Review: The Dust Bowl, 1935: I Survived series

My introduction to the work of John Steinbeck was watching the movie adaptation of The Grapes of Wrath aged around 11/12 and thereafter, reading my father’s copy of the book plus all his other Steinbecks, including my all-time favourite book Of Mice and Men, also set in this period (what a writer that man was!). Both these books underlined the gravity of both the Depression and the Dust Bowl as well as the desperation of the poor, especially the farming people.

Now, Lauren Tarshis, chooses the same scenario for her 25th I Survived historical novel, bringing this terrible and desperate period of American history to a young audience. While it is true the Great Depression affected many around the world and created unimaginable hardships, those in America and Canada affected by the Dust Bowl had double the misfortune. 

Review: A House Divided

A House Divided by Clare Hallifax, is the second book in the Our History series, and an entertaining and informative window into history. 

It covers a year in Juliet’s life and the year is 1975. Colour television was introduced in Australia, flared jeans were fashionable, and the landmark National Library of Australia building opened. It was also a time of political upheaval. 

1975 brings lots of changes for Juliet, her family, and the whole country. 

Juliet lives with her parents and grandmother, and has an older sister at university interstate. Her dad works in a quite senior position in the federal government. 

She's entering her final year of primary school, and is expected to complete a year-long, individual project, one that she needs to choose for herself. 

Juliet decides to compare her life growing up in the seventies, with her Gran’s at the end of the First World War and afterwards.

Review: The Sunbird: Young Readers’ Edition

Sara Haddad has adapted her well-received and highly topical adult novella to this edition for younger readers. While most would try to shield children from the horrors of war, even young kids can – and should – learn of the controversial history of Palestine, through the eyes of those who live there.

Written from a child’s perspective (as a now old woman – Nabila – recalls her early life to a ten-year-old boy called Zane), this slender volume recounts the experience of one child, one family, one homeland during the Nakba.

Until 1948, Nabila lived happily in her village, playing with friends, running amongst the olive trees, excited to soon be starting school – a simple life but one of joys and pleasures. 

Until the bombs start falling.

Review: 11 Ruby Road 1950

The third book in the fantastic Ruby Road series, 11 Ruby Road 1950, throws open the doors of history on the post-war years. 

Light is shed on the lives of the people living on Ruby Road; lives well-lived with love and kindness shared, entwined with one another, regardless of their differences.

Mum Betty has not been herself since the birth of baby Maria. 

Gran arranges for her to spend some time in the country to recuperate from what she tells everybody, is a bout of influenza.

Twelve-year-old Patsy is sent for her summer holidays to Ruby Road where Uncle Alex and Aunt Mary own a Milk Bar. 

She hopes to keep busy to prevent becoming bored, while filling her sketchbook which is her constant companion, with whatever she sees. 

Junior Review: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

Victor Hugo, unfortunately not related to our protagonist, once said, 'Life is the flower for which love is the honey.' 

Author Taylor Jenkin Reid brings this quote to life in her historical drama, romance novel, which focuses on the glamorous life of former Hollywood hot-shot Evelyn Hugo. 

Through her writing, Reid demonstrates that true love is unsuspecting, taking the reader on a wild rollercoaster ride of Evelyn Hugo’s life from the 1950s to 1980s.

The novel starts off by introducing us to Evelyn Herrera, a young Cuban girl who grew up in Hell’s Kitchen, New York, with no money & just a simple dream to become an actress on the Hollywood stage. 

She left home by marrying neighborhood boy, Ernie Diaz, to chase her sunset dreams but quickly learned that Hollywood doesn’t have any leading roles for brunette Latinas. 

Review: Bold Ben Hall

Bold Ben Hall is set in Canowindra, NSW,1863 . An era of bushrangers, mail coaches and police who are far more corrupt than the outlaws they chase. American Cob & Co has begun making coaches in Australia.

Common to the times, minds are influenced by gossip and people in high positions.

