Mary K. Pershall facts for kids

Mary Katherine Pershall is a well-known Australian author who writes books for children. She is especially famous for her novels written for kids aged around 10 to 13 years old. Her books are published by Penguin Books.

About Mary K. Pershall

Her Early Life

Mary K. Pershall was born and grew up in Iowa, a state in the central United States. In 1974, when she was 23, she moved to Melbourne, Australia. She came as part of a program that brought teachers to Australia. From 1977 to 1987, she worked as an editor for children's magazines. Some of these magazines were Comet, Pursuit, and Challenge.

Becoming an Author

Mary K. Pershall is well-known for her exciting stories. One of her most famous series is the Two Weeks in Grade Six trilogy. This series also includes the books A Term in Year Seven and Escape from Year Eight.

Her book You Take the High Road, published in 1988, is very popular. It is a novel for children set in Australia. Many libraries around the world have this book. It has even been translated into Dutch.

Popular Book Series

Pershall also created the Ruby Clair series. This series is about a 12-year-old girl named Ruby Clair. Ruby has a unique challenge: she can see ghosts! The books show how she tries to live a normal life while dealing with these ghostly encounters. Mary K. Pershall has also written several books with her daughters.

Her Family Life

Mary K. Pershall has two daughters, Katherine and Anna. She often worked with her daughters on books. Her older daughter, Katherine Horneshaw, later became a journalist.

List of Books

• A Term in Year Seven (2005)
• A Long Way Home (1992)
• A Shield of Roses (1984)
• Asking for Trouble (2001)
• Aussie Bites:
  • Too Much to Ask For (1998)
• Aussie Chomps:
  • Making Jamie Normal (2005)
  • The Dog Stole my Brain (2011)
• Behold the Dream (1988)
• Dawn of the White Rose (1985)
• Escape from Year Eight (2007)
• Forever the Dream (1989)
• Gold Coast (1990)
• Hello Barney! (1988)
• Oz Rock (1987)
• Roses of Glory (1987)
• Ruby Clair:
  • The Trouble with Ghosts (2008)
  • Ghost with a Message (2009)
  • A Ghost at School (2010)
• Shopkeepers (1980)
• Stormy (1993)
• Two Weeks in Grade Six (2003)
• You Take the High Road (1988)