About This Author
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R.A. Spratt was born in the UK and lived in Dursley, Gloucestershire – a town immortalised by Harry Potter’s deeply unpleasant relatives – until she was two years old. Then, like many ambitious English people cursed with regional accents so strong no other British person can take them seriously, her family moved to Australia.
The tedium of growing up in the western suburbs of Sydney was fertiliser to the growth of R.A.’s imagination. The only thing for a kid to do was get on a bicycle and go to the library, so R.A. Spratt did just that. Once there, she read everything, devouring the books of Arthur Ransome, Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl, Robin Klein and Judy Blume, and audiotapes of Shakespeare productions and Sherlock Holmes dramatisations. And so, her young mind was formed, and set on the path of becoming the extraordinary author she is today.
Now based in Bowral NSW, she’s the bestselling writer of dozens of absurd and witty books including Friday Barnes, The Adventures of Nanny Piggins, Hamlet is Not OK, The Peski Kids and the Shockingly and Astonishingly Good Stories collections. Her podcast, Bedtime Stories with R.A. Spratt, has had over 2 million downloads and connects R.A. with story-lovers across the globe.
Books by R.A. Spratt
COMING SOON! Epically Good Greek Myths
Savagely funny retellings of ancient Greek legends, from the master storyteller behind Friday Barnes.
Nanny Piggins and the Origin Story
Best Suited 8-11 Years
When Mother Piggins leaves the family sty for a job on a yacht, the Piggins piglets are faced with two options- fend for themselves . . . or become bacon sandwiches.
Luckily, Sarah Piggins is no ordinary piglet.
An amazing lemon meringue pie makes Sarah the most sought-after baker in the region, and their future is looking up. But when her no-good siblings sell all the cakes to visit the local circus without her, Sarah is forced to use all her agility and cunning to punish them. Her spectacular feat captures the eye of the world’s most despicable ringmaster, and Sarah’s fate – and that of the circus crew – is changed forever . . .
Hamlet is Not OK
Best Suited 13+ Years
Selby hates homework.
She would rather watch TV – anything to escape the tedium of school, her parents’ bookshop and small-town busybodies.
So Selby didn’t plan to read Hamlet. She certainly never planned to meet him.
This novel transports Selby, and the reader, into the cold and crime-ridden play itself. Here she meets Hamlet- heavy with grief, the young prince is overthinking and over everything. Selby can relate. But unlike Hamlet, Selby isn’t afraid of making decisions. In her world, Selby is used to feeling overlooked. But in the bloody, backstabbing world of Shakespeare, Selby’s good conscience and quiet courage might just save some lives . . . hopefully before Hamlet stabs one of her classmates.
Bedtime Stories with R.A. Spratt
Best Suited 9-11 Years
Bedtime has never been so bonkers! The ultimate collection of short stories from the irrepressibly funny author of Friday Barnes.
From the bestselling author and host of the hugely popular Bedtime Stories with R. A. Spratt podcast comes this bumper collection of the show’s most popular stories.
Just as the Grimm brothers collected fairytales and Scheherazade told tales of the Arabian nights, now R.A. Spratt has assembled the most comprehensive collection of silly stories ever bound together in one book.
Stories so good no human mind could come up with them. They were often dictated to R.A. by the world’s most glamorous storytelling pig, Nanny Piggins. There’s a never-before-seen Friday Barnes mystery, and tall tales from R.A.’s own domestic life. You’d better brace yourself – these are tales so tall you will get altitude sickness.
Delight your friends and dazzle your family by reading aloud from this book. Or drive them into a paroxysm of jealousy as they watch you silently read this book to yourself. Either way, you must buy this book if you want joy in your heart, a tickle in your funny bone and a boggled brain as you try to wrap your mind around the brilliance of these bedtime stories.
Astonishingly Good Stories
Best Suited 9+ years
From R.A. Spratt, bestselling author of Friday Barnes and Shockingly Good Stories, comes this collection of twenty terrific tales perfect for fans of Roald Dahl, David Walliams and Paul Jennings.
Featuring Greek myths and fractured fairytales as told by Nanny Piggins (the world’s most glamorous flying pig), a mystery investigated by Friday Barnes (girl detective) and a series of tales so tall they will give you altitude sickness.
This book will delight children from four to one hundred and four. Just the thing for reading at bedtime, when you’re supposed to be doing your homework or when you’ve been chased up a tree by an escaped rhinoceros and you’re waiting for the zookeeper to arrive.
Shockingly Good Stories
Best Suited 9+ years
Piranhas on the run, stolen sandwiches, chocolate waterfalls and so much more!
