Books with author Michael Mayo

10 short stories of 10 middle grade boys having an adventure. Some stories are historical, some are set in Australia.There’s a mermaid romance in Girl in a Red Dress, a golden son from the Goldfields, a ball boy in Game, Set, Match, horse training in the Brumby, refugee children in a Long Way to Freedom, high seas and Lord Nelson in All at Sea, and a traveling man in Flames and Wells and Sacred sites in Ireland. There’s a boy wanting to catch rabbits so he may buy a scout uniform. There’s a dog which tells us of his travels up the east coast of Australia. And then there’s the boy whose father disappears in The White Shirt.

Did you know that there exists in the world, millions of tiny little clouds of luck that circle the earth every minute, of every day, of every year? And did you know that if you happen to get in the way of one of these floating luck clouds then, for as long as the cloud is passing through you, your luck will change? Sometimes forever?A young boy named Tommy, finds a way of capturing a luck cloud with the aim of unfairly influencing his luck. Some people might call this cheating. But Tommy soon learns that luck can be bad as well as good.A delightful story that adults will enjoy reading out loud to their children. For children aged 6 - 8 years old.

Burma was wild and exotic, with a rich landscape and tempestuous weather. Frank was quickly introduced to the world of rubies abounding in the country, especially the very expensive “Pigeon blood ruby.” However, this beautiful and distant world had a dark side; its villagers were poor, uneducated, and the victims of slave and prostitution ring leaders. While being initiated to the world of weapons and rubies trade, Frank met with a young and very intelligent boy by the name of Phirrot. The boy, who spoke very little English, opened the doors to a culture Frank was dying to discover. But shortly after their meeting, the only Burmese friend Frank had was snatched one night while his village was being burned down. Grabbing the only opportunity, he had to chase after Alex; Frank, with the help of a few willing monks, went on a mission to rescue Phirrot. After a first failed attempt, Frank met with the beautiful Paula (an international investigator for child abuse) and together they were able to rescue the stolen children. Soon after, he was faced by Khun Sa himself who tried to make an example out of Frank by executing the monks who offered to help him. While running away from the general, Frank faced another great challenge; the powerful monsoon rains, which literally drowned him and the kids he was trying to save. The challenges confronting him, forced Frank to face his real enemies buried inside his soul; rooting from his own devastated childhood, with an abusive father who did nothing but bring him down. Frank finally understood that his dedication to saving Phirrot was actually an indirect attempt at saving himself. Fortunately, Frank survived and was approached by Paula’s group who trained and sent him to Brazil where he was about to face the evil men operating the shameful trade. In order to infiltrate the international ring, Frank had to pose as a customer preying on the very same kids he was trying to save. His mission will take him to a “Kill scene” where Frank only had seconds to save two children from a tragic end. The ringleaders now captured, Frank returned to his daughters with the great feeling of having found redemption.