The Locket of Dreams

The Locket of Dreams

A magical timeslip adventure set in Scotland of the 1850s and present-day Sydney.

Belinda Murrell is the author of four children's books. Her new novel, The Locket of Dreams is a magical adventure that inspires children to dream and create. Inspired by her own Scottish ancestry, Belinda combined her literary heritage with her family stories to create this beautifully written tale for readers 9 years and older.

"My grandmother identified herself very strongly as begin both Scottish and a Mackenzie. Her grandmother, Ellen Mackenzie, was sent out to Australia as an orphan in 1859. The way Nonnie told the story, the two girls, Ellen and Jane, lost their father than their mother very close together.

The orphaned girls were sent to Australia by their uncle who inherited the estate. My imagination was fired by the story of the lonely orphans, their lives stuck by tragedy at such a young age. My sister and I dreamed of traveling to Scotland and reclaiming the family castle which had been so cruelly taken from them.

It was this childhood family legend which inspired the story of The Locket of Dreams."

In the novel, Sophie discovers a golden locket in an old treasure box that belonged to her grandmother's grandmother. When she falls asleep wearing the locket, she magically travels back in time to 1858 to learn the truth about the mysterious Charlotte Mackenzie.

Charlotte and her sister Nell live a wonderful life with their parents and animals, on a misty island with its own ruined castle in Scotland. Then disaster strikes and it seems the girls will lose everything they love. Why were Charlotte and Nell sent halfway around the world to live with strangers? Did their wicked uncle steal their inheritance? What happened to the priceless sapphire - the Star of Serendib?

With the magic of the golden locket, Sophie begins to unravel the mysteries as she shares the adventures of Charlotte and Nell- outwitting their greedy relatives, escaping murderous bushrangers, and fighting storm and fire. But how will her travels affect Sophie's own life?

Belinda Murrell has worked as a travel journalist, technical writer, editor and public relations consultant. Her overseas adventures inspired her work as a travel writer for the West Australian newspaper and Out & About with Kids travel magazine. Her work has also appeared in the Sun Herald, Sunday Telegraph and Sydney Morning Herald. While Belinda studied Children's Literature at Macquarie University, her passion for children's books was reignited when she had her own three children and began telling and writing stories for Nick, Emily and Lachlan. After publishing the Sun Sword trilogy, Belinda has been dreaming of 1850s Scotland to write The Locket of Dreams whole traveling around Australia with her family.

The Locket of Dreams
Random House Australia
Author: Belinda Murrell
ISBN: 9781741662917
Price: $15.95