Most Popular Books by Jackie French

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.

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.

For fans of the Frog and Toad books and Amelia Bedelia stories, the antic tales of Mole and Shrew will prove to be worthy successors. In the introductory title, find out how Mole and Shrew first meet, how Mole finds a new home, and how, with much confusion along the way, Mole and Shrew "finally become fast friends!

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

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

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].

7 books in 1. these spell-binding and spooky stories all star 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. the stories are A Phaery Named Phredde and Other Stories to Eat with a Banana; Phredde and a Frog Named Bruce and Other Stories to eat with a Watermelon; Phredde and the temple of Gloom: A Story to Eat with a Mandarin; Phredde and the Leopardskin Librarian: A Story to Eat with a Dinosaur Apple; Phredde and the Vampire Footy team; Phredde and the Ghostly Underpants: A Story to Eat with a Mango; and Phredde and the Zombie Librarian and Other Stories to Eat with a Blood Plum.

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.

Encouraging young children to read - Encouraging older children to read - How to teach children to read - How to spot reading problems and how to help - All children learn differently - Encouraging a reading culture.

'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

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…

Called Nickommoh, the Narragansett people gather for a joyful harvest celebration as it has been performed since before the arrival of the first Pilgrims in New England. A glossary and author's note traces the connection between Nickommoh and the "first" Thanksgiving.

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!

We’ve all got wacky families, it’s just that some are wackier than others – find out just how wacky some families can be in the sixth book of this hilarious series. We've all got wacky families, it's just that some are wackier than others - find out just how wacky some families can be in the sixth book of this hilarious series. Drackie is no ordinary kid. He lives on Vampire Island, where every night is dark and stormy. Soon he'll be old enough to turn into a bat and live in his own castle. Drackie has just had the best birthday ever. His parents have given him what he's always secretly wished for - a toad. And not just any toad, a vampire toad, he's called Fang. then the unthinkable happens, Fang is toad-napped and a ransom of $100,000 is asked for by the International Society of toad thieves. the only clue is a bright pink feather. A clue that leads to Auntie Chook. But who is Auntie Chook? And why doesn't anyone in Drackie's family wish to talk about her?

A story of transportation and life in a new world from Australia's Children's Laureate At the tender age of eight, chimney sweep Tom Appleby is convicted of stealing and sentenced to deportation to Botany Bay. As one of the members of the First Fleet, he arrives in a country that seemingly has little to offer - or little that the English are used to, anyway. Luckily, not long after tom's arrival in the colony, the fair and kind Sergeant Stanley decides to take on tom as a servant. Together Tom, Sergeant Stanley and his son, Rob, build a house, set up an orchard and a vegetable garden for themselves - and thrive, unlike many others in the new colony. Jackie French weaves Tom's story in with the story of the development of Australia. She tells of a colony that, despite its natural abundance, cannot offer what the colonists want - familiarity. While the people's health is better than it ever was in England, their morale is low as they wait for news from home. 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

"Shaun the shearer doesn't have a sheepdog. He has Pete.And Pete is no ordinary sheep."--Publisher.

The fourth book in the best-selling Jackie French historical series that places girls centre stage. Ming Qong is convinced that girls have changed the world throughout history. History's sister, the mysterious Herstory, believes that the more you know about the past, the better you can understand the future. And so she now sends Ming to work as a maid in an isolated English mansion to see a girl change the world in 1829. But which girl? The young mistress of the house is lying in bed, recovering from the measles. Abandoned by her aristocratic mother and family, she may never walk – or even read and write – again. Ming becomes friends with another scullery maid, Hepzibah, who is desperately teaching herself to read and longs to free slaves, as she and her parents had been. But what hope has a scullery maid? From one of Australia's favourite writers comes an inspiring series for all the young people who will, one day, change the world. AWARDS CBCA Notable Book 2025

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.

The dragonling's adventure among humans begins in this three- books-in-one set.

4 books in 1. these books for children based on historical animals give kids irresistibly exciting and true stories to introduce them to history. the books are: the Goat who Sailed the World (set on the Endeavour, with James Cook); the Dog who Loved a Queen (about Mary Queen of Scots); the Camel who Crossed Australia (about the Burke and Wills expedition); the Donkey who Carried the Wounded (set in Gallipoli in WWI, with Simpson).

