Roll of Thunder Hear my Cry by Mildred D Taylor

“I didn’t say that Lillian Jean is better than you. I said Mr. Simms only thinks she is. In fact, he thinks she’s better than Stacey or Little Man or Christopher-John—” 

“Just ’cause she’s his daughter?” I asked, beginning to think Mr. Simms was a bit touched in the head. “No, baby, because she’s white.” Mama’s hold tightened on mine, but I exclaimed, “Ah, shoot! White ain’t nothin’!” Mama’s grip did not lessen. 

“It is something, Cassie. White is something just like black is something. Everybody born on this earth is something and nobody, no matter what color, is better than anybody else.” “Then how come Mr. Simms don’t know that?” “Because he’s one of those people who has to believe that white people are better than black people to make himself feel big.”

“Baby, we have no choice of what color we’re born or who our parents are or whether we’re rich or poor. What we do have is some choice over what we make of our lives once we’re here.” Mama cupped my face in her hands. 

“And I pray to God you’ll make the best of yours.”

Cassie lives with her three brothers, mother, father and grandfather in the Southern US in the 1930s. Her father has work albeit far away working building railway lines and her mother has a job as a teacher. The family also have a farm where they grow cotton and Cassie's grandmother is able to take produce to a local market so unlike other local families the Logan's are not living in dire poverty. They do, however, have to be careful with their money because there is a farm mortgage/tax payment due every month and a local, white, landowner who wants to reclaim their land. Cassie is only vaguely aware of the differences in her community and the ways white adults and children treat her and her family differently. One of the earliest incidents that introduce this to the reader comes when we read that Cassie and her brothers have to walk to school along dusty and sometimes very muddy roads. The white children travel by bus to a different school and every day the horrid bus driver deliberately sprays the Logan kids and their friends with dirt or mud by driving his bus close to the side of the road.

Finally, when the bus was less than fifty feet behind us, it veered dangerously close to the right edge of the road where we were running, forcing us to attempt the jump to the bank; but all of us fell short and landed in the slime of the gully.

Cassie is a feisty girl and she is not prepared to suffer this injustice. She hatches a plan to trap the bus in a huge hole in the road which is disguised by all the mud. Her plan works but then Cassie realises this could put her family in danger. Big Ma her grandmother takes Cassie into the town of Strawberry and on this day Cassie sees even more ways her family suffer discrimination. 

There is a local boy named TJ who is 'sort of' a friend to the Logan kids especially Stacey. TJ keeps failing at school but he is filled with bravado. I knew from the start he was a dangerous boy to have as a friend. He 'swindles' Stacey out of his wonderful new coat and then he fails school again and takes his anger out on Mrs Logan. Finally, he joins up with some local white boys but he is so naive he has no idea they are using him and as the book ends it is TJ who is headed for execution. 

Two of the strongest scenes in this book (for me) were when Cassie's mother pastes brown paper over the ownership grid at the front of the text books that have been 'donated' to the school. 

Then there is a way more harrowing scene where Cassie and her siblings are taken to visit the man who was the victim of the recent lynching:

She took a sheet from a nearby table. “Gots to cover him,” she explained. “He can’t hardly stand to have nothin’ touch him.” When she was visible again, she picked up a candle stump and felt around a table for matches. “He can’t speak no more. The fire burned him too bad. But he understands all right.” Finding the matches, she lit the candle and turned once more to the corner. A still form lay there staring at us with glittering eyes. The face had no nose, and the head no hair; the skin was scarred, burned, and the lips were wizened black, like charcoal. As the wheezing sound echoed from the opening that was a mouth, Mama said, “Say good morning to Mrs. Berry’s husband, children.”

Read the opening scene which gives you a good sense of Cassie's voice:

“Little Man, would you come on? You keep it up and you’re gonna make us late.” My youngest brother paid no attention to me. Grasping more firmly his newspaper-wrapped notebook and his tin-can lunch of cornbread and oil sausages, he continued to concentrate on the dusty road. 

He lagged several feet behind my other brothers, Stacey and Christopher-John, and me, attempting to keep the rusty Mississippi dust from swelling with each step and drifting back upon his shiny black shoes and the cuffs of his corduroy pants by lifting each foot high before setting it gently down again. Always meticulously neat, six-year-old Little Man never allowed dirt or tears or stains to mar anything he owned. Today was no exception. 

“You keep it up and make us late for school, Mama’s gonna wear you out,” I threatened, pulling with exasperation at the high collar of the Sunday dress Mama had made me wear for the first day of school—as if that event were something special. It seemed to me that showing up at school at all on a bright August-like October morning made for running the cool forest trails and wading barefoot in the forest pond was concession enough; Sunday clothing was asking too much. Christopher-John and Stacey were not too pleased about the clothing or school either. 

Only Little Man, just beginning his school career, found the prospects of both intriguing.

There are some delicious descriptions of food in this book and I loved the small phrases used by Mildred D Taylor:

There was little I could do in a dress, and as for shoes, they imprisoned freedom-loving feet accustomed to the feel of the warm earth.

