FREE Sydney Launch Events for Kensy and Max: Disappearing Act! Friday 31 August and Saturday 1 September – be the first to read the new book!

by 52 Comments

Kensy and Max are back in their second super spy adventure. If you can’t wait to find out what happens next or you just love a good spy story and want to get in on the action, Jacqueline Harvey is hosting two FREE events to celebrate the launch of
Kensy and Max: Disappearing Act  
EVENT # 1
FRIDAY 31 AUGUST 4pm
LANE COVE LIBRARY
Be the first to celebrate the release of
KENSY AND MAX: DISAPPEARING ACT
at Lane Cove Library on
Friday 31 August at 4pm
This time we’re going to Rome! Dress up as spies or Ancient Romans, test your own super-spy skills and hear about the adventures that inspired the latest book.
Prizes for the best-dressed and best spy.
RSVP to

library@lanecove.nsw.gov.au

EVENT # 2 
SATURDAY 1 SEPTEMBER 1pm
WESTFIELD PARRAMATTA SIGNING
LEVEL 2 CENTRE COURT (NEAR MYER)
Jacqueline will be meeting fans and signing copies of
Kensy and Max: Disappearing Act
Come along dressed as your favourite character and have your photograph taken with Jacqueline (and maybe some other characters too)
Contact Dymocks Parramatta to pre-order your copy now!
Phone 02 9633 5929 or email
parramatta@dymocks.com.au

What if you knew your missing parents were alive, but you couldn’t tell anyone? How would you find them and who would you trust?

Kensy and Max are now agents-in-training at Pharos, a covert international spy network. Christmas break sees the twins back at Alexandria for training and a celebration like no other, but where are their parents and why can’t they come home?

Thankfully, a school trip to Rome provides a welcome distraction. Amid the history and culture of Italy’s capital, they discover a runaway boy and whisperings of Mafia involvement. It looks like Kensy and Max’s harmless excursion may just turn into their very first mission.

Comments

  1. A new book?Well I already knew but………………
    what is book 3 going to be about?

    How many books will be in the series?
    I have some story starters for you.

    1.Lightning flashed and the first large droplets of rain began to fall as she/I walked up the path of the old house to ask for help.

    2. There were so many things going on in my/her mind that she/I had to consentrate hard to figure out what her/my 3 wishes I/she was going to chose/pick. The question was, how would it affect the rest of her/my life?

    3.”Does anyone know why we can’t see out the window anymore?” nervously asked…

    4. This was a tough decision. Would I/she tell her/my parents about the homeless baby dragon she/I had hid in the back shed, or would she/I keep getting in trouble for eating all the food?

    Zoe Riley
    Manchester Street School
    Feilding
    New Zealand
    4702

    Reply

  3. I have read all the Alice-Miranda books they are my second favourite books! I saw you on Kids WB one time. Hope everyone is happy!

    Reply

    • I’m curious about what your first favourite books are – I love to know what everyone is reading. I was on Kids’ WB just last week again – it was lots of fun.

      Best wishes,
      Jacqueline

      Reply

  5. Hello Mrs Harvey,
    I hope you are having a lovely day.

    Kensy and Max: Disappearing Act looks awesome!
    I can’t wait to pick up a copy and start reading once it’s released.

    How do you think up so many amazing story lines and plots?
    They are all so different and all so good!

    Do you have any tips for an aspiring children’s author?
    I have read your writing tips on the website which are really helpful, but I was wondering if you
    have any other tips that might be of use?

