The Midlands – A Tasmanian Historical Mystery | Kate Gordon | 2026 [NEW – SC – Ages 10–14]

Kate Gordon's historical mystery novel for older children, set in the Tasmanian Midlands in 1916 — the country around Ross, Campbell Town and Oatlands that The Book Cellar calls home.

As the Great War rages overseas, eleven-year-old Lorna Whittle and her four sisters fight their own battles at their grandparents' Midlands farmhouse — painting cows, brewing stink bombs, and refusing every rule their cold and distant mother tries to enforce while their gentle father is away at war.

But when their father's first letter arrives, Lorna suspects they've been told a lie. And then comes the mysterious new governess — French, flawless, and far too curious about the Whittles' lives. Why has she come to Australia? What connection could she have to their missing father? A mystery that weaves unexpected twists through a story of love, forgiveness and sisterhood — set in country that readers who've driven the Midland Highway will recognise.

BOOK DETAILS

• Softcover.
• 192-pages.
• Published 2026.

CONDITION

New.

DELIVERY & IN-STORE PICKUP

• Combined Shipping: Sourcing multiple titles for your Tasmanian library? The Book Cellar offers combined flat-rate parcel delivery across Australia. Secure your books using our online checkout, or phone the bookshop directly on 03 6381 1545 to coordinate multi-volume shipping.
• Free Instore Pickup: Located in Tasmania or travelling the Midland Highway? Select "Instore Pickup" at checkout to pay no postage and collect your items directly from the counter at The Book Cellar, underneath Foxhunters Return in Campbell Town.