Bernadette Hellard

A junior fiction series written in partnership with Netball Australia. Meet Maddy and her friends from the Gems! Maddy can't wait to play her first game of netball with her new team. She's been training hard and is eager to try out her skills. But Maddy's excitement soon turns to nerves when she realises that things might not go exactly...

A junior fiction series written in partnership with Netball Australia. Can shy Phoebe find her place in the Gems? Phoebe loves to shoot goals, and she's great at it too. She dreams of being a famous netballer and playing in front of thousands. The problem is that she's nervous all the time, even around her teammates—and there are only seven...

A junior fiction series written in partnership with Netball Australia. Is being a Gem enough for determined Lily? Lily comes from a family of great netballers and dreams of playing for the Diamonds one day. She loves being on court and jumping for every intercept. But Lily is worried that she might never be tall enough to make it as...

A junior fiction series written in partnership with Netball Australia. Will Maia ever fit in with the Gems? Maia's just moved to Australia from New Zealand and is finding it tough. She misses her cousins, her netball team, and the way everything used to be so familiar. Even her school projects are reminding her that she doesn’t belong. When Maia's...

Will Sahar become the Gems' newest member? Sahar has only recently arrived in Australia but she's already found friends in Sienna, Lily and Maia. And when she sees them practising their netball moves, something inside Sahar sparks. Having never played netball before though, she doesn't believe she could be the player the Gems need - that is, until she gets...

Meet the girls from the Netball Gems! It's their first season together, and the Marrang Under 13s team is finding its way. All the girls have a favourite position and dream of playing for the Australian Diamonds. But before that dream can become a reality, there are skills to learn, nerves to overcome, friendships to make, matches to play, and...

Why does Prani feel she has disappointed the Gems? Prani is the comedian of the Gems. She never takes anything too seriously, even netball, and loves having fun with her teammates. But when Coach Janet enters the Gems in a netball tournament and asks them to use set plays, everything changes. Now that there are more rules on the court,...