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?

A delightful and entertaining peek into the life of one very busy wombat - now in a 'Big Book' format! 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.

The fifth title in the sweeping Matilda Saga Hippies wear beads, demonstrators march against the Vietnam War, and the world waits to see the first human steps on the moon's surface. But at Gibbers Creek, Jed Kelly sees ghosts, from the past and future, at the Drinkwater billabong where long ago the swaggie leaped to his defiant death. But is seventeen-year-old Jed a con artist or a survivor? When she turns up at Drinkwater Station claiming to be the great-granddaughter of Matilda Thompson's dying husband, Jed clearly has secrets. As does a veteran called Nicholas, who was badly wounded in the Vietnam War and now must try to create a life he truly wants to live, despite the ghosts that haunt him too. Set during the turbulence of the late 1960s, this was a time when brilliant and little-known endeavours saw Australia play a vital role in Neil Armstrong's 'one giant leap for mankind' on that first unforgettable moon walk. The fifth title in the highly acclaimed Matilda Saga, The Ghost by the Billabong is a story of deep conflicts and enduring passions - for other people, for the land, and for the future of humanity. PRAISE FOR THE MATILDA SAGA 'An engrossing mystery story, an ode to strong women, and a moving exploration of the private wounds we carry ... The Last Dingo Summer is a must for your summer reading list' - Better Reading 'The perfect read for anyone who loves immersing themselves in Australian fiction. Gripping, emotional and moving, Facing the Flame is a great book to curl up with on a warm spring night' - New Idea 'Highly recommended ... this was a complete binge, read in one night because it was just too good and too gripping to put down ... a cracking story filled with rich characters both old and new and imbued with all that we hold dear about Australian love of country and mateship' - ReadPlus

"The bombs were falling, the smoke was rising from the concentration camps, but Hitler's daughter knew nothing of this. All she knew was the world of lessons with Fraulein Gelber, the hedgehogs she rescued from the cold and the exciting visits from her beloved father Duffi.Until the day she is taken to her father's bunker in Berlin ...Anna's story about Hitler's daughter haunts Mark. Could it have been true? Did Hitler's daughter really exist? If Mark had a father like Hitler, could he love him?Do things that happened a long time ago still matter? "--Publisher.

Bestselling Mothball is back -- with birthday cake! (Carrot, of course.) She eats, she sleeps, she scratches. But today it's Mothball's birthday and it's time to celebrate! Created by author Jackie French and illustrator Bruce Whatley, Happy Birthday Wombat is a very funny picture book about enjoying a special day -- as seen through the eyes of the world's most famous wombat. PRAISE FOR DIARY OF A WOMBAT AND OTHER BOOKS STARRING MOTHBALL 'French and Whatley have conjured an affectionate, believable wombat self-portrait' -- The New York Times Book Review 'I absolutely love the tone of Mothball's diary entries -- the dry brevity and classic wombat behaviour that's made this gorgeous creature an Aussie literary treasure. Whatley's divinely funny illustrations yet again make for an all-rounder of a book that will loosen smiles on readers of any age' -- Kids' Book Review

ANZAC Day seen through the eyes of generations of Australians. Ages: 7-12 Anzac Day is the day when we remember and honour Anzac traditions down the ages, from the first faltering march of wounded veterans in 1916 to the ever increasing numbers of their descendants who march today. Containing reference to the many places the ANZACs have fought, and the various ways in which they keep the peace and support the civilians in war-torn parts of the world today, this is a picture book that looks not only at traditions, but also the effects of war.

The new title in the critically acclaimed series that explores Australia's early Colonial secret history In1798 orphaned Barney Bean now has a flourishing farm in the New SouthWales colony and everything he ever dreamed of ... except his childhood friendElsie. Butwhen Elsie falls ill and Barney rushes to be by her side, he finally learns thedeadly secret she has been hiding. Who is this strange and beautiful girl who will not speak? And could Franceever attack the isolated colony? Written byaward-winning author Jackie French and superbly illustrated by Mark Wilson,this fourth book in The Secret Histories series explores extraordinary anduntold stories from Australia's past, including the female French botanistwho could only work disguised as a man, French and Englishspies, and wars between two empires that threatened even a far-off colony.