I would wear threadbare clothing washed to dishwater color ...

“Shoot,” I mumbled, taking one of the buckets from Stacey, “by the time a body walk way back here, they’ll have bunions on their soles and corns on their toes.”

Here is a list of the characters in this story.

Description of Mr Morrison (I hope we learn more about him in the subsequent books): The man was a human tree in height, towering high above Papa’s six feet two inches. The long trunk of his massive body bulged with muscles, and his skin, of the deepest ebony, was partially scarred upon his face and neck, as if by fire. Deep lifelines were cut into his face and his hair was splotched with gray, but his eyes were clear and penetrating. I glanced at the boys and it was obvious to me that they were wondering the same thing as I: Where had such a being come from?

This US classic was published in 1977 but I am not sure if many readers of my generation would have encountered this book in Australia. 

Awards for Roll of Thunder Hear my Cry:

• Newbery Medal 1977
• National Book Award finalist 
• Coretta Scott King Award Honour

Publisher blurb: Set in Mississippi at the height of the Depression, this is the story of one family's struggle to maintain their integrity, pride, and independence in the face of racism and social injustice. And it is also Cassie's story—Cassie Logan, an independent girl who discovers over the course of an important year why having land of their own is so crucial to the Logan family, even as she learns to draw strength from her own sense of dignity and self-respect.

Until now, Cassie had been well protected by her family from racism, and she had no idea just how important it was that her family had their own piece of land. She learns about racism quickly the year the Night Riders come to town, as many dangerous, scary, and ill-natured things happen. Ultimately, Cassie learns that she and her family have something nobody can take away from them. Thanks to her ability to speak her mind, readers experience the heavy truth of the often brutal and intense way African Americans have been treated. Children's Book Review

I started reading this book (ebook version) on a train journey to my volunteer library job and I read more than one third of the text but then I decided to leave this book for a week because I needed to be quiet and calm and have the time and emotional strength to cope with the scenes I predicted were coming in this story for example when the family cross the bridge and don't let the white driver go first and Mama says “But one day we’ll have to pay for it. Believe me,” she said, “one day we’ll pay”. 

I picked this book up again a week later and then in the early hours of the morning, around 2am, I finished my reading and discovered I now need to read the sequels. I have read The Gold Cadillac and Mississippi Bridge without realising they were part of this series or connected to Roll of Thunder Hear my Cry and I have discovered Roll of Thunder Hear my Cry is actually book four in this series. 

• Song of the Trees
• Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
• Let the Circle Be Unbroken
• The Friendship
• The Gold Cadillac
• Mississippi Bridge
• The Road to Memphis
• The Well
• The Land
• All the Days Past, All the Days to Come

Candle Island Lauren Wolk

"Six mysteries waited for me on Candle Island.

One involved a bird.

The second a hidden room.

A song the third.

A poet the fourth.

A cat fifth.

A fire sixth.

Each of them exciting in its own way.

But none more interesting than the mystery I took there with me."

Begin with the cover - I really like it and after reading this book you will want to go back and see how an important story element has been incorporated into this illustration. 

Here is the quote on the opening page - it is very pertinent to this story:

"As music is the poetry of sound, so is painting the poetry of sight." James McNeill Whistler

I think sensitive readers (with some reading stamina) aged 10+ will really enjoy Candle Island. I had no idea this story was set in the 1970s (see the Kirkus review).  I loved the island setting and the way Lucretia and her mum were keeping the identity of the artist of their famous paintings a secret kept me turning the pages knowing that they were sure to be discovered. I was also happy that there was no twist at the end and that the bad things that happened on the island were all down to those awful rich kids as Lucretia, Bastian and Murdock suspected. If you look at the labels I have assigned this post you can see the plot covers a lot of things - Lucretia finds a wounded baby bird (an osprey) and she nurses him back to health; there are three summer kids who are dreadful bullies; there is an art theft; the island is small and suspicious of strangers; Lucretia and her mum are experiencing terrible pain after the death of her father; and each of the three island kids has a special talent. Oh, and I do need to mention two more things - mum cooks delicious food in this book and I adore the town librarian (I think I need to make a list of books that feature very special librarians).

Curious readers might want to know more about osprey birds after reading this book. Also Lucretia is named after Lucretia Mott - a Quaker suffragist and anti-slavery campaigner. You might also want to learn more about the scale of being or the Great Chain of Being. 

Candle Island is set on an island - I know that is obvious - so I was not surprised to read Lauren Wolk lives on Cape Cod. I really enjoy visiting islands and I enjoy books set on islands and even though I have not been there for some reason Maine, USA has a special fascination for me.

Here are some text quotes:

"When I let myself spill onto the canvas like melted wax, I built a world where I felt exactly right, entirely who I really was. Free. Unwatched. Alone."

"He was singing a story. A sad one that suddenly became something else and then something else again, the colour changing as the story did, from a radiant magenta to some kind of violet. And then a gold I rarely heard."

