The Dragon and Her Boy is the sequel to Tiger Heart - both stories are set in a kind of time-slip between Georgian and Victorian London and tell the adventures of a gang of street children called the Gutterlings.
The hero of The Dragon and her Boy is a tumbler - or street acrobat - called Stick. The story starts on a very hot day in August when he and his friends Spud and Sparrow are performing for the crowds at Bartholomew Fair. There is a sudden rumble under the earth and Spud and Sparrow disappear. When Stick goes in search of them, he discovers an ancient dragon whose story is tangled up in his own dark past.
In Stick’s quest to help the dragon and rescue his friends, he ends up risking his freedom - and his life.
I have two very persistent alarm clocks in the form of my cats - Bonnie and Betsy - who wake me for their breakfast at six o’clock in the morning by poking me with their paws. If that doesn’t work, they resort to their claws. This means I am usually at my desk by eight, so most of my writing is done in the morning. But if it’s going well, I might work all day.
My ideas come when I am out on walks around the oldest parts of London - the narrow alleyways and dank churchyards of the City, where I can rub shoulders with the ghosts of Londoners and sniff out stories.
I usually spend a couple of months researching my ideas before I start writing, but quite often the characters surprise me by doing something I didn’t expect, so their stories can change quite a lot as I go along!
I am never happier than when a story is going so well it almost writes itself, and just pours out onto the page. Those are such good days! The hardest days are when I get stuck - often a few chapters in - when I start to doubt whether the story is any good at all! And indeed my own sanity!
I loved historical adventure books - so I suppose that’s why I write them now. My particular favourites were Joan Aiken - The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, Black Hearts in Battersea etc - her characters were so vivid! But there were so many others … the heartbreak of Charlotte’s Web; the nonsense world of Alice in Wonderland; so many books that children all over the world still love.
I think I knew I wanted to be a writer from the moment I realised I could pick up a book and be anywhere in the world and be swept up in adventures with great characters who - in the best books - felt as familiar and real as friends.
How amazing to be able to write stories that would bring that same joy to children myself! I am so lucky! Best job in the world!
Read an extract from No One's Looking, a comedic and uplifting novel from bestselling author Brooke Davis. Out October 13 2026!
Our staff share how special Brooke Davis' debut was - we’d love to hear your memories too!
The lovely Brooke, a bookseller herself, checks in with her colleagues across Australia to say a big hello.
Information on Alice Oseman's - author of Heartstopper - trip to Australia and New Zealand.
Meet Aussie dark romance author Penny Sunday!
From the bestselling author of Belladonna
Ahead of Eighty-Nine Questions for After, Ashleigh shares her thoughts on why sad books are so important for kids.
Start reading Patricia Cornwell's thrilling memoir
Announcing this year's round of The Richell Prize
Happy Mother's Day!
Read the new book from bestselling author Natasha Lester
Dive into this unforgettable coming-of-age story from a stunning new voice in Australian fiction
We hope these questions help guide your book club discussion for this heartfelt novel. We’ve done our best to avoid spoilers, but don’t read these questions unless you’ve finished Margaret, Are You Leaving? – you don’t want to risk ruining any reveals!
Entertain the kids at home
Antoun Issa powerfully captures his mother's true experiences of love, heartbreak and new hope during the violence of civil war.
The Children's Book Council of Australia's 2026 Notables list has been announced!
J.P. Pomare and Candice Fox are teaming up for a scintillating series of events across regional NSW. Hear J.P. discuss his highly charged thriller The Gambler and Candice discuss her addictive new novel Redbelly Crossing.
Meet bestselling author Natasha Lester as she tours Australia
We hope these questions help guide your book club discussion for this incredible thriller. We’ve done our best to avoid spoilers, but don’t read these questions unless you’ve finished The Gambler – you don’t want to run the risk of ruining any reveals!
J.P. Pomare will tour Australia to discuss his highly charged new crime thriller, The Gambler, marking the start of an electrifying new series featuring PI Vince Reid.
A guide to our authors
A kaleidoscopic, urgent narrative, told through the chorus of voices surrounding the Sharafs, Good People is a riveting, provocative and unforgettable story of community, family and identity.
A swoony YA sports romance coming soon to Netflix
Stardust meets Uprooted with a fairytale twist in this standalone fantasy.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
© Hachette Australia, All Rights Reserved · Site by Chook