily needs you' arrives just before a plane from war-ravaged England lands in one of Sophie Greenman's paddocks. Sophie, Countess of Shillings, has been living a quiet life on her property in Australia, until love and loyalty draw her back to England where she once trained to become one of Miss Lily's 'Lovely Ladies'. Now, in 1942, Shillings Hall trains women to become espionage agents. Sophie's mission? To seek out disaffected German officers prepared to kill Hitler. Across Europe women like Sophie, or Parisian couturier Violette, or Hannelore, German Prinzessin and spy, must determine where their deepest loyalty lies. And as Europe slowly disintegrates, Miss Lily must also decide her final fate. Based on real-life events, this is the story of the women who wielded immense, yet secret, power. And in this fifth and final book in the Miss Lily series, Jackie French tells the story of the remarkable women who have been carefully left out of our war histories: those lost lilies of allied espionage.

Third title following on from the award-winning and best-selling HITLER'S DAUGHTER and PENNIES FOR HITLER. Ages: 10 years + This is the story of Johannes, and Frau Timmins, and the strange girl now known as 'Helga'. It is also the story of how they survived the death camps, the vast wilderness faced by refugees in World War Two, and how they eventually found happiness in Australia. The final title in the multi award-winning Hitler series, this compelling story follows on from Heidi's story in Hitler's Daughter and Georg's in Pennies for Hitler, and shows us that evil must be fought and won. But once you've won, the hardest and most necessary battle is to understand and forgive. And to learn how to love and live again. Ages: 10 years+

Darek searches deep into Krad to find Zantor and Pola in this fourth book in the fantastical Dragonling chapter book series!

When Darek's beloved dragonling, Zantor, and Darek's best friend, Pola, disappear into the mists of Krad, they are assumed dead. But Darek knows Zantor and Pola are alive. He can hear the dragonling's cries for help, deep inside his own head. And much to his surprise, Rowena--the cause of all the trouble--hears them, too.

Together they sneak into Krad to rescue their friends. But they soon find Krad is even more dangerous than they'd feared. So dangerous that it may be impossible to save anyone, even themselves...

The world is at war, and women are working, often behind the scenes, in areas from nursing to espionage. And despite their many successes, these are the women the men don't see. Unimaginable danger creeps ever closer to Miss Lily and her loved ones . . . Amid the decadence and instability of Berlin in the 1920s, a band of women must unite to save all that is precious to them. With her dangerous past behind her, Australian heiress Sophie Higgs lives in quiet comfort as the Countess of Shillings, until Hannelore, Princess of Arneburg, charms the Prince of Wales. He orders Sophie, Nigel - and Miss Lily - to investigate the mysterious politician Hannelore believes is the only man who can save Europe from another devastating war. His name is Adolf Hitler. As unimaginable peril threatens to destroy countries and tear families apart, Sophie must face Goering's Brownshirt Nazi thugs, blackmail, and the many possible faces of love. And then the man she once adored and thought was lost reappears, and Sophie will be confronted by the girl intent on killing the mother who betrayed her family in the war: Miss Lily. The third book in the Miss Lily series, The Lily in the Snow is a story filled with secrets that also explores the strength of friendship and the changing face of women in this new Europe.

Darek and Zantor work together to stop the kidnapping of another baby dragon in this third book in the fantastical Dragonling chapter book series!

Now that the villagers have finally accepted Darek’s dragonling, Zantor, they’ve all fallen in love with him. Especially Rowena, the spoiled daughter of the Chief Elder—so much so that she wants the dragonling for her very own.

But Darek can’t give him up! He and Zantor are so close that he can almost get inside the little dragon’s mind. So the Chief Elder orders Darek’s father to find another dragonling. Even though a dragon mother will have to die—along with some villagers, too. Darek can’t let that happen. But how can he stop them…unless he joins the dragon quest?

What's worse that mutant cockroaches? Vampire slugs, that's what. They're big and fanged and slimy and suck just about everything. Soon there'll be no trees or plants left on Callisto. Someone has to do something - but Sam and her friend Broc feel so helpless. Why isn't anyone else worried?