The intelligent and strong-minded thirteen-year-old Lily Jordan is the only child of two actors touring with a theatre company. For her future stability, Lily's parents have decided to send her to a school for young ladies.

Lily doesn’t want to go. Travelling from place to place, seeing new things and meeting different people, is more of an education in her opinion. And the thought of her being separated from her parents is devastating.

Review: In Want of a Suspect

Tirzah Price has plucked characters from the novels of Jane Austen, and created an alternative universe where the narratives cross over to deliver a delightful regency era mystery. 

In Want of a Suspect is a spin off from Price's Jane Austen Murder Mysteries series. It's book one of A Lizzy and Darcy Mystery duology. 

If you know Jane Austen's classic Pride and Prejudice then you might expect to find Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy at odds with each other in this story. And they are somewhat, but for quite different reasons.

In this story, the characters are re-imagined in a different scenario.

Lizzy Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy are both solicitors. Lizzy at the Longbourn firm, and Darcy at the Pemberley firm.

Review: 11 Ruby Road 1925

It is post-war 1925. A time of Jazz parties, knickerbockers and knee socks, when the Mueller family - Mamma, Carl, Bert, Friedrich, Hildegarde and Teddy the dog, move from Ipswich to Ruby Road to run a grocery store.

Dad, sent back to Germany after the War, is longed for and missed desperately. The separation is hard, but the family is optimistic about the future.

They hide their German background, convert their name to Miller, and speak of their life to no-one to avoid the prejudice they are sure will surface.

Bert, who loves Jazz music and dance, is too young to be admitted to the continuing Jazz parties his sister enjoys. 

He is forced to  endure  new boy discrimination from fellow classmates. 

But his resourceful mind comes up with an ideal plan.

Review: Marion And The Forty Thieves

The opening of this book with its sedate, fluffy scones and cups of tea doesn’t feel like your typical rollicking tale of skulduggery, but be warned! 

Because quite early on in this narrative, the storyline whisks us into an intriguing, if unsettling, world.

The action takes place on a boat for wayward schoolboys that is permanently anchored in 1800s Sydney harbour, and on the mean streets of Sydney’s Rocks area.

This is a wonderful work of historical fiction (or ‘faction’ if you prefer) that features real people and places from Australia’s history. 

12 Curly Questions with author Sarah Luke

1. Tell us something hardly anyone knows about you.

I have camped overnight on the ice in Antarctica. It was magical – even though our ship, which was
anchored nearby, did look for a while like it was floating away...

2. What is your nickname?
Sarah the Dark (because one of my best friends is also called Sarah, but she is blonde – she is, rather fittingly, Sarah the Fair).

3. What is your greatest fear?
Losing my writing notebooks, where I keep all my ideas simmering away until they are ready to be cooked into stories.

4. Describe your writing style in 10 words.
Fast-paced, funny, heartfelt, dramatic, full of deliberate echoes and caricatures.

Review: Those Girls

Pamela Rushby’s latest book, Those Girls, brings into the limelight the lives of extraordinary women in the Australian Women’s Land Army, and their valuable contribution during the war. 

The story focuses on the lives of the three leading characters – Aileen, Glad and Hilly.

The story begins in 1942. Sixteen-year-old Hilly, with her parents’ permission, and accompanied by her friend Liz, enlist in the Land Army. 

Within a week they are harvesting potatoes on a farm, a task deemed impossible by Liz, who abandons the idea and leaves the first day.

Hilly encounters other girls that are part of a larger enlisted group, but it is Glad, Aileen and Hilly that fit together, and remain working in partnership throughout the war. 

Review: Her Majesty's League Of Remarkable Young Ladies

Move over MacGyver, there’s a new Queen of Improv in town and her name is Miss Weatherby; that’s Winnie to you and I. 

