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Freja Peachtree #3
The Girl, the Dog and the Writer
'AN ABSOLUTE DELIGHT TO READ, WITH LOTS OF CHARMING AND QUIRKY CHARACTERS' -- Better Reading
Freja and her mother, Clementine, are reunited at last. Tobias and Vivi are in love. And Lucerne, their new home, is a paradise of snowy alps, sapphire lakes, white swans and delicious Swiss chocolate!
Everything seems perfect, until poor Lady P appears, bandaged from head to toe after a fall -- or was it a push? Crimes break out across the city, all involving chocolate. Clementine doesn't seem her usual self. And still Freja has not solved the biggest mystery -- who is Tobias Appleby?
All will be revealed in the girl, the dog and the writer's final adventure by award-winning Australian author Katrina Nannestad.
PRAISE FOR THE GIRL, THE DOG AND THE WRITER SERIES
'sure to be treasured' -- Children's Book Council of Australia's Reading Time
'Children from eight up will really warm to this funny, sad, happy book, and many adults will be charmed too' -- The Book Bubble
'Fans of... Jacqueline Harvey will love this book' -- Kids' Book Review on The Girl, the Dog and the Writer in Rome
'an absolute delight to read, with lots of charming and quirky characters ... The mini world that author Katrina Nannestad has created is every child's dream' -- Better Reading
2018 Australian Book Industry Awards -- Longlisted
2018 CBCA Book of the Year Awards -- Notable
Freja and her mother, Clementine, are reunited at last. Tobias and Vivi are in love. And Lucerne, their new home, is a paradise of snowy alps, sapphire lakes, white swans and delicious Swiss chocolate!
Everything seems perfect, until poor Lady P appears, bandaged from head to toe after a fall -- or was it a push? Crimes break out across the city, all involving chocolate. Clementine doesn't seem her usual self. And still Freja has not solved the biggest mystery -- who is Tobias Appleby?
All will be revealed in the girl, the dog and the writer's final adventure by award-winning Australian author Katrina Nannestad.
PRAISE FOR THE GIRL, THE DOG AND THE WRITER SERIES
'sure to be treasured' -- Children's Book Council of Australia's Reading Time
'Children from eight up will really warm to this funny, sad, happy book, and many adults will be charmed too' -- The Book Bubble
'Fans of... Jacqueline Harvey will love this book' -- Kids' Book Review on The Girl, the Dog and the Writer in Rome
'an absolute delight to read, with lots of charming and quirky characters ... The mini world that author Katrina Nannestad has created is every child's dream' -- Better Reading
2018 Australian Book Industry Awards -- Longlisted
2018 CBCA Book of the Year Awards -- Notable
352 pages, ebook
First published October 1, 2019
12 people are currently reading
116 people want to read
About the author
Katrina Nannestad
45 books198 followersKatrina Nannestad is an award-winning Australian author. Her books include The Girl Who Brought Mischief, the Girl, the Dog and the Writer series, the Olive of Groves series, the Red Dirt Diaries series, the Lottie Perkins series and Bungaloo Creek.
Katrina grew up in country New South Wales in a neighborhood stuffed full of happy children. Her adult years have been spent teaching, raising boys, perfecting her recipe for chocolate-chip bickies and pursuing her love of stories. She now lives near Bendigo with her family and an exuberant black whippet called Olive.
Katrina grew up in country New South Wales in a neighborhood stuffed full of happy children. Her adult years have been spent teaching, raising boys, perfecting her recipe for chocolate-chip bickies and pursuing her love of stories. She now lives near Bendigo with her family and an exuberant black whippet called Olive.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
November 16, 2019
*https://mrsbbookreviews.wordpress.com
Snowy alps, chocolate, adventure, mystery and love awaits when you leap into the pages of The Girl, the Dog and the Writer in Lucerne. This is the third installment in Katrina Nannestad’s series and it closes off the collection in a spectacular fashion. Young readers from ages eight years and over will appreciate the European escapades of The Girl, the Dog and the Writer in Lucerne.
