Geraldine McCaughrean

When Mary Pinny dies from a snakebite, she leaves her young daughter, Comity, and husband Herbert in the Middle of Nowhere. As Stationmaster of the Kinkindele Repeater Station, Herbert Pinny takes great pride in his job; receiving morse messages and passing them down the Wire to the rest of Australia and beyond. But Comity dreams of a different life - where her mother is alive and she has her own horse and a new piano - and sends letters to her grandmother...

'Tamburlaine's Elephants' is a tale of courage, strength and identity set amongst the dusty plains of the ancient world. This is McCaughrean's first novel since the success of 'Peter Pan in Scarlet'.

The Royal Theatre has seen better days. But then so have the ghosts who live there. Newly arrived in her favourite seaside town and its beautiful theatre, Gracie is quickly making friends. But the old theatre is under threat. Will Gracie and the residents be able to save their home, or is the curtain set to fall on their very last performance?

This series is a collection of some of the best known stories from around the world carefully adapted for children to read themselves. 'Twelve Dancing Princesses' is a German rags-to-riches folk tale of a young man who must solve a mystery to gain his reward.

In the summer of 1723, 8 boys and 3 men were marooned on a rocky stack in the middle of the sea at the edge of the Outer Hebrides. This book tells the story of how they survived nine months of deadly storms, madness and starvation with only a few ropes and baskets, and their own fortitude and endurance to save them.

When there's an outbreak of diphtheria in Cissy's hometown she is sent to stay with her old schoolteacher, Miss Loucien, on board an old showboat with the Bright Lights Theatre Company. A motley crew including actors, singers, schoolchildren, inventors and one-time gamblers, steam along the river, headlong into adventure.

This is a story about overcoming fears and the importance and strength of friendship. When Micah, the shepherd boy who is terrified of wolves, & the little angel, who is scared of flying, travel to Bethlehem the baby King helps them forget their fears. Originally published: 1995

Retold in the words of Geraldine McCaughrean, the tales collected here will delight and entertain readers of all ages.

This sumptuous take on the classic Nativity story, with enduring prose and opulent, stylish illustrations, is a wonderful family keepsake and a delight to read alone or aloud in homes, schools and churches.