Anne Ingram

Hello and welcome to my website.

I'm a children's author, writing for middle grade and young adult readers.

ANNE INGRAM

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Have you read the Lucy Bee books?

Lucy is a girl who doesn’t take no for an answer.  In her own quiet way, she does what she always does, never giving up until she overcomes the challenges life throws at her.

Whatever the challenge, it usually lands her in a surprising adventure. Whether it’s finding out where her frizzy hair came from, or how she can care for a refugee in France, or what career she’ll take up when she leaves school, Lucy keeps on the case until she finds the answer.

You can follow her adventures in the books listed below.

Lucy Bee & the Secret Gene   #1

$20
ISBN 9780473279998

Who is Lucy Bee really? She always thought she was Lucy Bennett. But when she is bullied about her frizzy hair, she puzzles about why her parents don’t have hair like hers. In fact, they don’t look much like her at all. Are her parents really her parents? Is she adopted? Or could she have been swapped at birth?  How can she find out? With her best friend Megan’s help she goes on a gene hunt, tracing the path of her genes through her family. Can she find the answer she desperately needs?

‘Lucy researches her DNA under the guise of a school science project. A satisfying story of friendship and family.’  ANN PACKER, NEW ZEALAND LISTENER

Lucy Bee & the Secret Gene - Notes From the Author

The idea for this first Lucy Bee novel came about when I had my children’s bookstore, Moby Dickens’ Books on the Kapiti Coast. Young readers would come in wanting stories about their lives, their schools, their families, their friends, things that mattered to them. This is that novel. Many of the events that occur in the novel actually happened in our community although I have fictionalised them – a school arson, bullying, a science fair. It’s a story about identity, about knowing who you are, where you fit in.

Lucy Bee & the Secret Gene - Reviews

The quest keeps the reader guessing until the last pages. This is one of those stories you simply do not want to put down. Barbara Murison – Around the Bookshops

This is a delightful story of the small dramas children have in their lives – nagging doubts about identity, loyalty, the shifting nature of friendship. Lucy Bee & the Secret Gene explores these and resolves them. John MacIntyre – National Radio

I really enjoyed this book. It’s beautifully written. It’s funny. I loved it. And what I really liked was that it looked at bullying from both sides. It had real insight. Pam Coleman, Youth Services Coordinator for Kapiti Libraries.

An awesome book that is just right to encourage kids into family history. It’s a good read and will get kids thinking about how all this genes and DNA stuff works. New Zealand Society of Genealogists.

A satisfying story of friendship and family. Ann Packer – the New Zealand Listener.

Bonjour Lucy Bee   #2

$20
ISBN 9780995106703

Lucy has travelled to France for a family reunion with her French relatives. On the way to her aunt’s small hotel she sees a line of refugees on the road. Lucy’s older cousin, Celeste makes it clear that she is anti-refugee, and when there’s a burglary at the chateau she blames the refugees. Soon after, on a walk with Beau the family dog, Lucy discovers Qasim, a young refugee in hiding. He has a high fever and cannot walk. What is Lucy to do? She can’t take him home. But she can’t leave him there, either. She puts a plan in place and ropes in her other cousins in to help. The burglaries continue and as Lucy and her cousins travel along the canals on her uncle’s boat, danger stalks close behind and Lucy is tested to the extreme.

‘It’s a fabulous book about really important things.’ MANDY HAGER

Bonjour Lucy Bee - Notes From The Author

I was inspired to write this novel while on our canal boat in France. It was summer, the countryside was beautiful, the local people friendly, tourists were thronging the historical hot spots, and all seemed well with the world. But when we stopped at some of the canal ports, we sometimes saw small clusters of young men, many in their teens. They looked lost, bereft, even hungry. They were refugees driven out of their own, largely war-torn countries, and desperate to find a safe haven. Sometimes they were welcomed, sometimes they were not. Even the French families we knew had different views about them. I wanted to explore what might happen if one of them unexpectedly landed virtually on the doorstep, needing care. And what Lucy, from far away New Zealand, would do.

Bonjour Lucy Bee - Reviews

The story cracks along at a fast pace, with plenty of action, intrigue and mystery to keep readers turning the page. The author has created a cast of wonderful dynamic characters. Lucy is strong, compassionate and full of empathy. She takes on challenges and isn’t afraid to push boundaries or stand up for what she believes in. Rebekah Fraser, NZ Booklovers.