From R.A. Spratt, bestselling author of Friday Barnes, comes this collection of twenty short stories perfect for fans of Roald Dahl, David Walliams and Paul Jennings.
Featuring fractured fairytales told by none other than Nanny Piggins, previously unpublished Friday Barnes mysteries and a bunch of other hilarious and highly original tall tales.
This book will delight kids from seven to seventy, whether they’re after a bedtime story, entertainment for a long car ride or distraction in the doctor’s waiting room!
The Peski Kids Book 1: The Mystery of the Squashed Cockroach
Best Suited 8-11 Years
Life is hard enough without having to spend time with your siblings. But there is no other way for Joe, Fin and April Peski to solve the mystery of the cockroach catastrophes that is rocking their new home town of Currawong.
The Peski Kids Book 2: The Bear in the Woods
Best Suited 8-11 Years
No one believes April saw an enormous bear in the woods. No one thinks Fin didn’t break the Cat Lady’s foot. No one wants to know why Loretta bought Dad new underwear.
The Peski Kids Book 3: Stuck in the Mud
Best Suited 8-11 Years
Chaos parachutes into Currawong when the annual Mud Run hits town. The Peski kids are soon swept up in the festivities.
The Peski Kids Book 4: Near Extinction
Best Suited 8-11 Years
A surprise intruder, a school excursion and hair-raising bus ride . . . could this be the end for The Peski Kids?
The Peski Kids Book 5: The Final Mission
Best Suited 8-11 Years
With a team of international super spies hunting them down, The Peski Kids’ orders are simple – act normal. But for Joe, Fin, April and Loretta that mission is impossible.
Tensions run high when their mum moves in and starts spotting enemy agents behind every corner in Currawong. Should The Peski Kids get out of town? Of course they should! But they’re not going to. Not when there’s a potato festival to celebrate.
Friday Barnes 1: Girl Detective
Best Suited 9-11 Years
Imagine if Sherlock Holmes was an eleven-year-old girl!
When girl detective Friday Barnes solves a bank robbery she uses the reward money to send herself to the most exclusive boarding school in the country, Highcrest Academy.
Friday Barnes 2: Under Suspicion
Best Suited 9-11 Years
When Friday Barnes cracked the case of Highcrest Academy’s mysterious swamp-yeti, the last thing she expected was to be placed under arrest. Now with the law on her back and Ian Wainscott in her face, Friday is not so sure boarding school was the smartest choice. From a missing or not-so-missing calculator to the appearance of strange holes in the school field, she is up to her pork-pie hat in crimes – and she swears not all of them are hers. There’s also new boy Christopher, who has taken quite a shine to Friday, to contend with.
Can Friday navigate the dangerous grounds of Highcrest Academy and decipher a decades-old mystery without getting caught in an unexpected love triangle?
Friday Barnes 3: Big Trouble
Best Suited 9-11 Years
When Friday’s father turns up out of the blue, he brings his daughter some distressing news – Friday’s mother has been kidnapped! But who would want to kidnap a theoretical physicist? The Headmaster needs Friday’s help too, when Highcrest Academy is thrown into chaos by the arrival of a beautiful new student – Princess Ingrid of Norway. She’s rich, she’s royal and she’s got her eye on Ian Wainscott. Despite heightened security at the school, things start to go missing. It appears Highcrest Academy has been infiltrated by a master thief, The Pimpernel.
Can Friday crack the case of her missing mother, reign in a royal brat and unmask the elusive Pimpernel? If it means she gets to ditch PE, then of course she can!
Friday Barnes 4: No Rules
Best Suited 9-11 Years
Friday Barnes has been deported to Switzerland! With their in-school detective gone, Highcrest Academy has descended into chaos. Someone’s fired all the teachers!
The Headmaster claims it wasn’t him, and suspicion soon turns to Ian Wainscott, but Friday won’t stand by and let her favourite nemesis take the blame. Apart from being innocent (probably), he’s seriously good-looking. There’s also the problem of the new vice principal and his questionable teaching methods. It’s hard to take someone seriously when they wear tie-dyed t-shirts. Can Friday save Ian’s scholarship? Can she find the prankster before they bring down the school? Can she run the cross country? She’s certainly going to try . . . to do the first two, anyway.
Friday Barnes 5: The Plot Thickens
Best Suited 9-11 Years
When Friday Barnes gets involved in her frenemy Ian Wainscott’s family dispute, it appears her knack for uncovering the truth may ruin their friendship once and for all.
