Books with author Robyn Collins

When 16-year-old, Jack Watson, and his three friends are chosen to compete in the Smartest Student in Australia competition they find themselves on a train hurtling through the Australian desert to Plato College, an isolated school owned by Sir Hubert Peabody. Soon Jack realises something is not right about Plato College. For one thing, all of the tutors and supervisors in charge of the 100 contestants look like robots, and the college is surrounded by high fences patrolled by armed guards.Jack does some scouting around the college complex and discovers a plot so diabolical that it puts the lives of all the students and, perhaps, the world at risk…something so terrifying it leads him and his friends on a hair-raising escape into the desert with no food and water and little chance of survival. Jack and his friends must use all their intelligence and courage to try to defeat Sir Hubert’s wicked plan.

Buckle in and join the ride with Robyn Collins’s breathtaking new children’s story, The Secret of the Niello.Following the success of The Niello Necklace Mystery, this final book in the series completes the journey of Bun Hare as he attempts to find his parents.After discovering the mysterious diamond niello necklace that was thought to be destroyed after his mother’s death, Bun suspects his parents are, in fact, still alive.A few clues point to his parents possibly living in Australia under false names, so Bun heads off to the land down under with Katie by his side.With an FBI agent accompanying them on their journey, Bun should feel safe—but he can’t shake a nagging distrust of the overly helpful law enforcer.Meanwhile, when the niello necklace accidentally breaks, Bun discovers it holds a series of microdots that contain a list of ten names.But what does the list mean? And how is it related to his parents’ disappearance? As Bun fights for his life against a mysterious gunman out to get him, he must unravel the truth if he ever hopes to see his mother and father again.

“In some respects, Palmer & Cay was too good to be true—a great place to work with snowballing success. Good leadership, talented personnel, personal freedom, and generous compensation contributed to the overall success of The Ship. This is a story not of evil wrongdoing, but of runaway egos, greed, and the lack of entrepreneurial skill or knowledge to lead the company forward. Those egos were willing to bet everything on an unproven scheme and ride The Ship to the bottom, if allowed.”For years, Palmer & Cay, a small but highly successful commercial insurance–brokerage firm, was a name synonymous with unbeatable talent, honest work, and a soaring drive to exceed all expectations. Everyone—employees, customers, and peers alike—wanted to climb aboard “The Ship” and be a part of the ride to success. Things could not have been looking better, until in 2003, when a sudden and unexpected change in management took a turn for the worse, and piece by piece dismantled everything that the 135-year-old company stood for. “Scuttled: The Sinking of the Palmer Cay” tells the full story from the perspective of insider Ron Collins, former senior vice president of Palmer & Cay’s flagship department, and evaluates the roots of the poor decision-making that would eventually devastate other companies across the nation. From start to finish, Collins provides acute and heartfelt insight into what businesses need to succeed, and what will ultimately make them sink.

A picky eater and a gourmet granny are on a collision course in this hearty, funny picture book treat.Ask Alvie what his favorite food is. "I only eat soup," says Alvie. For breakfast? Lunch? Dinner? A snack? "I only eat soup," says Alvie. Alvie's parents put up with his eccentricity for a while -- after all, soup is both delicious and nutritious. But when Alvie's grandmother, a renowned chef, comes to visit, will they be able to keep their son's soupy sympathies a secret? A sharp-eyed, affectionate, and very funny book about a boy and his soup.

Horatio Entwhistle and his best friends—lock picker extraordinaire Ming, her cousin Grace, and gadget expert Wheels—have defeated many of Australia’s dastardly villains using Horatio’s patented Stupendous Glue. While on holiday at Nan and Pop’s, they’re literally struck by their newest adventure! Sailing toward Crystal Lake to camp for the night, Ming and Wheels are shocked when their boat is suddenly rammed by a large cruiser. The unfriendly man onboard accuses them of trespassing and warns them never to return. Horatio and Grace hurry to rescue their friends from the capsized boat. They make camp but wake to find their food, supplies, and glue stolen—and a No Trespassing sign posted.When Wheels uses his turbocharged wheelchair to explore the area, he overhears the angry stranger arguing with his workers about a sand mine near the lake. The four friends investigate, only to discover that the man, Mr. Jones, and his employees are dumping large, mysterious drums of liquid inside the mine.While the young sleuths are searching for clues, they’re caught and ordered to stay away. They don’t, of course, and are soon up to their necks in intrigue—and danger.Unstick is the unforgettable finale to the Entwhistle Experiment series.

