Karen McMillan Books

Elastic Island Adventures: Jewel Lagoon is the first in an exciting series, a fantasy action-adventure set in the South Pacific. Four Children, Kiri, Jed, and the twins Emma and Ethan, discover an 'elastic' Island that can send them pinging across the ocean to a variety of tropical island destinations. Landing at Jewel lagoon on Trinity Island, the children quickly find themselves in trouble.

But even with help from the colourful creatures they meet - Pangali the Platypus, Olaf the Giant, and Big Wig and Wee Wig Knockulous - will they be able to return home safely?

Suitable for children 8 - 12 years

Elastic Island Adventures: Port Mugaloo is the second in an exciting series of books for children, a fantasy action-adventure set in the South Pacific!

Four children, Kiri, Jed, and twins Emma and Ethan, discover an ‘elastic’ island that can send them pinging across the ocean to a variety of tropical island destinations. Their last destination spelt trouble, so this time the children are determined to have a relaxed and safe time when they visit Port Mugaloo on MugaMuga Island. But Ethan falls into a pond and becomes invisible – and the only one who can help them is King Shiny. But King Shiny has gone missing looking for the long-lost royal treasure, so they enlist the help of Mrs Quokka and travel across the desert on a seven-humped camel into very dangerous territory to find him. But have the children made a mistake in trusting Mrs Quokka? They soon learn that quokkas might be famous for their ‘quokka logic’ but mostly it doesn’t make any sense!

Suitable for children 8 - 12 years

Rainbow Cove is the third in a fantasy action-adventure set in the South Pacific.

Kiri, Jed, and twins Emma and Ethan, discover an ‘elastic’ island that sends them pinging across the ocean to a variety of destinations. When they visit Rainbow Cove, they discover creatures called frivals who are responsible for maintaining the colours of the island. But the frivals have gone on strike after the local people didn’t like them changing all the colours around – and now the island is slowly fading to grey. Because of this the chameleons are in danger of dying, so the children set out to find the frivals missing leader in the hope of saving them. But will they succeed before it is too late?

Suitable for children 8 - 12 years

Alphabet Resort is the fourth in the Elastic Island Adventures children’s book series for children aged 8 - 12. Kiri, Jed, and twins Emma and Ethan, discover an ‘elastic’ island that sends them pinging across the ocean to a variety of destinations.

The children are excited to be going to the wedding of King Shiny and Princess Topaz. Love is in the air, especially when they encounter Wombo the Wombat, a bachelor looking for love, who they decide to help. But then Princess Topaz is kidnapped, and everyone begins a frantic hunt to find her. Will they find her in time for the wedding, and will Wombo the Wombat succeed in finding love?

Suitable for children 8 - 12 years

Kingdom of Blong is the fifth in the Elastic Island Adventures children’s book series for children aged 8 - 12. Kiri, Jed, and twins Emma and Ethan, discover an ‘elastic’ island that sends them pinging across the ocean to a variety of destinations.

When they arrive at the Kingdom of Blong, they discover that Blong the Cat is the island’s missing king. Blong is greeted with a great deal of fanfare, but it looks like fame might be the ruin of him. Will Blong’s relationship with Emma continue? And why do the bilbies, led by Baxter the Bilby, decide it is a good idea to live on a dangerous island ruled by cats? Will they end up on the dinner menu, or will they survive?

Suitable for children 8 - 12 years

Flip Flop Bay is the sixth in a fantasy action-adventure set in the South Pacific. Kiri, Jed, and twins Emma and Ethan discover an ‘elastic’ island that sends them pinging across the ocean to a variety of destinations.

Bob the Blue-Footed Booby is running a flying school, which sounded like fun until the children discovered that this means dressing in weird costumes and launching themselves off the end of the wharf. It’s the latest silly idea in a series of doomed ventures from Bob the Blue-Footed Booby, who is trying to save their small fishing village from closure. Can the children come up with an idea that will save the island and its kooky inhabitants? And what about the complication of The Dastardly Captain Crook?

Suitable for children 8 - 12 years

Blong goes shopping to buy a special outfit to wear to a wedding, but not everyone likes his choices!

A story of costumes, numbers and dancing, all wrapped up in a bow of kindness.

Blong the cat is based on the real-life cat, who lives with Karen and her husband. The real-life Blong was adopted from Vanautu, and now lives in Auckland. Just like the fictional cat, Blong loves cuddles and music.

Suitable for children 3+.

The Paris of the East is a sweeping epic of love and war, courage and survival, sacrifice and loss.

Warsaw, 1939. Four friends picnic on a brilliant summer’s day and celebrate an engagement, aware of the rumbles of war, but hopeful that in any conflict Poland will have the upper hand. But only months later, Poland has surrendered and dare-devil pilot Rafael is ordered to flee the country, eventually flying for the RAF in Britain. The other three remain in Nazi-occupied Warsaw – Rafael’s spirited wife, Celina; his shy and brooding brother Marek – who wishes he was the one Celina had married – and their plucky friend Anna. Danger lurks on every corner of occupied Warsaw, even more so when the three friends become active members in the Polish Resistance…

A page-turning story that spans the period of the Second World War, this is a dramatic historical adventure that goes from Warsaw to Lublin, from Bucharest to Paris, from London to the Concentration Camp at Ravensbruck – but always at the heart of this novel is the mesmerising city of Warsaw – ‘The Paris of the East.’

The Paris of the West is a story of love and loss, betrayal and forgiveness, and having the courage to start over.

San Francisco, 1948. Having survived the Second World War against all odds, Celina and her family arrive on a Liberty Ship into the Bay Area with high hopes for their new lives. But as new immigrants they face many hurdles, and they have to deal somehow with the trauma of war and the grief of losing loved ones. Betrayal and more heartbreak are just around the corner. Why is it that now they are finally safe, Celina cannot sleep and is afraid of her dreams? And who is the mysterious jazz singer who will have such an impact on their family?

A page-turning, historical read set in the spectacular hilly city of San Francisco, ‘The Paris of the West’ goes from the jazz clubs in the Fillmore District to the sun-kissed vineyards of Sonoma.

A novel of love, lost memories and rediscovering dreams.

On her thirty-second birthday, Rebecca is in high spirits. She adores her husband of seven years, Daniel, a successful musician. She is carving out a reputation as a talented painter. Life could not be better. But in 2013, she wakes in hospital after a head injury and finds out that nearly a decade of her life has been erased from her memory. Now almost forty-two, she can’t remember anything after her thirty-second birthday, a decade fraught with changes she would never have anticipated – illness, infidelity, betrayal, separation and death – and the disintegration of many of her dreams.

Feeling like she is still thirty-two, Rebecca has to grapple with suddenly being so much older and with a world that is more complicated than she remembers. As she learns about her life from the last decade, she comes to realise she has lost her way. But if she can’t remember anything of nearly ten years, then could this be the chance for her to wipe the slate clean and start again?