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  • Published: 4 July 2023
  • ISBN: 9781761046766
  • Imprint: Penguin eBooks
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 240

Being Jimmy Baxter




A gently funny yet powerful coming-of-age middle grade novel about surviving the odds, unlikely friendships and the magical music of Elvis.

It’s not eggsactly easy being Jimmy Baxter 'cause:
· The real Jimmy's hiding inside
· Ned Kelly’s giving him the evil eye
· Mum’s stopped going to work and stays in bed
· There’s no eggs in the fridge — or anything else.
AND there’s new jobs, bad-at-school brains and a whole lot of trouble called Duke.
But then . . . there’s Mac.

A moving story told with moments of absolute delight. Morris Gleitzman

  • Published: 4 July 2023
  • ISBN: 9781761046766
  • Imprint: Penguin eBooks
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 240

About the author

Fiona Lloyd

Fiona was born in the beautiful North-East of England near picturesque countryside, windswept beaches and the vibrant cultural city of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. She dreamed of writing in a cosy country cottage and of life as a theatre actress but, as it often does, life got in the way.


Working and travelling instead, Fiona floated in the Dead Sea, climbed the Sydney Harbour bridge, gave guided tours in Holland and fell in love with all things Greek during her two years in Athens and Skiathos. Her most special travel experience was in Myanmar where she visited the place where her Granny was born.


Amongst her myriad of interesting jobs, Fiona was a television colourist on Home & Away, This is Greece and Secrets of Britain’s Great Cathedrals. In 2020, Fiona became a founding member of the Central Coast’s Words on the Waves Writers Festival, and now works as the Children and Young People's Program Manager.


Being Jimmy Baxter, her debut middle-grade novel, has been short-listed for the 2024 CBCA awards, the Speech Pathology Awards and the South Australian Literary Awards. It was also selected by Meerkat Productions for a theatre-in-education adaptation, touring schools across 5 states in Australia.

Praise for Being Jimmy Baxter

A moving story told with moments of absolute delight.

Morris Gleitzman

Awards & recognition

Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Awards

Winner  •  2024  •  Eight to 10 years

CBCA Book of the Year Awards

Shortlisted  •  2024  •  Younger Readers

South Australian Literary Awards

Shortlisted  •  2024  •  Children's Literature

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Being Jimmy Baxter

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