Through most of eight hundred years, Somerled of Argyll has been variously denounced as an intractable rebel against his rightful king and esteemed as the honoured ancestor of the later medieval Lord of the Isles, but he can be recognised now as a much more complex figure of major prominence in twelfth-century Scotland and of truly landmark significance in the long history of the Gael. In this book individual chapters investigate his emergence in the forefront of the Gaelic-Norse aristocra...

She lives in the best suburb. She goes to the finest school. Her family is wealthy and powerful. She has everything money can buy. So why are there reporters outside her house? And why is her father telling lies on television? And why is the Premier talking about them in State Parliament? Something is wrong. Something is terribly wrong. Riveting and compulsively readable, John Marsden's Checkers plunges us deep in the mind and world of a teenage girl whose life has spun completely out of c...

"… well worth reading and the reader gains some insight into the social life of crewmen at sea and on land." -National Maritime Historical Society Sunk by a U-boat, Attacked by Kamikazes tells the story of one man's experiences during the years 1939 to 1947. Aged sixteen when the war broke out, Joseph Marsden worked casual shiftwork on the Liverpool docks. Lucky to survive an air raid on the night of 4 May 1941, he lost two members of his family before the Liverpool blitz came to an end. O...

One of the greatest medieval warriors Harald Sigurdsson, nicknamed Hardrada (Harold the Ruthless or hard ruler) fell in battle in an attempt to snatch the crown of England. The spectacular and heroic career which ended at Stamford Bridge in Yorkshire on 25 September 1066 had taken Harald from Norway to Russia and Constantinople and saw him gain a kingdom by force and determination rather than right or inheritance. He was one of the most feared rulers in Europe and was first and foremost a ...

A riveting story of courage, hope and extraordinary adventure."You will hardly read a more fascinating account of a convict's voyage to Australia" Australian Book ReviewThirteen-year-old Barnaby Fletch is a bag-and-bones orphan in London in the late 1700s.Barnaby lives on his wits and ill-gotten gains, on streets seething with the press of the throng and shadowed by sinister figures. Life is a precarious business.Wh...

The Australian YA adventure trilogy "comes to a thrill-a-minute conclusion as the teen heroes continue their guerrilla tactics against totalitarian foes" ( Publishers Weekly).It's been nearly six months since Australia was invaded and Ellie's life changed forever. Once normal teenagers, she and six of her friends are now trapped in a war zone where every moment is a struggle for survival. Living in the woods to evade capture, Ellie has become an expert in ...

The author of A Killing Frost continues his bestselling series. " Marsden ' s style is as surefooted as his independent band of teens. "— School Library JournalEllie and her friends had been rescued. Airlifted out of their own country to the safe haven of New Zealand, they'd arrived burnt and injured and shocked, with broken bones, and scars insi...

One of the greatest medieval warriors Harald Sigurdsson, nicknamed Hardrada (Harold the Ruthless or hard ruler) fell in battle in an attempt to snatch the crown of England. The spectacular and heroic career which ended at Stamford Bridge in Yorkshire on 25 September 1066 had taken Harald from Norway to Russia and Constantinople and saw him gain a kingdom by force and determination rather than right or inheritance. He was one of the most feared rulers in Europe and was firs...

The follow-up to the bestselling Tomorrow seriesBOOK 2 IN THE ELLIE CHRONICLES TRILOGY"Addictive reading" Sydney Morning Herald"Australia's king of young adult fiction" The AustralianPacked full of action and high-drama, John Marsden delivers another fast-paced adventure that will thrill old fans and new readers alike."I held my line. I knew from the war, if not...

When Ellie and six of her friends return home from a camping trip deep in the bush, they find things hideously wrong -- their families gone, houses empty and abandoned, pets and stock dead. Gradually they begin to comprehend that their country has been invaded and everyone in the town has been taken prisoner. As the horrible reality of the situation becomes evident they have to make a life-and-death decision: to run back into the bush and hide, to give themselves up to be with their famili...

The follow-up to the bestselling Tomorrow seriesBOOK 3 IN THE ELLIE CHRONICLES TRILOGY"Addictive reading" Sydney Morning Herald"Australia's king of young adult fiction" The Australian"Skilfully paced, brimming with well-rounded characters whom you can believe in" The AgeYou jam on the brakes and stop the ute right at your front door. Yo...

John Marsden is not just one of Australia's most successful writers of all time; he's also one of our best teachers of writing."Highly recommended" Sun Herald"The most exciting, interesting and useful book on the teaching of writing" Australian English TeacherThe ultimate "get off your bum and do it" book, Everything I Know About Writing will motivate anyone to write. It's...