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Ned Kelly November – Game as Ned
When I looked for Ned Kelly books in my school library the database came up with Tim Pegler’s Game as Ned. Whilst not a book about Ned Kelly, Pegler takes parts of Ned’s story (and other bushrangers) and parallels them with the story of an autistic teenage boy called Ned and a 16 year old … Continue reading
Ned Kelly November – The Hunt for Ned Kelly
Today is the 11th of November and apart from being Remembrance Day (marking the end of WW1) and the day Prime Minister Gough Whitlam was dismissed in 1975 (“a day which will live in infamy”.) it is also the day that Ned Kelly was hanged in 1880. This month, I have decided to do Ned … Continue reading
Old Times October – Plague Fiction
These are the things I know about the pestilence. It swarms around those who catch it, like a cloud of flies. If you find yourself caught in the cloud – or look in the eyes of somebody who is sick – or offend God – or are loved by someone who offends God – or … Continue reading
Old Times October – The Apothecary – Maile Meloy
The Apothecary by Maile Meloy is as much an adventure as it is historical fiction (but that is the bonus of historical fiction it goes with so many other genres). What I liked about it was its diverse range of characters and the Cold War mentality. Some of it was definitely far-fetched (at times it was like the Young Bond … Continue reading
Old Times October – The Devil’s Own
I love the story of the Batavia. The devil’s own (1990) by Deborah Lisson is a time slip novel written in third person narrative about wrecking of the Batavia in the 1600s. The main character, Julie, is 15 years old and having an awful time on her family sailing holiday. Through a series of events … Continue reading
Old Times October – Celia Rees – Pirates
Many historical novels cross over into other genres such as adventure stories set in historical time frames. For example, Celia Rees’ Pirates (2003) is such a story – a great adventure but also covering the lives of ordinary people -a merchant’s daughter and a black slave girl. The true and remarkable adventures of Minerva Sharpe … Continue reading
Old Times October – A Waltz for Matilda
Jackie French is one of the most prolific Australian YA/Children’s author’s writing historical fiction and some of her work has already been mentioned in Anzac/Australian April. Recently, I was doing a research guide and curriculum writing on steps to Federation and I came across A Waltz for Matilda. In this novel, we follow the story … Continue reading
Old Times October – Catherine, called Birdy
Catherine, called Birdy (1994) by Karen Cushman would be a good introduction to historical fiction for young teen girls. It is set in medieval times and is written in diary form (and similar to many realistic fiction novels) with the secretive overtones and pact between narrator and reader being highly developed. The reader feels every … Continue reading
Old Times October What makes good historical fiction?
Below is a list of desirable characteristics for historical fiction and it is worth noting that the elements of believability and universal themes and emotions overlap with realistic fiction. Good historical fiction must (Barone, 2010, p. 68; Nilsen and Donelson, 2009, p. 244; Gamble and Yates, 2008, p. 138) be accurate, faithfully recreate minds and … Continue reading
Speculative September – Michael Pryor – Ten Futures
This is a collection of 10 short stories, featuring the same two characters (Sam and Tara) in 10 future time zones/dystopias. The first story ‘2100’ was very reminiscent of the Bicentennial Man movie and even Sci Fi classics like ‘The fun they had’ (Isaac Asimov) and ‘There will come soft rains’ (Ray Bradbury). Indeed, Pryor … Continue reading
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Soveriegn Hill Education
- Digging into Our Putrid Past: Goldfields Hygiene
- SUSTAINABILITY, Waste Not – Want Not!
- Blueprints for a Better Society: The Forgotten Legacy of Mechanics’ Institutes
- François Cogné and the Making of Main Street
- The Voyage that Changed a Life: Letters and Diaries from the Goldfields Passage
- Every Donkey Has Its Day
- Coachbuilder Mr W. Proctor
- The Goldfields according to Gill
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