She eats. She sleeps. She scratches. She goes to school...She sleeps. She eats. She scratches - and finds a hole. When Mothball discovers a new hole, it unexpectedly leads her to the local school. the children learn that wombats love carrots and grass, while Mothball learns that lunch boxes contain very few carrots, that sports sheds can be a good place to have a nap, and that when you're brown and round, it's not a good idea to get too close to a ball ...Ages 3 years plus

As the King of England wavers between duty and love, Sophie knows that she must choose duty. The year is 1936 and the new King Edward VIII wishes to marry American divorcee, and suspected German agent, Wallis Simpson. Top-secret documents that the king must read and sign are being neglected for weeks, and some are even turning up in Berlin. And as Germany grows its military might with many thousands of new fighter planes every year, Britain and its empire are under increasing threat. Can Miss Lily's most successful protege, Sophie Vaile, the Countess of Shillings, seduce the new king, prevent his marriage to Wallis Simpson, and turn him from fascism? And if a man can sacrifice his life for his country, should a woman hesitate to sacrifice her honour? Based on new correspondence found in German archives, Lilies, Love and Lies is a work of fiction. Or is it? In the fourth title in the Miss Lily series, Jackie French explores one of the most controversial events in history that saw the unthinkable happen when a king chose love over duty.

Darek and Zantor work to convince everyone that dragons and humans can get along in this second book in the fantastical Dragonling chapter book series!

Ever since Darek saved Zantor the dragonling, they've been inseparable. Darek is the only family Zantor has ever known. But now Darek is bringing Zantor home from the Valley of the Dragons, and the villagers are up in arms! He and his brother Clep are called traitors. Their best friends are turning against them. Even Darek's father has been threatened for allowing the enemy in their midst.

How can Darek prove that dragons are good neighbors to the villagers?

'A wonderful read for anyone whether they are discovering A Midsummer Night's Dream for the first time or revisiting the classic tale.' - Books+Publishing, four stars Titania rose to her feet. 'What is going on here, Peaseblossom?' she demanded. I bowed to her. 'I apologise, Your Majesty. But I'd rather be known as Pete.' 'Pete?' She frowned. 'That's no name for a fairy.' 'No, it isn't, ' I said, meeting her eyes. At court, he's known as Peaseblossom, a servant to the Fairy Queen. But as Pete, he prefers pizza to sugarplums and denim to daffodils. He wants to choose his own life too. But how can he when a fairy's sole duty is to obey the all-powerful Queen Titania? This is Shakespeare's popular and delightful comedy A Midsummer Night's Dream with an added army of Amazons, a sea serpent and a selkie called Gaela, who luckily for Pete makes the best pizza in the world. It is also a story of the intrigues of the Fairy Court, of vampire plots to dominate the world and of impossible loves that might just come true. Not by enchantment, but when two hearts thread together, making a magic of their own. PRAISE 'By melding the old and the new, French cleverly raises questions about free will and the abuse of power ... A wonderful read for anyone whether they are discovering A Midsummer's Night Dream for the first time or revisiting the classic tale.' - Books+Publishing, four stars 'Jackie French enriches Shakespeare's plot with well-rounded characters, convincing additional people and interesting back stories ... an absorbing novel' - Magpies magazine on Third Witch 'The tenderness and beauty French injects into the text is mesmerising ... Evocative scenes, tangible smells and sounds combine to immerse the reader in a carefully designed plot that both stays true to the classic play, and also uncomplicates things for the younger reader' - Kids' Book Review on I am Juliet

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

Thirteen-year-old Danny and his family are struggling to make ends meet in New York during the Great Depression. His father leaves to search for work, and Danny and his mother do what they can to survive. With his mother pregnant and unable to help, Danny is forced to beg for food. Through it all, they retain their good humor and family pride, and in the end help arrives in a most unexpected guise. "Rich, rewarding historical fiction."--"Kirkus Reviews"

Chubby and I stood staring at the stove door, watching the flare of the burning letter. Someday had suddenly become starkly, terribly real. This town we loved, everything we knew, the very roads we walked on, would soon rest beneath the waters of a giant reservoir, like some scene in a dime-store waterglobe. What would become of us, of me and Chubby, and Mama and Gran? And what about all our friends and neighbors? Who would we be without Enfield to bind us together? "Koller excels in making Celie fully human and three dimensional. The town of Enfield becomes a character like any other in the story, triggering emotion and tears." VOYA

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

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

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, Pru's best friends in the world, keep sneaking off to Phaeryland without her? And most important: who keeps stealing Pru's underpants? A hair-raising, spine-tingling GHOStLY tale of phaeries, underpants and adventure!

From Australia's Children's Laureate comes a delightful collection of stories about horses and unicorns. take a journey through the ages and around the world - from ancient Greece, to the time of Genghis Khan to Arthurian England and then to outback Australia in the 1950s. Each story weaves the fantastic into the commonplace or focuses on the special relationship that exists between humans and horses. Some stories are based on true stories, some on fantasy, all are brimming with heart-warming magic and adventure. Age 8+

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.