    With love,
    Bethany xo

    Reply

  8. Dear Mrs Harvey,
    You are my all- time favourite author. I LOVE Kensy and Max and Alice Miranda. Thankyuou for making these books as AMAZING as they are!
    Only this Friday, I met Mr Nathan Luff (author of Chicken Stu and Bad Grammar), and he said that you and he had met a few times. He told us how to write humour stories, and make useful (in humour books) characters.
    As well as all that, I always have had an area for description in me (not boasting). Here are some of my descriptions:
    Kensy:
    Her emerald eye’s glimmered in the sunset as the crisp air let her lush, sunflower coloured hair fly with it.
    Max:
    He carefully adjusted his glasses, his sky blue eyes scanning the page microscopically, as he ruffled his dense blonde hair.
    Autumn:
    Her luscious, chocolate hair tumbled down onto her olive skin, her hazel eyes following the sleepy fox trudge around the snow.
    Thanks again Mrs Harvey,
    Hannah

    Reply

    • Hi Hannah,

      Nathan’s a lovely fellow – yes we have met a few times. Thanks for your descriptions – my suggestion would be that you pare them back a little bit as sometimes too many adjectives makes them what we would call ‘a bit flowery’. This is an example of what I mean. Instead of ‘He carefully adjusted his glasses, his sky blue eyes scanning the page microscopically, as he ruffled his dense blonde hair.’ I would change a few words to make it more succinct – if Max is looking at the page in detail then I think he should be studying rather than scanning and I would leave out the part about his hair and put that somewhere later. Here’s what I mean – ‘He carefully adjusted his glasses, his blue eyes studying the page microscopically’.

      Well done with your writing and keep at it – just think about the idea that sometimes less is more :).

      Best wishes,
      Jacqueline

      Reply

  9. Hi Mrs Harvey,
    I can’t wait to read the new book!!! I’ve got one starting sentence for book3.

    As Fitz waited in the rain with the twins, he Questioned if this was a good idea to wait for their grandmother suddenly a limousine pulled up onto the curb.

    is that ok?

    Lizzy lam

    Greenwich public school

    Sydney

    Australia, 2065

    pls reply

    Reply

    • Thanks Lizzy – that’s a very good starting sentence. It sounds mysterious and I wonder what will happen next. I had a lovely time at Greenwich – you guys were awesome!!

      Best wishes,
      Jacqueline

      Reply

  10. Hi Jacqueline,

    I can’t wait for the new Kensy and Max!
    I was wondering… At the start of AM 17 it says the phones were confiscated from the girls does that mean the girls all have mobile phones?

    Also, i was reading something on your blog that says being an Author means lots of ups and downs, what sort of ups and downs would a writer get in their life? I am wondering because I would like to be an author too, in fact I’ve started my first book- even though it probably won’t be published.

    Reply

    • Hi Harmony,

      Not all of the kids have phones but given that Alice-Miranda and her friends are now in high school I thought that would be okay.

      Being an author is a lot of work (depending on how many books you write and how many events you do but I work hard). I had some big disappointments in the first five years of my career – from having books rejected to wondering if anyone would ever want to publish my work again. But I just kept at it and have had a lot of luck the past 8 years. Although I tend to think of luck as when good planning meets opportunity so during this time there has been a lot of hard work too.

      Being an author is the best job in the world (for me!). I hope your writing dreams come true too!

      Best wishes,
      Jacqueline

      Reply

  11. Hello there Jacqueline Harvey!

    I just want to say your books make me smile and it inspires me to continue reading and maybe become an author like you are! You are my favourite author! My bestfriend Savannah Mills intrudoced me to your books and I straight away loved it! Thank you for making me happy and i hope that you would come again at Beechboro Christian School, Perth WA. My friends and I are looking forward to this book. Hope that you are having a wonderful day

    Much Love,
    Franchesca

    Reply

    • Thank you Franchesca! Your message made me smile too :). I loved visiting your school and I will be back in WA next year for a festival in May. Perhaps I will get to see you again then. Please say hello to Savannah too.

      Best wishes,
      Jacqueline

      Reply

  12. I was so excited and happy to see Disappearing Act in Dymocks! I’m already around 100 pages through and so far it’s been an amazing read.

    Thank you so so much for being a great inspiration to my writing, because of your amazing stories my ambition is to be an author. The problem is, I find it hard to create unique ideas, so do you have any tips for ideas and my writing altogether? At book week I dressed up as Alice-Miranda in Japan and it was really fun. I love your books so much and you are my favourite author.