"When I hit the water, my head exploded. Every particle of my body panicked. It was as if I'd been injected with frozen mint. As if my skin was size too small. As if I'd been scoured with a wire brush dipped in acid. All of that, all at once."

The town librarian - notice the placement of the word beautiful: "She was old. Thin. In a black dress with a lace collar. Her hair was a beautiful white, twisted into a crown on top of her head. Her skin was the same deep brown as my eyes. ... At her full height she was smaller than I was, but she seemed much taller."

"The most common form of despair is not being who you are - Soren Kierkegaard"

There are certain authors for children that are capable of the kind of writing that is not merely full of strong character growth and interesting plotting, but legitimately lovely prose as well. On a single page I found lines that end with glimpses of a “bruise-blue sea.” Or, when Lucretia thinks about befriending the prickly Murdock, she is thinking of, “How adding even a little yellow to the coldest gray could warm it toward something altogether new. But Murdock was a girl, not a painting. I would have to remember that.” I mark in my copy of this book the lines I like best. What’s remarkable about them is how seamlessly they’re integrated into the plot. Betsy Bird SLJ

And bottom line, this is a beautiful book set on a beautiful island off the coast of Maine. It will linger in your heart. Sonder Books

Wolk’s latest novel wonderfully portrays new relationships while tackling grief and self-discovery. The characters are well developed, and readers can see parts of themselves and those they know. The book also has several small mysteries that readers will be itching to solve. While a work of historical fiction, the story has the modern feel of a quiet life without current technology and trends. School Library Journal

Here is an interview with Lauren Wolk.

I spied this book some weeks ago and knowing how much I loved every previous book by Lauren Wolk, I added it to my 'to read' and 'to buy' list. Luckily for me this book has appeared in the library where I work as a volunteer, so I borrowed it and read it over one or two days. This is a longish book with 340 pages, but the print size makes it easy to read and of course Lauren Wolk creates a page turning story with characters you really care about. The library has a copy because this book was sold as a Scholastic Australia Book Club title (issue 5, 2025 AUS$12). We are having extreme rain conditions in my city and so today (after some very necessary chores) I snuggled down beside my heater and finished read Candle Island.

Publisher (Scholastic Australia) blurb: Lucretia and her mother have come to tiny Candle Island, Maine (Population: Summer, 986; Winter, 315) with a secret to keep ... and to escape—escape memories of the car accident that killed her father and escape the journalists that hound her mother, a famous and reclusive artist. The rocky coast and ocean breeze are a welcome respite for Lucretia, who dedicates her summer days to painting, exploring the island, and caring for an orphaned osprey chick. But Candle Island also has secrets—a hidden room in her new house, a mysterious boy with a beautiful voice—and just like the strong tides that surround the shores, they will catch Lucretia in their wake. With an unforgettable New England setting and a complex web of relationships old and new, this is a powerful story about art, loss and the power of being true to your own voice.

There is a huge error in my Scholastic Australia copy of this book. This book was originally published in hardcover by the Penguin Young Readers Group [9780593698549]. My copy in paperback is a new 'edition' BUT the imprint page does not acknowledge the original publisher or date of publication AND the author's name is spelt incorrectly as Wolke. This is funny but also disturbing. 

Other books I have loved by Lauren Wolk:

Wolf Hollow

My Own Lightning

Beyond the Bright Sea

Echo Mountain

Swashbuckler by James Moloney

This is the cover of the edition that seems to still be in print

This is the original cover with art by Annmarie Scott

"If you really want to know, I'm wild, I'm mad, I'm absolutely furious with him. 

Why does he have to die? And my biggest fear of all is that I'll go up to that hospital and stand next to him and I won't be able to stop myself. I'll start shaking him and yelling at him. You see, now, why I can't go up to the hospital, don't you?"

Publisher blurb: ‘Cease and desist! Stand fast and release your prisoner!’

Peter, a new boy at Park Ridge school, is thankful to be rescued from the school bullies by Anton the Swashbuckler. Even if Anton does speak in such a weird way and wears outlandish garments. After this Peter and Anton become firm friends and discover that they each have family problems. Together they turn those problems into challenges to be tackled in true Swashbuckler style.

Here is a summary from the excellent Teachers Notes: Peter, along with his mother and two younger sisters, are forced to move house after his father gambles away everything that they own. Bitter and angry, Peter finds it impossible to forgive and accept his father back into his life. In fact, in Peter’s mind, he has no father. To make matters worse, Peter is cornered on his first day at Park Ridge school by the school’s most notorious bullies. He is rescued by classmate Anton, a self-proclaimed ‘swashbuckler’, who speaks in character and dresses in costume. Most kids at school think Anton has gone completely mad. However, this colourful facade hides the painful fact that Anton’s father is dying from cancer.

Swashbuckler was published in 1995. When I saw it in a school library recently I thought it would be very interesting to revisit this book as I remembered really enjoying it and also I think I have referenced it here on this blog several times as a companion book.

