“This novel is great fun!”

- Faber Academy

“A sheer delight. This fresh fantasy shimmers  with sunny wit and warm-hearted charm.”

- Barbara Kyle, bestselling author of the Thornleigh Saga novels and The Man from Spirit Creek

TO ORDER: visit barbarawaderosebooks.com

HOW DID one prickly, imperious schoolgirl—not particularly fond of children—become London’s most original nanny?

The Great War is over, but Marabel's father still has not come home. Soon to graduate from her mother's School for White-Blouse Professions in London,Marabel misses him dearly. Otherwise her ambition is to become a country postmistress where she need not deal with other people. 

Then the King sends her on a quest. Her mother gives her a magic heirloom and Marabel—dragging her 10-year-old brother Thomas with her—flies through time and space to retrieve the soldier who won the Great War's greatest medal. She is to bring him to a royal celebration at Stonehenge—in only two weeks!

So many monarchs to contend with: the King wants Marabel to bring back storied legends to help him celebrate. King Cobra from the London Zoo wants Marabel to free the animals. Angus the West Highland terrier wants to dethrone King Cobra and become King of the Beasts.

And handsome artist Bharat Gupta wants to save Marabel from the mystery man following them.

* But why is her father hiding the unknown soldier behind the medal?

* And how do Marabel and Bharat end up on trial for treason?

What she learns and how she comes of age makes Marabel leave behind the tedium of sorting other peoples’ letters to become a prickly, imperious—and magical—nanny.

“Take flight with the irrepressible Marabel on her magical mission for King and Country. You may never want to come home.”  – Barbara Kyle, bestselling author of the Thornleigh Saga novels and The Man From Spirit Creek

A “marvelous hodgepodge of ideas.”

- Kirkus Reviews

“A fascinating story—full of twists.”

- Toronto Star

“This was awesome! Delicious historical fiction with a lesson: a hater priest. A mysterious loner. A mystery surrounding a poltergeist. Plot twists and chilly images lead to one helluva courtroom showdown.”

- Suzanne Rogers, This Book Right Here

An astonishing true story from 1850s France.

Thorel Felix was an outcast and a witch, angered at the imprisonment of his coven leader by parish priest Father Jean Lariat.  Felix claimed to have placed a hex on the two boys studying with Lariat at the rural Cideville parsonage. Instead the parsonage began to erupt with strange noises. Lariat forced Felix to apologize to the boys, but the noises only grew louder—and stranger. An exorcism failed. Seances by an occultist from Paris failed. Driven nearly mad by the poltergeist, Father Lariat followed Felix to a hill outside the village and tried to beat him to death. 

But the witch recovered—and sued Lariat for assault. What followed is the only known witch trial where a witch—battered, uneducated, and unbowed—was the plaintiff.

“A lively circus of a novel, animated by a most intriguing cast of characters. The story is truly bizarre and engaging—at times suspenseful, humorous, unsettling, even poignant—and rips along at a brisk and entertaining pace. It is richly imagined, well told, and made even more compelling by the truth.” 

- Barnes & Noble

Budge Crawley and the parable of Canadian film

“Budge Crawley is a true pioneer. This book provides a detailed and affectionate portrayal of an independent Canadian film legend.”

— director Atom Egoyan

"Budge Crawley was a maverick movie mogul in the tradition of Jack Warner. This book details Budge’s career and the early days of Canadian film with gusto and charm and is a must-read for anyone who loves movies."

- Wayne Clarkson, director, Canadian Film Centre

Budge Crawley was Canada's greatest independent filmmaker but a man who paid a ruinous price for the film and festival fame Canada enjoys today. A dynamic, infuriating genius, Budge filmed Canada at its most beautiful, made iconic Canadian films, and practised a very Canadian kind of bigamy. Crawley Films won over 500 international awards and was eventually sold for a dollar to pay off the debts incurred by Budge’s idea of the ultimate Canadian film. His story is buried treasure for film fans and those who love outsized legends.