There's a babe in my belly that whispers the valley, froi. I follow the whispers and come to the road...
Separated from the girl he loves and has sworn to protect, Froi must travel through Charyn to search for Quintana, the mother of Charyn's unborn king, and protect her against those who will do anything to gain power. But what happens when loyalty to family and country conflict? When the forces marshalled in Charyn's war gather and threaten to involve the whole of the land, including Lumatere, only Froi can set things right, with the help of those he loves.
About the Author
Melina Marchetta is one of Australia's most celebrated authors of young adult fiction. Her novels have been published in sixteen countries and in seventeen languages. Melina's first novel Looking For Alibrandi was published in 1992 and released in 2000 as a major motion picture of the same name starring Pia Miranda, Greta Scacchi and Anthony LaPaglia. The film received rave reviews and was a box office success, winning five awards including an AFI Award and an IF Award for Best Screenplay, as well as the NSW Premier's Literary Award and the Film Critics Circle of Australia Award. The novel won the CBCA Book of the Year and was shortlisted for the New South Wales Premier's Award.
Melina taught secondary school English and History for ten years during which time she released her second novel Saving Francesca (Winner of the CBCA Book of the Year) followed by On the Jellicoe Road (Winner of the American Library Association's Michael L. Printz Award Award, short-listed for Queensland Premier's Awards, short-listed for ABIA Awards). Her first fantasy novel, Finnikin of the Rock was published in 2008 (Winner of the ABIA Award, Winner of the Aurealis Fantasy Award, short-listed for the CBCA Award, short-listed for the Western Australia Premier's Literary Awards) and in 2010, a companion novel to Saving Francesca was released under the title The Piper's Son (short-listed for Queensland Premier's Award). She has also written a book for younger readers, The Gorgon in the Gully, as part of the Pocket Money Puffins series. The second part of the fantasy trilogy and follow up to Finnikin of the Rock was released under the title Froi of the Exiles in Australia and the US, receiving wide critical acclaim both in the US and Australia. The final novel in the trilogy, Quintana of Charyn will be released in Australia on 26 September 2012.
Melina's second screenplay, On the Jellicoe Road, is currently undergoing development through Screen NSW's Aurora Script Workshop with industry advisors Olivia Stewart (producer), Anne Carey (producer), Andrew Bovell (screenwriter), and Jocelyn Moorehouse (writer/director). She is also developing a television series with writer/director Cathy Randall (Hey Hey It's Esther Blueburger) and has most recently written a second episode for ABC's Dance Academy.
