Cat Royal Adventures

Series · 7 books · 2006-2010

By Simon Harvester, Julia Golding

Books in series

The Diamond of Drury Lane

2006

Set in 1790's Covent Garden this book whisks you back to a bygone era, and to embark on an adventure about one hidden treasure, two bare-knuckle boxers, three enemies, and four hundred and thirty-eight rioters. It is the tale of Cat Royal, an orphan, four foot four with long red hair and not a penny to call her own. She lives in the Theater Royal on Drury Lane, a place filled with dramatic characters, theatrical spectacles, and now, a secret treasure—which Cat has been asked to protect. Her new friend Pedro, a former slave and gifted violinist, is eager to help, and so is the theater prompter, Jonathan, who is hiding secrets of his own. But when the ruthless gang leader Billy Shepherd learns about the treasure, Cat thinks she's going to lose it for sure. She still doesn't know what the treasure is, so how can she keep it safe from Billy and his gang? Follow Cat into the streets of London, as she faces danger and adventure, racing to be the first to discover the diamond of Drury Lane!

Cat Among the Pigeons

2006

Hardcover in very good condition. No jacket. Signed by author on title page. Binding is intact, contents are clean and clear. AM

Den of Thieves

2007

Hardcover in very good condition. No jacket. Signed by author on title page. Spine ends are lightly bumped. Binding is intact, contents are clean and clear. AM

Cat-O'nine Tails

2007

Cat is finally living a life of luxury—and so bored she's going out of her mind. But then she and her friends are kidnapped and forced to work on a ship bound for the New World. With a mystery to solve and survival at stake, Cat must use her wits to save herself and her friends.

Black Heart of Jamaica

2008

Notice to the PUBLIC OF JAMAICA Due to the threat of a rebellion by the slaves of this island, be it therefore enacted that from this day, 1st of July 1792, all persons report any suspicions of revolutionary plots immediately! BY ORDER OF THE GOVERNOR Presenting the fifth adventure from the spirited Cat Royal in which she joins a travelling theatre, turns pirate, undertakes a Caribbean Cruise, and gets mixed up in a slave revolt. WITH A GUEST APPEARANCE FROM MR. BILLY SHEPHERD (formerly of Covent Garden) Prepare to swash your buckle in Cat's most outrageous adventure yet!

#5.5

The Middle Passage

2010

Librarian's note: This is a free downloadable novella. See the book url for more information. On board the Dolphin somewhere in the Atlantic, this day August 24th 1792, the crew will be presenting a Two Act Play: THE MIDDLE PASSAGE starring Miss Catherine Royal and Mr Billy Shepherd. Prepare to set sail for a new adventure.

Cat's Cradle

2009

Cat Royal spins a tale about the search for her family, weaving in friends and foes, old and new. Her journey takes her from riotous London to a revolutionary cotton mill on the River Clyde in Scotland. And a mysterious newcomer is introduced. So take your seats, ladies and gentlemen: the Industrial Age has arrived.

Authors

My journey to becoming an author has been a roundabout one, taking in many other careers. I grew up on the edge of Epping Forest and was that dreamy kind of child who was always writing stories. After reading English at Cambridge, I decided to find out as much as I could about the wider world so joined the Foreign Office and served in Poland. My work as a diplomat took me from the high point of town twinning in the Tatra Mountains to the low of inspecting the bottom of a Silesian coal mine. On leaving Poland, I exchanged diplomacy for academia and took a doctorate in the literature of the English Romantic Period at Oxford. I then joined Oxfam as a lobbyist on conflict issues, campaigning at the UN and with governments to lessen the impact of conflict on civilians living in war zones - a cause about which I still feel very passionate. Married with three children, I now live in Oxford between two rivers, surrounded by gargoyles, beautiful sandstone buildings and ancient trees. My first novel, 'The Diamond of Drury Lane', won the Waterstone's Children's Book Prize 2006 and the Nestle Children's Book Prize 2006 (formerly known as the Smarties Prize). I was also chosen by Waterstone's in 2007 as one of their 'Twenty-five authors for the future'. In the US, 'Secret of the Sirens' won the honor book medal of the Green Earth Book Award. My latest series, which starts with Mel Foster and the Demon Butler, about an intrepid Victorian orphan who lives in a household of monsters, won Bronze in the Primary Teacher awards in 2015. The next part, Mel Foster and the Time Machine, has set the time-dial to arrive in 2016.