Has this book stood the 'test of time'?

Yes and no. The actual plot certainly has but possibly some of the reference feel outdated - such as watching videos; going to the video shop; using a camcorder; and there is one reference to smacking a child. None of these tiny things though, will reduce enjoyment for a reader.

What I liked about this book:

• It is fairly short with only 83 pages however the print size is too small. If this book is ever reprinted, I would like to see a larger font.
• The characters in this story are so well developed especially Peter.
• The 'authentic' weird way Anton speaks means this book would be good to read aloud. I will look for an audio book version. Here it is.
• There is a sequel so if young readers aged 9+ enjoy Swashbuckler they are sure to want to read about the two bullies Buzzard Breath and Brains and hear their perspective on the school rose bush vandalism.
• I like the cover of the newer edition.
• Both boys have different life struggles, but both need to find a way to forgive, in this case, their fathers.
• The issues raised in this book about terminal illness and an addiction to gambling are just as relevant today.
• The ending is very sad (I cried), but it is also realistic. Yes, there is a good outcome for Peter with his dad, but it is not a saccharine or silly happily ever after. 

Swashbuckler was part of a series from University of Queensland Press called Storybridge. All these years later I think short, action stories like this are needed especially for upper primary aged boys. I found this list of titles. I remember enjoying Sally Marshall's Not an Alien by Amanda McKay; Nathan Nuttboard Hits the Beach by Anthony Eaton; and I adored (still adore) The Big Bazoohley by Peter Carey. James Moloney also wrote one of my BEST ever Grade six read aloud titles - The Pipe - from the After Dark series. In 2014 I read Disappearing Act and I loved his Aussie Bites title Moving House. 

Swashbuckler won the CBCA Younger Readers category in 1996. I was interested to see James Moloney's book made several of the older readers short lists 2009 Kill the Possum; 2006 Honour title Lost Property; 2004 Black Taxi; 2001Touch Me; 1997 winner A Bridge to Wiseman’s Cove; 1996 The House on River Terrace; 1995 Honour title Gracey; 1994 Honour title Dougy and in 1999 the sequel to Swashbuckler - Buzzard Breath and Brains was a Honour title. You can see many of the covers here and read more about James Moloney.

Read more here

The Young Vikings

Paperboy by Vince Vawter

This was beautifully written and palpably sad. Ms Yingling Reads

Carefully crafted language, authenticity of setting and quirky characters that ring fully true all combine to make this a worthwhile read. Kirkus

Have you ever read a book where you kept anticipating dreadful events, you gasped, turned the page and then that event didn't happen but instead a few pages later the author slammed you up against a wall with something even worse? I started Paperboy late in the afternoon and read a few chapters, then read a few more at midnight and then woke up at 3am and read this book right through to the end. All the while I was holding my breath because I was so worried about 'Little Man'.

It seems amazing when I think about it but in over 32 years as a Teacher-Librarian I never had a student who stuttered but I did work with one teacher (in hindsight I think about his bravery to be a teacher and face a group of ten year olds every day) and knew a young boy when I was a teenager. As humans there are some hard things in life that we have to navigate. Sensory impairment such as hearing loss, vision loss, epilepsy, and other disabilities that can make life so complex. I found it heartbreaking to read how much 'Little Man' struggled with his stuttering. In fact the reason we don't know his actual name until the final pages of this book is because his own name is almost impossible to pronounce - it contains the most tricky sounds. 'Little Man' is a highly intelligent young boy and this book and we get to know his story because we can hear his thoughts and read his typewritten words.

His best friend has gone away for a month over summer. 'Little Man' takes over the newspaper delivery job from Art or Rat as he is known. Over the following weeks 'Little Man' meets a variety of characters. My favourite was Mr Spiro who, in contrast with his newspaper delivery boy, uses long complex sentences and shares deep philosophical ideas that come from his extensive reading and huge personal library. He shows a beautiful level of kindness and intelligent interactions with the young boy. On the other hand, the town 'junk man' is a violent individual who you will desperately want 'Little Man' to avoid. When he risks his life twice and has to confront this disgusting man I wanted to shout at 'Little Boy' to run away because I knew he was in enormous danger. You can tell I became very involved in this story.

Adding to the power of this story at the end we discover this book is based on the life of the author. Read this detailed interview. Here are some quotes from the interview:

" ... everything in the book which had to do with stuttering, was factual. I had trouble saying my name, and on more than one occasion, I would pass out because I held my breath too long trying to say my name. If you remember the scene where the boy is in the restaurant with some of his parents’ friends, and he gets embarrassed, and it all just starts coming onto him and he loses his spaghetti all over the table and everybody? That actually happened to me."

"In the past few years, I've been reading an awful lot about the covert stutterer. I should have been the poster boy for covert stuttering. I tried to hide my stutter in every way I could. I would lie about it, I would skip class, I would do anything. I would pretend I was sick; I would do anything not to have to speak in class, or in some social situation. What that did is it held me back from starting on my journey of finding my voice."

