Listen: Australian author Jacqueline Harvey discusses the 20th book in her 'Alice-Miranda' series, 'Alice-Miranda in Egypt'
By Sam RobinsonMonday 7 Jun 2021Hope BreakfastEntertainmentReading Time: 2 minutes
After having already sold one million books in her Alice-Miranda series, Jacqueline Harvey has just released the 20th in the set – Alice-Miranda in Egypt.
Perhaps best known for her super-popular Kensi & Max and Alice-Miranda series (the latter having sold more than one million copies), Jacqueline shows no signs of slowing down. Speaking on Hope Breakfast on the release of the 20th book in the series, Alice-Miranda in Egypt, Jacqueline shared that she never could have imagined that her heroine would reach this point.
“I think it was probably five books in my head to start with,” Jacqueline said. “When I got to five, I thought I could get to 10. I adore her and her friends. It’s been a privilege to write her stories.”
When asked about why she thinks Alice-Miranda has proven so popular, Jacqueline gave a quick and simple answer.
“I think a lot of kids say to me that they love how kind she is. That is a really overriding theme. She’s a kind girl, and she’s really good at solving problems, and helping other people solve their problems. There’s so much adventure in it.
“Kids like the idea that they could have the freedom to do that.”
And there aren’t many more adventurous settings than ancient Egypt, a place filled with history and mystery. A pandemic may have stopped Jacqueline from travelling there herself, but online research was useful for her in understanding the setting.
Jacqueline is currently working on the eighth book in the Kensi & Max series, as well as a brand new series. Which begs the question, is book number 20 and an adventure through Egypt provide a natural end to Alice-Miranda?
“I’m not contracted to write any more Alice-Miranda [books] at the moment, so I’m going to take a little break from writing Alice-Miranda.
“But I’m certainly not saying that this is the end. I don’t think I could bear to be not writing her stories.”
Listen to the full chat with Jacqueline Harvey, including a fun game – Fiction or Non-Fiction – in the player above. Alice-Miranda in Egypt is out now.