Harry and Cissie live 150 years apart. What is the mystery that links them? there was a light in the corner of the chook-house, just below the perches. It was bright and strangely piercing, like a bit of sun had wandered in by mistake. Who is the girl through the hole in the chook-house? Is it a hole in time? And how can you help someone who lived more than 150 years ago䇡rry dreads leaving the farm to go to boarding school next year. Cissie is an orphaned girl living with the soldiers at the garrison 150 years ago. Something more powerful than time has drawn them both together. Ages 10+

From bestselling author Jackie French comes a book about the secrets we carry, those that we unearth - and those that are too dangerous to tell. The once impoverished medical student Agnes Glock is now the fabulously wealthy Mrs Mulberry. Her estate in the mountains is magnificent, a haven for those too ravaged by the Great War to cope with the society that first condemned them to battle and which now shuns them. The War has, however, stolen Agnes's chance to graduate as a doctor, as well as the fiance she adored. Her husband, Douglas Mulberry, remains shellshocked and unable to speak. Their scandalous marriage is a farce, an act of kindness to keep Douglas's fortune from his uncle's grasp. A chance visit to a circus brings about a mystery in the form of a fairylike child whose guardians claim was brought up by dingoes. The child cannot speak and seems deformed. But Agnes is inexplicably drawn to her and believes she can be cured. The decision to save the child will bring Agnes's lost fiance into her life again, as well as awaken the love of her husband who finds his voice as the three try to solve the mystery of the 'dingo girl'. Agnes has put aside her own life and the dreams she once had. But now she has choices, with the main question the hardest: Who is Mrs Agnes Mulberry? 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

Prudence is invited by her father's distant werewolf cousins to their gloomy castle to hunt for some missing 'treasure'. Phredde and Bruce accompany Prudence, who is well aware that if she fails then her father will have to take her place. the zombie librarian also makes a reappearance, as does the castle banshee, and Cousin Flea decides that he wants to be a lighting and sound technician and turns what was once a nicely decorated castle into a setting for a television series. Ages 7-12

"Christmas from a wombat's point of view, including competition for the carrots children have left out for Santa's reindeer, and guess who gets stuck in the chimney?"--

A SWASHBUCKLING ADVENTURE FROM AUSTRALIA'S CHILDREN'S LAUREATE CAN YOU STILL LOVE YOUR FATHER, NO MATTER WHAT HIS CRIMES ARE? Twelve-year-old Ben Huntsmore is the son of a shipowner, an only child who loves the farming life on his mother's family estate, Badger's Hill. But when Ben's father loses their ancestral home in 1809 as payment for a gambling debt, Ben reluctantly joins him in a desperate venture to win it back, capturing enemy trading ships off the west Australian coast. While at sea, Ben must face not just the giant waves of the Southern Ocean but also the guns of a Dutch ship, along with unexpected treachery. And only the friendships of the mysterious convict Higgins and the young Indigenous sailor Guwara will help Ben survive, as well as show him the true meaning of loyalty and riches. From renowned children's author Jackie French comes a book filled with swashbuckling adventures and which uncovers Australia's hidden history as a pirate port and slavers' den. 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 AWARDS FOR PIRATE BOY OF SYDNEY TOWN Shortlisted - NSW Premier's History Awards (Young People's History Prize)

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

Ghostly story. 8 yrs+

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.

This is the story of a Scottish wolfhound called Snarf and his owner, Hekja, whose simple but happy lives change unrecognisably when their village is raided by Vikings. As a puppy, Snarf is fortuitously rescued by a young girl called Hekja when he is badly injured. Both are then captured by raiding Vikings and transported to 'Vinland' with Freydis Ericsdottir, half - sister of Leif Ericson (who is usually credited with 'discovering' America. Both Freydis and Leif are the children of Eric the Red, who founded the Greenland colony.) This page - turning story is set against an historical backdrop and the book is both fascinating and historically informative. The book will also contain detailed black and white line illustrations throughout.

Paperback edition of a book first published in 1991, about an eccentric aunt, trainer of racehorses, and collector of stray animals, who has an unfulfilled ambition P to have a runner in the Melbourne Cup. She enters Fred, her pet Kangaroo.

This text is a third collection of fun stories from Jackie French featuring the Phaerie named Phredde.