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Olive of Groves #1
Olive of Groves
Olive has always dreamed of attending boarding school, but Mrs Groves' Boarding School for Naughty Boys, Talking Animals and Circus Performers is not what she expected. To tell the truth, dear reader, it is not what anyone expected!
The headmistress is completely bonkers and Pig McKenzie, school bully and all-round nasty swine, is determined to make Olive's life unbearable.
Olive, however, is clever, sweet and kind, and soon gains the loyalty and devotion of three rats, a short-sighted moose, a compulsive liar and a goose who faints at the sight of cherries.
But will friendship and wits be enough when Pig McKenzie puts his Truly Wicked Plan into gear? Or will Olive be cast out of Groves forever?
The headmistress is completely bonkers and Pig McKenzie, school bully and all-round nasty swine, is determined to make Olive's life unbearable.
Olive, however, is clever, sweet and kind, and soon gains the loyalty and devotion of three rats, a short-sighted moose, a compulsive liar and a goose who faints at the sight of cherries.
But will friendship and wits be enough when Pig McKenzie puts his Truly Wicked Plan into gear? Or will Olive be cast out of Groves forever?
272 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2015
10 people are currently reading
97 people want to read
About the author
Katrina Nannestad
45 books213 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 - 21 of 21 reviews
July 4, 2017
Olive's granny and pop need a Boarding School for their granddaughter Olive to attend. Unfortunately they have a lizard waiting in their letter box and when the advertisement for Mrs Groves Boarding School comes out...
Poor old Mrs Groves totally freaks out when she sees our heroine at the front gate. Olive gets a weird feeling in her tummy too as she reads the sign but as a kind hearted and good natured child as she was, she simply said "hello, you must be Mrs Groves!"
Oh no she even sounds like an ordinary everyday girl. This was no place for an normal girl.
Olive had to think of a disguise quickly - a talking animal? No way, the crazy headmistress had already seen her to be a human. "An acrobat" she said. "Yes, I am an acrobat". Wouldn't it be easier to be a naughty boy? Ah well, too late.
"Fire, fire, the toilets on fire". A high pitched voice behind them squealed. A window above them opened and a goose came flying in. It only stayed in the air for a second though, then plummeted to the ground with a thud. Then fainted.
Olive and her new friends will rescue Thumble their classmate and defeat Pig Mackenzie and show Mrs Groves - who got tricked by him - the evil truth of the cold-hearted pig.
Poor old Mrs Groves totally freaks out when she sees our heroine at the front gate. Olive gets a weird feeling in her tummy too as she reads the sign but as a kind hearted and good natured child as she was, she simply said "hello, you must be Mrs Groves!"
Oh no she even sounds like an ordinary everyday girl. This was no place for an normal girl.
Olive had to think of a disguise quickly - a talking animal? No way, the crazy headmistress had already seen her to be a human. "An acrobat" she said. "Yes, I am an acrobat". Wouldn't it be easier to be a naughty boy? Ah well, too late.
"Fire, fire, the toilets on fire". A high pitched voice behind them squealed. A window above them opened and a goose came flying in. It only stayed in the air for a second though, then plummeted to the ground with a thud. Then fainted.
Olive and her new friends will rescue Thumble their classmate and defeat Pig Mackenzie and show Mrs Groves - who got tricked by him - the evil truth of the cold-hearted pig.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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May 29, 2025Not going to lie.. the chaos in this kind of stressed me out as a parent 😜 but my kids enjoy it very much
November 7, 2016
Can't say enough good things about this book. My 5-year-old absolutely LOVED it, and *giggled* her way through it. I have honestly never seen her chuckle so much through any book we have read, and she keeps making jokes about "robust butts". I asked her for her review and she said
"You should probably get it because its got a funny piggy in it, and a funny swearing parrot, and he says 'butt crack!'"...
(..followed by many giggles). With a recommendation like that, what are you waiting for? :)
No seriously, this is a *great* kids book, the story is so rich, the vocabulary is absolutely vibrant (and cleverly contextual so not much explaining is required), and its just a very interesting setting with a fantastic Evil villain. I throroughly enjoyed reading it to her and highly recommend it.
