Lauren St John
Lauren St John was born in Gatooma, Rhodesia, now Kadoma, Zimbabwe. Aged 11, she and her family moved to Rainbow's End farm and game reserve, the subject of her acclaimed memoir, and she grew up surrounded by animals, including eight horses, two warthogs and a pet giraffe. After nearly a decade as golf correspondent to The Sunday Times, followed by a sojourn in the US, riding the tour buses of alt. country stars like Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle and the Dixie Chicks, she wrote the bestselling White Giraffe series. Dead Man's Cove, the first in her new mystery series about 11-year-old detective, Laura Marlin, won the 2011 Blue Peter Favourite Story and Book of the Year Awards.
Books
Dead Man's Cove
Author: Lauren St John
Publisher: Orion Children's Books
Interest age: 9+
Reading age: 9+
When mysterious uncle Calvin rescues Laura Marlin from her gloomy life in an orphanage, she can't believe her luck! But she soon realises that her Cornish paradise is full of mysteries...
Dolphin Song
Author: Lauren St John
Publisher: Hachette
Interest age: 10+
Reading age: 11+
Martine's school trip to follow the famous sardine run up the coast of South Africa turns to catastrophe when their boat is caught up in a terrible storm.
Kat Wolfe Investigates
Author: Lauren St John
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books
Interest age: 10-12
Reading age: 10+
Kat Wolfe loves her new home in idyllic Bluebell Bay, especially as it comes with a resident wildcat. But when she starts pet-sitting for pocket money, she finds that beneath the town's perfect surface lie some dark and dangerous secrets.
Kentucky Thriller
Author: Lauren St John
Publisher: Orion Children's Books
Interest age: 9+
Reading age: 10+
Laura Marlin’s third adventure begins when she discovers an abandoned horsebox containing missing Kentucky Derby winner, Gold Rush.
Kidnap in the Caribbean
Author: Lauren St John
Publisher: Orion Children's Books
Interest age: 9+
Reading age: 9+
The second Laura Marling mystery has all the elements of an old fashioned adventure story, action packed with friends rallying to fight an evil enemy
The Glory
Author: Lauren St John
Publisher: Orion
Interest age: 11+
Reading age: 11
Part gripping adventure, part love story, this powerful novel travels through an exhilarating yet terrifying landscape.
The One Dollar Horse
Author: Lauren St John
Publisher: Orion Children's Books
Interest age: 11+
Reading age: 10+
Casey Blue lives with her father in a tower block in Hackney, London , but despite her urban existence, she dreams of one day becoming an equestrian champion.
The Snow Angel
Author: Lauren St John Illustrator: Catherine Hyde
Publisher: Zephyr, Head of Zeus
Interest age: 10-14
Reading age: 10+
Twelve-year-old Makena was born for the mountains, and she dreams of following in his footsteps. However, the arrival of the Ebola virus shatters her world and her life becomes a struggle to survive. A story of resilience, kindness and the power of nature.
The White Giraffe
Author: Lauren St John Illustrator: David Dean
Publisher: Hachette
Interest age: 9+
Reading age: 10+
Devastated by her parents' death, Maxine is sent to South Africa and a grandmother she didn't know existed. When she glimpses the legendary white giraffe one night, the connection between them is instantaneous.
Wave Riders
Author: Lauren St John
Publisher: Macmillan
Interest age: 10-13
Reading age: 9+ years
Twins Jess and Jude wake one morning to find their yacht adrift and their guardian missing. Packed with half-truths, deception, red herrings, villainous baddies and a sense of ever-present threat, this is a mystery to keep readers guessing.