Brian Falkner

In a world where science has run amok, producing weird animal hybrids like bumblebeagles, quokkadiles, and hippopotamice, one mad scientist has gone even further and started crossing plants with animals. Before you can say ‘crikeydoodle’, Charlie, Georgia and their pet kangarooster are off on a rocket powered blimp on the most epic adventure ever, with the fate of the human race at stake. 

In a world where science has run amok, producing weird animal hybrids like bumblebeagles, quokkadiles, and hippopotamice, one mad scientist has gone even further and created ‘planimals’, crossing plants with animals. Before you can say ‘crikeydoodle’, Charlie, Georgia and their pet kangarooster are off on a rocket powered blimp on the most epic adventure ever, with the fate of the human race at stake. A thrilling new junior/middle-grade adventure with 70+ stunning illustrations.  

In a world where science has run amok, producing weird animal hybrids like bumblebeagles, quokkadiles, and hippopotamice, one mad scientist has gone even further and created ‘planimals’, crossing plants with animals. Before you can say ‘crikeydoodle’, Charlie, Georgia and their pet kangarooster are off on a rocket powered blimp on the most epic adventure ever, with the fate of the human race at stake. A thrilling new junior/middle-grade adventure with 70+ stunning full colour illustrations.  

Joseph St George is a young New Zealander, the son of diplomats in 1930s Berlin. But the Nazis are on the rise and the world is on a spinning path to destruction. Joe’s world is about to change, violently. After a narrow escape from Germany with his mother, Joe is recruited by British Intelligence and given a mission to infiltrate the Hitler Youth movement.  From vital convoys across the frozen North Atlantic, to the terror of the London Blitz, to the shadowy world of the French Resistance, this is Joe’s world. Inspired by true events, Katipo Joe is a story of incredible heroism, unlikely friendships and unbearable tragedy, set against the backdrop of World War II.

"I have been accused of whitewashing the Nazi leadership in my memoirs. Some people say I make them seem human. But therein lies the problem. I saw these men up close. They were human. If we think of them only as monsters and demons we may lose sight of the fact that they were very much like you and I. They had the same number of eyes, ears and limbs. If we forget what humans are capable of, we risk it happening all over again."  In Spycraft, Falkner's masterful telling of the astonishing journey of Joseph St George (Katipo Joe) continues. A teenage boy recruited by MI5, is this time on a mission to infiltrate an elite group of Hitler Youth. Joe travels to Germany, to the very heart of the Nazi spider web, where Adolf Hitler is making plans that will change the course of the war, and the course of Joe's life. In a world where one wrong word could bring catastrophe, he must compete with the other young people for a prize beyond his wildest dreams. But the consequences of failure are torture and death. From the war-torn skies over Germany, to the heights of the Eagles Nest, this is Joe's story. Set amidst actual events, Joe's story is once again a tale of incredible heroism, unlikely romance and unbearable tragedy.

"The third beheading I witnessed during the war was the only one that really mattered, the only person who was close to me" —From the memoirs of Joseph St George. The harrowing and thrilling story of Joseph (Katipo) St George continues. Joe must use all his skills and put not only his own life at risk, but the lives of the people he most cares about. Joe has penetrated the very heart of the Nazi spiderweb, spying on Adolf Hitler and his cronies as the Second World War gains momentum and Germany begins its crucial invasion of the Soviet Union. But British Intelligence wants Hitler dead. Joe must use all his skills and put not only his own life at risk, but the lives of the people he most cares about. From Hitler’s armoured train, to the secret Nazi headquarters in a swampy East Prussian forest, this is Joe’s story. Set amidst real events and real-life characters in real-world locations, Joe’s adventures will bring the realities of the Second World War to life for young readers.
Knowledgebase There are many real life historical people, places, vehicles and weapons mentioned in Katipo Joe, visit the Knowledgebase to learn more about Joe's world.

