Hester Hitchins and the Falling Stars by Catherine Norton

Hester's mum has died giving birth to her twin siblings. Dad is a sailor and they have received a message that he is missing presumed dead. The five children are sent to live with a tyrannical uncle. Hester holds onto the word 'presumed'.  Surely her clever father is not actually dead but in order to find him she needs to sail across the world and to do this she needs navigation skills. In a timely coincidence she sees a sign for the placement test to attend a naval navigation school, but it is for boys. Hester is a maths genius. She disguises herself and takes and test and gains the top place and a scholarship, but the school authorities think she is a boy. Her sister works out a way for her to travel to the remote school which is part of a large estate but when she arrives, she is forced to become a maid - a servant with the lowest ranking. You will grimace as she is forced to empty very full chamber pots and carry heavy buckets of coal up many flights of stairs. She does make friends with one of the maids named Mildred and as they clean Mildred sings so beautifully this makes the tasks slightly less awful. 

One of her duties is to clean up the mess in the tutor's bedroom. It is soon clear this school master, Captain Slingsby, is a fraud. Hester is not keen on blackmail or dishonesty, but she now has some important knowledge she can use to her advantage. Her dream of attending the school can come true but then she discovers the lessons are all nonsense. 

Meanwhile the owner of the school and estate Lord Addington is building the biggest telescope. His wife is grieving the death of their only son, and she is clinging on to the hope of seeing him again because a swindler named Mr Ittish has arrived. He claims the impending meteor shower is actually the souls of the dead he is also sure the earth is flat. Lady Addington falls for all of this nonsense. 

There are 41 short chapter in this book, and you can read the first five chapters on the publisher webpage. I do appreciate the book design for Hester Hitchings and the Falling Star. Both of Catherine Norton's books are presented in sturdy hardcover editions with textured covers. 

In this interview with Kids' Book Review Catherine Norton talks about her books. 

Curious readers will want to know more about how a lodestone works, and more about Janet Taylor who was a woman astronomer in 1835. Also, they are sure to want to discover more about steam powered cars and the Leonid meteor storm "which it is estimated that thousands of meteors fell every hour." For myself I need to discover more about these two things - an orrery and an azimuth.

This is an Ornery. An orrery is a mechanical model of the Solar System 

that illustrates or predicts the relative positions and motions of the planets and moons

Girls in particular will relate to the story of Hester who must prove herself better or at least equal to boys at every turn. Her willingness to help other girls – particularly the songstress maid, Mildred – is also admirable. Science-inclined kids will also enjoy the story which includes astronomy and is linked to the development of the first telescope. Reading Time

As well as being a cracking story rich in incident and suspense, there is much fascinating detail that never overpowers the story but makes Hester’s journey all the more immediate and real. I so enjoyed reading about lodestones, star charts, an orrery, mourning clothes, shooting stars, cat-o-nine-tails and smuggling crinolines. ...  Themes of family grief, class, racism are present but the overarching theme that drives the story is the struggle for equal opportunities for girls, something that still resonates today. Story Links

Here is a detailed review from The Book Muse and also one from The Bottom Shelf. 

Blurb from the author webpage: Determined to find him, eleven-year-old Hester wins a place at Addington’s Nautical Navigation Academy, where she will learn to navigate by the stars. But the academy is just for boys, and what’s more, no one seems to be in charge. Bumbling schoolmaster Captain Slingsby doesn’t know anything about navigation. Lord Addington is obsessed with building the world’s biggest telescope and Lady Addington believes that falling stars are the souls of the dead. With the help of a lodestone, her new friends Pru and Nelson, and a dazzling meteor storm, can Hester set things right – and find her own place in the universe?

I saw an image of the cover of this book somewhere on the internet. I previously LOVED this book also by Catherine Norton but I wrongly listed it as a book the CBCA missed adding to the 2025 notables list. This first book by Catherine Norton - The Fortune Maker was published in 2023 this means it SHOULD have been a 2024 CBCA Notable!

The Fortune Maker

Drum Dream Girl by Margarita Engle illustrated by Rafael Lopez

On an island of music

in a city of drumbeats

the drum dream girl

dreamed

 

of pounding tall conga drums

tapping small bongó drums

and boom boom booming

with long, loud sticks

on big, round, silvery

moon-bright timbales.

 

But everyone

on the island of music

in the city of drumbeats

believed that only boys

should play drums

 

so the drum dream girl

had to keep dreaming

quiet

secret

drumbeat

dreams.

You can read the whole poem which is the text of this picture book biography here. 

A beautiful account of a young girl’s bravery and her important contribution toward gender equality in the creative arts. Kirkus Star review

Here is a video (very well done) of the whole book. You can see more books by Margarita Engle here. And more books by Rafael Lopez here. And here is some more information about Millo Castro Zaldarriaga.