"Saying my name was my albatross. At the start of school each year, I would start going into sweats, about the middle of August. School would start the first of September, I'd start worrying about it in August because I knew the teachers would say, "Okay, everybody stand-up, tell us your name. Tell us your brother and sister’s names. What your pet is, and what you did this summer." I'd have rather been whipped 40 lashes than do that."

In terms of an Australian young adult reader this book does contain aspects of US History from the 1960s especially racial discrimination and also a few references to baseball and famous baseball players but these references did not mean anything to me, but my ignorance did not affect the way this story totally engrossed me. Listen to an audio sample of chapter one - Mam is not his mother - she is the hired help - a brave African American lady who I would love to thank for the way she loves and protects 'Little Man'. 

Blurb: Little Man throws the meanest fastball in town. But talking is a whole different ball game. He can barely say a word without stuttering—not even his own name. So when he takes over his best friend’s paper route for the month of July, he’s not exactly looking forward to interacting with the customers. But it’s the neighborhood junkman, a bully and thief, who stirs up real trouble in Little Man’s life.

Awards for Paperboy:

• A Newbery Honor Award Winner
• An ALA-ALSC Notable Children’s Book
• An IRA Children’s and Young Adults’ Choice
• An IRA Teachers’ Choice
• A Bank Street College of Education Best Book of the Year
• A National Parenting Publications Award Honor Book
• A BookPage Best Children’s Book
• An ABC New Voices Pick
• A Junior Library Guild Selection
• An ALA-ALSC Notable Children’s Recording
• An ALA-YALSA Amazing Audiobook
• A Mississippi Magnolia State Award List Selection

On another level this book is also about racial discrimination. Think of Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr and also the movie The Help. There are two further books in this series (both are Young Adult or adult titles) and the final one deals with the five days in April 1968 that changed the world - the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Read more here. 

I am working my way through some Newbery winners and honor books from the last 25 years. I was so lucky to spy Paperboy at a recent charity book sale and it only cost AUS$2.

Companion books:

Walking to the bus-rider Blues

Stella by Starlight

The Parker Inheritance

How High the Moon

I also found a list of Middle Grade books that feature stuttering: Say It Out Loud by Allison Varnes; The Shape of Thunder by Jasmine Warga; and Wild oak by C.C. Harrington.

Trapped by Julia Lawrinson

Joe (Giuseppe) Varischetti has come with his father from Italy to a remote part of Western Australia to work at a gold mine. Joe cannot help at the mine because he is too young. His father wants him to learn English, so Joe is forced to go to school where he encounters bullying and racism. The year is 1907.  This story is presented in a diary format from 19th March to 28th March with a few flashbacks to life in Italy, the trip to Australia, and Joe's early days at school.

Torrential rain hits the area and the deep mine is flooded. Every man gets out safely except for Joe's papa Charlie (Modesto) Varischetti.

This gripping and powerful verse novel is based on the true story of an Italian migrant worker known as Charlie - who spent over 200 hours or ten days trapped under ground. Rescuers had to wear deep diving gear so at least they were able to give papa some food, clothes and a lamp but he was wet and cold and surrounded by terrified mice. I held my breath through so many scenes. It just seemed so impossible that he could be rescued. 

This is an amazing look at Australian life in the early 1900’s, the hardships, the racism and the need to persevere to make a better life for yourself. It is an intriguing and remarkable survival story, that shows how the whole state was fascinated by this event and invested in bringing Charlie back to safety. It will best suit readers who enjoy reading about historical factual events. It is an intriguing story, that is easy to read and suitable for those in upper primary and lower secondary. Lamont

I took this book on my train journey today and I read the whole book before I reached my destination. This true story is one that will completely absorb you. You can hear Julia Lawrinson talking about her book. Julia suggests ages 8-12 but I would think this book better suits a reader aged 10+. I also have a strong connection with this story because I once worked in a coal mining town and over my nine years of working in that community there were several terrible accidents - hearing sirens always put the people in the town on edge. Sadly, there was one terrible accident which took the lives of three miners. 

I am sure this book will feature in our 2026 CBCA Notable lists but will it be in Younger Readers or Older Readers or Eve Pownall? Here are the teachers notes from the publisher. 

Readings Melbourne list three reasons to read Trapped:

Three reasons to read it: 

1. All the miners escape except one, and it just so happens to be Joe’s dad. Can you imagine how scary and confusing that would be? Joe is stuck above ground, trying to figure out what happened. Why didn’t his dad come up with the others? Is he okay? And how on earth will they reach him in time? There’s a huge mystery to solve and a desperate rescue mission ahead, and you get to be part of it from the first page. You’ll be biting your nails (maybe literally!) and rooting for Joe and the rescuers every step of the way.

2. The story is inspired by something that really happened back in 1907 in a mining town called Bonnie Vale in Australia. That means the characters, the danger and the rescue are all based on real people who faced something incredibly scary. Lawrinson took this slice of Australian history and turned it into a gripping tale that makes the past feel totally alive. Reading this book isn’t just fun, it teaches you something amazing about bravery, survival and the strength of a small town during a big disaster.