"You should probably get it because its got a funny piggy in it, and a funny swearing parrot, and he says 'butt crack!'"...
(..followed by many giggles). With a recommendation like that, what are you waiting for? :)
No seriously, this is a *great* kids book, the story is so rich, the vocabulary is absolutely vibrant (and cleverly contextual so not much explaining is required), and its just a very interesting setting with a fantastic Evil villain. I throroughly enjoyed reading it to her and highly recommend it.
March 1, 2016
A great quirky book from an Aussie author.. My 9yo and I both loved it. An easy read, but with a few more difficult words thrown in. It was great fun and I look forward to another in the series (as the book did hint it could be just the beginning! Here’s hoping.)
June 9, 2018
an enjoyable book for eight to ten-year-olds.
but there were too many characters, it was annoying for me to keep having to flick back the first page to remember who was who!
I feel like if you have to have a page in your book dedicated to a character profile there shouldn't be more than about twenty but this book had thirty-eight different characters!
but there were too many characters, it was annoying for me to keep having to flick back the first page to remember who was who!
I feel like if you have to have a page in your book dedicated to a character profile there shouldn't be more than about twenty but this book had thirty-eight different characters!
April 8, 2023
As a ten year old, I really enjoyed it. From my perspective, this book is no ordinary book but is full of hilarious sentences, in which the author includes you as one of the outstanding characters, this book was so amazing that I couldn’t drag my eyes away. Please read this astounding book, and even better, join Olive in her adventure of making freinds, cracking small mysteries and having fun!
April 11, 2019
I thought Olive of Groves was such an adorable story, one that made me smile :) The friendship, loyalty and love throughout this story was so cute!!! Yay Olive our brave, clever and precious (definitely not) ordinary girl 💕
March 18, 2019
A cute fun story, even though it is below my reading level by a lot, I really enjoyed it.
April 6, 2019
A delightful boarding school adventure story with the strong message about standing up to bullies. Lots of crazy shenanigans to keep young readers entranced in the story.
July 15, 2021
Olive of Groves is definitely one of my favourite books. I really enjoyed reading it, it was funny and heartwarming. It is written well. I would recommend this book for children 7-12.
December 2, 2023
Aww this book is so cute. Read when you feel sad.
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December 21, 2023Cutesy.
November 11, 2023
Really good! I did this review late, so I already read the 2nd book, but I don’t
really like the 2nd book. The first book is suuuuuppppppeeeerrr good!
really like the 2nd book. The first book is suuuuuppppppeeeerrr good!
November 14, 2015
I received a copy of this title for review from the publisher.
Ten Second Synopsis:
Olive attempts to fit in at a very unusual boarding school but faces setbacks at every turn, from not having the correct purple acrobatic unitard to surviving the machinations of a Very Despicable Pig. Will friendship win out or will Olive be excluded from Groves on account of her being a perfectly ordinary girl?
Groves is the kind of school that kids have longed to attend since time immemorial; in which explosions, mess, general naughtiness, high-flying acrobatics, and throwing one’s dinner around the room are commonplace. It also features a wonderfully diverse group of talking animals as students – including my favourite, the perpetually anxious goose, Glenda (Oh, mercy!) – and a headmistress who turns a blind eye to practically every strange thing happening in her school.
Olive is a charming, steadfast, courageous young lass who does a wonderful job of making the best of a very tricky (and in some cases, literally sticky) situation and with the help of her ratty roommates, sets about proving that she is not a perfectly ordinary girl and deserves a place at Groves, in all its diverse glory, even if she has to scale a highwire wearing only tatty old long-johns to prove it.
I suspect that this is one of those stories that will appeal to kids much more than adult readers of middle grade (although its complexity did grow significantly toward the end), but if you’re not into characters that are over-the-top and general silliness abounding, then this book is probably not for you.
I can imagine Olive of Groves as a wonderfully cheeky read-aloud for a classroom of mischief-loving grade three or four children. The book has a narrator that certainly does not mince words and provides a particularly amusing commentary on the antics of Olive and her friends (and nemeses). Apart from the chaos and high jinx that seems to invade Groves’ every corner, this book also provides some solid inspiration for those needing to stand up and be counted when it seems that the world (or even just one Very Despicable Pig) is against you.
