Books with author Joe O'Brien

Save the queen. Save history. Finish his homework. All in a day’s work for Jack Christie.Jack and Angus have been fully integrated into VIGIL life – live your life as normal and keep the secret. But at least secrets aren’t being kept from them, even if Jack has a tracker on him so VIGIL can make sure he’s safe from the Revisionists. But one day Jack gets a mysterious text, and Angus persuades him to break his radius to meet this secret “admirer.”The admirer turns out to be Jack’s father, who has broken away from the Revisionist’s after they threatened Jack and has left Jack and VIGIL a note about the Revisionist’s current plans to change history. Jack, Angus, and familiar faces from their first adventure are sent back to Elizabethan England to stop them, but something goes wrong in the time transfer and Jack and Angus are on their own in 1587. There they meet a traveling performance troupe with surprising ties to the world of spies and intrigue. Will they be able to stop the Revisionists and save the queen – along with history?Day of Deliverance picks up right where Day of Assassins leaves off and continues the high-paced adventure through time. This quick-paced exploration of what might have been is perfect for readers of all ages.Praise for Johnny O’Brien‘Johnny O’Brien’s original and consistently exciting novel makes sure that history truly comes alive in an unforgettable way.’ – The Independent‘A terrific debut. The characters of Jack Christie and Angus are brilliantly drawn...you’ll visualise the scenes and almost smell them as Jack tries to make sense of his new world. A very satisfying, sometimes shocking, but ultimately uplifting read.’ – loverreading.co.uk‘If you're still wondering, may I say that if ever there was a book to take a chance on, this is it. Expect it to win awards, it's that good.’ – Amazon reviewerJohnny O'Brien was born in Edinburgh and studied history at Cambridge University. He got the idea for The Jack Christie Adventures when he came across his grandfather's medals from World War I. His debut and first book in the series, Day of the Assassins was longlisted for the 2010 Branford Boase Award and for the Book Trust's Booked Up 2010 programme. It was also shortlisted for the Children's Quills, a new award for historical fiction for children administered through the Historical Association. Johnny lives in Surrey, England, with his family. Visit www.johnnyobrien.co.uk for more information

“I know we’re forty years in the future… but everything’s changed… it’s like there’s been a new ice age or something.”Jack and Angus are playing the newly released version of Point-of-Departure, which they’ve discovered is coded by VIGIL, explaining the extensive realism of the game, when they get a message on screen through the game: they need to meet the messenger for a clandestine meeting with Jack’s father.The boys take a trip up to the Edinburgh museum where they’re passed a mysterious note with a location. Travelling to Tantallon on the coast, they discover that Jack’s father has led them to the Revisionist Taurus, but it’s strangely deserted – except for a couple bodies and some blood. The boys quickly check the Taurus to see where Jack’s father has escaped to in time and discover that he’s gone to the future and he’s being chased by someone. A second time jump tells them that Jack’s father has travelled back in time to try and figure out what has caused the future to change so drastically – but so has his pursuer. Will Jack and Angus be able to get back in time to save Jack’s father?The fourth instalment in the Jack Christie Adventures, Day of Rebellion explores what would happen if modern tech got loose in the past. Perfect for lovers of history and historical fiction alike, this novel packs history and science fiction into one thrilling adventure. Praise for Johnny O’Brien‘Johnny O’Brien’s original and consistently exciting novel makes sure that history truly comes alive in an unforgettable way.’ – The Independent‘A terrific debut. The characters of Jack Christie and Angus are brilliantly drawn...you’ll visualise the scenes and almost smell them as Jack tries to make sense of his new world. A very satisfying, sometimes shocking, but ultimately uplifting read.’ – loverreading.co.uk‘If you're still wondering, may I say that if ever there was a book to take a chance on, this is it. Expect it to win awards, it's that good.’ – Amazon reviewerJohnny O'Brien was born in Edinburgh and studied history at Cambridge University. He got the idea for The Jack Christie Adventures when he came across his grandfather's medals from World War I. His debut and first book in the series, Day of the Assassins was longlisted for the 2010 Branford Boase Award and for the Book Trust's Booked Up 2010 programme. It was also shortlisted for the Children's Quills, a new award for historical fiction for children administered through the Historical Association. Johnny lives in Surrey, England, with his family.