French phrases throughout coupled with the descriptive scene setting has you feeling you are right there with Lucy. The plight of the refugees is handled well; there is no heavy lecturing, instead we are shown the human face of this global issue. There is plenty of action and a good resolution. Well written, it is a thoroughly good read. Vanessa Hadley-Owen – KIDSBOOKSNZ

The author wastes no time in plunging Lucy into an adventure. Ingram has skilfully presented the emotions of a morally engaged girl confronted with unfamiliar cultural values. A very well written narrative focussing on the ability of children to see a moral surety where adults so often cannot. I think deep-thinking teens in particular will enjoy it. Sarah Forster – The Sapling

The book gently tackles the topic of prejudice, tolerance and the current European refugee crisis. The easy way this is written genuinely asks the reader what they would do in a similar situation. There is nothing overtly political in this book; only the truth about human relationships, identity and empathy. Melissa Spark – Magpies magazine.

A rich and intelligent book designed to capture a young reader’s imagination. A pacey adventure story into which is woven a contemporary conundrum that challenges Lucy’s innate New Zealand sense of justice and fair play. Young readers will be hoping at every turn of the page that she makes the right choices. Ann David – Goodreads

Lucy Bee & Soline   #3

$25
ISBN 9780473651886

Lucy’s friends have their career paths sorted, but Lucy is floundering. She can’t decide what she wants to do with her life, what she wants to be. When she welcomes French exchange student Soline into her family home, she has no idea their friendship will lead to surprising discoveries about her own country and its history, much less a visit to France and a revelation that will pave the way to an exciting career. Soline, wanting a change of scene and adventure, travels to New Zealand where everything is new and different. She is only just settling in when her sister calls from France with disturbing news – the chateau will have to be sold. With Lucy’s help, Soline searches desperately for a way to save the home her family have lived in for generations. Does the past hold the answers? How important is heritage in making you who you are?

Teenage girls especially will like the idealism, energy and intensity of Lucy and Soline.’ DAVID HILL

'A good supporting resource for the New Zealand history curriculum.'  LAURYN URQUHART, School Library Association of New Zealand Aotearoa

Lucy Bee & Soline - Notes From the Author

This novel was sparked by two similar situations. The first was the very real potential loss of a family’s ancestral land on the Kapiti Coast. It was about to be seized for the new expressway. The second was the continual struggle to maintain an historic French chateau owned by its family for generations. The circumstances were very different but the threat was the same – not only the loss of family ownership but also the loss of heritage. It got me thinking about how important one’s heritage is – knowing where you’ve come from, who your antecedents were and what they did, how and where they lived.In the novel, Lucy comes to realise the importance of skilfully made beautiful objects from the past – the stories they hold, their relevance to today because of what they can teach us. This is the kind of heritage she wants to help conserve and where she sees her future. Soline’s heritage is in the family land. Knowing how her ancestors fought to keep it and care for it, she knows she must maintain and even improve the legacy they left so that it can be passed on to the next generation.

Lucy Bee & Soline - Reviews

This novel is the third in the Lucy Bee series but is a complete story in its own right. Soline is a French student staying with Lucy Bee's family on the Kapiti Coast. Soline receives a phone call with devastating news: the family chateau may have to be sold. Soline is understandably upset as it has been in the family for generations. As Soline opens up to Lucy, they make comparisons between the importance of land and heritage in France and Maori land issues in Aotearoa. Anne Ingram tells the story in alternating chapters from each girl's perspective. The supportive friendship between them is a delight. The front cover sums up the novel beautifully. A chateau with grape vines is juxtaposed with a marae, native NZ birds and plants. Although France and Aotearoa are poles apart geographically and culturally, the author shows commonality through the importance of heritage and taonga. This book will appeal to ages 12-15. Recommended.      Nova Gibson - READNZ TE MURAMURA 

Discovery is at the heart of this enjoyable tale of two young girls from the opposite ends of the earth: discovery of self, friendship, interests, history, and ultimately a hidden treasure. The story explores turangawaewae and the importance of treasuring and protecting where you come from, both in the NZ setting and in Soline's part of the world. For Lucy, the visit (to France) awakens her interest in history, another part of understanding who you are and where you belong. As a history nerd, I loved seeing Lucy enthralled by the chateau's tapestries and wanting to learn more about Aotearoa's history. I truly hope she follows her dream to study history.     Vanessa Hatley-Owen - KIDSBOOKSNZ

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