We’re delighted to present this great little trailer for Victor Kelleher’s magnificent new novel, The Cave, which we are publishing in April.
Enjoy!
historical adventure
Fabulous review for The Key to Rome
There’s a new, fabulous review for The Key to Rome on the popular Read Plus blog. Here’s a short extract:
Highly recommended. Sophie Masson is a master at weaving historical facts into captivating stories, and this book is no exception….The exciting plot moves along well, and readers are drawn into the dangerous game Livia is playing when she tries to figure out what the key means and why her uncle and his enemies will do anything to get or destroy it. But will they uncover the truth in time to stay alive? Detailed background notes and a glossary at the back of the book are very helpful additions for young readers.
You can read the whole review here.
Cover reveal: The Cave, by Victor Kelleher
We are delighted to reveal the striking, powerful cover of The Cave, Victor Kelleher’s forthcoming new middle-grade novel, which we will be publishing in April 2024. The cover is the work of the wonderful illustrator Lorena Carrington, who has also created several other beautiful covers for us, including Victor’s 2022 book, Wanderer, which was shortlisted for the 2023 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards.
Isn’t the cover gorgeous!
An exciting story set in a richly-recreated Paleolithic past, The Cave is both an extraordinary adventure and a moving exploration of loss, survival and courage. You can read more about the story here.
Here’s what Victor had to say about the genesis of the novel: ‘For almost as long as I can remember I’ve been fascinated by pre-history. In particular by the question of how our early ancestors, starting out as helpless wanderers on the plains of Africa, went on to become secure cave dwellers and greatly feared hunters. How did this great change come about? Clearly, the discovery of fire must have played a part. And so, too, the creation of better weapons and tools. But how did the change actually occur? That’s precisely the story I’ve tried to tell in The Cave. In order to do so, I’ve crammed many years of struggle and defeat into the short lives of one old woman and two young teenagers; and followed them through the seasons as they fight, not just to survive, but to turn the tables on the savage creatures that saw them only as prey. For me, there was something especially poignant about telling their story at this point in time, when we run the risk of destroying the very world they strove so hard to win.’
Another great review for The Key to Rome!
There’s another great review for The Key to Rome, which has just appeared on writer Sue Bursztynski’s Great Raven blog.
Here’s a short extract:
Here is another one of the talented Sophie Masson’s exciting historical adventures. Many of them have fantasy elements but this is a straight historical mystery, well researched and with a useful historical background and glossary at the back.
The cover art and internals, including a map, are drawn by Lorena Carrington, a gifted Aussie artist who has worked with Sophie Masson before.
Livia is a strong leading character who refuses to give up, even when the quest for her uncle looks as if it might be useless. She weaves together the clues to lead her in the right direction.
This novel, aimed at ages about nine to twelve, reads like a Rosemary Sutcliff adventure, perfect for young readers who enjoy history and are inspired by strong characters their own age. It’s also not a bad place to start children on historical fiction.
You can read the whole review here.
Publication date for The Key to Rome
We’re delighted to announce that today is the publication day for our latest title, The Key to Rome, Sophie Masson’s exciting historical mystery novel for middle-grade readers. The book is now available in all good bookshops around Australia. The gorgeous cover illustrations, map and chapter decoration are by the wonderful illustrator Lorena Carrington, editing by Lucy Eddy, and internal design by Authors’ Elves. We hope readers will love it as much as we do–as well as being a fabulous adventure, it’s a thoughtful exploration of a very different, dangerous world, and a touching story of friendship across a great divide.
You can watch a trailer for The Key to Rome here.
Advance review for The Key to Rome
The Key to Rome, by Sophie Masson, our Eagle Books title for 2023, has received an excellent first review from Heather Zubek in the West Australian yesterday. Here’s what she said:
A dying man’s promise, a mysterious key, and a dangerous journey in ancient times; The Key to Rome is a story that will keep you reading until way past your bedtime. Set in the Roman Province of Britannia in AD84, the story sees 12-year-old Livia keeping a promise to her dying father to deliver a key to her estranged uncle. Along her perilous journey, Livia meets Mato, a boy who needs to see his dying mother before it’s too late. Together the two travellers make their way through ancient lands where they learn that the key may hold a dreadful secret. Multi award-winning author Sophie Masson has created a thrilling historical adventure that not only excites but teaches us about the troubled times in which the story is set. For ages 9+.
A great start for the novel, which is officially released next Monday, May 1, and is available in all good bookshops across Australia.
Publication day for The Secret Battle
It’s publication day today for The Secret Battle, Pamela Rushby’s gripping middle-grade historical novel, set in Brisbane in 1942. It’s a fabulous, fast-moving read, centred around the adventures of nine year old newspaper seller as he becomes inadvertently caught up in the tensions between Australian and American servicemen which will result in a deadly riot–and change Roddy’s life forever.
To celebrate the book’s publication we’ve created a short trailer which we hope you’ll enjoy.
New review for The Phantasmic Detective Agency in Good Reading Magazine
Great to see this new review of Julian Leatherdale’s fabulous novel, The Phantasmic Detective Agency, in the latest(August) edition of the popular magazine, Good Reading!
Our authors at the 2019 HNSA conference
Jenny Blackford and her new novel, The Girl in the Mirror, (Eagle Books 2019)
Stephen Hart, author of The Lighthouse at Pelican Rock(Eagle Books 2018) and his wife and fellow writer Pamela Freeman, author of The Fastest Ship in Space(Second Look, 2018)
Julian Leatherdale, author of The Phantasmic Detective Agency(Eagle Books, coming in 2020)
Over the weekend we were at the 2019 Historical Novel Society of Australasia(HNSA)’s excellent conference, held this year at the University of Western Sydney’s Parramatta South Campus. Eagle Books was a conference sponsor, donating books for delegates’ goodie bags and as prizes for shortlisted writers in the HNSA/ARA short story contest. As well as enjoying the conference and its fabulous program of great speakers and presentations, it was great to catch up with several of our authors attending!
Cover reveal for Jenny Blackford’s The Girl in the Mirror
We are delighted to reveal the fabulous cover for our forthcoming(October) Eagle Books title, The Girl in the Mirror, by Jenny Blackford. Cover illustration is by Fiona McDonald, design by Beattie Alvarez.
The Girl in the Mirror, a gripping and original middle-grade novel which is a mix of time slip, ghost story and mystery, will be published by Eagle Books on October 14. You can read more about it here.
Eagle Books 