Audiobooks Narrated by Edwina Wren

The Mushroom in the Sky

"In the 80th anniversary year, Jackie French explores the dropping of the bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, which ended World War 2. 1942. Japan has bombed Sydney Harbour. Sixteen-year-old Ossie lies about his age to protect his country, even though it means abandoning his only family, a one-eyed dog named Lucky. Kind-hearted Mrs Plum is already looking after forty-six dogs belonging to soldiers who've gone to war. She can't possibly care for another. But just when she's becoming desperate to find a way to feed them, help arrives: thirteen-year-old Kat Murphy volunteers to take Lucky and persuades the girls at school to help, too. As Kat and Lucky grow closer, Kat realises he can still see Ossie, the master he loves. And somehow, Kat and Ossie catch glimpses into each other's lives, too. This extraordinary connection helps Ossie survive when he is taken as a prisoner of war to Japan. There, he witnesses a strange mushroom cloud rise above Nagasaki - the result of a bomb that will take, save and change lives, and forever leave the question: was it worth it? Taken from first-hand Japanese accounts of that momentous but often misunderstood time, this is a story of quiet heroism and endurance in the face of an unimaginable horror that continues to resound to this day."

Jackie French (Author), Edwina Wren (Narrator)

Audiobook

Secret Sparrow

"This is the story of women who fought during WWI, but not as nurses or ambulance drivers. In 1917 sixteen-year-old Jean McLain is working as a post-office assistant in England. But when she wins a national Morse code competition, the British army makes a request Jean cannot refuse - to take a secret position as a signaller in France. If Jean can keep the signals flowing between headquarters and the soldiers at the Front, Britain might possibly win the war. But the British army are determined to hide its desperation - and will go on to burn every document that showed how women and girls were working behind the scenes, in the trenches and even in battles during World War I. Decades later, an old woman tells the story of 'the telegraph girl': the friends she lost, the man who loved her, and the happiness she so surprisingly found again. Based on true events, this story of adventure, courage and unshakable loyalty restores women and girls to their place in history that the authorities tried to erase. AWARDS Longlisted - 2024 Book Links Award for Children's Historical Fiction"

Jackie French (Author), Edwina Wren (Narrator)

Audiobook

Gus and the Starlight

"A spine-tingling and heart-warming story about friendship and finding your special place in the world. Gus doesn't want to make friends. She also doesn't want to be intrigued by the cat-lady teacher at her new school, or the Riley's Comet project that she and her seaweed-eating science partner are working on together. And she definitely doesn't want to fall in love with her job as the projectionist at the Starlight, a drive-in movie theatre that her family is reviving. Because, knowing Gus's luck, she and her family could be moving on in a day, or a week, or a month. When the ghosts that haunt Mum catch up with them. Or if the Starlight doesn't succeed. Then she'll have to say goodbye. Again. And saying goodbye is too hard. PRAISE FOR GUS AND THE STARLIGHT 'A magical middle-grade book with a feather-light fantastical touch that wonderfully helps the young protagonist figure out their complex and confusing family; the hope they have in their heart for a fresh start, and the ways that the past can haunt and help us. Just - stunning!' - Danielle Binks, award-winning author of The Year the Maps Changed 'An utterly captivating tale of family, friends and a haunted drive-in cinema, told with gentle humour and poignant moments that tug on the heart-strings.' - Kate Forsyth, best-selling and award-winning author of The Chain of Charms series 'What a beautifully-put-together middle grade novel. Victoria has done such a great job of bringing this tale to life. Gus is a wonderful hero and I was cheering for her and the Ables the whole way. This has the perfect mix of feels, humour and pathos, and a sprinkle of supernatural!' - Karen Foxlee, award-winning author of Lenny's Book of Everything and Dragon Skin 'A novel that is as full of heart as it is ghosts. Charming, exciting, poignant. An enchanting debut.' - Rebecca McRitchie, award-winning author of the Whimsy & Woe and Jinxed! series 'A delightfully offbeat ghost story, featuring cinema, snacks, school projects and the joy of second chances.' - Jaclyn Moriarty, award-winning author of The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone 'A moving and haunting read. This magical and quintessentially Australian tale is all about storytelling and how we have the capacity to rewrite our own destinies.' - Yvette Poshoglian, best-selling author of the Ella and Olivia series 'A lovely, quirky, heart-warming story, about ghosts and movies and finding a home.' - Judith Rossell, award-winning author of Withering-by-Sea 'Quirky, sweetly nostalgic and deeply immersive. A book that quickly became a treasured friend.' - Jen Storer, award-winning author of the Truly Tan series"

Victoria Carless (Author), Edwina Wren (Narrator)

Audiobook

Ming and Marie Spy for Freedom (The Girls Who Changed the World, #2)

"An empowering and exhilarating look at the girls who went before us, and the way they shaped the world. Ming Qong is convinced that girls have changed the world throughout history. So when Ming is thrust back in time to Belgium during WWI, only to be rescued from a burning cellar by Marie -- an experienced spy at only twelve years of age -- she finally has her proof. Marie is involved with a female secret resistance group who risk their lives to outwit the German troops. But Ming now faces a tough choice: will she send coded messages and risk her own life in this war on which the future depends? As Ming learns, change is never easy, so how can one girl change the world? From one of Australia's favourite writers comes an inspiring series for all the young people who will, one day, change the world. AWARDS Book Links 2023 Award for Children's Historical Fiction - Longlisted"

Jackie French (Author), Edwina Wren (Narrator)

Audiobook

Ming and Flo Fight for the Future (The Girls Who Changed the World, #1)