3. Trapped moves fast. You can probably read it in a day or two, but the story and the feelings it gives you will stay with you long after you finish. It’s perfect for readers who like stories that grab you right away and never let go. And since it’s packed with vivid descriptions, cool historical details and an intense rescue mission, your imagination will be working overtime. When you turn the last page, you’ll be thinking about what happened long after you close the book, and maybe even looking up more about the real-life event.

Background reading:

• Western Australia Museum
• State Library of WA 4 minute video tribute
• Pearl Divers in the Goldfields
• Shire of Coolgardie
• Australasian Mine Safety Journal
• Wild - Stories from WA's past (scroll down through all the choices) - 17 minutes
• Goldfield Stories of Western Australia

On day nine, the divers gave the miner more food, shared cigarettes with him, tied a rope around his waist and started the arduous walk through waist-deep water and knee-deep sludge. At one stage, Varischetti’s mouth and nose only just cleared the water. He staggered to the surface on March 28, after 206 hours underground. He recovered to return to work underground but died of fibrosis at 57.

Tunneling to get him out or pumping out the water would have taken too long and Varischetti would have died before he could be reached. The mine inspector Joshua Crabbe had an inspired idea. He was familiar with pearl diving in the North West and made enquiries about getting divers to rescue the trapped man. Two divers (Curtis and Thomas Hearn) were found holidaying in Perth and as luck would have it they had their gear with them. A special train was organised to get them to the goldfields (taking 13 hours and 10 minutes to arrive) setting a new speed record which was to last for the next 50 years. By the time the divers had arrived Varischetti had been trapped for 3 days. The divers had no knowledge of the flooded mine and during the first attempt to reach Modesto, Curtis became entangled and was lucky to survive.

Here is an interview with Julia Lawrinson. 

Companion book:

Town by Sea (Scroll through this post)

I previously read these books by Julia Lawrinson:

Chess Nuts

City of Light

You might also have these books in your school library. I do wish the Aussie Bites, Aussie Nibbles and Aussie Chomps series books were still in print - I discovered so many book treasures in these three Australian series.

Here is another book (for a younger audience) that also tells a story from Australian history using the format of a verse novel:

The Riding Gallery

The Foal in the Wire by Robbie Coburn

Sam lives on a farm. His father is a horse trainer. There has been a dreadful accident and Sam's brother has died aged only seventeen. The accident happened three years ago but Sam still has nightmares, and his mother and father's relationship has descended into fights, arguments and screaming matches. Sam tries to stay invisible. 

Julia lives next door. Her father has driven her mother away after one beating too many. He is a violent man who is fueled by alcohol. 

A foal becomes caught in the wire of a fence. Sam hardly knows Julia but together they rescue and care for the young foal and over the days and weeks their own gentle relationship begins. Sam tells Julia about his brother and also about his one friend - a boy from school who is actually not a friend - he is a dreadful bully but Sam clings to this dysfunctional relationship. But then comes the day Alex verbally attacks Julia and Sam fights back. As I reader I cheered when this toxic relationship ended. 

Julia also confides in Sam. She desperately misses her mother and is afraid of the violence from her father. Then Julia cannot take it anymore and she swallows some pills. The authorities swoop in and she moves away to live with relatives. Sam loves Julia and now she has left. 

This is important - do not let the cover trick you. Yes, this is a book about a horse and yes, it is a 'thin' book with only 117 pages BUT this book contains topics only suitable for readers aged 15+. Hopefully bookshops won't 'accidently' put this one on their junior shelves. Oh, and YES, the cover by Tannya Harricks is truly wonderful so do put this book into your high school library. Young Adult fans of verse novels and of books filled with raw emotions will devour this one.

Did you ever see the movie of Forest Gump - do you remember Jenny the young girl next door. Do you remember the dreadful violence she was subjected to by her father - that is a part of this story too. Look at the labels I have assigned to this post - violence, death, accidents ...

The Foal in the Wire is certain to be listed as a 2026 CBCA Notable. 

This is a short book, but it deals principally with big questions and sometimes intense, formative experiences. Verse novels are deceptive in what would appear to be limited space for establishing depth in a story and characters. As both a lover of poetry and young adult literature, I find verse to be the perfect form to capture a story, particularly in dealing with difficult and confronting subjects. When writing for a young adult audience, free verse perfectly conveys a character’s internal language without the addition of unnecessary explanation. Each word must be chosen carefully, and no language wasted. The impact of poetry can be remarkably strong and effective in conveying emotion, while also adhering to brevity and trusting the reader to visualise and fill in the empty space on the page.~ Robbie Coburn 

In this piece for Paperbark Words Robbie Coburn talks about his poetry and about writing this book. Megan Daley and Your Kids Next read talk about The Foal in the wire here (listen from 2.50). You can hear Megan reading the blurb. Megan likens the language choices and expressive writing in this book to Sonya Hartnett and John Marsden - that's a big call but I do agree. 