Highcrest Academy is no longer a fun place to be. Ian has declared war on Friday and she is thinking of leaving . . . for good. Meanwhile, there’s two new teachers to contend with – a celebrity artist whose intentions are somewhat unclear, and an over-enthusiastic PE teacher on a fitness crusade. Between them and Ian, it’s going to be one dangerous term. Can Friday repair her friendship with Ian, restore her perfect school-life balance and work out who is committing the blatant acts of vandalism around Highcrest? No one said high school would be easy!
Friday Barnes 6: Danger Ahead
Best Suited 9-11 Years
Friday Barnes is forced to face her biggest fear – her own emotions! She must wave goodbye to Ian as he takes off to join his father in the Cayman Islands. But when your dad is a white-collar criminal, family reunions never go to plan. Ian is kidnapped en route and it’s up to Friday to rescue him.
On her return to school, the Headmaster has a treat in store – a four-week camp for students to learn wilderness survival skills! ‘Camp Courage’ is even worse than Friday imagined. And all her book smarts aren’t much help when she’s got wood to chop, potatoes to peel and latrines to dig.
Can Friday survive the great outdoors, debunk the legend of a camp ghost and make it back to Highcrest Academy alive? Only time (and a compass) will tell!
Friday Barnes 7: Bitter Enemies
Best Suited 9-11 Years
When four former headmasters arrive at Highcrest Academy to take part in the school’s anniversary celebrations, the students are warned to be on their best behaviour.
Unfortunately, no one told the headmasters to stay out of mischief too! Which means Friday Barnes soon has a case to solve. But unravelling the truth isn’t easy when the whole school is being forced to eat paleo because the cook is on a diet; her best friend’s brother won’t stop blubbering about the terrible boat accident he may or may not have caused; and Friday is being trailed by a mysterious admirer – or is it a stalker?
Can Friday find the facts among the mayhem? She’d better. The fate of Highcrest depends on it!
Friday Barnes 8: Never Fear
Best Suited 9-11 Years
The new headmaster is turning everything upside down. Friday’s irritatingly high IQ has her fast-tracked to graduation, while a pair of incriminating pants puts Ian on the rocky road to expulsion.
When a rumour emerges of embezzled gold stashed on the school grounds, Friday is determined to uncover the truth. But some big questions remain- Can she stay out of detention long enough to solve the mystery? How will Melanie survive without Friday to tell her what class she’s in? And will Friday ever get that first kiss with Ian?
With implosions and explosions everywhere, Friday Barnes will have to use her head and get a grip on her beating heart in order to find the gold that lies within.
Friday Barnes 9: No Escape
Best Suited 9-11 Years
It’s two years later . . .
Friday steps out of prison, a shell of her former self. She’s still wearing the same brown cardigan, but she swears she’s never solving mysteries again! Yeah right – who is she kidding? She can’t suppress her brilliant deductive mind and is soon drawn back into the intrigues of Highcrest Academy.
Then Uncle Bernie rings, pleading with Friday to fly to Italy and help him protect the Uffizi Galleries from a team of art thieves – and she can’t say ‘no’ to family. Even if it means travelling to the city where Ian, her ex-boyfriend/nemesis is living.
Will Friday be able to protect Italy’s finest artworks? Will Melanie stay awake long enough to help her? And will Ian still be as gorgeous as a Greek god and twice as annoying?
Friday Barnes 10: Undercover
Best Suited 9-11 Years
Friday is not running away. Yes, she did get on a train to Norway without telling anyone where she was going – but she had to help Binky. He may or may not have been attacked by a polar bear. Now he’s facing court martial for dereliction of duty. Obviously, Friday had to drop everything and travel 3000 kilometres to solve the case.
The fact that it’s easier to handle her feelings for Ian Wainscott if there’s a continent between them is just a coincidence. When Friday arrives in Oslo, there are so many mysteries to solve. Is someone trying to keep Binky and Princess Ingrid apart? How can a painting leave a museum when all the doors are sealed? And will Melanie persuade Friday to go to the royal ball without wearing a brown cardigan?
If Friday survives her trip to the remote Global Seed Vault, we may find out.
Friday Barnes 11: Last Chance
Best Suited 9-11 Years
Someone stole the Mona Lisa. Okay, it was over a hundred years ago, but a recently uncovered letter reveals that the thief forged a copy. That means that the painting in the Louvre now is a fake. And the real Mona Lisa could be anywhere!
Friday Barnes needs to find the truth – and the real painting. She’s going undercover as an art student, along with her partner-in-crime-solving, Melanie, and her staggeringly good-looking boyfrenemy, Ian.
As they watch the comings and goings of France’s most famous art gallery, they see some very strange things. Amid digital pickpockets, guerrilla graffiti and projectile perfume, Friday soon discovers that the Paris art scene is a hotbed of crime.
Friday Barnes 12: Collision Course
Best Suited 9-11 Years
Friday’s Mum, the Nobel Prize winning physicist, has been accused of espionage. The police think she’s been selling secrets about the CERN Hadron Super Collider.
Friday knows her mother isn’t capable of such a thing – this is a woman who can’t even operate a dishwasher. She’s got to smuggle herself into Switzerland to clear her Mum’s name. Fortunately, Melanie is a master of disguise.
After an extremely extreme make-over, Friday arrives at CERN and finds axolotls in the water coolers, graffiti in the great hall and most baffling of all – her sister has fallen in love with an engineer! Can Friday solve these mysteries? Can she keep her family out of prison? And can she recognise Ian if he shaves his head?
The Adventures of Nanny Piggins: Book 1
Best Suited 8-11 Years
Nanny Piggins, the world’s most glamorous flying pig, runs away from the circus and goes to live with the Greens as their nanny. The Green children, Derrick, Samantha and Michael, fall in love with her instantly.
Nanny Piggins And The Wicked Plan: Book 2
Best Suited 8-11 Years
Mr Green wants to get married so he can sack Derrick, Samantha and Michael beloved nanny, Nanny Piggins. Obviously their father has to be stopped, and Nanny Piggins is just the pig to do it.
Nanny Piggins And The Runaway Lion: Book 3
Best Suited 8-11 Years
With a runaway lion loose in the neighbourhood, Derrick, Samantha and Michael feel scared. Nanny Piggins feels like a slice of cake. And Boris feels like that lion looks strangely familiar. In this third action-packed book of adventures, Nanny Piggins tames a lion and a lion tamer. She revolutionises the sport of ski jumping, introduces hot-pink leotards to the local Neighbourhood Watch, demonstrates trapeze skills on a moving bus, plays badminton with a wok and teaches Shakespeare a thing or two about how to write a play. All while thwarting Mr Green’s attempt to send her favourite children to Nicaragua (she does find it wearisome having to put him in his place constantly). And yet, somehow, she still finds time to bake lots and lots of cake.
Nanny Piggins And The Accidental Blast-Off: Book 4
Best Suited 8-11 Years
In space, no-one can hear you oink! Derrick, Samantha and Michael should be in school. Instead they find themselves in NASA’s space shuttle, which Nanny Piggins manages to accidentally launch, blasting them all into outer space. This time she has gone too far! In this thrilling fourth instalment of her adventures, Nanny Piggins wrestles with a crocodile, bungy jumps off the roof using the elastic from Mr Green’s underpants, staples chicken wire over their chimney to keep out Santa, captures an apricot danish-loving jewel thief and rescues her brother, Boris, from an onslaught of professional wrestlers.
Nanny Piggins and the Rival Ringmaster: Book 5
Best Suited 8-11 Years
The most dangerous pig ever to put on a leotard. In book five of her enthralling adventures, Nanny Piggins discovers some startling truths about the ruthless Ringmaster, provides counselling to a Molavadinian princess with pre-wedding jitters, inadvertently wins a Nobel Prize while impersonating her sister and catches up with her favourite 4-tonne friend, Esmeralda the forgetful elephant.
Nanny Piggins and The Pursuit Of Justice: Book 6
Best Suited 8-11 Years
Justice served with extra chocolate sauce. Nanny Piggins gets in trouble with the law after some illicit tight rope walking, and is sentenced to 5000 hours community service. But she isn’t the type of pig to take her punishment lying down, not when there are old people to rescue, pirates to impersonate and a great big bus to borrow.
Nanny Piggins and the Daring Rescue: Book 7
Best Suited 8-11 Years
When Mr Green rings from a tropical island, begging to be rescued, Nanny Piggins first instinct is to say no. However, a principle is at stake. No-one kidnaps her employer – at least not without written permission from her. So Nanny Piggins sets out to save the hapless tax lawyer, and to do so she must first dabble in a spot of bungy jumping, deceive immigration officials wearing a fake moustache and seduce the President with her most powerful weapon – the dance of the seven cakes.
Nanny Piggins and the Race to Power: Book 8
Best Suited 8-11 Years
A vote for Piggins is a vote for cake!In this riveting eighth instalment of Nanny Piggins’ adventures, she sets out to thwart Mr Green’s political ambitions by running for mayor herself. Her mission – to proudly fight for Liberty, Equality and Cake! Is democracy safe? Probably not. Will Nanny Piggins give everyone in the electorate diabetes from too much cake? Most likely. And along the way tremendous adventure abounds. Taking part in a diabolical fun run, being trapped in a sabotaged lift, faking seismic activity, safeguarding the local vacant lot and beating the world pole vault record is just the beginning.