The stage is set in Lucerne for the third and final adventure in this appealing children’s book series. We see Freja reunited with her mother, while love is in the air for Tobias and Vivi. The characters of The Girl, the Dog and the Writer in Lucerne soon learn the beauty of the region. Together, they take in the best this picturesque locale has to offer, from the crystal clear lakes, the snowy mountains, endless rolling green hills, and the most important part, the yummy Swiss chocolate. Everything is splendid, until a series of crimes spark across the beautiful Swiss city, with one thing in common – chocolate. With plenty of mystery and intrigue to keep the characters of The Girl, the Dog and the Writer in Lucerne busy, this final issue in the series comes to a spectacular end, with plenty of exciting revelations along the way.
It seems a shame that I have come to this series rather late to the party. However, I did enjoy so much of The Girl, the Dog and the Writer in Lucerne. I purchased the second book in the series and I am now on the hunt for the first. I was also pleased to see an extensive backlist in the front of The Girl, the Dog and the Writer in Lucerne, I would love to catch up on Katrina Nannestad’s writing, now I have discovered a great new children’s book author.
I simply adored the setting of this novel, it was both appealing and realistic. I made a short trip to Lucerne over ten years ago as a part of a European tour. I would dearly love to return based on the immersive reading experience offered by The Girl, the Dog and the Writer in Lucerne. It is clear that the author knows this location very well, she brings out all the beauty of the region.
‘The meadows were dotted with dark timber chalet, three and four storeys high, with sturdy wide roofs to keep the snow away from widows and doors on winter. Freya loved the way the buildings were made cheerful with props of colour from painted shutters and window boxes filled with flowers in punks and oranges yellows and reds. When finally they came to edge of the sparkling blue lake, Freja felt her eyes might soon grow tired from so much colour.’
Nannestad is on point with all her setting descriptions. Nannestad’s prose also captures the unique beauty of this truly magical part of the world. If you haven’t had the chance to visit Lucerne, this novel will convince you!
The Girl, the Dog and the Writer in Lucerne is divided into thirty six chapters, all with attention grabbing titles. I loved the accompanying illustrations by Cheryl Orsini. The illustrations work to introduce each chapter, providing the reader with a taste of what adventure is about to unfold. This novel is filled with exploration, mystery and a crime to solve. It is a full and entertaining read, which is supported by endearing characters and a rich setting. I didn’t want to leave the scene, I was having so much fun!
I also loved the addition of the German words at the close of the book, it was a helpful addition.
Junior fiction readers will adore book three in The Girl, the Dog and the Writer series, set in the picture perfect location of Lucerne. A beautiful ode to Switzerland, with a cracking mystery and plenty of scrumptious chocolate references along the way, add Katrina Nannestad’s new release to your book list this summer holidays!
*I wish to thank Harper Collins Books Australia for providing me with a free copy of this book for review purposes.
The Girl, the Dog and the Writer in Lucerne is book #141 of the 2019 Australian Women Writers Challenge
Snowy alps, chocolate, adventure, mystery and love awaits when you leap into the pages of The Girl, the Dog and the Writer in Lucerne. This is the third installment in Katrina Nannestad’s series and it closes off the collection in a spectacular fashion. Young readers from ages eight years and over will appreciate the European escapades of The Girl, the Dog and the Writer in Lucerne.
The stage is set in Lucerne for the third and final adventure in this appealing children’s book series. We see Freja reunited with her mother, while love is in the air for Tobias and Vivi. The characters of The Girl, the Dog and the Writer in Lucerne soon learn the beauty of the region. Together, they take in the best this picturesque locale has to offer, from the crystal clear lakes, the snowy mountains, endless rolling green hills, and the most important part, the yummy Swiss chocolate. Everything is splendid, until a series of crimes spark across the beautiful Swiss city, with one thing in common – chocolate. With plenty of mystery and intrigue to keep the characters of The Girl, the Dog and the Writer in Lucerne busy, this final issue in the series comes to a spectacular end, with plenty of exciting revelations along the way.
It seems a shame that I have come to this series rather late to the party. However, I did enjoy so much of The Girl, the Dog and the Writer in Lucerne. I purchased the second book in the series and I am now on the hunt for the first. I was also pleased to see an extensive backlist in the front of The Girl, the Dog and the Writer in Lucerne, I would love to catch up on Katrina Nannestad’s writing, now I have discovered a great new children’s book author.
I simply adored the setting of this novel, it was both appealing and realistic. I made a short trip to Lucerne over ten years ago as a part of a European tour. I would dearly love to return based on the immersive reading experience offered by The Girl, the Dog and the Writer in Lucerne. It is clear that the author knows this location very well, she brings out all the beauty of the region.
