Book picks similar to
No Way Back by Valerie Wilding


historical-fiction
fiction
childrens
history

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?

Transported: The Diary of Elizabeth Harvey, Australia, 1790


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

The Fall of the Blade: A Girl's French Revolution Diary 1792-1794


Sue Reid - 2010
    Isabelle, daughter of an aristocrat, lives in a chateau just outside Paris. But France is in the grip of the Revolution, and as terror takes hold of the city, Isabelle's family decides that they must flee to the countryside. But will they be safe there? Will they escape the guillotine's falling blade...?

Berlin Olympics


Vince Cross - 2012
    She and her best friend, Sarah, are determined to compete in the national swimming team for the 1936 Olympics. Their dream comes true when both are selected. But the host city is Hitler's Berlin, and Sarah is Jewish. Eleanor witnesses the Nazi's hostility to Jews and hears the distant murmurings that will erupt into World War II.

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.

Sophie's Secret War: A Second World War Girl's Diary, 1939-1940


Jill Atkins - 2009
    But as the German invaders overwhelm the British forces on the French coast, she finds herself more deeply involved with the Resistance - in a dangerous plan to save a young Scottish soldier.

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?

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

Pyramid of Secrets


Jim Eldridge - 2010
    He is also making plans for what will become one of the most famous and iconic monuments in history - the Sphinx. But Khafra has enemies and division in his workforce. Among the labourers in his employ is one 13-year old boy Menes. Menes has his own reasons for hating the pyramid and wanting to rebel. But his rebellion could have drastic consquences for those closest to him...

Battle of Britain: Harry Woods, England, 1939-1941


Chris Priestley - 2002
    When his friend Lenny loses his leg in a dogfight with the Luftwaffe, Harry is determined to fight on. That is, until his plane is hit and he finds himself tumbling through the air high above the English Channel.

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.

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...

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

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.

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.