English : Historical

Riding with Thunderbolt by Allan Baillie I looked over my shoulder and saw a black stallion heading my way. There was a man riding the stallion and he was familiar somehow. As he got closer I could see a small child on the saddle in front of him...When Ben Cross runs away from his brutal uncle, he is looking for adventure. But he finds much more than that when he joins the bushranger Thunderbolt and becomes the cockatoo – or lookout – for the bushranger’s gang. In between raiding cattle stations, inns, stores and mail coaches Ben befriends Thunderbolt’s wife Mary Ann, helping in her endless hunt for food and hiding places in the wilderness. But at the end of a year of running from the law, of dramatic rescue and desperate shootouts, both Ben and Thunderbolt know they must give up the bushranging life. If they can...

War's End by Victoria Bowen Victoria Bowen is a semi-retired teacher and librarian who was born in Perth, Western Australia. She has also worked in specialist children's bookshops and has pursued a number of interests in children's literature.Victoria has an arts degree from the University of Western Australia majoring in history and literature, a teacher's certificate from Claremont Teachers College and was an Associate of the Library Association of Australia.

Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne Nine-year-old Bruno knows nothing of the Final Solution and the Holocaust. He is oblivious to the appalling cruelties being inflicted on the people of Europe by his country. All he knows is that he has been moved from a comfortable home in Berlin to a house in a desolate area where there is nothing to do and no one to play with. Until he meets Shmuel, a boy who lives in a strange parallel existence on the other side of the adjoining wire fence and who, like the other people there, wears a uniform of striped pyjamas. Bruno's friendship with Shmuel will take him from innocence to revelation. And in exploring what he is unwittingly a part of, he will inevitably become subsumed by the terrible process.

A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly Sixteen-year-old Mattie Gokey has a word for everything, and big dreams but little hope of seeing them come true. She collects words, stores them up as a way of fending off the hard truths of her life, the truths that she can't write down in stories.The fresh pain of her mother's death. The burden of raising her sisters while her father struggles over his brokeback farm. The mad welter of feelings Mattie has for handsome but dull Royal Loomis, who says he wants to marry her. And the secret dreams that keep her going--visions of finishing high school, going to college in New York City, becoming a writer.Desperate for money, she takes a job at the Glenmore, where hotel guest Grace Brown entrusts her with the task of burning a secret bundle of letters. But when Grace's drowned body is fished from Big Moose Lake, Mattie discovers that the letters could reveal the grim truth behind a murder.Set in 1906 in the Adirondack Mountains, against the backdrop of the murder that inspired Theodore Dreiser'sAn American Tragedy, this Printz Honor-winning coming-of-age novel effortlessly weaves romance, history, and a murder mystery into something moving, and real, and wholly original.

Hitler's Daughter by Jackie French The bombs were falling, the smoke was rising from the concentration camps, but Hitler's daughter knew nothing of this. All she knew was the world of lessons with Fraulein Gelber, the hedgehogs she rescued from the cold and the exciting visits from her beloved father Duffi. Until the day she is taken to her father's bunker in Berlin ... Anna's story about Hitler's daughter haunts Mark. Could it have been true? Did Hitler's daughter really exist? If Mark had a father like Hitler, could he love him? Do things that happened a long time ago still matter?

Nanberry by Jackie French The amazing story of Australia's first surgeon and the boy he adopted. It's 1789, and as the new colony in Sydney Cove is established, Surgeon John White defies convention and adopts Nanberry, an Aboriginal boy, to raise as his son. Nanberry is clever and uses his unique gifts as an interpreter to bridge the two worlds he lives in. With his white brother, Andrew, he witnesses the struggles of the colonists to keep their precarious grip on a hostile wilderness. And yet he is haunted by the memories of the Cadigal warriors who will one day come to claim him as one of their own. This true story follows the brothers as they make their way in the world - one as a sailor, serving in the Royal Navy, the other a hero of the Battle of Waterloo. No less incredible is the enduring love between the gentleman surgeon and the convict girl who was saved from the death penalty and became a great lady in her own right.

The Night they Stormed Eureka by Jackie French A story about dreams, gold, rebellion ... and an unlikely friendship across time It's 1854, and the Ballarat goldfields are a place of dreams and rebellion as Sam, a homeless teenager, is called back to the past to join the Puddlehams, who run 'the best little cook shop on the diggings'. The Puddlehams dream of buying a hotel with velvet seats, while others dream of freedom from the British crown, away from the rule of wealthy landowners and corrupt officials. As the summer days get hotter, and the miners' protests are ignored with catastrophic results, Sam experiences first-hand the power of a united stand which will change her life forever.

