Horrible Harriet is one in a million.

And maybe that’s one too many.

Horrible Harriet lives in a nest in the roof of the school. All the other children are scared of her. But when Athol Egghead arrives in a hot-air balloon, she finds her first friend.

Leigh Hobbs writes: ‘This book is about appearances and friendships and people not being what they seem. That is, appearances can be deceptive, and friendship can triumph. Horrible Harriet is an amalgam of various bad girls I have taught in schools.’

Shortlisted in the picture book category of the 2002 Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Awards, this wonderfully entertaining picture book is now available in paperback.

LEIGH HOBBS: AUSTRALIA’S CHILDREN’S LAUREATE 2016-17