Egan Tucker is fifteen and has been in hiding his entire life. He has never known television, the Internet or even electricity. He has never seen hot and cold running water or a flush toilet. The boundaries of his world are the hills that surround the tiny valley he calls home. But Egan's life is about to change. Forced to leave his home, he must venture out into a world that is unlike anything he has ever known. He is not ready for this world. And the world is not ready for Egan

In this dystopic near-future, neuro-headsets have replaced computer keyboards. It's the Internet at the speed of thought. As teen hacker Sam Wilson becomes familiar with the new technology, he has a terrifying realization: when you can plug your brain into the internet, what's to stop hackers from hacking into your mind? Another terrifying sci-fi page-turner from the author of The Tomorrow Code! Las Vegas is gone—destroyed in a terrorist attack. Black Hawk helicopters patrol the skies over New York City. And immersive online gaming is the most dangerous street drug around. In this dystopic near-future, technology has leapt forward once again, and neuro-headsets have replaced computer keyboards. Just slip on a headset, and it’s the Internet at the speed of thought. For teen hacker Sam Wilson, a headset is a must. But as he becomes familiar with the new technology, he has a terrifying realization. If anything on his computer is vulnerable to a hack, what happens when his mind is linked to the system? Could consciousness itself be hijacked? Before he realizes what’s happened, Sam’s incursion against the world’s largest telecommunications company leads him to the heart of the nation’s cyberdefense network and brings him face to face with a terrifying and unforeseen threat. Brian Falkner, author of The Tomorrow Code, has created an action-packed and thought-provoking science fiction adventure in which a brilliant young computer hacker fights to prevent the human race from being deleted.

Tane and Rebecca aren't sure what to make of it. The message looks like nothing more than a random collection of alternating digits. As they work to decode it, and the ones that follow, it slowly it becomes clear, the messages are from the future! They are being sent back in time! Crack the code, or tomorrow is history! Tane and Rebecca aren’t sure what to make of it. A sequence of 1s and 0s, the message looks like nothing more than a random collection of alternating digits. As they work to decode it, and the ones that follow, it slowly it becomes clear—the messages are being sent back in time from Tane and Rebecca’s future! Something there has gone horribly wrong, and it’s up to them to prevent it from happening. Tane and Rebecca follow the message’s cryptic instructions, but it’s not long before they begin to suspect that worst—that the very survival of the human race may be at stake. . . .

It all started with a book. The most boring book in the world. So boring that nobody would ever read it – which makes it the perfect place to hide a terrible secret. Teenagers Luke and Tommy stumble across this lost book, worth millions and somehow mysteriously connected to Leonardo da Vinci.  But they are not the only ones seeking the book. Soon they are fighting for their lives. Now the book has emerged from its hiding place the world may never be the same.

It is 1917 and the Great war is a jagged scar across the face of Europe. Soldiers cower in mud-filled trenches, hurling bullets across the war-torn landscape. Above them flies 17-year-old New Zealander Bob Sunday, of the Royal Flying Corps. Before long, Bob finds himself flying against the great German air aces, including the infamous Red Baron, as their warplanes whirl above the battlefields of Arras, Passchendaele and Cambrai. 

Maddy West can speak every language in the world. When she is asked to translate some ancient scrolls, Maddy is excited. But the scrolls hide many secrets. Secrets that send Maddy on a wild adventure with a stowaway ninja, a cheeky monkey, a Bulgarian wrestler, and a fiendish witch. Maddy West can speak every language in the world. When she is asked to translate some ancient scrolls, Maddy is excited. But the scrolls hide many secrets. Secrets that send Maddy on a wild adventure with a stowaway ninja, a mysterious monkey, a Bulgarian wrestler, and a fiendish witch. And soon Maddy finds herself in deadly peril. Does Maddy have what it takes to save herself and her new friends?

Cecilia Undergarment likes a challenge. So when she discovers a sad and neglected dog, she is determined to rescue him. No matter what. But her daring dog rescue lands her in deep trouble: lost in the dark forest of Northwood. A forest where those who enter never return. The dark forest of Northwood has never seen the likes of Cecilia Undergarment before .

