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Annette Kellerman: Swimming Wonder
One Australian woman's empowering true story from swimming champion to Hollywood star
Brief Description
The true story of Australia's very own mermaid. After a diagnosis of rickets as a young girl, Annette took up swimming, and her extraordinary courage and determination made her an Australian champion, beating boys, breaking records, and astonishing huge crowds by diving from great heights. At...
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Description
The true story of Australia's very own mermaid.
After a diagnosis of rickets as a young girl, Annette took up swimming, and her extraordinary courage and determination made her an Australian champion, beating boys, breaking records, and astonishing huge crowds by diving from great heights.
At eighteen, Annette wanted to swim the English Channel and challenge endurance records. But it was her wearing of a one-piece swimming costume that changed fashion forever and encouraged many women and girls into the water, allowing them to swim freely.
Thrilling audiences around the world with her breathtaking acts, Hollywood swiftly embraced her, and she became a famous movie star.
Annette's appetite for excitement and thrills was legendaryβonce flinging herself into a pool of live crocodiles for one film and jumping from the wings of a biplane for another.
But despite her place in the world as a celebrity, it was Annette's belief that women and girls could be strong, independent, and healthy that changed the lives of millions.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780733344046
Publisher: ABC Books
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 02 March 2027
Country: Australia
Imprint: ABC Books
Audience: Children
DIMENSIONS
Weight: 0g
Pages: 288
About the Author
Grantlee Kieza OAM is an award-winning journalist and Australia's No. 1 bestselling historical biographer with more than twenty highly acclaimed books to his name. Kieza held senior editorial positions at The Daily Telegraph, The Sunday Telegraph and The Courier-Mail for many years and was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for his writing. He is a Walkley Award finalist, an ABIA shortlisted author for Biography, and an Indie Award, Age Book of the Year and Queensland Literary Award shortlisted author for Non-fiction. His nationally bestselling biographies include Mary Penfold, Mr and Mrs Gould, Sister Viv, Flinders, The Remarkable Mrs Reibey, Hudson Fysh, Lawson, Banks, Macquarie, Banjo, Mrs Kelly, Monash and Bert Hinkler. Samantha Tidy has been cultivating lifelong learners for over 30 years. As an author, educator, teacher librarian and museum professional, her lifetime mission has been to connect young people with story, heritage and the power of life's multi-literacies. Sam has a Bachelor of Arts in English and language, a Graduate Diploma of Education and a Master of Arts in Creative Writing (Research). Sam focuses mainly on narrative non-fiction. She has published a range of children's titles and award-winning adult fiction with overseas sales in the US and the UK. Her children's books include Fanny and Mina: The Fastest of Friends (Windy Hollow Books, 2026, Cloudspotting (Windy Hollow Books, 2023), Wollemi: Saving a Dinosaur Tree (CSIRO Publishing 2023: Notable CBCA Eve Pownall, Shortlist, Wilderness Award for Children's Literature), When Grandma Burnt Her Bra (EK Books, 2023), The Day We Built The Bridge (MidnightSun Publishing 2019) and Our Bush Capital (Storytorch Press, 2020). Her adult literary novel, The Happiness Jar won the ACT Writing and Publishing Award for Fiction (2014). Sam lives in Tathra, on the New South Wales Sapphire Coast.
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