Books published by publisher The Poplar Press

“Something was afoot, an ancient magic from bygone times, out of place in these last years of the twentieth century . . .”Twelve-year old Gerry is uneasy. The night of the winter solstice is approaching and he knows people in the district are planning a huge bonfire. It will beacon forth like the signal fires of long ago, visible along the coast and way out to sea, over the black waters ofthe night. But he has a feeling that something else is going to happen, something that will challenge him in a way he dreads. With the finding of a stuffed, mounted pheasant in an antique shop, shortly before the solstice, there begins a chase which has moved through the centuries, from the Greece of Jason and Argonauts, to seek its final resolution on the night of this solstice.Before he can understand what is happening, Gerry, his brother Ben, and their friend Mara are caught up in a contest of opposing forces from other times, and other worlds.

My name is Dragon Moon, and I am married to a crayfish!The story of a tiny, beautiful creature who appears to an ill boy, Diarmid, living in an old house above the cliffs of a rocky coast, begins with a plaintive cry for help. Dragon Moon, next in succession in her own world, has been sent to earth by the Older Others to teach her a lesson in humility, and is particularly indignant when she is not taken seriously.This science-fiction fantasy story for intermediate readers is structured around the scientific puzzles which must be solved in a very short time if she is to succeed in returning to her own world. With the help of his eccentric Great-uncle Bernard, whorefuses to allow him to feel sorry for himself, Diarmid works against time - and fights his own feelings of inadequacy and despair - to find a path home for Dragon Moon, who leaves him an unexpected legacy.

“Rowan, O Rowan, our time is now here.Will you now come? We know that you hear!”In this stand-alone sequel to Who will speak for the Dreamer? Rowan finds himself in mortal danger from the spreading dark, which has taken on a new and deadly form.A trap has been laid for the Dreamer, and the bait is Badger, his beloved English bull terrier who previously saved Rowan’s life, but has now vanished.In his search for him, it is the red-gold fox who again brings Rowan to the children through the passages of space and time, their fate inextricably entwined, while overhead, Scorpio rises…A highly imaginative and moving story from an outstanding children’s writer, intriguing and engrossing, with an edge of menace.

Who but a child could confidently tell us where the very first fairies came from, and that the little mud fairies didn’t even have wings ?It will be hard to ever forget this magical account of how one wise and patient little fairy found the way for them all to Fairyland.But what happened in Fairyland the night the fairies found that they couldn’t even fly home, after the Fairy Queen’s birthday party? And with dawn coming, what were they to do?Why did a beautiful kind-hearted dog get into trouble? Could anything save him?Where did she come from the strange little old lady - and what was the wonderful gift that she brought?What if you were a little girl who found a frozen, tiny fairy huddled on your windowsill in a snowstorm?

"Why they have notcome to find us?We are nowso very weary…But the circle is still broken…"In this stand-alone and final sequel to both Who will speak for the Dreamer? and Scorpio Rising, Rowan confronts his third and last challenge. He must race against time to rescue the children trapped underground, before it is too late for them to return to their own world.But this time, Rafe, the Dreamer, has been mortally wounded and Rowan will be on his own when the final confrontation comes with the grim, dark Huntsman in his deadliest form.Rafe’s gift of the Eye of the Falcon, together with a very special legacy passed down from Amber, Holly’s daughter, and the coming of the fey Aspen, creature of the woods, means he is not without help. But will it be in time?What award-winning Australian author, Kerry Greenwood, author of the Australian ABC television Miss Phryne Fisher detective series, had to say about Who will speak for the Dreamer?“I have read it twice. It is wonderful. Why have I not read your books before?Your story-telling skills are superb, the narrative is illustrative without being heavy, the story is chilling enough to enthral…and the book has a wonderful, spiritually uplifting ending. I love it.”

Granny May has lost her purse, and the cupboards in her small cottage are nearly bare. So Jasper sets off to get cream from their Jersey cow, Amber. Granny May will make them an apple pie from the apples still left in the old orchard.Along the way, however, Jasper unwittingly enlists the help of their small village community, with surprising and heartening results.

"Out against the black of night, lit by the fires of tall buildings flaming like skyward torches, was the background of a white-topped sea, running mountainous waves. There, silhouetted by an inferno of red-black flames closing in, a great, iridescent, silver-grey dragon was gliding serenely down to a fiercely-defended area...It reflected back flashes of mauve-silver and blue-green, as if shimmering in rainbow light."Sitting on the sand at her favorite beach, Amber's attention is caught by a curiously-shaped, clear green stone. Little does she realise what a challenge will now confront her, when she slips it into her pocket to examine more closely later.Someone else seeks this stone, which has special properties. Amber's courage and resolution are tested, and her very life in danger, when she undertakes to help its rightful owner meet the challenge of his nemesis - and make his way safely back to his own world.

Where did he come from, the hungry little grey cat that lived under the shoemaker’s shop?What was to become of him, The Cat That Nobody Wanted, with the neighbouring gang on the prowl?What did Willow hear calling to her from the tall tree?How Rickwick the Wizard and Lorenzo set off on the magic kettle - and got more than they bargained for.When a little girl called Mary blew her grandmother a kiss, making a wish, did an age-old magic answer?How Janik and Ella helped a tiny old lady, and things very nearly went wrong!

"Quick, follow the shadows before you!Follow the wind in the grass!Follow the path that leads nowhereBefore these things come to pass!"When 12 year old Rohan first sees the faces peering from the old blackwood, and his small dog, Badger, senses that something is amiss, then the dreams begin.What do they mean, the strange rhymes repeated in the night?What happened to the old house on the hill?Why does he see a little girl in a red polka dot dress on the path that leads nowhere?Who is the silvered archer at his windowsill in the moonlight, and what is the fox in the painting trying to tell him?Only the Dreamer has a final chance to right a great wrong and prevent the re-enactment of a great tragedy But with the forces of darkness again reaching out, will Rohan join Rowan in time?

Blondie and Puddles are the best of friends and never pass up an opportunity for adventure. So when a new girl moves to town and revives local legends about a bank robber, hidden caves, and forgotten gold Blondie and Puddles are ready with a plan but they'll need some help. Along for the ride is Mary Lou, the new girl, who has the coolest dog Puddles has ever seen, a Great Dane named Noble. Together with Mary Lou, her grandpa, and Noble, Blondie and Puddles must explore legends and caves, as well as battle criminals, to find the truth behind the stories and maybe even find the gold.

Blondie and Puddles are the best of friend sand never pass up an opportunity for adventure. So when a new girl, Mary Lou, moves to town and revives local legends about a bank robber, hidden caves, and forgotten gold Blondie and Puddles are ready with a plan but they'll need some help. Along for the ride is Mary Lou, who has the coolest dog Puddles has ever seen, a Great dane named Noble. Together with Mary Lou, her grandpa, and Noble, Blondie and Puddles must explore legends and caves, as well as battle criminals, to find the truth behind the stories and maybe even find the gold!