‘The meadows were dotted with dark timber chalet, three and four storeys high, with sturdy wide roofs to keep the snow away from widows and doors on winter. Freya loved the way the buildings were made cheerful with props of colour from painted shutters and window boxes filled with flowers in punks and oranges yellows and reds. When finally they came to edge of the sparkling blue lake, Freja felt her eyes might soon grow tired from so much colour.’
Nannestad is on point with all her setting descriptions. Nannestad’s prose also captures the unique beauty of this truly magical part of the world. If you haven’t had the chance to visit Lucerne, this novel will convince you!
The Girl, the Dog and the Writer in Lucerne is divided into thirty six chapters, all with attention grabbing titles. I loved the accompanying illustrations by Cheryl Orsini. The illustrations work to introduce each chapter, providing the reader with a taste of what adventure is about to unfold. This novel is filled with exploration, mystery and a crime to solve. It is a full and entertaining read, which is supported by endearing characters and a rich setting. I didn’t want to leave the scene, I was having so much fun!
I also loved the addition of the German words at the close of the book, it was a helpful addition.
Junior fiction readers will adore book three in The Girl, the Dog and the Writer series, set in the picture perfect location of Lucerne. A beautiful ode to Switzerland, with a cracking mystery and plenty of scrumptious chocolate references along the way, add Katrina Nannestad’s new release to your book list this summer holidays!
*I wish to thank Harper Collins Books Australia for providing me with a free copy of this book for review purposes.
The Girl, the Dog and the Writer in Lucerne is book #141 of the 2019 Australian Women Writers Challenge
December 12, 2020
This is the second book ever to have made me cry! I loved this series so much and I must add it to my own personal collection.
January 27, 2020
Get the tissues ready - an emotional end to this most charming, lovable and food-filled MG trilogy. My heart!!!
October 1, 2019
Finally all the threads are woven together and we have to answers to Freya's questions. Set in the beautiful city of Lucerne, surrounded by green fields, the Swiss Alps and mountain scenery, the author sets her much-loved characters in a delightful background. Overlaid with lots of delicious chocolate, sensory experiences, imagine free range in a chocolate shop, wow and a chocolate mystery.
Freya's reunion with her mother Clementine is bittersweet, as she learns the truths about her past. Tobby adds to the craziness as he continues to plot and plan scenes for his crime novels, he's also ready to pop the question to his love Vivi a chocolatier.
I loved this trilogy, Katrina Nannestad uses beautiful descriptive language, adds quirkiness, warmth and a dash of mystery.
Freya's reunion with her mother Clementine is bittersweet, as she learns the truths about her past. Tobby adds to the craziness as he continues to plot and plan scenes for his crime novels, he's also ready to pop the question to his love Vivi a chocolatier.
I loved this trilogy, Katrina Nannestad uses beautiful descriptive language, adds quirkiness, warmth and a dash of mystery.
November 9, 2019
Katrina Nannestad has rounded out this trilogy beautifully (I mean, I'm assuming it's a trilogy but perhaps there will be more adventures for our delightful heroine). I cried. Big, fat tears.
One star off for me because there is barely a mention of the French crew from the last book, who we all loved to pieces. They were family!
One star off for me because there is barely a mention of the French crew from the last book, who we all loved to pieces. They were family!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 26, 2025
We are nearly at the end of this series and I have to say these have been our least favourite of books suitable for my 10 year old daughter. And we have read a lot. The main reason being two of the three main characters are simply unlikeable. Tobias is a clueless, stupid, clumsy character lost in his own world and totally lacking in any real care or empathy for Freja, for whom he is supposedly so fond. Or anyone else for that matter. Also stupidly dangerous, especially when driving. But most importantly, for the entire three books he keeps this big secret from Freja about who he is in her life. For the entire series Freja is desperate to know if he is her dad. Well honestly, if I were Freja, I wouldn't want this clueless, lack of feeling, dimwit for a father. The final straw for me was when he asked Vivi if he would marry the bellboy Rolf. Just what?And the other unlikeable character is Finnigan, the dog. What a bloody annoying animal, that literally goes through the entire series being destructive, greedy, poorly behaved in the extreme and just plain bad mannered. Poor Freja is denied anything nice because the stupid dog either eats it or destroys it within seconds. In particular, the eating of the wedding ring, and ripping up of the marmot slippers was irritating in the extreme. I spent the entire third book hoping this stupid mutt would just eat some chocolate and fade off into the sunset. I'm sure the author Katrina imagined the readers would find the antics of Tobias and Finnegan to be charming and hilarious. But no they actually are not. There is no humour in what they do. They are both horrible characters, insensitive to anyone else's feelings and quite frankly bloody annoying in the extreme. And by the way who pays for the trail of destruction wreaked by the stupid dog? Could have been a so much better series but really we can't wait to get to the end of it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 8, 2021
Exhilarating finish to The Girl, the Dog and the Writer series and probably my favourite book of the three!!! This book wrapped up everything so nicely, and the ending was sad yet sweet. I was dying to know Freja’s backstory and I’m so very glad everything was revealed in this book. It totally surpassed my expectations.