    -Caitlyn, 11

    Reply

    • I have completed Disappearing Act and it was AMAZING! I stayed up all night reading it, I couldn’t put it down. The plot was very interesting and something new, I can’t wait for book 3. It sent shivers up my spine. Thank you so much 🙂

      -Caitlyn, VIC 11

      Reply

      • Hi Caitlyn,

        You have made my day! I am so thrilled that you enjoyed the book and are looking forward to the next one. I’m working on it today.

        Best wishes,
        Jacqueline

        Reply

    • Caitlyn a bit key to your writing is just to find a good idea and to create characters that you love. That really helps. I try to think about what makes them different and interesting. Creating a biography for your character can be a terrific idea and helps you think about their quirks and personality as well as what they look like. Then think about where you’d like the action to take place and plan the big ideas. I never start anything until I’ve got a good idea of how it’s going to end as there’s something to work towards. Good luck with it!

      Jacqueline

      Reply

      • Hi,
        I have no problem with writing biographies or unique ideas and as for names – I have a lot of fun finding the perfect one. However, I struggle to plan a logical plot past the introduction. My favourite books are ones that could easily be real and so I try to make mine like that without being too boringly normal. If I do make it to a conclusion it often seems forced/rushed and doesn’t have a sense of finality and resolution. As a writer I admire, do you have any ideas on brainstorming plot ideas and writing effective conclusions?

        P.S. I am going to get the Disappearing Act e-book as my library is so slow in getting the books.

        Reply

        • Hi Beth,

          It’s hard not to make it too normal isn’t it. That’s why I write characters that have unusual lives (to say the least). Sometime by making them live in an interesting setting – Clemmie lives in a hotel or having an intriguing family (Kensy and Max’s family are really cool) that helps. I try and plan the big ideas so I know what is going to happen and I also plan the ending. You have to ask yourself if you’d want to read this and what makes it interesting. Best of luck with your stories.

          Jacqueline

          Reply

  13. I just found out that there will be a new Clementine Rose book in December named Clementine Rose and the Bake-Off Dilema! It looks really interesting and I can’t wait!
    I am a big Alice-Miranda and Clementine Rose fan. I have not read any of the Kensy and Max books… yet…
    I love Fiction books about kid spies so the next chance I get, I will definitely buy these two books and probably read them over and over again!
    When I grow up I would very much like to be an amazing writer just like you!
    That’s why I’ve already started writing stories. One about a girl trying to save the dogs from a puppy farm and the other is a spy/superhero book.

    I can’t wait for all the new books… Alice-Miranda, Clementine Rose and of course, Kensy and Max.
    Thank you for inspiring me to write every day no matter what!

    Reply

    • Hi Nicole,

      Thanks for your message and I’m so thrilled that you’re enjoying my books. It sounds like you’d really like Kensy and Max – you’ll have to let me know what you think when you get to read them. Good work writing your own stories too – keep at it as you never know where it will take you.

      Best wishes,
      Jacqueline

      Reply

    • Hi Ally,

      An animated movie for Alice-Miranda. But I can’t tell you anything more at this stage – hopefully very soon.

      Best wishes,
      Jacqueline

      Reply

  15. Is there an event planned for Melbourne ? My daughter loved meeting you at Mount Waverley Primary School for the launch of Kensy and Max first book and would love to get the second book signed from you again.

    Reply

    • Hello Vijay,

      I am doing an event at Frankston at Robinson’s Bookshop on Thursday 27 September at 11am and I am also doing another at Enchanted Years in Williamstown on the same day at 3pm. We are doing an event in Kyneton and also near Geelong on this next tour to give more of the regional kids a chance to come along. Frankston is about 35 minutes from Mount Waverley I think and probably similar distance to Williamstown. I hope to see your daughter at one of the events.