Pennies for Hitler by Jackie French It's 1939, and for Georg, son of an English academic living in Germany, life is full of cream cakes and loving parents. It is also a time when his teacher measures the pupils' heads to see which of them have the most 'Aryan' shaped heads. But when a university graduation ceremony turns into a pro-Nazi demonstration, Georg is smuggled out of Germany to war-torn London and then across enemy seas to Australia where he must forget his past and who he is in order to survive. Hatred is contagious, but Georg finds that kindness can be, too. The companion book for Hitler's daughter, this book examines the life of a child during World War 2, from a different perspective.

A Rose for the Anzac Boys by Jackie French The 'War to end all Wars', as seen through the eyes of three young women War is being fought on a horrific scale in the trenches of France, but it might as well be a world away from sixteen-year-old New Zealander Midge Macpherson, at school in England learning to be a young lady. But the war is coming closer: Midge's brothers are in the army, and her twin, Tim, is listed as 'missing' in the devastating defeat of the Anzac forces at Gallipoli . Desperate to do their bit - and avoid the boredom of school and the restrictions of Society - Midge and her friends Ethel and Anne start a canteen in France, caring for the endless flow of wounded soldiers returning from the front. Midge, recruited by the over-stretched ambulance service, is thrust into carnage and scenes of courage she could never have imagined. And when the war is over, all three girls - and their Anzac boys - discover that even going 'home' can be both strange and wonderful.

The Rum Rebellion by Libby Gleeson They have bayonets,’ whispered Ralph. ‘This is no parade drill.’ We drew back more tightly into the shadow. A soldier beat his fist on the door. David Bellamy fears the strange new land of New South Wales, its inhabitants and its wild creatures. He fears the Governor himself: the swearing, cursing Governor Bligh. Then on the anniversary of British settlement in Sydney, 26th January, 1808, David and his new friends, Kitty and Ralph, witness the military march on Government House from the streets of Sydney Town.

Finding Dacy by Sue Lawson “Then I found what I was looking for. A photo of a man in army uniform. Written in pencil, on the back of the photo, was Darcy Charles Fletcher, 1941.” By Finding Darcy, Darcy Abbott discovers exactly what she has been searching for all her life ― except she didn’t know it. From the author of the award-winning Allie McGregor’s True Colours and After comes this powerful story of the damage that secrets can wreak over generations ― and the healing liberation of truth.

Fremantle Prison Break by Deborah Lisson If Captain Anthony and his friends are smugglers, surely they would be smuggling stuff into the Colony, yet they were talking about ‘taking them off in a whaleboat’. What on earth would you want to smuggle out of Western Australia? Thomas Morris thinks something most mysterious is going on in Bunbury where he delivers telegraphs: some telegraphs carry cryptic messages and there are strangers in town acting in an oddly inconsistent manner. In his diary, Tom records the exciting adventures he has as he tries to solve the mystery and finds himself part of an amazing international plot.

Goodnight Mister Tom by Michelle Magorian Tom tucked a blanket round him, drew up a chair by the fire and watched Willie fall asleep. The tales he had heard about evacuees didn't seem to fit Willie. 'Ungrateful' and 'wild' were the adjectives he had heard used, or just plain 'homesick'. He was quite unprepared for this timid, sickly little specimen. Britain, 1940. With World War Two raging all around, young children are being sent from their homes in the city to the countryside for safety. When eight-year-old Willie Beech first arrives on Tom Oakley's doorstep, neither are quite sure what to make of each another. Brought up in terrible poverty, Willie is terribly shy, and totally unprepared for village life - but the gruff-but-gentle 'Mister Tom' quickly takes him under his wing. Neither he nor Willie could ever have predicted the journey they will go on together - nor the unbreakable bond that will be formed.

My Father's War by Sophie Masson It scares me a lot, thinking of Dad out there, far away in that dangerous, terrible place, wondering how it will be when he comes back-if he comes back, that is . . . Marie's dad has been away for two years, fighting on the Somme battlefields in northern France. For months there has been no word from him, no letters or postcards. Marie and her mother are sick with worry, so they decide to stop waiting-and instead travel to France, to try to find out what has happened to him. There she experiences first-hand what war is like, as she tries to piece together the clues behind her dad's disappearance. Will Marie ever see her father again?