Read this interview with Just Kids Lit. See inside The Foal in the wire and read some endorsements on the publisher page. And here is an interview with Hachette. And book club notes and Scholastic notes. 

Verse novels grapple with topics like trauma and loss in different ways than prose. It’s a little more subdued and evocative, with serious undertones that show that everyone lives a different lives. They can bring emotions that teens may be feeling to light, and give them space to talk about them safely. It gives them a voice to explore these feelings; explore the things teens might experience that they don’t think they can talk about with anyone else. This makes them powerful vehicles for discussion as well. ... This is the power of verse novels – they play with emotions and pull at the heartstrings. They invest in characters emotionally. The brevity makes it work well – the details aren’t needed, because you can fill them in yourself. The Book Muse

Here is the poem that made me shudder:

my only friend at school, Alex,

always makes fun of our house

and the way it doesn't look like

other people's. ...

he makes fun of my clothes

and the food mum makes me

that I bring to school for lunch.

he tells me I should be embarrassed

that my parents are poot

and says we are bogans

for racing horses.

he says my brother

is lucky he died

so he doesn't

have to be embarrassed

by me and my family anymore.

My Name is Hamburger by Jacqueline Jules

My Name is Hamburger is a verse novel. Jacqueline Jules packs a lot into this short book - Jewish culture, discrimination, hopes and wishes, friendship complications, bullies, belonging, making new friends, Holocaust survivors, school life and family life.

The year is 1962 and Trudie's parents are holocaust survivors and Jewish. Her father owns a printing business and her mother stays home to look after her new prematurely born baby brother. 

I like how my family sit at our round table

just eating a tasty food, not a last name

I wish didn't go with my first.

Trudie has a very special friend who lives nearby named Lila. They have been friends since they were babies. Trudie excels at spelling and so as this story opens she is competing in her school level competition. Trudie is in grade four. She and her dad have been studying hard for this. She spells homogenous and makes it to the final round of two contestants but then the judge gives her a word with a silent letter - rhythm.

Like a gherkin.

That little green pickle

Kids like to crunch

This gives rise to more dreadful teasing by one horrid boy in her class - Daniel Reynolds. Trudie is so disappointed about the spelling bee but there is the hope she can compete again next year - she did make it through five rounds. I loved the way her teacher celebrates her achievement. 

School should be a happy place for Trudie but every week there is the problem of the music class. Trudi cannot sing the Christian songs and so she spends her time in the library. She loves being with the librarian Mrs Nolan, doing tasks like shelving books from A to Z. It is lucky because Trudi loves to read and she is getting close to the target on fifty books on the class reading chart. She didn't win the spelling bee perhaps she can win the reading trophy. Then a new boy arrives. He is also subjected to racial taunts because he is thought to be 'Chinese'. In fact he was born in the US.

Meanwhile Lila seems to have found a new friend. A pretty and popular girl named Sue Ellen. Young modern readers might be shocked when they read that Trudie cannot be invited to Sue Ellen's birthday party because as a Jewish child and so she is not allowed into the Colburn Country Club. The new boy, Jerry Braswell, who lives next door also used to be her friend but then he joined up with Daniel Reynolds. They taunt the girls and one day they throw water bombs at them on their way home:

Only red balloons, scattered

in little pieces all over the street

along with my trust

in mothers who understand

Trudie loves doing things with her father. Her mother is always distracted by the baby. They decide to plant a cherry tree in their garden but then Trudie comes home one day and the little plant has been destroyed. Not long after this her father has a dreadful accident and he can no longer work.

Her father does not tell Trudie much about the holocaust but he does offer some wisdom:

"He says 'hate' starts with separation and grows bigger, until it turns to stones angry people throw through windows. ... Daddy doesn't like the way I say that word 'different'. Doesn't like when it pulls people apart, puts some on a pedestal and others in the dirt."

"In my life ... I've seen people turn their backs when others suffer. But today ... true neighbours show me the best of what people can be."

I read My Name is Hamburger on a Kindle but this 2022 book is still available in paperback. Here is an interview with Jacqueline Jules. And here is a review from the Jewish Book Council.

Bookseller blurb: Trudie Hamburger is the only Jewish kid living in the small southern town of Colburn in 1962. Nobody else at her school has a father who speaks with a German accent or a last name that means chopped meat. Trudie doesn't want to be the girl who cries when Daniel Reynolds teases her. Or the girl who hides in the library to avoid singing Christian songs in music class. She doesn't want to be different. But over the course of a few pivotal months, as Trudie confronts her fears and embraces what she loves--including things that make her different from her classmates--she finally finds a way to say her name with pride.

The Didakoi by Rumer Godden

 

Image source: Hastings Independent

Kizzy is a Diddakoi - half gypsy half Irish. She lives with her grandmother in a gypsy caravan and with her beautiful old horse Joe. The gypsy camp is on some land owned by Admiral Sir Archibald Cunningham Twiss. 

