Our Australian Girl is a series I adore. A great deal of
history can be gleaned from the contents of these books for readers of all ages.
This compilation of four books in one is fantastic for there’s the continuity
of one story after another. The pleasure is accentuated by Sofie Laguna’s magical
way with words.
This is set in a historical era. The descriptions of poverty
and brutality against and between children are at times disturbing. But industrialisation was underway, forcing
the loss of jobs that caused many families to become destitute and desperate.
Eleven-year-old Grace’s life as a mudlark moves the reader
deeply. It is similar to that of countless children scrounging around in the
mud banks of London for anything to sell to survive. Hunger and abuse are their
lot in life.
Grace loves horses and this brings conflict to her already troubled
life when, filled with compassion, she steals apples to feed a scrawny horse and
gets caught. Her punishment is penal servitude at Sydney Cove. Life shifts when
she sets foot on the ship, for young Hannah and her mother Liza fill her empty
life with love and warmth.
The open space and the sea are welcomed by Grace after the
smog and filth of London. She realizes that the world is bigger than she could
imagine and things may be better than what they were, for on arrival she is
taken into servitude by Beth and Tom who are expecting their first child and
who also own a horse.
The food and fresh air benefit Grace. She discovers she is
far more capable than she knows as she goes through great changes, learns much
from Beth and the Aboriginal woman Mungo, and discovers that life can be
beautiful, even in difficult circumstances.
The stories contain a strong sense of place as we enter the
wilderness, hear the bush animals scampering in the underground and smell the
smoke from the campfires.
Title: The Grace Stories — 4 books in one (Our Australian Girl)
Author: Sofie Laguna
Illustrator: Lucia Masciullo
Publisher: Penguin, $24.95 RRP
Publication Date: October 2013
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780670077540
For ages: 10+
Type: Australian Historical Fiction