Bridie's Fire by Kirsty Murray The first of four exciting, true-to-life adventures, 'Bridie's Fire' is the tale of a fiery Irish girl who leaves Ireland to find a home for herself in goldrush Australia. Bridie's world is torn apart when her parents and baby brother die in the Great Hunger. She leaves Ireland, and strikes out alone to claim a life for herself in Australia, on the other side of the ocean. Bridie's Fire is heart-warming story of courage and resilience. It affirms Kirsty Murray's keen understanding of the human spirit. Starting in the 1840s and ending in present-day Australia. The Children of the Wind quartet tells the stories of four courageous young people, Bridie, Billy, Colm and Maeve, born fifty years apart. The central character from each book becomes a mentor to the child in the next.

The Forgotten Pearl by Belinda Murrell When Chloe visits her grandmother, she learns how close the Second World War came to destroying her family. Could the experiences of another time help Chloe to face her own problems? In 1941, Darwin is a peaceful paradise far from the war. Poppy is a mischievous, fun-loving girl, with a menagerie of unusual pets. But when Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, then Australia, Poppy's world is torn apart. Everything she holds dear is threatened - her family, her neighbours and her friends Jack and Maude. Her brother Edward is taken prisoner-of-war. Her home town becomes a war zone, as the Japanese raid over and over again, on their relentless march south. Australia is under the looming threat of invasion. Terrified for their lives, Poppy and her mother flee to safety in Sydney, only to find that the danger follows them there. Poppy must face her war with courage and determination. Will Poppy and her family survive the war? Will her world ever be the same again?

The Ivory Rose by Belinda Murrell Jemma has just landed her first job, babysitting Sammy. It's in Rosethorne, one of the famous witches' houses near where she lives. Sammy says the house is haunted by a sad little girl, but Jemma doesn't know what to believe. One day when the two girls are playing hide and seek, Jemma discovers a rose charm made of ivory. As she touches the charm she sees a terrifying flashback. Is it the moment the ghost was murdered? Jemma runs for her life, falling down the stairs and tumbling into unconsciousness. She wakes up in 1895, unable to get home. Jemma becomes an apprentice maidservant at Rosethorne - but all is not well in the grand house. Young heiress Georgiana is constantly sick. Jemma begins to suspect Georgiana is being poisoned, but who would poison her, and why? Jemma must find the proof in order to rescue her friend - before time runs out.

The River Charm by Belinda Murrell A thrilling ride through Australia in the 1840s and beyond--based on the amazing true story of the author's own ancestors and the first children's book ever published in Australia Meet 19th-century Australian girl Charlotte living during the depression of the 1840s,and her modern-day descendant Millie. Their story is one of gaining resilience and growing up, as well as fighting against convention for what you truly believe in--a mother fighting for the right to bring up her children, women's right to education and independence, a daughter fighting for her own life choices, and a modern-day girl gaining confidence in herself. It is also a story of one of Australia's early literary families.

The Sequin Star by Belinda Murrell In an exciting timeslip tale, Claire finds an old trunk filled with her grandmother's treasures, including an old star-shaped brooch covered in sequins Why does Claire's wealthy grandmother own such a cheap piece of jewelry? The mystery deepens when the brooch hurtles Claire back in time to 1932. Australia is in the grip of the Great Depression and people seek distraction from their problems through entertainment. There's the famous horse Phar Lap, cricket hero Don Bradman, and then there are circuses. Claire finds herself stranding in the camp of the Sterling Brothers Circus. Rescued by Princess Rosina, a beautiful trick rider, Claire is given a job in the camp kitchen. Life is hard, but she makes friends with Rosina and Jem, and a boy named Kit who comes to the circus night after night to watch Rosina perform. When Kit is kidnapped by a fanatical political group, it's up to Claire, Rosina, and Jem to save him. But Claire is starting to wonder just who Kit and Rosina really are. One is escaping poverty and the other is escaping wealth—can the two find happiness together?

Playing Beatie Bow by Ruth Park Distraught over her parents' separation, Abigail follows a strange child called Beatie Bow and time slips back a hundred years where she becomes involved with an Australian shopkeeper's family.

Escape from Cockatoo Island by Yvette Poshoglian It is 1879 and life in the Biloela Industrial School is tough for eleven-year-old orphan, Olivia Markham. Her windswept days are filled with sewing, washing, aimless roaming, avoiding the girls from the Reformatory School, and hoping to be apprenticed by the colony. Sydney is rapidly growing and modernising, but Olivia can only imagine what life is like beyond the shores of Cockatoo Island. She dreams of freedom, friendship and, above all, family. Can she ever escape?

A Marathon of her Own : the diary of Sophia Krikonis, Melbourne, 1956 by Irini Savvides Times are tough in Crete, and Sophia's father has decided to make a fresh start in Melbourne. Sophia struggles to learn English and get used to the strange new customs, but no matter how hard she tries, nobody at school wants to make friends with a foreigner. Then her talent for running starts to make a difference. With Olympic fever gripping Melbourne, Sophia's courage and determination is rewarded in unexpected ways.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett Enter a vanished and unjust world: Jackson, Mississippi, 1962. Where black maids raise white children, but aren't trusted not to steal the silver . . . There's Aibileen, raising her seventeenth white child and nursing the hurt caused by her own son's tragic death; Minny, whose cooking is nearly as sassy as her tongue; and white Miss Skeeter, home from College, who wants to know why her beloved maid has disappeared. Skeeter, Aibileen and Minny. No one would believe they'd be friends; fewer still would tolerate it. But as each woman finds the courage to cross boundaries, they come to depend and rely upon one another. Each is in a search of a truth. And together they have an extraordinary story to tell...

The merry-go-round in the sea by Randolph Stow The Merry-Go-Round in the Sea allows us a precious glimpse into a simpler kind of childhood in a country that no longer exists. In 1941, Rob Coram is six. The war feels far removed from Geraldton in Western Australia. But when his favourite older cousin Rick leaves to join the army, the war takes a step closer. When Rick returns several years later, he has changed and the old merry-go-round that represents Rob's dream of utopia begins to disintegrate before his eyes.

Kokoda by Alan Tucker It’s been a disastrous day. The radio news reports that HMAS Canberra has been sunk with the loss of 819 lives and Kokoda has been lost by the Australians. Who knows where Des’s lot are? Somewhere on the mountain track between Kokoda and Port Moresby with the Japs hot on their heels. Harold couldn’t say too much in his latest letter but it sounds like his division is moving to New Guinea too. In his diary, Archie records his own battles at home, against the local bully, Beefy; and how Townsville copes as it becomes a base for the Pacific campaign; and the Australian east coast reels under Japanese bombs. Archie’s two brothers are fighting in the battlefields of World War II. Des has been sent with the militia to fight in the treacherous landscape of the jungles of New Guinea against the Japanese– and his brother Harold is about to join him, after surviving the campaign in the Middle East. There is nothing between Australia and a Japanese invasion except a small band of brave soldiers, fighting rain, mud, malaria and machine guns.

Seven Little Australians by Ethel Turner If you imagine you are going to read of model children you had better lay down this book immediately. Not one of the seven is really good, for the very excellent reason that Australian children never are. If you imagine you are going to read of model children you had better lay down this book immediately. Not one of the seven is really good, for the very excellent reason that Australian children never are. Every so often, there comes a story so brilliant and lively and moving that it cannot be left in the past. Rediscover the magic of our country's most memorable children's books in the Penguin Australia Children's Classics series of stories too precious to leave behind.

Little Paradise by Gabrielle Wang As Mirabel watched him, she could not bear the thoughts creeping up on her. JJ was in the Chinese army and his mission in Australia would one day be over. Then she would be just like the others, a girl left behind in the wake of war. 'I'm afraid,' she whispered. 'When the war ends . . . what's going to happen to us?' He put his arm around her and stroked her face. She knew he could not answer that question. But she wanted him to lie, to say that he would take her with him, that they would be together always. Melbourne, 1943, and Mirabel is seventeen. She's leaving school, designing dresses, falling in love. Then fate intervenes, her forbidden affair is discovered, and JJ is posted back to China where a civil war is raging. Despite all warnings, Mirabel sets off for Shanghai to find him . . . Little Paradise is inspired by a true story.

A Banner Bold by Nadia Wheatly The Diary of Rosa Aarons, Ballarat Goldfield, 1854. In 1854, Rosa Aarons travelled with her family from London to the diggings on the Ballarat goldfield, where she met the Governor of the Colony, the leader of the diggers, Lady Macbeth, and a dog called Bonaparte. This is her story of how she makes new friends and learns to pan for gold, tolerate school, avoid snakes and survive the Eureka stockade.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still. By her brother's graveside, Liesel's life is changed when she picks up a single object, partially hidden in the snow. It is The Gravedigger's Handbook, left there by accident, and it is her first act of book thievery. So begins a love affair with books and words, as Liesel, with the help of her accordion-playing foster father, learns to read. Soon she is stealing books from Nazi book-burnings, the mayor's wife's library, wherever there are books to be found, but these are dangerous times. When Liesel's foster family hides a Jewish fist-fighter in their basement, Liesel's world is both opened up, and closed down.