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Jackie French

    November 29, 1953

    Jackie is a celebrated author, recognized for her versatile writing that spans picture books, history, fantasy, ecology, and science fiction, alongside her beloved historical fiction. Her narratives often explore ecological themes and weave in elements of fantasy, pushing the boundaries of children's storytelling. As a former Australian Children's Laureate, she championed the philosophy of sharing stories, encouraging young readers to engage in their own creative writing. Her work is cherished by readers and critics alike for its accessibility and ability to captivate children of all ages.

    Jackie French
    Lilies, Lies and Love (Miss Lily, #4)
    Jackie French's Guide to Companion Planting
    The Lily in the Snow (Miss Lily, #3)
    The Angel of Waterloo
    Diary of a wombat
    The Wilderness Garden
    • 2022

      THE STORY IS EQUAL PARTS DOWNTOWN ABBEY AND WARTIME ACTION, WITH ENOUGH ROMANCE AND INTRIGUE TO MAKE IT 100% NOT- PUT- DOWN-ABLE. Australian Woman's Weekly A tale of espionage, love and passionate heroism. Inspired by true events, this is the story of how society's 'lovely ladies' won a war. Each year at secluded Shillings Hall, in the snow-crisped English countryside, the mysterious Miss Lily draws around her young women selected from Europe's royal and most influential families. Her girls are taught how to captivate a man - and find a potential husband - at a dinner, in a salon, or at a grouse shoot, and in ways that would surprise outsiders. For in 1914, persuading and charming men is the only true power a woman has. Sophie Higgs is the daughter of Australia's king of corned beef and the only 'colonial' brought to Shillings Hall. Of all Miss Lily's lovely ladies, however, she is also the only one who suspects Miss Lily's true purpose. As the chaos of war spreads, women across Europe shrug off etiquette. The lovely ladies and their less privileged sisters become the unacknowledged backbone of the war, creating hospitals, canteens and transport systems where bungling officials fail to cope. And when tens of thousands can die in a single day's battle, Sophie must use the skills Miss Lily taught her to prevent war's most devastating weapon yet. But is Miss Lily heroine or traitor? And who, exactly, is she?

      Miss Lily's Lovely Ladies (Miss Lily, #1)
    • 2022

      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.

      Legends of the Lost Lilies (Miss Lily, #5)
    • 2022

      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.

      The Lily in the Snow (Miss Lily, #3)
    • 2021

      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?

      Lilies, Lies and Love (Miss Lily, #4)
    • 2021

      My Name is Not Peaseblossom

      • 240 pages
      • 9 hours of reading
      3.2(19)Add rating

      His name is Fairy Peaseblossom, but he'd rather be known as Pete. Pete prefers pizza to sugar plums -- and wants to choose his own life too. But how can he when his role is to serve the fairy queen, Titania? This is Shakespeare's delightful comedy A Midsummer Night's Dream reinterpreted with an 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 impossible loves that might just come true. Not with enchantment, but when two hearts thread together making a magic of their own. Ages 12+ Fantasy Magical Realism Time Travel.

      My Name is Not Peaseblossom
    • 2021

      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

      The Angel of Waterloo
    • 2021

      Goodbye, Mr Hitler

      • 208 pages
      • 8 hours of reading

      Third title following on from the award-winning and best-selling HITLER'S DAUGHTER and PENNIES FOR HITLER. Ages: 10 years + Hitler killed forty-four million people. Johan does not know forty-four million people. But this is his story, and Frau Timmins', and the story of the strange girl now known as 'Helga'. This is the story of how they survived the death camps, the vast wilderness of World War Two refugees and eventually found happiness in Australia. This searing sequel to Heide's tale in Hitler's Daughter and Georg's in Pennies for Hitler, Goodbye Mr Hitler shows us that evil must be faced and fought. But once you've won, the hardest and most necessary battle is to understand and forgive - and learn how to love and live. Ages: 10 years+

      Goodbye, Mr Hitler
    • 2021

      Wombat Wins

      • 32 pages
      • 2 hours of reading

      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

      Wombat Wins
    • 2021

      Grandma Wombat

      • 32 pages
      • 2 hours of reading
      3.8(51)Add rating

      From the award-winning, best-selling creators of DIARY OF A WOMBAT comes another Wombat picture book - this time about more senior members of the species. Ages: 3+ She eats. She sleeps. She scratches. And like all grandmas, she thinks her grandson is the best-behaved baby ever. But this baby wombat has other ideas ... Created by author Jackie French and illustrator Bruce Whatley, this delightfully funny book celebrates the love and joy that being a grandma can bring. Ages: 3+

      Grandma Wombat
    • 2020

      Happy Birthday Wombat

      • 32 pages
      • 2 hours of reading

      In this delightful continuation, Mothball returns to celebrate with a special carrot birthday cake. The story promises to be filled with fun and whimsy, showcasing Mothball’s charming personality and adventures. Readers can expect engaging themes of friendship and celebration, making it a perfect read for fans of the series.

      Happy Birthday Wombat