Young teen, Winnie rocks as an inventeress. Yes, the gender specification is acceptable because the time period Winifred rocks in is the late 1800s as in the latter part of Queen Victoria’s reign, which adds a delicious extra layer of richness to Alison Stegert’s first middle grade fiction, Her Majesty’s League of Remarkable Young Ladies.

This astoundingly long-titled novel is an extravaganza of remarkable indeed. An exciting mash-up of Nancy Drew come Famous Five sporting the Victorian era qualities of A Little Princess. Somehow, Stegert sews it all seamlessly together in a gripping tale of espionage, mystery and for want of a better word, MacGyverness.

Book Lists: Peace and War

We’ve grouped together some of the many book lists we’ve shared over recent years, in case you missed them the first time around.

We hope they inspire you to pick up a book you’ve not read before, or find a book to help explore and better understand a particular subject with readers of all ages.

Peace and war feature in many books, from picture books for preschoolers and older readers to YA fiction. 

Over the years we've shared more book lists on this topic than any other. While non-fiction can teach us about historical events and people who have had an impact on the world, fiction gives us stories with new and different perspectives, and helps develop empathy. These books are a window into history and a prompt for a better future.

Je suis tolérante - Stories representing different historical and contemporary cultures, and encouraging peace and tolerance. http://www.kids-bookreview.com/2015/01/book-list-je-suis-tolerante.html

Anzac Day - Remembrance - Ten picture books use stories to help remember those who have served in wartime. http://www.kids-bookreview.com/2017/04/terrific-10-anzac-day-remembrance.html

Anzac Day - Experiences of war - These books explore what war is and the impact of the experience of war. http://www.kids-bookreview.com/2017/04/terrific-10-anzac-day-experiences-of-war.html

Picture books about Gallipoli and Anzacs - Stories that are narrative and stories with a strong focus on facts about World War I. These titles include some based on true stories. http://www.kids-bookreview.com/2015/04/book-list-picture-books-about-gallipoli.html

Picture books about peace and hope - Amidst conflict it's important to have hope and seek peace. These stories help children understand these concepts. http://www.kids-bookreview.com/2014/04/book-list-picture-books-about-peace-and.html

Young adult novels about war and conflict - A selection of stories that provide insight into the impact of war, particularly on young people. http://www.kids-bookreview.com/2014/04/book-list-young-adult-novels-about-war.html

Middle fiction novels about war and conflict - Stories told using narrative fiction can help young readers to understand the experience of war and its ramifications on a personal and global level. http://www.kids-bookreview.com/2014/04/book-list-middle-fiction-novels-about.html

Picture books about war and conflict - The complexity of war can make it a difficult subject to talk about. These books are helpful in raising and exploring the concept of war with young children. http://www.kids-bookreview.com/2014/04/book-list-picture-books-about-war-and.html

ANZAC books worth knowing - Five picture books about experiences of the ANZAC soldiers, told from different perspectives. http://www.kids-bookreview.com/2012/04/anzac-books-worth-knowing.html

More books and lists with stories looking at the experience of war http://www.kids-bookreview.com/2016/04/anzac-day-2016-book-list-books-about.html

Review: Outlaw Girls

Combine two of Australia’s most accomplished authors with one of Australia’s most well-known periods of history, slew in the complex dynamics of friendship, loyalty and family fidelity, flavour with the breathtaking drama of life on horseback and you’ve got the latest time slip novel by Emily Gale and Nova Weetman.

That’s right, time slip. In the same vein as their popular co-authored middle grade fiction, Elsewhere Girls, Gale and Weetman take readers on a heady journey into Victoria’s High Country where they oscillate between 2024 and 1878 and two renegade girls, Ruby and Kate.

Ruby is headstrong and wilful, the daughter of a single mother living in the 21^st Century with a dislike for conformity and school work. She has an addiction for petty crime; stealing chocolate bars from the local IGA rates as high entertainment amongst her and her possy of like-minded friends. 