      Best wishes,
      Jacqueline

      Reply

  16. Mrs Harvey can u give me some of the alice miranda books that i don’t have. I already have the 1,4,5,8,13,14 and 15 so can u give me the rest. Please

    Reply

    • Dear Shin Yen,

      I’m afraid that I can’t just give books away to everyone who asks as I have to pay for them too and I would be broke if that was the case! Perhaps you’d like to sign up to the newsletter and enter the competitions each month where you can win books to fill in the gaps in your collection. Or maybe you could ask for books for your birthday or at Christmas?

      Best wishes,
      Jacqueline

      Reply

  17. Hi Jacqueline,

    I have some Kensy and Max ideas for you:

    1. Spy Lunch box – The apple would be a detonator, one of the carrot sticks would be a voice recorder, one of the olives on a slice of pizza would be a camera, and a slice of cake would have a hidden enigma code cracker.

    2. New character! Her name is Isla and she’s a world-famous figure skating champion and also a long-lost cousin of Autumn.

    3. Lola’s new baby brother. Her mum is pregnant and has a son called Zacharias.

    I hope you like them!

    Reply

  18. Eureka! I have an idea for the next Kensy and Max book. It could be called ‘Skating on Thin Ice’ and it could be about a plot to kill the girl called Isla from my last post. It could be in Norway, too, and Anna and Ed could be disguised as judges at the competition.

    Reply

  20. Hi Jacqueline,
    I’ve just finished reading Kensy and Max: Disappearing Act and it’s fantastic. I adore all your series and was wondering when the next Alice-Miranda book will be coming out? I’d love it to be set in Norway. Have a great time writing! I’m looking forward to all your future books 🙂

    Kind Regards, Hannah.

    Reply

  21. Hi Jacqueline Harvey,

    I’ve just finished reading Kensy and Max: Disappearing Act, and it was fantastic. I adore all your series and was wondering when the next Alice-Miranda book will be released? I’d love it to be set in Norway! Also, I was curious about whether we would see Neville again any time soon after his crush on Alice-Miranda in Book 17. I hope you have a great day. I’m looking forward to all of your future books 🙂

    Kind Regards, Hannah.

    Reply

    • Hi Hannah,

      I think the next book is back at school – love the idea of AM and Neville – perhaps they will be pen pals for a while.

      Best wishes,
      Jacqueline

      Reply

  22. Hi Jacqueline! My name is Shari and I was one of the August competition winners! I was Sooooooo excited. I chose the new Kensy and Max book, and I am so excited to read it! The first one was so amazing, I have now read it 3 times. I have got a question though. Who was the winner of the just kidding creative writers competition? Thank you!

    Reply

  23. Oh I’m so sad that Alice Miranda is now in high school! I’m now not the same age as her! Even though she is not real, she grows up so fast and it makes me feel so sad, but I kind of like it because there is only so much books you can write. I hope that you write until you are super duper old so that we can keep on hearing Alice Mirandas,Clemmies and Kensy and Max’s adventures!

    Reply

    • Hi Shari,

      She’s still only ten – she has just gone to high school early because she’s very smart. Don’t be sad – she’s actually growing up very slowly if you think there have been 17 books in the series.

      I hope I keep writing until I’m super dooper old as well!

      Best wishes,
      Jacqueline

      Reply

  24. Dear Jacqueline,
    This book is sooooo awesome. Both my brother and I adore it. When I lay in bed it was all I could think of.

    I like how you chained events to make one big mystery and how it is in between adventure, crime and enjoyment. I also love that each chapter has a different main character, eventhough sometimes when reading it we don’t know how that character plays their role in this story.

    From the time I found it in my school library shelf it has been my favourite book series that you wrote. I am excited to see where they go next maybe Israel, or Greenland.

    Hope to see you sometime,
    Hannah R

    Reply

    • Thanks Hannah – I’m so thrilled that you and your brother enjoyed the book. The next one is called Kensy and Max: Undercover and it is set in Sydney! I can’t wait – it has a really fun storyline and I’m loving the new location and characters.

      Best wishes,
      Jacqueline

      Reply

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