House of Heroes : Hapless Hero Henrie

The first book in a fun, action-packed middle-grade series for heroes in training by Petra James and A. Yi.

Twelve-year-old Henrie is the first girl heir of the Melchior family in 200 years. This was deemed a dereliction of duty by the formidable Octavia Melchior, head of the House of Melchior (HoMe). For HoMe is in the business of heroes for hire. Boy heroes, that is. Girls have no place.

When Henrie receives a mysterious note, it sets off a chain of events including a kidnapping, a fancy skateboard manoeuvre and a private jet and she discovers something rotten at the heart of HoMe. As past, present and future collide, HoMe is poised to come tumbling down … unless a new kind of hero can emerge from the rubble.

About the Author

Petra James was born in a small town in the South Island of New Zealand, and came to Australia via London. She has written several fiction and nonfiction titles for children and, most recently, is the author of the seven books in the Arkie Sparkle series. Like Arkie, she wanted to be an archaeologist when she grew up (she had planned to work her way through the career alphabet but didn't get past "A"), but instead sold chocolate chip cookies and eventually found her way into publishing.

When she is not sending fictional characters (often named after streets) on adventures, she works in children's publishing in Sydney. The House of Heroes series are her first books with Walker.

About the Illustrator

A. Yi is an illustrator and animation artist based in Sydney. She likes doodling and wishes all books were illustrated. She has illustrated various children's books including the bestselling Alice Miranda series.