I am an adventurous exploring soul who loves nature. Whether it’s simple short drives discovering little country towns in my region or travelling further afield, I am in my happy place. As a mother of three grown sons, two of which were reluctant readers, and as a former primary school teacher with a passion for literacy, I know the struggle parents face with teaching a love of reading to their children. Writing adventure stories in unique settings around the world combines my love for travel and early literacy. My adventures help to intrigue children and hook them into reading while fulfilling a fascination with unfamiliar places and developing their imagination with mystery and intrigue.
Ever since I watched ‘the Goonies’ with my boys when they were young, I have loved reading a good pirate adventure. From the minute I read the title, I knew this book was for me. This story has all the elements that add up to one crazy fun-packed treasure hunt. With a mysterious treasure map, intriguing characters including a typically despicable villain and an exotic location in the Bahamas, Jock’s adventure is irresistible. It’s a fast-paced, easy-to-read story that has kids laughing at all the incredible scenarios. I love the opportunity to travel the world, but it’s not possible to go everywhere. Having read this adventure, I can now say I have enjoyed my visit to the Bahamas, if only in my imagination.
This story can be summed up as a boy's adventure in all its quirky day-dreaminess and fascination with spies, flamboyant villains who own islands and wear white suits and a mutinous, but very dead pirate. When half of a treasure map ends up in a box of books at the local fete, Jock McLock decides to visit the donator. He's heard plenty of strange tales about her from the kids at school, but it's nothing like meeting Mrs Trelawney in the flesh. It's all connected to his mother winning a holiday to the Bahamas, which turns out to be full…
I have always found ancient history fascinating. I couldn’t learn enough about ancient Rome and Greece during my teenage years. As an adult, one of my bucket list holidays is to visit the amazing ruins throughout Italy, including Mt Vesuvius. Through Harriet’s adventure, we experience ancient Rome in its glory days as if we were there. I found it fascinating to read and learn about the everyday life of an ancient Roman family with twists and turns of a thrilling adventure as Harriet is chased through ancient streets by Roman soldiers. It is great escapism into a place in the past where I wish I could travel to and immerse myself in an ancient society and civilization.
Every picture tells a story, but it’s not always the one we expect or remember. Christmas Actually is a festive drama about family and forgiveness and a snapshot of modern family life, addressing Instagram to motherhood and everything in between.
Why Christmas? My publisher wanted my new novel to have…
Have you ever ridden a camel in the desert? I admit I have not been to Arabia, but I did ride a camel along the beach at sunset in Western Australia. I know the smell, the bumping from side to side, and the resulting aching bottom. That experience, while I did enjoy it, is not one I wish to repeat in a hurry. To read about it from a comfy chair at home is my preferred option. Amanda takes us on an unforgettable ride through history and culture, complete with intrigue, action, and drama for everyone. I tend to read adventure books with male protagonists because I have three sons and know they would prefer to read about boys, so to read a story with a female hero is delightfully refreshing.
"Be prepared to learn a lot about the culture while you follow Amanda on her adventure.”—Laura Best, author, Bitter, Sweet
“What a great way for a young person to learn about a culture and to be inspired to experience other countries themselves."—Irene Butler, author, Trekking the Globe with Mostly Gentle Footsteps
Amanda Ross is an average twelve year old Canadian girl. So what is she doing thousands of kilometres from home in the United Arab Emirates? It's her own fault really, she wished for adventure and travel when she blew out those candles on her last birthday cake. Little did…
I absolutely adored this book. I laughed from beginning to end. This is an adventure like no other and set in one of my favourite countries, Scotland. I have been lucky to visit Scotland twice. Its history, culture, scenery, and people have intrigued me since I was a child. The main characters are kilt-wearing animals, eating lots of cake and doing their best to fit in. These wolves might be the polite high society type, but they have a voracious appetite that makes the story so entertaining. It’s a tale full of delightful Scottish humour, castles, dungeons, and a villainous real estate agent. This hilarious romp through the Scottish countryside brings back wonderful memories of all that I have encountered while visiting this fabulous country.
A family of wolves leaves their mansion in Moravia, returns to their Scottish homeland where they fight for their right to live among society and save the castle that has been in their family for generations from a crooked developer. Boris Greycoat is a friendly young wolf who likes meeting people and trying new foods. His father Randall Greycoat is becoming an expert in speaking French and playing table tennis. Boris's mother, Leonora Greycoat, likes to practise her warm, reassuring smiles. Wolves need to look reassuring if they are to flourish in society. Excited to hear the news that wolves…
Tap Dancing on Everest, part coming-of-age memoir, part true-survival adventure story, is about a young medical student, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor raised in N.Y.C., who battles self-doubt to serve as the doctor—and only woman—on a remote Everest climb in Tibet.
I loved the title of this book, it had me intrigued from the start. I like writing clues and riddles into my own adventure stories, so I found this one irresistible. The story starts in Sydney where I grew up and leads us to a typical outback country town in Australia. Instead of a place I wish I could travel to, this one is very familiar to me. Its setting is similar to my own adventures, based on childhood holidays and memories. Instead of taking me on an adventure to a different country, this book travels back in time to the early 1920s. I found I was desperate to solve each riddle before the main character and unravel the mystery to safely bring the kids home, back to their own reality.
Aussie kids are naturally drawn to the sun, sand, and surf. Add an intense and intriguing pirate treasure hunt around the exotic island of Bali and you have a fun and thrilling adventure. Follow the clues that lead the kids to unusual and beautiful places but beware of the guardian snake that will refuse you entry into a cave. Hold your breath to avoid the stench of rotten-egg gas in the natural spring waters and watch out for the volcano spirit that lurks at the top of the mountain.
Secrets Hidden Below was a shortlisted winner of the Australian Speech Pathology Book of the Years awards 2019. It includes history, culture, and Indonesian language for inquisitive minds that enjoy reading about diversity and resilience.
It’s Seb’s last day working in Turkey, but his friend Oz has been cursed. Superstition turns to terror as the effects of the ancient malediction spill over, and the lives of Oz and his family hang in the balance. Can Seb find the answers to remove the hex before it’s…
Benghazi! A New History of the Fiasco that Pushed America and its World to the Brink
by
Ethan Chorin,
Benghazi: A New History is a look back at the enigmatic 2012 attack on the US mission in Benghazi, Libya, its long-tail causes, and devastating (and largely unexamined) consequences for US domestic politics and foreign policy. It contains information not found elsewhere, and is backed up by 40 pages of…