Review: The Fortune Maker

Twelve-year-old Maud is poverty stricken and lives in a tiny house near the bog with her father. 

It is 1913, when urchins fight for survival in rat-infested surroundings on the streets. 

Seers ply their trade to the poor and rich, who try to manipulate into being, the things they are foretold.

Suffragettes march for women’s rights with frequent arrests, while the split between rich and poor, grows wider.

Maud and her dad save their pennies to realise their dream of escaping out of Silvertown and their present condition.

Their house sinks into the bog and all is lost with the pennies.

Review: Two Sparrowhawks In A Lonely Sky

This Young Adult book ticks all the boxes for a family reunion story crossed with epic adventure, all wrapped up in a generous serving of historical fiction.

Author Rebecca Lim has fictionalised historical events in China, namely 1958 – 1960’s Great Leap Forward campaign, to create a novel that is both clever and engaging. 

Economic disaster, widespread famine and millions of deaths don’t immediately scream ‘this will be a fabulous book’ but in Lim’s capable hands, they become one. 

Non-gratuitous bloodshed and violence co-exist with the kind deeds of strangers, which are intentionally smattered throughout the narrative. 

In her notes, the author reveals that she deliberately sought to include small, unsung acts of bravery to highlight the impact that every individual human being can have on the world around them.

Review: Eat My Dust!

Eat My Dust! is the fabulous true story of Jean Robertson and Kathleen Howell, two Australian women who made history. Almost 100 years ago these friends set a land speed record.

In 1928, it wasn't the done thing for women to drive a car, but Jean and Kathleen weren't going to let something like that stand in their way. They were well prepared and determined, despite the naysayers. 

Setting out from Fremantle, they drove to Adelaide then Melbourne and finally Sydney, all without road maps. It was between Fremantle and Adelaide they broke the record set a few months earlier.

Review: Inkflower

When a masterful storyteller distils the essence of the past and reinstates it into a meaningful, moving context for those for whom that past never existed, the result is forcibly compelling. Inkflower by Suzy Zail is this and more.

Zail weaves truths and imaginings into a novel for young people that both spellbinds and beleaguers belief. 

She states her father taught her we have to talk about the things that scare us before we can change them, so too must the reader experience some uncomfortable realisations just as teen protagonist, Lisa Keller, is forced to after learning about the terminal condition of her beloved father.

Emil Keller (formerly Rosenfeld) has a successful career, comfortable home and doting family. And only a handful of months left to enjoy them. 

Review: The Key To Rome

Sophie Masson’s latest book, The Key to Rome, is an exciting, fast-paced adventure set in AD 84, and based on historical facts.

Twelve-year-old Livia’s father is dying. He entrusts to her something that was entrusted to him – a key which she promises to carry in secret to her uncle Marcus, who lives a day away on horseback. She is to stay and live with him and continue her father’s profession as an oculist, to which Livia has been well-trained. 

She sets out on this quest. But her uncle is an elusive entity. Everyone remains tight-lipped on his whereabouts and suspicion of a girl alone, brings scorn and disapproval.

She agrees to take Mato, a servant boy wanting to reach his dying mother, along as her assistant. Both headed in the same direction, it is safer, and Mato can take her where her uncle is said to be found.

Review: Deadly Waters: Australia's Second World War

It’s 1931. Cliff moves 300 miles from his rural life to Sydney leaving his friends and everything familiar behind. But his passion for cricket is nurtured at his new school, and a memorable view of Charles Kingsford Smith flying the Southern Cross over the Harbour bridge is added to his experiences.

The future brings change and great challenges when Cliff joins the Royal Australian Naval Reserves and trains for war. He is allocated the role of signalman learning flag semaphore. 

On the social front he meets Marie. Called into active service after war is declared, his first dangerous assignment is aboard a mine sweeper patrolling off the coast of eastern Australia. He is later transferred to HMAS Australia during War in the Pacific where he experiences battles and kamikaze (suicide bomber) attacks.