R. A. Spratt

"First published in Australia in 2014 by Penguin Random House Australia."

Friday Barnes, Girl Detective

Mary Poppins meets Babe in this hilarious novel about three children under the watch of their wonderfully quirky nanny, who happens to be a pig! Yes, a pig. A fabulously sassy and impeccably dressed pig as a matter of fact! With her insatiable urge to eat chocolate (and feed chocolate to everyone she loves), her high-flying spirit, and her unending sense of fun, Nanny Piggins takes Derrick, Samantha, and Michael on a year of surprises, yummy treats, and adventures they'll never forget. Paired with Dan Santat's charming illustrations, comedian and children's TV writer R.A. Spratt's wildly funny debut novel will have adults and kids alike laughing and rooting for the feisty porcine nanny and her three lovable human charges.

The Adventures of Nanny Piggins

The mystery hits close to home when Friday learns her mother has been kidnapped. But she's distracted by other happenings at school: a new VIP student (a Norwegian princess!) has just arrived and a master thief called the Pimpernel is causing chaos across campus. Can Friday crack the case of her missing mother, reign in a royal brat, and unmask the elusive Pimpernel?

Big Trouble: A Friday Barnes Mystery

Imagine if Sherlock Holmes was an eleven-year-old girl! When girl detective Friday Barnes solves a bank robbery she uses the reward money to send herself to the most exclusive boarding school in the country, Highcrest Academy. On arrival, Friday is shocked to discover the respectable school is actually a hotbed of crime. She's soon investigating everything from disappearing homework to the Yeti running around the school swamp. That's when she's not dealing with her own problem - Ian Wainscott, the handsomest boy in school, who inexplicably hates Friday and loves nasty pranks. Can Friday solve Highcrest Academy's many strange mysteries, including the biggest mystery of all - what's the point of high school?

Friday Barnes: Girl Detective

Who knew boarding school could be this perilous! When Friday Barnes cracked the case of Highcrest Academy's mysterious swamp - yeti, the last thing she expected was to be placed under arrest. Now with the law on her back and Ian Wainscott in her face, Friday is not so sure boarding school was the smartest choice. From a missing or not - so - missing calculator to the appearance of strange holes in the school field, she is up to her pork - pie hat in crimes - and she swears not all of them are hers. There's also new boy Christopher, who has taken quite a shine to Friday, to contend with. Can Friday navigate the dangerous grounds of Highcrest Academy and decipher a decades - old mystery without getting caught in an unexpected love triangle?

Friday Barnes 2

Under Suspicion

The second book in the hilariously clever mystery series starring Friday Barnes, genius girl detective!

Under Suspicion: A Friday Barnes Mystery

When four former headmasters arrive at Highcrest Academy to take part in the school's anniversary celebrations, the students are warned to be on their best behaviour. Unfortunately, no one told the headmasters to stay out of mischief too! Which means Friday Barnes soon has case to solve. But unravelling the truth isn't easy when the whole school is forced to eat paleo because the cook is on a diet; her best friend's brother won't stop blubbering about the terrible boat accident he may not have caused; and Friday is being trailed by a mysterious admirer- or is it a stalker? Can Friday find the facts among the mayhen? She'd better. The fate of Highcret depends on it!

Bitter Enemies (Dyslexic Edition)

"The mystery continues in this middle-grade series about a genius girl detective who solves crimes at her exclusive boarding school"--

A Friday Barnes Mystery

Friday Barnes is being attacked on all fronts! When Friday Barnes gets involved in her frenemy Ian Wainscott's family dispute, it appears her knack for uncovering the truth may ruin their friendship once and for all. Highcrest Academy is no longer a fun place to be. Ian has declared war on Friday and she is thinking of leaving... for good. Meanwhile, there's two new teachers to contend with, a celebrity artist whose intentions are somewhat unclear, and an over-enthusiastic PE teacher on a fitness crusade. Between them and Ian, it's going to be one dangerous term. Can Friday repair her friendship with Ian, restore her perfect school life balance and work out who is committing the blatant acts of vandalism around Highcrest? No one said high school would be easy!

The Plot Thickens (Dyslexic Edition)

Friday Barnes is forced to face her biggest fear - her own emotions! She must wave goodbye to Ian as he takes off to join his father in the Cayman Islands. But when your dad is a white-collar criminal, family reunions never go to plan. Ian is kidnapped en route and it's up to Friday to rescue him. On her return to school, the Headmaster has a treat in store - a four-week camp for students to learn wilderness survival skills! 'Camp Courage' is even worse than Friday imagined. And all her book smarts aren't much help when she's got wood to chop, potatoes to peel and latrines to dig. Can Friday survive the great outdoors, debunk the legend of a camp ghost and make it back to Highcrest Academy alive? Only time (and a compass) will tell!

Danger Ahead (Dyslexic Edition)

When Mr. Green announces his diabolical plan to remarry, his children are horrified at the thought of losing their beloved Nanny Piggins.

