Cyclone Tracy : the diary of Ryan Turner


Alan Tucker - 2006
    When Ryan makes a new friend, his father is not pleased; but troubles with his dad are nothing compared to what Ryan and his family must cope with when Cyclone Tracy devastates Darwin.

A Banner Bold: The Diary of Rosa Aarons


Nadia Wheatley - 2000
    * Horses - How to ride them. * Parents - How to understand them. * Latin - How to speak it. * Gold - How to pan for it. * Friends - How to get to know them. * Secrets - How to keep them. * School - How to tolerate it. * Stars - How to wish on them. * Snakes - How to avoid them. * History - How to make it.

Transported: The Diary of Elizabeth Harvey, Australia, 1790


Goldie Alexander - 2002
    My story transported the diary of Elizabeth Australia 1970.

A Different Sort of Real: The Diary of Charlotte McKenzie, Melbourne 1918-1919


Kerry Greenwood - 2001
    It is the end of WW1 and as she assists the doctor next door, she finds herself experiencing close at hand the devastating effects of the influenza pandemic, that killed more people than in WW1 itself.

No Way Back


Valerie Wilding - 2012
    Raised in the slums of eighteenth century London, Mary is sentenced to death for a petty theft at the age of just eleven. While she is shut up in Newgate prison awaiting execution, her sentence is commuted to transportation to an Australian penal colony. So Mary sets sail aboard a prison ship to the other side of the world. Australia brings the promise of a new life, but it is also harsh and wild. Does Mary have what it takes to survive in this land of danger and opportunity?

Flying Ace: Jack Fairfax, Royal Flying Corps, 1915-1918


Jim Eldridge - 2003
    The Fairfaxes are steeped in the military tradition, and don't approve of Jack's volunteering for the Royal Flying Corps. New-fangled flying machines are nothing to do with 'proper' warfare. Nevertheless, Jack takes to the skies in his Bleriot plane, and faces the skills of the German ace pilots over the Somme. When his best friend is shot down by one of them, he vows to avenge him.

Viking Blood: A Viking Warrior, 1008 AD


Andrew Donkin - 2008
    But then he discovers the sagas of his ancesors; glorious, bloody battles, ancient heroes, powerful gods ... and realizes that all might not be lost after all... Full description

D-Day: Lieutenant Andy Pope, Normandy, 1944


Bryan Perrett - 2004
    Ordered to cut off the Germans' line of retreat, Andy's company comes under sustained attack until, as the only unwounded officer left, Andy finds himself in command and fighting for survival...

The Crystal Palace: The Diary of Lily Hicks, London, 1850-1851


Frances Mary Hendry - 2001
    Read her diary and find out about life above and below the stairs, and all about the Great Exhibition of 1851

Mill Girl: The Diary of Eliza Helsted, Manchester, 1842-1843


Sue Reid - 2002
    The work is backbreaking and dangerous - and when she sees her friends' lives wrecked by poverty, sickness and unrest, Eliza realizes she must fight to escape the fate of a mill girl.

Who Am I? The Diary Of Mary Talence, Sydney 1937


Anita Heiss - 2001
    Set in Sydney, 1937, this is the fictional diary of a young Aboriginal girl, a member of the Stolen Generation.She is given the diary by the Sister in charge of Bomaderry Aboriginal Children's Home and through its pages she describes her life - from her arrival there, aged five, through her struggle to understand why she was taken from her real mother, to her adoption at ten years of age by a white Catholic family in St.Ives.Mary Talence, birth name Amy Charles, is increasingly confused - and then ashamed - as she is taught that white skinned is good, black skinned is bad. She longs to understand why this is so but finds that logical questions - almost any questions - provoke anger and accusations of ingratitude from her white family. Her music - her beautiful voice and her ability to make up songs - is her greatest source of comfort.This is an honest, thought-provoking book that acknowledges the terrible wrong done to aboriginal children taken from their families whilst also recognising the combination of ignorance, genuinely good intentions and political convenience that brought about this dreadful policy. Very appropriate for integration with HSIE and highly recommended for general reading as a clear introduction to the reality of the Stolen Generations to primary students.

Factory Girl


Pamela Oldfield - 2011
    Florence works as a match girl, in dangerous factory conditions. There's talk of a strike, but striking means no work... and no pay. Meanwhile, a young journalist is keen to hear Florence's story - women have never gone on strike before! But is he just stirring up trouble to sell newspapers?

Nowhere to Run: A Second World War refugee's diary, 1938-1943


Carol Drinkwater - 2012
    Two girls from very different backgrounds, but the horrors of the Nazi occupation will bring them dramatically together. Becky's family have been forced to flee Warsaw for France and are offered a home by Claudette's father. The friendship between the two girls blossoms, but Becky's safe haven is short lived as the Nazis edge ever nearer the French border. Her family are soon on the move again. But even in the so-called Free Zone there are murmurings that an invasion may be imminent. Will Becky survive the war to see Claudette again?

Henry VIII's Wives: The Story of Henry's six queens


Alison Prince - 2011
    That same day, her friends Eva and Elinor entrust her with their old diaries. Reading these, she comes to understand the lives of two earlier queens, Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn, as she enters the service of not just one of Henry's queens, but three.

Prisoner of Dieppe: World War II, Alistair Morrison, Occupied France, 1942


Hugh Brewster - 2010
    Duty. Danger. Fear. Canada's past comes alive through the eyes of young men caught up in the danger, drama and excitement of defining historical events. Written by some of Canada's finest authors, I Am Canada is a new series that offers riveting action-packed stories sure to engage and inspire young readers. From the creators of the bestselling Dear Canada series, the I Am Canada books will include an images and documents section, map, glossary, historical notes and About the Author pages. The facts are vetted by some of Canada's best historians Prisoner of Dieppe By Hugh Brewster A young soldier's gritty account of "the bloodiest nine hours in Canadian military history"- the tragic Dieppe raid of WWII. Alistair "Allie" Morrison lets his friend Mackie talk him into enlisting for WWII, even though he's only 18. After months of endless training Allie is eager for battle. But his first action is not just any battle . . . it's the disastrous raid on the German-held port of Dieppe. Almost a thousand Canadian soldiers died that day. In the resulting chaotic evacuation, Allie and Mackie are captured as POWs and sent to Stalag VIIIB in Germany. Still shell-shocked from their fighting, the soldiers struggle to maintain their courage; and some, like Mackie, are determined to plot an escape and outwit their captors, at any cost.