When 12-year-old Andromeda is selected for the world’s first real life, zero gravity, live-streamed, video game, she must battle not only other players, but a villain far more dangerous and insidious than anything she could possibly imagine.  In a very near future the International Space Station has been replaced by a massive new satellite, known as Spacetown, complete with space hotel, restaurants, bars, fun park, and gaming arenas. Andromeda is on her way, to take part in the first ever live action version of the world's most popular video game. But the danger is real and the stakes are higher than she could imagine. What starts out as a thrilling game, soon becomes a battle of life and death, streamed live to the entire world.

Recon Team Angel: Book One. Humanity is losing a war against alien invaders. A team of six teenagers has been chosen to inflitrate the enemy's headquarters in the heart of the Australian Outback. But from the start, the recon mission goes terribly wrong and the team is forced to ask: who among them is a traitor? Book One of the Recon Team Angel Series.
HUMANITY IS LOSING THE WAR AGAINST ITS ALIEN INVADERS. Earth has been almost entirely conquered, with the Americas as the only free territories still under human rule. This could be humanity's last chance to strike back.
A TEAM OF SIX HAS BEEN CHOSEN to inflitrate the enemy's headquarters in the heart of the Australian Outback.
The six teens have been modifined to look like aliens. They have spent years mastering alien cluture so that they can talk, act, even think like their enemies.
But from the start, the recon mission goes terribly wrong. It's only when they are close to discovering the shocking truth of the aliens' plans that the team is forced to ask:
WHO AMONG THEM IS A TRAITOR?

Recon Team Angel: Book Two. The Angel Team are back behind enemy lines as part of Operation Magnum, the most audacious military mission of all time. But as the ill-fated mission runs into trouble, Lt Ryan Chisnall is forced to make a terrible decision. A decision that could have dire consequences and result in the ultimate sacrifice. 

Recon Team Angel: Book Three. It is winter of 2033 and Recon Team Angel is on its most dangerous mission yet.
On Little Diomede Island - the control centre for the Bering Strait - something is not right. Two SEAL teams have vanished, and Recon Team Angel has been secreted into the frozen landscape to investigate.
In these subarctic wastelands they will need every ounce of their courage and determination. If Bzadian forces manage to cross the strait and enter the Americas, then the planet will be lost.
WHO WILL WIN THE ICE WAR? 

Recon Team Angel: Book Four. For thirteen years the war with the Bzadians has devastated the Earth. Now, for the first time, humans may have the upper hand. The Angels must go behind enemy lines once again. This time to Canberra, the beating heart of the Bzadian Empire. It is their final mission: a top-secret delivery to a deep-cover spy. But there is nothing more deadly than an enemy backed into a corner. AND THERE IS NOTHING MORE DANGEROUS THAN THE PURSUIT OF VENGEANCE.

Cassie has survived a hit and run but now she hears her father has disappeared - supposedly run off with a news reporter. As a senior congressman and Speaker of the House, her father is an important player in the tense world of American politics. Cassie knows he would not walk away from his career or his family and she is determined to find out what really happened. But there are bigger players who are equally determined to stop her, and she no longer has a security detail ... 

Twelve-year-old Daniel wants to play professional rugby league. Of course he is far too young, but Daniel has a secret, and to everyone's amazement ends up on the team. But that's just where the fun begins! This book is published in New Zealand as 'Henry and the Flea' and in the rest of the world as 'The Flea Thing'. But that's just where the fun begins! 

Fizzer Boyd has a really cool ability. He is an expert at telling one soft drink from another, which is a lot of fun, but not all that useful. But then the only three people in the world who know the secret formula for Coca-Cola are kidnapped. Suddenly Fizzer is in hot demand as the Coca-Cola company tries to work out its own recipe, and before too long, the search for the missing recipe becomes a matter of life and death! 

“My name is Jacob John Smith, and this is the story of the crime of the century.” Jacob is tired of getting into trouble. He’s fed up with being pushed around and hassled by Blocker - the school bully. But then he discovers he has a special power. Will he use it to be a superhero? Or a supervillain? Either way, life for Jacob is never going to be the same. 