Highly recommended series!
Highly recommended series!
October 2, 2024
3.5*
I'm enjoying reading middle-grade novels, I enjoy these more than young adult novels, and often more than fiction for adults.
This was a lovely story about identity, family and found families. More it is a lovely mystery story set in France with lots of 'chocolate' references and eating. Made me crave chocolate while I read it.
I'm enjoying reading middle-grade novels, I enjoy these more than young adult novels, and often more than fiction for adults.
This was a lovely story about identity, family and found families. More it is a lovely mystery story set in France with lots of 'chocolate' references and eating. Made me crave chocolate while I read it.
November 20, 2021
Overall, I really enjoyed this series.
My mum read the series to me and my sister as a bedtime story, and we all loved it though I personally think it would be most exciting for younger readers, as it was quite predictable.
My mum read the series to me and my sister as a bedtime story, and we all loved it though I personally think it would be most exciting for younger readers, as it was quite predictable.
June 2, 2022
This brought so many feelings with it. Laughs with Tobias incorporating other guests at the hotel they are staying at to test his crime theories, pride in Freja getting more confident and sadness with meeting Clementine again. Read with good chocolate at hand.
May 27, 2020
Katrina Nannestad has an intriguing way of weaving her words so that you can’t stop reading her spectacular books!
September 16, 2021
Wonderful!
This series is perfect for bedtime reading, though it does get a bit sad at the end, most of is is full of happiness and craziness and crime and fun.
This series is perfect for bedtime reading, though it does get a bit sad at the end, most of is is full of happiness and craziness and crime and fun.
July 30, 2022
wonderful book
October 22, 2024
A wonderful book with lots of plot twists. Loved all the characters.
July 28, 2025
I haven't read the rest of the series so I was a bit confused on the characters and setting but good fiction Mystery.
September 20, 2021
Such a gorgeous series, I would have absolutely loved it as a ten year old. I loved it as a forty three year old. The girl, the dog and the writer have just been delightful company. Lucerne was such a fitting end to the series. A sweet novel full of chocolate and adventure. This has been a delightful series; we saw real development in Freja Peachtree’s character throughout; such ‘a strong, brave girl’.,The love story was as romantic as a girl could ask..’a frothy white dress..made from whipped cream and summertime clouds… so sweet. I’ve really enjoyed these books,there is so much ‘friendship and kindness and love’, they are just so lovely x thanks Piper ✨
February 16, 2020
This book was bought as a gift for me from my mum for Christmas.
They say it's crime but is it really? Or is it just in Tobias' stories? You will find out when you read this book. It is a thrilling but sad tale.
I love this book because it was really interesting. It had lots of problems that were solved by a little girl, a writer and a shaggy dog. The characters were very imaginative and very creative. My favourite character was a girl named Freja and I liked her because she was brave and smart.
They say it's crime but is it really? Or is it just in Tobias' stories? You will find out when you read this book. It is a thrilling but sad tale.
I love this book because it was really interesting. It had lots of problems that were solved by a little girl, a writer and a shaggy dog. The characters were very imaginative and very creative. My favourite character was a girl named Freja and I liked her because she was brave and smart.
February 14, 2020
The adventures of the girl, the dog and writer come to an end in Switzerland, with their arrival coinciding with a spate of mysterious chocolate thefts. Delightful and charming.
November 16, 2021
I love this book so much! A wonderful ending to a great series.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews