Jacqueline Harvey

Jacqueline Harvey is one of Australia’s most popular authors for children with a reputation for creating books that are filled with adventure, mystery, humour and heart. She has written more than 60 titles, including the bestselling Alice-Miranda, Clementine Rose, Kensy and Max, and Willa and Woof series. Her picture book The Sound of the Sea was a CBCA Honour Book in 2006.

She has recently released several new picture books, including Kevin the Sheep, Kevin Saves the Show, The Daring Tale of Glora the Great and That Cat, all illustrated by one of her former students, Kate Isobel Scott.

Her latest offering is the first book in an exciting middle-grade series called The Girl and the Ghost, released in May 2025, with the second book to follow in October 2025.

Jaqueline has narrated more than 30 audiobooks, and her Alice-Miranda series has been made into two animated feature films now available on Stan and Amazon Prime.

 

PRESENTATION ONE

Animal Tales and Misadventures

From missing chickens to kung fu–loving sheep, crazy cats and a girl with a very large dog, Jacqueline Harvey has created hilarious picture books and junior fiction stories. Find out what inspired her characters and the stories they inhabit. Get ready to laugh and learn as she talks about the tales behind the tales, including how her illustrator, Kate Isobel Scott, was once a student in her class – and how she and Kate came to be working together many years on.

In this interactive presentation, Jacqueline will share with students the ways she finds ideas and brings them to life. She’ll tell them laugh-out-loud stories and give them lots of tips for their own writing.

AUDIENCE 
Kindergarten–Year 4 (early Stage 1 to Stage 2)

DURATION 
45 minutes

TOPICS COVERED 
Storytelling | Creativity | Reading | Ideas for writing stories | Writing tips

REQUIREMENTS
1. Laptop or computer with USB port and projector (to plug a memory stick into to play a PowerPoint) – sound enabled
2. Microphone
3. Small table to display a selection of books
4. Chair

PRESENTATION TWO

Spies, Lies and Mysteries

Jacqueline Harvey loves to tell stories – as well as write them. Your students will be mesmerised by her hilarious tales, many of which have inspired her picture books and junior fiction, from missing chickens and a sheep who doesn’t want to be a sheep, to Willa and her best four-legged friend, Woof.

She’s visited Spy Headquarters and had the sorts of adventures that made her into the writer she is today. Jacqueline will take your students on an interactive journey, showing them how to use real-life experiences to create their own tales. She’ll explore the world of Kensy and Max – her spy twins – and share with your students all the skills you need to lead a life of international espionage.

Be prepared for lots of interactive fun and silly voices.

AUDIENCE 
Years 3–6 (Stages 2–3)

DURATION:
45 minutes

TOPICS COVERED 
Storytelling | Creativity | Reading | Research | Ideas for writing | Writing tips | Performance

REQUIREMENTS
1. Laptop or computer with USB port and projector (to plug a memory stick into to play a PowerPoint) – sound enabled
2. Microphone
3. Small table to display a selection of books
4. Chair

PRESENTATION THREE

The Stories Behind the Stories

Jacqueline Harvey loves to tell stories – and strangely many of them are true! From snake tales and camp mishaps to meeting a prince in a bookshop and touring a dilapidated mansion that was once the headquarters of an international spy organisation, she’ll inspire your students with the art of storytelling and how that translates into her books. Jacqueline will delve into how she uses research and weaves fact with fiction.

Her latest middle-grade book, The Girl and the Ghost, has it all – history, mystery and adventure. Jacqueline will share how she got the idea to write the book in the first place and the ways she’s used real life and a big dose of fiction to create this first book in a thrilling new series that girls and boys are going to love.

Prepare for your students to be blown away by her high-energy, interactive presentation.

AUDIENCE 
Years 3–6 (Stages 2–3)

DURATION 
45 minutes

TOPICS COVERED 
Storytelling | Creativity | Research | History | Weaving fact and fiction in a story | Ideas for writing | Writing tips | Performance

REQUIREMENTS
1. Laptop or computer with USB port and projector (to plug a memory stick into to play a PowerPoint) – sound enabled
2. Microphone
3. Small table to display a selection of books
4. Chair