historical adventure

Another great review for The Key to Rome!

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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.

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Publication date for The Key to Rome

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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

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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

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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.

Our authors at the 2019 HNSA conference

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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

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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.

Publication day for Tomodachi: The Forest of the Night!

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We are delighted to announce that today is the official publication day of our newest Eagle Books title, Simon Higgins’ fantastic adventure novel, Tomodachi: The Forest of the Night!

Beautifully-written, excitingly-paced and with a deep understanding of one of the most interesting historical periods and fascinating cultures in the world, this is a superb novel that we are very proud to publish, with its beautiful cover and internal illustrations created by Simon’s wife, artist and animator Jenny(Yuxiao) Wang.

To whet your appetite for Tomodachi: The Forest of the Night, we are thrilled to present this lively and atmospheric trailer, created by Crane Animation and scripted and narrated by Simon Higgins. Enjoy!

We have acquired a fabulous new novel by Simon Higgins!

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We at Eagle Books are delighted to announce that we have just acquired rights to award-winning author Simon Higgins’ fabulous new historical adventure novel, Tomodachi: The Forest of the Night. Set in the same dangerous, magical Japanese world as his earlier novel, Tomodachi: The Edge of the World, it is however a self-sufficient adventure which will have readers on the edge of their seats. Eagle Books will be publishing the book in March 2019.

About the book:

Tomodachi: The Forest of the Night

By Simon Higgins

Cover and internal illustrations by Jenny (Yuxiao) Wang

Published by Eagle Books, an imprint of Christmas Press

Release: March 2019

ISBN: 9780994528087

RRP : $19.99

Shipwrecked at the far end of the world in a land at war.

Befriended by runaways fated to harrowing paths.

In constant danger from warriors, bandits and superstitious villagers who take his blue eyes and pale skin as proof that he’s a demon…

Young Daniel Marlowe and his Japanese ‘tomodachi’, his friends, Otsu and Kenji, are about to stumble into a stomach-knotting adventure where a ferocious public test of samurai virtue and a murder investigation will collide.

Their hazardous journey promises answers. The hope of being joyfully reunited, the risk of confirming loss.

But the spirit world has its own part to play in their destinies, for someone -or something- waits watchfully in the ancient Forest of the Night.

About the author:

Simon Higgins is a former police officer, prosecutor and private investigator specialising in murder cases. A martial artist and published author with an international career spanning over 20 years and 14 novels published in several languages, he has also been an Australian Government Ambassador for Asia Literacy and an Endeavour Award Recipient, funded by his country to live and study in China. Simon was the first westerner to pen an interactive Visual Novel published in both Chinese and English. In 2008 he competed in Kyoto, Japan, in the annual Taikai, the world championships of the sword art Iaido, held on a mountaintop before a Japanese prince. Simon placed fifth. When not working on novels or teaching around the world, he leads a professional team writing an animated series for Chinese TV.

www.simonhiggins.net

About the illustrator

Jenny Wang, who also happens to be Simon Higgins’s wife, is the CEO of Crane Animation and the creator of the iconic animated Chinese characters Cocoa and Little Love, watched on over 1000 TV channels in Asia and on planes, trains, buses, internet channels, even giant screens on skyscrapers. Her series has won over 160 awards. She has a Masters Degree in Creative Media from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, plus a degree in Engineering from the Chinese equivalent of MIT. An expert animator and artist, Jenny has taught students of all ages how to draw Manga and Anime style characters using techniques she developed that instantly impart skill and confidence. Her life story, going from a desperately poor village childhood in rural China to seeing her own creative and business dreams realised, is an empowering message of self-esteem and positivity she has shared with young people around the world.