What if the power to control the most terrifying animals in history fell into the hands of one of the most brilliant and ferocious military leaders of all time? * WINNER of the Young Adult section of the New Zealand Children's Book Awards * Shortlisted for the NSW Premier's Literary Awards * A Junior Library Guild Selection Fifteen year old Willem lives in hiding in a small Belgian village on the edge of the great Sonian Forest. Willem and his mother have been living in secret for most of his life, since his father, a famous magician, fell out of favour with the French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. It is a world not much different from our own, in which small 'saurs' are a part of everyday life. Some are farmed, some are pets, others, more dangerous are avoided. There are rumours of even greater 'saurs' roaming the uncharted islands of the Americas. When a girl from the village is killed, it becomes obvious that there are hidden terrors in the forest and that they are connected with Napoleon's plans to conquer Europe. But Willem has a secret that could interfere with the emperor's plans and Napoléon will stop at nothing to find him. War is coming, and young Willem is no longer safe, for Gaillemarde is just a stone's throw from the fields of Waterloo -- fields which will soon run red with blood. The first book of the Battlesaurus duology

England stands alone, but an invasion is looming. Its only hope is a secret attack deep inside enemy territory, to the very heart of Napoléon's terrifying new army. In the wake of Napoléon's crushing victory at Waterloo, the vicious French general Marc Thibault and his brigade of giant carnivorous battlesaurs have struck terror across Europe.  England stands alone, but an invasion is looming. Its only hope is a secret attack deep inside enemy territory, to the very heart of Napoléon's terrifying new army. Deception and betrayal threaten the mission from its outset, leading to a clash of titanic proportions.

A collection of gripping short stories themed around fear and hope written by internationally acclaimed children's author Brian Falkner. A boy helps his sister disguise her birthmark on her first day of school. A seventeen-year-old awakens to find himself trapped in an elderly body. A teenage girl discovers her boyfriend has a life-threatening virus the day after they share their first kiss. A high school student tries to communicate to his hospitalised brother who is in a vegetative state.  Brian Falkner serves up bite-sized tales of fear - fear of rejection, fear of dying, fear of disease, fear of the unknown, fear of exclusion, fear of being caught and fear of embarrassment - showing how that stubborn seed of hope hungers our darkest moments.

In a post-Covid world we have become complacent, but that is about to change. Whatever this is, it is new and terrifying. When the disease arrives on Australian shores, three very diverse people: a free-spirited sailor; a girl from a strict religious community; and a social outcast on the run from the police, are thrown together in a desperate race for survival. Tense, shocking and deeply moving, Isolation offers a glimpse of an all too possible near future. In the midst of a terrifying new pandemic, the lives of three people are about to intersect, violently.

Get ready for a wild adventure in the world of 'The Hunt for the Ballamanana!' This action-packed activity book is bursting with crazy hybrid creatures, brain-bending puzzles, quizzes and secret codes. What’s inside? Colour in the wacky Kangarooster, the fearsome Mangorilla, and more! Create your own strange and wonderful animal hybrids. Solve puzzles, mazes, and silly challenges straight from the jungle. Can you navigate your way through the caves inside the volcano? Packed with fun facts and creative activities, this book is the perfect companion for fans of 'The Hunt for the Ballamanana!' Do you have what it takes to survive the jungle? There’s only one way to find out—grab your pencils and start the adventure!

Write like a Boss, Write like a Champion, Write like an AUTHOR! The internationally acclaimed middle-grade writing course that shows you how to write stories the way professional authors do. International, award winning author and writing coach Brian Falkner takes you on a journey of fun and discovery, learning how to create, develop and write awesome stories.  Brian is right alongside you, guiding you every step of the way. Developed and proven for over eight years in classrooms in Australia, New Zealand and the USA. This workbook is full of great, practical writing tips, techniques, exercises and worksheets to help you on your journey to publication.