Mom has just one thing to tell Harvey on Doodleday—no drawing allowed! But surely drawing one little fly can’t hurt. Not until Harvey’s fly comes to life and starts to wreck the kitchen, that is! What can Harvey draw that will catch it? A spider! But the spider proves to be even more trouble. Only one thing is capable of stopping Harvey’s rampaging doodles . . . Mom!

Poor Snowball! The cat may hiss whenever he sees Horatio Entwhistle, but he doesn’t deserve to have his fur dyed bright green! He also doesn’t deserve to be catnapped, which is nearly what happens before Horatio, Wheels Petersen, and Ming-Yi Lee stumble across a burglary in progress. Snowball is safe—for now. But what are the crooks after?Horatio, Wheels, Ming, and Ming’s cousin, Grace, decide to put their heads together to solve Snowball’s secret. After their previous adventures, the four have proved they’re up for the challenge. Horatio is an extraordinary inventor, Wheels a master of his tricked-out wheelchair, and Ming a lock-picking champion. Ming finds her cousin annoying, but Grace proves to have hidden talents that just might save the day! Perfect for the adventurous young inventor in your life, this book follows Horatio and his friends as they tackle challenges with logical thinking and a zeal for finding truth and obtaining justice. The Entwhistle Experiment series celebrates the friends’ differences and shows how the unique talents of each one contribute to solving the mystery. The exploits of this enterprising foursome encourage kids to reach out to new friends, use their imaginations, and explore every possibility.

When Henry and Charlie Tremayne’s father is Disappeared by forces they do not understand, Charlie and Henry are forced to live in the family chateau in France with their evil Aunt Lavinia and her sinister husband, Maximilian. With the help of a magic ring and an old chronicle that suddenly appears in Charlie’s backpack, they begin to understand they have the power to save three people whose descendants will bring peace to the world. They soon find themselves in the centre of an epic fight between good and evil as Aunt Lavinia, Maximilian and other malevolent adversaries attempt everything in their power to weaken Charlie and Henry and ensure they will never be strong enough to save The Three. One day Charlie and Henry find a secret tunnel and meet Scruffy, a dog with special powers. Scruffy leads them to the centre of the bridge in Monet’s Garden, and into a terrifying and life-changing adventure that takes them back in time and across countries. They must use all of their intelligence, courage and love to survive and fight to be re-united with their father, and save the world from evil.

Anteater is hungry, but he has completely forgotten what anteaters eat. Baffled and with his tummy rumbling, he consults the other animals. But Sloth is too busy, Toucan is clueless, and Crocodile has his own mouth full. Maybe the ants will know - and maybe the answer isn't quite as obvious as you may think! A delightfully silly tale that little ones will return to again and again.

Following Lee’s surrender of the Army of Virginia to Grant on April 9, 1865 at Appomattox, Captain John Bitter of Abiqua Creek, Oregon musters out of the 40th Missouri. A loner, Bitter plans a quick ride home over the Oregon Trail. The good Lord, however, has other plans for him. After a month on the Trail, two gun battles, a bruising fistfight to settle a blood feud, a new wife, and two adopted sons, Bitter tells Rockford, his big, mean, black horse, “This sure complicates the business of getting back to Oregon.”Bitter now finds himself the leader of a mixed entourage going west: a black pioneer family earlier wagon trains shunned; an Irish rebel turned galvanized Yankee; a dispossessed Cherokee turned Cheyenne medicine man; the rescued sister of a Bannock chief; a white boy adopted by the Cheyenne; and a scout for the Union Army who is also one of the richest men in Oregon.Bitter’s Run is a spirited and adventurous tale. Told in three parts, it portrays the realities and uncertainties of life on the Oregon Trail, of the war-weary men seeking or returning to a homestead in Oregon, and of the courageous women who rode with them.