Nanny Piggins and the Wicked Plan

"A curly tale of revenge, rescue and jam-filled doughnuts.With a runaway lion loose in the neighbourhood, Derrick, Samantha and Michael feel scared. Nanny Piggins feels like a slice of cake. And Boris feels like that lion looks strangely familiar. In this third action-packed book of adventures, Nanny Piggins tames a lion and a lion tamer. She revolutionises the sport of ski jumping, introduces hot-pink leotards to the local Neighbourhood Watch, demonstrates trapeze skills on a moving bus, plays badminton with a wok and teaches Shakespeare a thing or two about how to write a play. All while thwarting Mr Green's attempt to send her favourite children to Nicaragua (she does find it wearisome having to put him in his place constantly). And yet, somehow, she still finds time to bake lots and lots of cake."

Nanny Piggins and the Runaway Lion

The Plot Thickens

Who knew boarding school could be this perilous! When Friday Barnes cracked the case of Highcrest Academy's mysterious swamp-yeti, the last thing she expected was to be placed under arrest. Now with the law on her back and Ian Wainscott in her face, Friday is not so sure boarding school was the smartest choice. From a missing or not-so-missing calculator to the appearance of strange holes in the school field, she is up to her pork-pie hat in crimes - and she swears not all of them are hers. There's also new boy Christopher, who has taken quite a shine to Friday, to contend with. Can Friday navigate the dangerous grounds of Highcrest Academy and decipher a decades-old mystery without getting caught in an unexpected love triangle?

Friday Barnes 2: Under Suspicion

“A must-have series for middle-grade readers.” —Booklist No Rules, the fourth book of R.A. Spratt's hilarious Friday Barnes Mystery series, brings even more trouble for this genius girl detective. Friday Barnes has been deported to Switzerland . . . but we need her back! With their go-to detective gone, Highcrest Academy has descended into chaos. Someone's fired all the teachers as an epic prank, and suspicion falls on Ian Wainscott, Friday's nemesis (who's also desperately in love with her). There's also the problem of the new vice principal and his questionable behavior. It's hard to take someone seriously when he's wearing tie-dyed shirts, right? Can Friday prove Ian's innocence, find the prankster, and save her school? If it involves running, then probably not, but otherwise . . . Friday's on the case!

No Rules: A Friday Barnes Mystery

When Friday Barnes cracked the case of Highcrest Academy's mysterious swamp-yeti, the last thing she expected was to be placed under arrest. Now with the law on her back and Ian Wainscott in her face, Friday is not so sure boarding school was the smartest choice. From a missing or not-so-missing calculator to the appearance of strange holes in the school field, she is up to her pork-pie hat in crimes-and she swears not all of them are hers. There's also new boy Christopher, who has taken quite a shine to Friday, to contend with.

A vote for Piggins is a vote for cake In this riveting eighth installment of Nanny Piggins' adventures, she sets out to thwart Mr. Green's political ambitions by running for mayor herself. Her mission--to proudly fight for Liberty, Equality, and Cake Is democracy safe? Probably not. Will Nanny Piggins give everyone in the electorate diabetes from too much cake? Most likely. And along the way tremendous adventure abounds. Taking part in a diabolical fun run, being trapped in a sabotaged lift, faking seismic activity, safeguarding the local vacant lot, and beating the world pole vault record is just the beginning.

Nanny Piggins and the Race to Power

When Nanny Piggins discovers some startling truths about the ruthless ringmaster, the circus will never be the same. But she doesn't stop there, she also makes time to provide counselling to a Molavadinian princess with pre-wedding jitters, win a Nobel Prize while impersonating her sister and catch up with her favourite 4-tonne friend, Esmeralda the forgetful elephant.

Nanny Piggins and the Rival Ringmaster

This critically acclaimed, award-winning middle grade debut follows the story of the three Green children who are cared for by a nanny pig. Yes, a pig. A fabulously sassy and impeccably dressed pig as a matter of fact! With her insatiable urge to eat chocolate (and feed chocolate to everyone she loves), her high-flying spirit, and her unending sense of fun, Nanny Piggins takes Derrick, Samantha, and Michael on a year of surprises, yummy treats, and adventures they'll never forget. It's no surprise that Booklist proclaimed, "Mary Poppins, move over--or get shoved out of the way." Nanny Piggins is a refreshing and dynamic addition to favorite classic nannies: Amelia Bedelia, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, and, of course, Mary Poppins. Combined with award-winning artist Dan Santat's charming black-and-white illustrations, The Adventures of Nanny Piggins is set to become the next children's classic!

What if every clue points in the wrong direction? Friday Barnes has been deported to Switzerland! With their in-school detective gone, Highcrest Academy has descended into chaos. Someone's fired all the teachers! The Headmaster claims it wasn't him, and suspicion soon turns to Ian Wainscott, but Friday won't stand by and let her favourite nemesis take the blame. Apart from being innocent (probably), he's seriously good-looking. There's also the problem of the new vice principal and his questionable teaching methods. It's hard to take someone seriously when they wear tie-dyed t-shirts. Can Friday save Ian's scholarship? Can she find the prankster before they bring down the school? Can she run the cross country? She's certainly going to try . . . to do the first two, anyway.

R. A. Spratt

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