"He had put aside the orchard for the travellers and laid on water, a tap and a trough for them, though the village did not approve."

Kizzy does not go to school but then one of the 'do-gooders' in the town tells the authorities and so she is forced to attend. On the first day the girls taunt her about her secondhand clothes so that night she destroys them and from then on turns up at school in her own ragged clothes and boots. Kizzy's grandmother is very old and sadly one day she dies while Kizzy is at school. After the funeral poor Kizzy has to endure the burning of their caravan (a gypsy tradition) - her only home and the one place she has felt safe is now gone. Kizzy tries to run away but she becomes very unwell. Admiral Twiss takes her home and he and his two male servants - Peters and Nat - nurse her back to health but the town will not allow her to stay in the big house. The matter goes to court and it feels for a moment that Kizzy will be sent to a children's home but at the last minute a new single lady who has moved into a local cottage offers to care for Kizzy. 

Olivia Brooke is a woman of enormous good-sense and kindness. She does not chide Kizzy or punish her. Instead she is patient while Kizzy adjusts to her new life and copes with her grief. But school is still torture. The gang of girls attack her so viciously on the way home each day - they trip her, the tie her ankles with a rope, and the ram her into a tree. It is a dreadful scene but luckily Miss Brooke is there and she finds exactly the right way to stop this and make sure all the girls feel enormous remorse.

"They gang up on a particular child ... if one clamps down as Mrs Blount did, it goes underground and it's worse for the victim. How can it be dealt with?' ... 'For a moment they thought they had killed Kizzy. They won't forget that ... it's a children's war. Let the children settle it."

Kizzy spends a few days at home and then she makes a plan to run away. She simply cannot go back to that school. She will take her horse Joe and a few supplies and ride off but on the day she plans to do this she is taken to the big house and told her horse has died. 

There were two points while I was reading this book that I just had to stop and walk away. That scene I mentioned where Kizzy is badly bullied by a large group of girls in her school. And later when the girls come to visit and she accidentally pours petrol on a fire which I was sure would end in disaster.

There are also some absolutely heartwarming moments in this story - such as when Miss Brooke and the Admiral set up Kizzy's room with furniture from the big house; when the Admiral makes Kizzy a small replica caravan; and near the end when she is gifted a beautiful dress that matches exactly the one in the portrait of the young Kezia Cunningham - the admiral's grandmother. Miss Brooks also makes delicious food, and she is happy to eat outside near a fire with Kizzy in the same way Kizzy did this with her grandmother. 

Here are a few text quotes to give you a flavour of this classic book which was first published in 1972.

"Mrs Blount had touched a sore spot; in Kizzy's family, as in some gypsy clans, a child is given three names: a secret one whispered by its mother the moment it is born and, when it is grown, whispered again into the child's ear; a private or 'wagon' name which is used only by its own people, and a third open name by which it is known to the world. Kizzy seemed only to have one, but that was because she was what they called her, a 'diddakoi', not all gypsy."

Kizzy does not know the date of her birthday. 

"There was another side to birthdays Mrs Blount did now know; the girls got you by your arms and legs and bumped you on the asphalt playground, once for every year, and they pulled your hair for the number of them with extra tugs 'to make your hair grow' and 'for luck'. ... but they did not like to touch her dirty boots so they tugged her hair instead, handfuls of her mop of dark curls. Kizzy had red patches on her scalp every day now and they ached at night."

The Didakoi won the Whitbread Award in 1972. Other winners that may be familiar to you were: The Battle of Bubble and Squeak by Philippa Pearce, The Witches by Roald Dahl, The Great Elephant Chase by Gillian Cross, Skellig by David Almond, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling, The Explorer by Katherine Rundell, Voyage of the Sparrowhawk by Natasha Farrant, The Skylarks War by Hilary McKay.

The Costa Book Award for Children's Book, formerly known as the Whitbread Award (1971–2005), was an annual literary award for children's books, part of the Costa Book Awards, which were discontinued in 2022, the 2021 awards being the last made. In 1976 the BBC made a television series based on this book and in 2002 it was released again with a new title and cover:

Just so you don't get confused I discovered that in1940 Rumer Godden wrote a novel for adults with the title Gypsy Gypsy. She wrote over twenty novels for adults and twenty-five books for children.

The Diddakoi made me think about The Present Takers by Aidan Chambers which contains terrible and vicious bullying. The Present Takers upset me so much it is not a book I could easily ever re-read. I am so glad I discovered The Didakoi and I especially loved the fairy-tale ending and touches of a love story but Kirkus roundly condemn it and so does this reviewer. 

I picked up The Diddakoi at a recent charity book sale. To my eye this book has stood the test of time and it is still available. I guess you need to make your own judgement about its appropriateness. As a child I loved books by Rumer Godden (1907-1998) and more recently I also enjoyed The Story of Holly and Ivy. 

The Fairy Doll