AustLit logo

AustLit

image of person or book cover 1927520707739180329.jpg
Courtesy Reading Australia
Melina Marchetta Melina Marchetta i(A15005 works by) (a.k.a. Carmelina Marchetta)
Born: Established: 1965 ;
Gender: Female
Heritage: Italian
The material on this page is available to AustLit subscribers. If you are a subscriber or are from a subscribing organisation, please log in to gain full access. To explore options for subscribing to this unique teaching, research, and publishing resource for Australian culture and storytelling, please contact us or find out more.

Works By

Preview all
1 y separately published work icon What Zola Did on Sunday Melina Marchetta , Melbourne : Penguin , 2021 21861945 2021 single work children's fiction children's

'From the author of Looking for Alibrandi comes this gorgeous series to engage and entertain newly independent young readers.

'A wonderful children's series celebrating community, friendship and kindness from the bestselling author of Looking for Alibrandi. Fun, heartwarming stories full of mischief and humour, sure to charm and engage newly independent young readers.

'Zola loves living on Boomerang Street with her mum and her nonna. Every day of the week is an adventure. But Zola has a problem. No matter how much she tries, she can't keep out of trouble. Like on Sunday, when it's St Odo's fete and Zola and the gang join in the fun . . .

'Collect all seven stories in the series. One for every day of the week! (Publication summary)

1 y separately published work icon What Zola Did on Friday Melina Marchetta , Melbourne : Penguin , 2021 20857754 2021 single work children's fiction children's

'From the author of Looking for Alibrandi comes this gorgeous series to engage and entertain newly independent young readers.

'A wonderful children’s series celebrating community, sustainability, diversity and family from the bestselling author of Looking for Alibrandi. Fun, heartwarming stories full of mischief, humour and feeling, sure to charm and engage newly independent young readers.

'Zola loves living on Boomerang Street with her mum and her nonna. Every day of the week is an adventure. But Zola has a problem. No matter how much she tries, she can't keep out of trouble. Like on Friday, when she and Alessandro decide to paint Nonno Nino’s little yellow boat . . .Collect all seven stories in the series. One for every day of the week!' (Publication summary)

1 y separately published work icon What Zola Did on Thursday Melina Marchetta , Melbourne : Penguin , 2021 20356128 2021 single work children's fiction children's

'From the author of Looking for Alibrandi comes this gorgeous series to engage and entertain newly independent young readers.

'Zola loves living on Boomerang Street with her mum and her nonna. Every day of the week is an adventure. But Zola has a problem. No matter how much she tries, she can't keep out of trouble. Like on Thursday, when she and the gang form a band and upset their cranky neighbour, Mr Walton . . .Collect all seven stories in the series – one for every day of the week!

'A wonderful series celebrating community, sustainability, diversity and family. Fun, heartwarming stories full of humour and feeling, sure to charm and engage newly independent young readers.

''I don’t know about you but I am getting incredibly fond of Zola and her neighbourhood. This little series is just truly delightful and I know that little readers must love being able to make connections with their own family, friends, schools and communities . . . Your newly independent readers both boys and girls will just adore these stories and they would make fabulous read-alouds for either classroom teachers or teacher-librarians paired with some activities and action plans. Highly recommended for little readers from around six years upwards.’ Sue Warren‘Highly recommended . . . Full of humour and brimming with the close ties of family, [and] . . . community, children will love reading of Zola and her life.’ Fran Knight'

Source : publisher's blurb

1 y separately published work icon Live Recording : Will Kostakis on Rebel Gods Melina Marchetta (interviewer), Melbourne : Readings , 2020 23473498 2020 single work podcast interview

'Will Kostakis chats with fellow author Melina Marchetta about his new YA novel, Rebel Gods. This is a live recording of an online event hosted via Zoom during the Covid-19 crisis.'  (Production summary)

1 y separately published work icon What Zola Did on Wednesday Melina Marchetta , Melbourne : Penguin Random House Australia , 2020 20060869 2020 single work children's fiction children's 'Zola loves living on Boomerang Street with her mum and her nonna. Every day of the week is an adventure. But Zola has a problem. No matter how much she tries, she can't keep out of trouble! Like on Wednesday, when Zola has a plan to help find her friend Sophia’s missing turtle . . .' 

(Publication summary)

1 y separately published work icon What Zola Did on Tuesday Melina Marchetta , Melbourne : Puffin , 2020 19982875 2020 single work children's fiction children's

'Zola loves living on Boomerang Street with her mum and her nonna. Every day of the week is an adventure. But Zola has a problem. No matter how much she tries, she can't keep out of trouble! Like on Tuesday, when Zola tries to help Nonna knit a scarf . . .Collect all seven stories in the series. One for every day of the week.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

1 y separately published work icon What Zola Did on Monday Melina Marchetta , Melbourne : Puffin , 2020 19982663 2020 single work children's fiction children's

'Zola loves living on Boomerang Street with her mum and her nonna. Every day of the week is an adventure. But Zola has a problem. No matter how much she tries, she can't keep out of trouble!

'Seven stories in the series – one for every day of the week.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

1 y separately published work icon What Zola Did Melina Marchetta , Melbourne : Puffin , 2020 19982605 2020 series - author children's fiction
1 2 y separately published work icon The Place on Dalhousie Melina Marchetta , Melbourne : Viking , 2019 15407661 2019 single work novel

''You look the type to break your father’s heart.'
'Yeah, but he broke mine first.’

