Peski Kids Books in Order

The Peski Kids series follows siblings Joe, Fin and April Peski, who are thrown together in a way that would test any family. Their mother is a brilliant scientist who also happens to be a secret agent, their father is a nervous botanist they barely know and their home life is anything but stable. When their mother is captured overseas, the children are whisked off to live with their dad in the tiny rural town of Currawong.

Currawong looks sleepy at first glance, full of old shops, local festivals and nosy neighbours. It turns out to be a magnet for petty crime, eccentric conspiracies and very strange wildlife. The kids are joined by Loretta, their stunning and slightly terrifying next door neighbour, and Pumpkin, a dog so badly trained that he causes half their problems.

Each sibling brings a different flavour to the chaos. Joe is older, shy and thoughtful, often stuck keeping the peace. Fin is precise and peace loving, forever trying to apply logic where none exists, while April is quick tempered, fearless and much more likely to dive into danger first and apologise later.

Their adventures usually start with something that seems small. In the first book it is an epidemic of squashed cockroaches around town that points to a much bigger mystery about who is sabotaging Currawong. Later books involve runaway bears in the forest, out of control obstacle races, school excursions to dinosaur parks and a potato festival that hides serious espionage.

Underneath the slapstick, the kids are dealing with real questions about loyalty, identity and trust. Their mother’s secret life means they are never quite sure who to believe, and international spy agencies keep colliding with school assignments and local politics. The town’s adults are often clueless or ridiculous, so the children end up making the hard choices.

R.A. Spratt keeps the tone fast, funny and a little bit sharp. Dialogue zips along, insults are clever rather than mean and the plots sneak in commentary about environmental issues, media panic and government overreach without slowing down. If you like stories about siblings who bicker, band together and somehow save the day while covered in mud, The Peski Kids are a great fit.