"An empowering and exhilarating look at the girls who went before us, and the way they shaped the world. Twelve-year-old Ming Qong is convinced that girls must have changed the world, even if they are rarely mentioned in history books. So when Ming gets the chance to go back in time, she imagines herself changing destinies from a glittering palace or an explorer's ship. Instead, she ends up in Australia in 1898, living a tough life as Flo Watson on a drought-stricken farm. Luckily, Ming is rescued by Flo's Aunt McTavish. Wealthy Aunt McTavish belongs to Louisa Lawson's Suffragist Society, who are desperately and courageously fighting for women's rights. And Ming is determined to get involved, to make a difference. But change is never easy, so how can one girl change the world? From one of Australia's favourite writers comes an inspiring new series for all the young people who will, one day, change the world. AWARDS Notable - CBCA Younger Reader's Book 2023"

Jackie French (Author), Edwina Wren (Narrator)

Audiobook

Clancy of the Overflow (The Matilda Saga, #9)

"From Australia's best-loved storyteller comes the final book in the bestselling Matilda Saga This is a love song to our nation, told in a single sweeping story Jed Kelly has finally persuaded her great aunt Nancy to tell the story of her grandparents. The tale that unfolds is one of Australia's greatest romances - that of Clancy of the Overflow, who gave up everything for Rose, the woman he adored, and yet still gained all he'd lost and more. But Nancy's story is not the history that Jed expects. More tales lurk behind the folklore that surrounds Clancy - the stories of the women hidden in Australia's long history, who forged a nation and whose voices need to be heard. It is also a story of many kinds of love. Clancy's growing passion for the bush, immortalised in Paterson's poem, which speaks to him in the ripple of the river and the song of the stars, and Nancy's need to pass on her deep understanding of her country. But perhaps the most moving love story of all is the one that never happened, between Matilda O'Halloran and Clancy of the Overflow. And as Jed brings all of these stories to life in her book, Matilda and Clancy will once again waltz beside the river and the forgotten will be given a new voice. PRAISE FOR THE MATILDA SAGA 'An engrossing mystery story, an ode to strong women, and a moving exploration of the private wounds we carry ... The Last Dingo Summer is a must for your summer reading list' -- Better Reading 'The perfect read for anyone who loves immersing themselves in Australian fiction. Gripping, emotional and moving, Facing the Flame is a great book to curl up with' -- New Idea 'Highly recommended ... this was a complete binge, read in one night because it was just too good and too gripping to put down ... a cracking story filled with rich characters both old and new and imbued with all that we hold dear about Australian love of country and mateship' -- ReadPlus"

Jackie French (Author), Edwina Wren (Narrator)

Audiobook

Facing the Flame (The Matilda Saga, #7)

"'Gripping, emotional and moving'-- New Idea There have been fires before, but not like this. In 1978, as the hot wind howls and the grass dries, all who live at Gibber's Creek know their land can burn. But when you love your land, you fight for it. For Jed Kelly, an even more menacing danger looms: a man from her past determined to destroy her. Finding herself alone, trapped and desperate to save her unborn child, Jed's only choice is to flee - into the flames. Heartbreaking and powerful, Facing the Flame celebrates the triumph of courage and community, and a love for the land so deep that not even bushfire can erode it. PRAISE'The perfect read for anyone who loves immersing themselves in Australian fiction. Gripping, emotional and moving, Facing the Flame is a great book to curl up with on a warm spring night.' -- New Idea"

Jackie French (Author), Edwina Wren (Narrator)

Audiobook

If Blood Should Stain the Wattle (The Matilda Saga, #6)

"It's 1972 in Gibber's Creek, and across the nation, the catchcry is, 'It's time'. As political ideals drift from disaster to the dismissal, it's also time for Jed Kelly to choose between past love, Nicholas, the local Labor member, and Sam from the Halfway to Eternity commune. It's time too for Matilda Thompson to face her ghosts and the life that took a young girl from the slums of Grinder's Alley to being the formidable matriarch of Gibber's Creek. During this period of extraordinary social change and idealism, modern Australia would be born. And although the nation would dream of a better world, it would continue to struggle with opposing ideas of exactly what that better world might be. Jackie French, author of the bestselling To Love a Sunburnt Country, has woven her own experience of that time into an unforgettable story of a small rural community and a nation swept into the social and political tumult of the early 1970s. A time that would bear witness to some of the most controversial events in Australian history; and for Matilda, a time that would see her vision made real, without blood spilled upon the wattle. PRAISE FOR TO LOVE A SUNBURNT COUNTRY 'a book about love of country that is heartwarming and heartbreaking, and hard to put down' --The Advertiser, 4 stars"

Jackie French (Author), Edwina Wren (Narrator)

Audiobook

A Waltz for Matilda (The Matilda Saga, #1)

"The story behind Banjo Paterson's iconic Australian song. 'Once a jolly swagman camped by a Billabong Under the shade of a Coolibah tree And he sang as he watched and waited till his Billy boiled You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me...' In 1894, twelve-year-old Matilda flees the city slums to find her unknown father and his farm. But drought grips the land, and the shearers are on strike. Her father has turned swaggie and he's wanted by the troopers. In front of his terrified daughter, he makes a stand against them, defiant to the last. 'You'll never catch me alive, said he...' Set against a backdrop of bushfire, flood, war and jubilation, this is the story of one girl's journey towards independence. It is also the story of others who had no vote and very little but their dreams. Drawing on the well-known poem by A.B. Paterson and from events rooted in actual history, this is the untold story behind Australia's early years as an emerging nation. PRAISE 'Jackie French has a passion for history, and an enviable ability to weave the fascinating minutiae of everyday life into a good story.' -- Magpies Magazine"

Jackie French (Author), Edwina Wren (Narrator)

Audiobook