'When Rosie Gennaro first meets Jimmy Hailler, she has walked away from life in Sydney, leaving behind the place on Dalhousie that her father, Seb, painstakingly rebuilt for his family but never saw completed. Two years later, Rosie returns to the house and living there is Martha, whom Seb Gennaro married less than a year after the death of Rosie’s mother. Martha is struggling to fulfil Seb’s dream, while Rosie is coming to terms with new responsibilities. And so begins a stand-off between two women who refuse to move out of the home they both lay claim to.

'As the battle lines are drawn, Jimmy Hailler re-enters Rosie’s life. Having always watched other families from the perimeters, he’s now grappling, heartbreakingly, with forming one of his own . . .

'An unforgettable story about losing love and finding love; about the interconnectedness of lives and the true nature of belonging, from one of our most acclaimed writers.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

1 When Rosie Met Jim Melina Marchetta , 2017 single work short story
— Appears in: Review of Australian Fiction , vol. 22 no. 6 2017;
1 9 y separately published work icon Tell The Truth, Shame The Devil Melina Marchetta , Melbourne : Penguin , 2016 9186976 2016 single work novel crime

'Bashir “Bish” Ortley is a London desk cop. Almost over it. Still not dealing with the death of his son years ago, as well as the break up of his marriage.

'Across the channel, a summer bus tour, carrying a group of English teenagers is subject to a deadly bomb attack, killing four of the passengers and injuring a handful of others. Bish’s daughter is one of those on board.

'The suspect is 17 year old Violette LeBrac whose grandfather was responsible for a bombing that claimed the lives of dozens of people fourteen years ago; and whose mother, Noor, has been serving a life sentence for the part she was supposed to have played in the attack.

'As Bish is dragged into the search for the missing Violette, he finds himself reluctantly working with Noor LeBrac and her younger brother, Jimmy Sarraf.

'And the more he delves into the lives of the family he helped put away, the more Bish realizes that they may have got it wrong all those years ago, and that truth wears many colours. Especially when it comes to the teenagers on board the recent bus bombing. Including his daughter.

'Tell the truth. Shame the devil. Bish can’t get Violette LeBrac’s words out of his head. But what he may get is some sort of peace with his own past as the worlds of those involved in two bombings, years apart, collide into the journey of his life. ' (Publication summary)

1 Of a Lesser God Melina Marchetta , 2015 single work essay
— Appears in: Mothers & Others : Australian Writers on Why Not All Women Are Mothers and Not All Mothers Are the Same 2015; (p. 267-275)
1 The Dream Lives On Melina Marchetta , 2013 single work column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 27-28 April 2013; (p. 6-7)
1 The Centre Melina Marchetta , 2013 single work prose
— Appears in: Just Between Us : Australian Women Writers Tell the Truth About Female Friendship 2013; (p. 57-74)
1 Ferragost Melina Marchetta , 2012 single work short story fantasy
— Appears in: Review of Australian Fiction , vol. 3 no. 4 2012;

A locked-room murder mystery, in which Lady Celie of the Lumateran Flatlands, visiting a castle on the island of Ferragost, finds herself cut off by poor weather and obliged to investigate the murder of one of her fellow guests, whose body is found on the rocks below the castle's towers.

1 Take Five Melina Marchetta , 2012 single work autobiography
— Appears in: The West Australian , 27 October 2012; (p. 7)
1 5 y separately published work icon Quintana of Charyn Melina Marchetta , Camberwell : Viking , 2012 Z1889766 2012 single work novel young adult fantasy 'Quintana of Charyn is the spine-tingling and unforgettable final volume in the Lumatere Chronicles, which began with Finnikin of the Rock and Froi of the Exiles. A masterfully plotted novel from the pen of internationally best-selling and multi-award-winning author Melina Marchetta.

'Separated from the girl he loves and has sworn to protect, Froi and his companions travel through Charyn searching for Quintana and building an army that will secure her unborn child's right to rule. While in the valley between two kingdoms, Quintana of Charyn and Isaboe of Lumatere come face to face in a showdown that will result in heartbreak for one and power for the other.' (From the publisher's website.)
1 Danny Griggs and the Marshfield Eleven Melina Marchetta , 2012 single work short story children's
— Appears in: I Met a Martian and Other Stories 2012; (p. 89-93)
3 6 y separately published work icon Froi of the Exiles Melina Marchetta , Camberwell : Viking , 2011 Z1812429 2011 single work novel young adult fantasy Three years after the curse on Lumatere was lifted, Froi has found his home - or so he believes.

'Fiercely loyal to the Queen and Finnikin, Froi has been trained roughly and lovingly by the Guard sworn to protect the royal family, and has learned to control his quick temper. But when he is sent on a secretive mission to the kingdom of Charyn, nothing could have prepared him for what he finds. Here he encounters a damaged people who are not who they seem, and must unravel both the dark bonds of kinship and the mysteries of a half-mad Princess.

'And in this barren and mysterious place, he will discover that there is a song sleeping in his blood, and though Froi would rather not, the time has come to listen.' (From the publisher's website.)
1 3 y separately published work icon The Gorgon in the Gully Melina Marchetta , Camberwell : Puffin , 2010 Z1733472 2010 single work children's fiction children's

'Beyond the basketball courts and classrooms of St Raph's is a gully where everything disappears forever. Danny Griggs has heard stories about a creature that lives down there. So why does he volunteer to face the Gorgon when he's been petrified of everything all his life?

'A gentle story about overcoming fear and looking at things from all angles, from best-selling author Melina Marchetta.'(Publication summary)

X