What was the inspiration for Green Oaks Primary School?

Oct 2, 2014 | Q & A

Swallow Me, NOW!

Swallow Me, NOW!

Most of Swallow Me, NOW! is set at the fictional Green Oaks Primary School, a school that would be in the fictional suburb of Green Oaks in the South Eastern suburbs of Melbourne.

The front of the school was based on the school my kids were attending at the time I wrote the first draft, this has now been demolished to build a new school. The inside of the school is more generic, bits come from different schools my kids have attended since they started school as well as schools we visited before enrolling them.

My goal was to describe a school that was fairly generic, but also had features kids would recognise, such as corridors with school bags hanging in them.

In Swallow Me, NOW!, only small parts of the playground are described. Sam and the other girls hang out in a gazebo, there is also basketball courts at the front of the school. I’m sure readers can fill in other details of the playground as they imagine it.

Having a school in mind helped me with the descriptions as I could picture the school in my mind as I was writing.

 

Remember, you can pre-order your copy of Swallow Me, NOW! here.

Latest Blogs

Worth Reading: The Very Strange Orange

Worth Reading: The Very Strange Orange

I learned about this picture book through a kidlit Facebook group and was able to download a free copy on Amazon. The Very Strange Orange is a picture book that is aimed at older readers and kids who ask questions like 'If an orange is blue, is it still an orange?'....

BTS – Lilly’s Library

BTS – Lilly’s Library

Lilly's Library is a junior fiction story about a little girl who loves books and doesn't want to wait until she grows up to have her own library. The idea for this book came to me one day and I started to write, then it sat for ages until I saw it when I was going...

What I’ve Read – May 2026

What I’ve Read – May 2026

It's already the end of May, and my mum's birthday. It was nice to end the month with a roast dinner with family followed by birthday cake. Here are the books I read during May: The Hare who Wouldn't Share by Steve Small - a lovely picture book about a hare who...