Road to War: A First World War Girl's Diary, 1916


Valerie Wilding - 2008
    When Daffy Rowntree's brother goes missing in action, she refuses to sit safely in England, and determines to do something to help win the war. Soon she finds herself in the mud and horror of the battlefields of France, driving an ambulance transporting the wounded of the trenches.

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?

War Nurse: The Diary of Kitty Langley, 1939-1940


Sue Reid - 2005
    As a nurse working in the military hospitals in the south of England, Kitty sees at close hand the effects of war - notably the casualties of Dunkirk. The diary details the historical events and describes the day to day life of a young VAD in a military hospital in WWII. It's also a story about growing up. A girl transposed from a comfortable protected existence into the harsher world of a wartime hospital begins to learn a bit about life and relationships.

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.

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?

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.

The Trenches: Billy Stevens, The Western Front, 1914-1918


Jim Eldridge - 2002
    Soon enough, he is sent to the Front, and the terrible sights and sounds of the trenches.

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

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...

Transported: The Diary of Elizabeth Harvey, Australia, 1790


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

My Tudor Queen: The Diary of Eva De Puebla, London, 1501-1513


Alison Prince - 2001
    Story of Katherine of Aragon's Journey from Spain to wed Prince Arthur eldest son of the King of England as seen by Eva De Puebla.

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.

The Bombing of Darwin: The Diary of Tom Taylor, Darwin, 1942


Alan Tucker - 2002
    It was a moment that Tom would always remember - that morning of 19 February 1942, when everything changed......changed from peace to war.When fourteen-year-old Tom Taylor moves to Darwin with his family, he hardly guesses that tragedy will soon change his life forever. Although Tom helps to dig slit trenches, and though the Japanese edge closer through Malaysia and Singapore, the war seems so far away.

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.

Turned Away: The World War II Diary of Devorah Bernstein


Carol Matas - 2005
    Devorah learns that 5,000 Jewish children in France have visas to leave the country, but the Canadian government will not let them in, leading Devorah to desperately lobby the government to change its policies. Turned Away illustrates the restrictions on the life of Jews in Paris via letters from Sarah who is living in German-occupied France. It also reveals Canada's dismal record on Jewish immigration during World War II and depicts the impact of the war in Canada. In Winnipeg, one intriguing response to the war was "If Day," when local people posed as Nazis and staged a mock invasion to illustrate what it would be like if the city was occupied. Also included are fascinating period documents and photographs, many from the Holocaust Memorial Museum. The historical consultants for Turned Away were Dr. Irving Abella, co-author of the ground-breaking book None is Too Many, and Terry Copp, author of the remarkable book No Price Too High.