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Books in the Historical Fiction genre take place in the past and usually are characterized by imaginative reconstructions of historical events and people. |
The war that saved my life by
An exceptionally moving story of triumph against all odds, set during World War Two. Nine-year-old Ada has never left her one-room flat. Her mother is too humiliated by Ada's twisted foot to let her outside. So when her little brother Jamie is shipped out of London to escape the war, Ada doesn't waste a minute-she sneaks out to join him. So begins a new adventure for Ada, and for Miss Susan Smith, the woman who is forced to take in the two children. As Ada teaches herself to ride a pony, learns to read, and watches for German spies, she begins to trust Susan-and Susan begins to love Ada and Jamie. But in the end, will their bond be enough to hold them together through wartime? Or will Ada and her brother fall back into the cruel hands of their mother? This masterful work of historical fiction is equal parts adventure and a moving tale of family and identity.
The Goat That Sailed the World by
Captain Cook's goat had already sailed around the world before it went on its first voyage with Cook, and helped save everyone on board the ship from scurvy. As well as telling the story of this less-than- famous goat, the book looks at the great sea explorations of the eighteenth century, including Cook's voyage to Australia.
Series: The Animal Stars
The horse who bit a bushranger by
"A brumby, a boy and a bushranger". Billy Marks is a pickpocket, sentenced to be transported to New South Wales. He reckons that he will be a bushranger - but that's before he's had a chance to see what life in the bush is like. And when he buys a big white brumby, covered with scars but refusing to bend to any man's will, he knows he made the right choice. Billy's daughter Mattie Jane knows her father can ride any horse - and so can she. But when tragedy strikes, the Marks clan will need all the courage they can find to keep the family together. A tale of proud horses, trailblazing farmers and their resilient wives, and desperate men forced to break the law to survive.
Series: The Animal Stars
Hitler's Daughter by
Three children in rural Australia meet at the bus stop every morning and tell each other stories. The particular story in this text is about Hitler's daughter and the life that she leads in Nazi Germany.
Nanberry: black brother white by
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, saved from the death penalty, to become a great lady in her own right.
The night they stormed Eureka by
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.
Meet Grace by
It's 1808 . . . and Grace is living with her uncle in London. They have no money, and Grace is always lonely and often hungry. The best part of her day is going to Fleet Street to talk to the horses that she loves so much. One afternoon Grace can't resist taking a shiny red apple from a grocer's cart - and then another... Before she knows it, Grace is being chased through the streets! Will she be caught and sent to prison - or worse? Meet Grace and join her adventure in the first of four exciting stories about a brave convict girl who is given a second chance.
Series: Our Australian Girl
The Phar Lap mystery by
Phar Lap is not only a winner, he is a real star. Millions of Australians love him. But that's not enough for Mr Davis. He wants to make Big Red into a world star. Sally's dad is a private detective, and he's just been offered the case of a lifetime-investigating who tried to shoot Phar Lap before the 1930 Melbourne Cup. Helping her dad investigate, Sally begins to feel a sense of mounting dread as Phar Lap goes from victory to victory-and collects not only millions of friends, but also some dangerous enemies.
Series: My Australian Story
Chains by
A stunning adventure story with an unforgettable lead character - a tale of kindness, suffering and the struggle to overcome.
The boy in the striped pyjamas: A fable by
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is told from the perspective of
Bruno, a nine-year-old boy forced to leave his home in Berlin to live with his family in a strange and unwelcome environment. The only friend he finds in his drab new home is a little boy, Shmuel, separated from him by the big fence that separates Bruno's world from the very peculiar place on the other side.
Once by
Once I escaped from an orphanage to find my Mum and Dad. Once I saved a girl called Zelda from a burning house. Once I made a Nazi with toothache laugh. My name is Felix. This is my story.
Series: Once series
Number the stars by
It is 1943 and for 10 year old Annemarie life is still fun. But there are worries too - the Nazis have occupied Copenhagen and there are food shortages, curfews and the threat of being stopped by soldiers and Annemarie's best friend is a Jew.
The Forgotten Pearl by
A grandmother's story of her experiences during World War II-era Australia help her granddaughter face her own modern-day problems Let me tell you a story. A story about friendship and sisters, about grief and love and danger, and about growing up. 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, Poppy lives in Darwin, a peaceful paradise. But when Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, then Australia, everything Poppy holds dear is threatened. Terrified, she flees to Sydney - only to find that the danger follows her there. Poppy must face her war with courage and determination. Will her world ever be the same?
Cyclone Tracy: the diary of Ryan Turner by
The Diary of Ryan Turner, Darwin, 1974. Ryan and his best friend, Nev, both love fishing. They spend all their spare time at the wharf or out on Darwin Harbour fishing for trevally and barra, and keeping an eye on local weather and tides. But when Ryan makes a new friend, his father is not pleased. But troubles with his dad are nothing compared to what lies ahead for Ryan, when Cyclone Tracy arrives on Christmas Eve.
Series: My Australian Story
Titanic by
Margaret Anne dreams of leaving the orphanage behind, and she can hardly believe her luck when she is chosen to accompany wealthy Mrs Carstairs aboard the great Titanic. But when the passengers are woken on a freezing night in April 1912, she finds herself caught up in an unimaginable nightmare...
Series: My Story
Lyla by
A powerful and moving story about one girl caught up in the Christchurch earthquake in 2011. Lyla has just started her second year of high school when a magnitude 6.3 earthquake shakes Christchurch to pieces. Devastation is everywhere. While her police officer mother and trauma nurse father respond to the disaster, Lyla puts on a brave face, opening their home to neighbours and leading the community clean-up. But soon she discovers that it's not only familiar buildings and landscapes that have vanished -- it's friends and acquaintances too. As the earth keeps shaking day after day, can Lyla find a way to cope with her new reality?