Ten Second Synopsis:
Olive attempts to fit in at a very unusual boarding school but faces setbacks at every turn, from not having the correct purple acrobatic unitard to surviving the machinations of a Very Despicable Pig. Will friendship win out or will Olive be excluded from Groves on account of her being a perfectly ordinary girl?
Groves is the kind of school that kids have longed to attend since time immemorial; in which explosions, mess, general naughtiness, high-flying acrobatics, and throwing one’s dinner around the room are commonplace. It also features a wonderfully diverse group of talking animals as students – including my favourite, the perpetually anxious goose, Glenda (Oh, mercy!) – and a headmistress who turns a blind eye to practically every strange thing happening in her school.
Olive is a charming, steadfast, courageous young lass who does a wonderful job of making the best of a very tricky (and in some cases, literally sticky) situation and with the help of her ratty roommates, sets about proving that she is not a perfectly ordinary girl and deserves a place at Groves, in all its diverse glory, even if she has to scale a highwire wearing only tatty old long-johns to prove it.
I suspect that this is one of those stories that will appeal to kids much more than adult readers of middle grade (although its complexity did grow significantly toward the end), but if you’re not into characters that are over-the-top and general silliness abounding, then this book is probably not for you.
I can imagine Olive of Groves as a wonderfully cheeky read-aloud for a classroom of mischief-loving grade three or four children. The book has a narrator that certainly does not mince words and provides a particularly amusing commentary on the antics of Olive and her friends (and nemeses). Apart from the chaos and high jinx that seems to invade Groves’ every corner, this book also provides some solid inspiration for those needing to stand up and be counted when it seems that the world (or even just one Very Despicable Pig) is against you.
January 30, 2017
3 1/2 starts. Olive is an ordinary girl and there is absolutely nothing special about her. At least that is what she thinks until she starts at Mrs Groves' Boarding School for Naughty Boys, talking Animals and Circus Performers. At school she befriends Moose, fainting goose and some clowns.
Katrina Nannested has created an amazing school in which Olive can find out how special she really is and how brave she can be.
Told with humour, this book is suitable for 8-10 year old, especially ones that love books with animals, adventure and just a dash of mischief.
Danielle
Three Four Knock on the Door
Independent Children's Bookshop
Katrina Nannested has created an amazing school in which Olive can find out how special she really is and how brave she can be.
Told with humour, this book is suitable for 8-10 year old, especially ones that love books with animals, adventure and just a dash of mischief.
Danielle
Three Four Knock on the Door
Independent Children's Bookshop
December 26, 2015
This book was a bit of fun. Highly recommended for either boys or girls aged 8-10 ish who enjoy a bit of silliness. Follow olive as she tries to convince Mrs Groves that she is not an ordinary girl but someone who can fit into the boarding school for naughty boys, taking animals and circus performers. Underlying morals of friendship and sticking up to bullies are prominent but woven into a story with lots of laughs.
May 21, 2016
I like Olive of Groves because she's a normal everyday girl and then she becomes an acrobat, which is cool. I also like how she has 3 rat friends, whose names are Wordsworth, Blimp and Chester and how Wordsworth has a large vocabulary. I also like how Olive chases Pig Mckenzie out with a pitchfork. Pig McKenzie always calls Olive the wrong name, like Oxygen or Obligation.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 20, 2016
I read this to my 6 and 7 year old girls. They found it hilarious and it held their attention from start to finish! It was a charming and entertaining story with quite a few laugh out loud moments and just the right amount of poo and butt jokes!!
November 11, 2015
Very Flora and Ulysses
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 18, 2016
This was an interesting, whimsical novel that was enjoyable, but that didn't captivate me as much as I had hoped. Nonetheless, an amusing tale for younger readers!
June 21, 2016
I read this book together with my 9 yo. She whooped and cheered throughout. Great, great fun. We are starting the second book in the series tonight! Highly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews