Australian
May – Belinda Murrell – The Sequin Star
I really enjoyed this time slip novel. The main character, Claire goes back in time to 1932. As a history teacher who grew up in Sydney, the story resonates with me. The opening of the harbour bridge, the locations around Sydney and the “making do” of many during the Great Depression are things I have … Continue reading
Phillip Gwynne – The Debt Series
I am up to the last in this series and whilst I have found it reminiscent of the Conspiracy 365 series have enjoyed it more – there is less repetition in the action and the idea of a new task to repay the family debt (or lose a pound of flesh) gives each story a … Continue reading
Secret September J.C. Burke – Pretty Girl
I have struggled to stick to a particular genre each month and was going to write about this book without an alliterative title but suddenly thought of secrets…. fits with most books doesn’t it? (Bit of a cop-out). Anyway, I have been lucky enough to have been asked to review some books for Random House (disclosure), I … Continue reading
Mystery March – Michael Wagner – Destiny’s Right Hand
I think this book is an excellent bridge between Mystery March and Autism Awareness April as it has elements of both. Set in Melbourne, Destiny’s Right Hand is about a teenage boy, Eddie, who meets Destiny whilst she was unsuccessfully shoplifting. He notices her anguish, confusion and lack of confidence in what she was doing … Continue reading
Mystery March – Steven Herrick – Cold Skin
Cold Skin is my first verse novel. I have never been into poetry and as a consequence baulked at verse novels but owing to an author visit decided to promote this book and verse novels to my students. I found the support notes on the Allen and Unwin site really useful in scaffolding my reading and ultimately … Continue reading
Ned Kelly November – Peter Carey, Robert Drewe and Noelene Allen
For my last stand in Ned Kelly November, I thought I would look at some adult books on Ned (one biography, two fiction) . The first was a biography on Ned’s Mother by Noelene Allen Ellen A Woman of Spirit. This was very sympathetic to Ellen Kelly and doesn’t present her as the ‘desperate for … Continue reading
Ned Kelly November – Ned Kelly’s Secret
Sophie Masson – Ned Kelly’s Secret – from boy to bushranger Hugo and his father are travelling through Australia, on the trail of tales of the gold rush. But after they’re ambushed on the road by the notorious outlaw Harry Power, they decide to chase something wilder and far more exciting – the stories of … 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 – 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 – 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
Book genre monthly
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Soveriegn Hill Education
- Why is the Museum called Sovereign Hill?
- Study History with help from the Sovereign Hill Museums Association
- The Gold Rushes of Victoria and California Compared
- Women on the Goldfields Part 3 – Working in the Home
- Women on the Goldfields Part 2 – Working Outside the Home
- Women on the Goldfields Part 1 – 19th Century Womanhood
- Sovereign Hill’s Gardens Explained
- Animals on the Goldfields
- The Eureka Rebellion – what we can and can’t ever know
- Environmental Changes to Victoria’s Landscapes
Teacher Librarian Help 