Pirate Boy of Sydney Town by Jackie French

Jackie French writes the best historical stories because she is able to seamlessly blend huge amounts of research into her stories. Books like Tom Appleby Convict boy, for example, never feel like a history lesson and yet these books are packed full of so much history. If you love historical fiction I highly recommend books by Jackie French but these books are also perfect for anyone who is curious about our early Australian history.

Ebeneezer (Ben) Huntsmore lives a comfortable life on his English estate called Badger's Hill but his known world is turned upside down when his father unexpectedly arrives and declares Ben and his mother must now travel to the distant colony of NSW - specifically to Port Jackson. 

The voyage is terrible and Ben's mother, along with many others, succumbs to typhoid. His father has taken a human cargo of convicts on this voyage. It seems impossible that any of these poor wretches could possibly have survived.  Ben opens the hatch and one convict crawls out. Others have survived but his father closes the hatch before Ben can can free them. The convict who crawls out is called Higgins. He is a cunning survivor.

Mr Huntsmore is one of those men who is always looking for the next scam, the next 'easy' way to get rich quick. His latest plan is to attack Dutch ships off the coast of Western Australia and plunder them for gold.

Ben is not sure he wants to join his father but perhaps he has no choice.  Also on board their ship, called Golden Girl, is a native man called Guwara. These three, Ben, the convict now manservant Higgins and Guwara form an unlikely allegiance but later this develops into the strongest bonds of friendship after the sailors on the Golden Girl mutiny and Mr Huntsmore is killed.

This is a powerful adventure story. All your senses will be on high alert as you read about the smell of half dead convicts held below ship, the desperate thirst as Ben and his companions try to survive in the bush and you will experience the taste of strange foods such as hoppers (kangaroos) and even emu and emu eggs.

Here is a set of excellent thematic teaching ideas from the publisher Harper Collins. You can also read a chapter sample.

One interesting extra in Pirate Boy of Sydney Town is the way Jackie French includes references to previous books such as Nanberry and Tom Appleby.

Complex and confronting at times but with redeeming hopefulness, courage, unexpected friendship and loyalty and the perfect illustration that ‘class’ does not maketh the individual, this is a wonderful study of human nature at its best as well as its worst. Just so Stories

This is a scintillating read from Australia’s most prolific writer, Jackie French. The novel is fiction, based on real events. It is full of vivid scenes filled with swashbuckling action, tension and twists and turns, and laced with romantic innuendo. Kids' Book Review