"Australia's king of young adult fiction" The Australian Dreamed about you again. Like I do most nights. Tony writes letters. To Miffy. And breaks your heart. Your life's a solo run, and even the crowd that's cheering you want you to fall over. They love when you win, but they love it even better when you lose. Telling powerful stories has become the hallmark of John Marsden's writing. But even John Marsden has never written a book as powerful and gutsy as Dear Miffy. [Contents may offend some readers]

"Dreamed about you again.Like I do most nights.Sometimes it's nightmares,sometimes it's good dreams,sometimes I have to change the sheets."[Contents may offend some readers]"You can squeeze my lemon, baby, juice runs down my legs."Tony writes letters.To Miffy.And breaks your heart."Your life's a solo run, and even the crowd that's cheering you want you to fall over. They love when you win, but they love it even better when you lose."Telling powerful stories has become the hallmark of John Marsden's writing.He has a world-wide reputation for strong and gutsy stories about Australian teenagers.But even John Marsden has never written a book as powerful and gutsy as Dear Miffy.Is there something wrong when your main ambition in life is to be dead?

Miffy says goodbye to someone very special in this moving addition to the collectible, classic Miffy series. Miffy and her family are really sad. Grandma Bunny has died and it's time for them to say goodbye and thank Grandma Bunny for everything she did for them. Sensitively translated by award-winning poet Tony Mitton, this touching Miffy story celebrates the life and loss of loved ones. First published in 1955, Miffy was created by celebrated Dutch artist Dick Bruna. Bruna's distinctive, simple style has enchanted children for generations and over 85 million copies of the books have been sold in over 50 languages since first publication.

Is there a geographical centre of Islam? What was Australia’s political crisis in 1975? Are swinging seats found in a playground or in Australian politics? And why is gravity so heavy, man? John Marsden, Australia’s bestselling writer for teenagers, turns his attention to the inside of the human brain and answers these and other vital questions. From Germaine Greer’s politics and the belief systems of Buddhists and Christians to what Harry said when he met Sally and other movie moments that have become myths, The Head Book is an entertaining collection of bite-sized pieces of vital information, wit and wisdom, and interesting and useful facts.

"We were halfway up the spur when we heard it. Homer and Gavin and I, just the three of us… I’d say there were fifteen shots in the first volley, evenly spaced, lasting about twenty-five seconds… All the way down the spur I’d heard the scattered shots, getting closer as I got closer, and all the way down I tried to think of reasonable explanations for them, and I couldn’t think of a single thing that made sense." The town of Wirrawee is emerging from war, slowly, like a flower after a cold snap. Businesses are starting to reopen, the school has commenced classes once again, and local farmers are gradually repossessing their land. But it's not the same Australia as before the war. A new nation exists just a few miles away, a new border that separates Australia from its invaders. Or does it? For Ellie Linton, being back on the farm with her parents is what makes the terrible things that happened during the war – the things she, Homer, Lee, Fi and the others had to do – all worthwhile. It's where she belongs. But the war won't let her go. A devastating tragedy has shattered any hope she ever had to reclaim her life, or herself. It's a new kind of fight. And the enemy isn't always from the other side of the border.

Transcending Boundaries: Writing for a Dual Audience of Children and Adults is a collection of essays on twentieth-century authors who cross the borders between adult and children's literature and appeal to both audiences. This collection of fourteen essays by scholars from eight countries constitutes the first book devoted to the art of crosswriting the child and adult in twentieth-century international literature. Sandra Beckett explores the multifaceted nature of crossover literature and the diverse ways in which writers cross the borders to address a dual readership of children and adults. It considers classics such as Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Pinocchio, with particular emphasis on post-World War II literature. The essays in Transcending Boundaries clearly suggest that crossover literature is a major, widespread trend that appears to be sharply on the rise.

A master storyteller, John Marsden is Australia's best known writer for young adults. Marsden first found success with the publication of So Much To Tell You. Since then he has gone on to publish many popular and well-recognized titles, including those in the Tomorrow Series and The Ellie Chronicles. In his books, Marsden explores adolescents caught in a world of opposites, of innocence and guilt, idealism and realism, and joy and despair. Marsden's world view and his faith in adolescents serve as the backdrop for John Noell Moore's critical readings of Marsden's major novels. In John Marsden: Darkness, Shadow, and Light, Moore investigates the full spectrum of Marsden's work, beginning with the author's life as a teacher and writer. Throughout the book, Moore weaves together Marsden's recurring themes, chief among them writing and storytelling as ways of constructing identity in the transition from childhood to adulthood and the ability of young adults to endure hardships and overcome seemingly insurmountable odds. The book is a valuable addition to the current scholarship on young adult literature and will be welcomed by middle and high school English teachers and students alike.

From John Marsden, the highly-acclaimed and bestselling author of "Secret Men's Business," comes a practical guide to help single mothers enjoy and celebrate raising their sons. Drawing on his years as teacher and mentor to young people, John Marsden follows the child from baby to young man and identifies 101 important steps in fostering a boy’s developing masculinity. Written with humour and compassion, John understands what it means to be a boy and how to help a boy grow into a well-adjusted man.

Ideologies of Identity in Adolescent Fiction examines the representation of selfhood in adolescent and children's fiction, using a Bakhtinian approach to subjectivity, language, and narrative. The ideological frames within which identities are formed are inextricably bound up with ideas about subjectivity, ideas which pervade and underpin adolescent fictions. Although the humanist subject has been systematically interrogated by recent philosophy and criticism, the question which lies at the heart of fiction for young people is not whether a coherent self exists but what kind of self it is and what are the conditions of its coming into being. Ideologies of Identity in Adolescent Fiction has a double focus: first, the images of selfhood that the fictions offer their readers, especially the interactions between selfhood, social and cultural forces, ideologies, and other selves; and second, the strategies used to structure narrative and to represent subjectivity and intersubjectivity.

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 Teacher The ultimate "get off your bum and do it" book, Everything I Know About Writing will motivate anyone to write. It's a lively, funny guide to writing, as readable as a novel, but packed front to back with ideas and insights. This new edition has one other great feature: 600 extraordinary topics, guaranteed to have you or your students writing before you know it. Everything I Know About Writing is the most painless way into writing - ever.