The farmer has tumbled down into the dell, and everyone from his wife and nurse to the cat and the rat come running to his rescue. Hand in hand, they make a human chain to pull the farmer out of the dell. Everyone makes the effort--except for that haughty slice of swiss cheese. Will the farmer ever get out of the dell? John O'Brien is at it again. As in The Twelve Days of Christmas, he has set his sights on a time-honored rhyme. John O'Brien brings his trademark humor to this illustrated version of the favorite sing-along--and the "Farmer in the Dell" will never be the same.

“JACK – GET TO SAFETY. VIGIL IS ABOUT TO BE ATTACKED.”Jack and Angus are back to quiet life in the town of Soonhope. Angus is working toward his pilot’s license and helping his dad restore an old WWII-era fighter plane. They’re hanging around Angus’s house when Jack gets an ominous message: get out, they’re coming, you’re in danger.When bullets start to fly at Angus’s, the boys flee toward the school and VIGIL, hoping for safety. They make a mad dash into history when the VIGIL compound is overrun by the Revisionists, but not before Jack saw two odd strangers in the doorway, one of whom looked like… himself.They land in the middle of 1940 – smack dab in the middle of World War II. Jack and Angus are on their own. They have no VIGIL support, not even a way to know if their loved ones survived the attack. They meet up with French Resistance and are embroiled in a plot to fight the Nazis. The Nazi plot has the odd feeling of Pendelshape’s meddling - is Pendelshape alive and still trying to change history? Who was the mysterious man in the doorway with Jack’s double? Will they survive this stranded journey through time?The thrilling third instalment in the Jack Christie Adventures, Day of Vengeance is a romp through time – and history. Perfect for lovers of history and historical fiction alike, this novel packs history and science fiction into one thrilling adventure.Praise for Johnny O’Brien‘Johnny O’Brien’s original and consistently exciting novel makes sure that history truly comes alive in an unforgettable way.’ – The Independent‘A terrific debut. The characters of Jack Christie and Angus are brilliantly drawn...you’ll visualise the scenes and almost smell them as Jack tries to make sense of his new world. A very satisfying, sometimes shocking, but ultimately uplifting read.’ – loverreading.co.uk‘If you're still wondering, may I say that if ever there was a book to take a chance on, this is it. Expect it to win awards, it's that good.’ – Amazon reviewerJohnny O'Brien was born in Edinburgh and studied history at Cambridge University. He got the idea for The Jack Christie Adventures when he came across his grandfather's medals from World War I. His debut and first book in the series, Day of the Assassins was longlisted for the 2010 Branford Boase Award and for the Book Trust's Booked Up 2010 programme. It was also shortlisted for the Children's Quills, a new award for historical fiction for children administered through the Historical Association. Johnny lives in Surrey, England, with his family. Visit www.johnnyobrien.co.uk for more information

Josh Bloom is on a field trip with his class to Cherry Tree Manor; while the house and gardens are beautiful, what really interests the class is the fact that Manor's owner, General Edgar Pennington, disappeared mysteriously exactly twelve years to the day before their visit to the Manor …To Josh, it seems like there's something spooky about the manor. None of the other kids feel it, but Josh seems more attuned to the house, which leads him to discover something in the General's library that sends him on an adventure of a lifetime.Josh thinks he is on a journey to find the missing General, but soon discovers that it's his own destiny that he is really searching for … there are links between him and the missing General that he never could have guessed … Josh quest takes him to the enchanting land of Habilon, full of danger, excitement and magic.Will he ever return from the land beyond the Cherry Tree?

Here is a picture book that could only come from the wacky imagination of John O'Brien. Imagine a wizard and his wife who love to spend the day lounging in their easy chairs. These two will do anything to avoid ordinary household chores. To change the baby's diaper, the wizard waves his wand and--POOF!--he unleashes a chain of events that leads to laughter on every page. This is John O'Brien at his funniest.

Danny Wilde and his teammates are finding the Under-14s Division tough going. They’ve lost one of their best goal-scorers to injury and it looks like they’ll have no chance of winning the County Féile!Could Todd, the new Australian kid, be the answer to their prayers? Todd's an Aussie Rules player – tough and skilful – but can he become a real GAA player in time?It’s all to play for in the second book about GAA player Danny Wilde.