Blurb from author web page: Girls cannot be drummers. Long ago on an island filled with music, no one questioned that rule—until the drum dream girl. In her city of drumbeats, she dreamed of pounding tall congas and tapping small bongós. She had to keep quiet. She had to practice in secret. But when at last her dream-bright music was heard, everyone sang and danced and decided that both girls and boys should be free to drum and dream. Released in March 2015, this story is inspired by the childhood of Millo Castro Zaldarriaga, a Chinese-African-Cuban girl who broke Cuba's traditional taboo against female drummers.

I borrowed this book from a library because it is one of the titles on the Kirkus Best Books of the 21st Century (So Far). This book is still available but you will need to shop around - I have seen prices ranging from AUS$39 up to AUS$48. I would expect this book to be found in many public libraries. If you can find this book it would be a good one to share with a group of Grade 5 or 6 students or better yet pop it into the hands of your school music teacher especially if he/she is planning on doing some drumming or your school have invited drums for a performance. 

Some of the awards for Drum Dream Girl:

• Kirkus Reviews Best Books of the 21st Century So Far
• NYPL 125 Books We Love For Kids
• National Geographic Around the World in 20 Books for Kids
• This Picture Book Life's 20 Terrific and True Picture Books
• Charlotte Zolotow Award for best picture book written in 2015
• 2016 Pura Belpré Award for illustration (Rafael Lopez)
• ALA Notable Children's Book
• APALA Award Honor
• International Latino Book Award, Most Inspirational Children’s Picture Book
• Book Riot's List of 100 Must-Read Picture Books For Kids and Adults
• A Mighty Girl 25 Books to Inspire Your Mighty Girl in 2017
• We're the People 2016 Summer Reading List
• Finalist, California Book Awards
• 2016 Bank Street Best Books of the Year
• School Library Journal Top 10 Latino Books for 2015
• School Library Journal Best Books of 2015
• Kirkus Best Informational Picture Books of 2015
• Top 15 Mighty Girl Books of 2015
• 100 magnificent Children’s Books of 2015 – SLJ Fuse#8
• 10 Books That Empower Kids to Stand Up and Speak Brightly Readbrightly.com

Attack of the Black Rectangles by Amy Sarig King

Mac and his friends are assigned to a reading group Table 6. The way this works, their teacher. Ms Sett, gives each group a different book. They are told 'not to read ahead' and after each class session they have to complete vocabulary and response tasks. Just as an aside I do not like this format of teaching - especially the instruction 'do not read ahead'. And so I did cheer when one of the Table 6 group - Hannah Do (later we learn her real name is Hao Do) declares she has already read the whole book. In fact she has read all the class assigned books!

This group are assigned The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen (1988). Hopefully you do know this is a real book. I will confess I had not read it but it is now on my list. Here is the Kirkus Star review. And Jane Yolen writes about her book here. 

When Mac opens his copy of this book there are words that have been blacked out - we would call this a texta here in Australia but in the US it is called a Sharpie. Why has this book been censored? What do the missing words say? Mac and his friends are completely shocked and so they decide to take action. First off, they talk to the school Principal, but she just offers platitudes. So, then they make a presentation to the school board. Their local independent bookstore has their assigned book and so they can read the 'offending' passages. This content is simply about body parts and these kids can see absolutely no reason why these words are covered in rectangles. They decide to protest outside the bookshop each Saturday in the hope of raising awareness about this issue. 

Meanwhile Mac is navigating some difficult times in his family. His dad no longer lives with them but he does visit once a week. His behaviour is very strange and then his father robs their house and takes the car owned by Mac's grandfather. 

And there is also the issue of their class teacher. She has assigned herself as a rule maker for the whole town. Halloween is banned; there is a curfew of 9pm; in some streets the houses are expected to be painted white; and no one is allowed to eat junk food. Also at school girls are banned from wearing shorts even though this is okay for boys.

Objections to the town rules are presented in the form of letters to the editor. This part of the story really resonated with me. I often despair when rules at every level are set as reaction to one event. In this case some teenagers scare some little kids at Halloween so Halloween is banned - ridiculous. 

Having finished another book a couple of days ago I picked up the next one. I thought I would just dip in and perhaps read a few pages - I lifted my head around page 176 and then when I couldn't sleep, because I wanted to know how this story could possibly be resolved, I read the remaining pages, up to page 258 from 1-2am. YES this book is THAT good. And page 248 contains the best scene I have ever read in a book - it made me smile and gasp. 

Attack of the Black Rectangles was published in 2022 but the paperback edition from Scholastic has only just reached Australia. I purchased my copy for AUS$17 but I see it is offered by Scholastic Book Club here is Australia - issue 3, 2025. 

The students in this book are in Grade 6 but my recommendation is that this is a book for students in Grades 7 and 8. There is some confronting content about the holocaust and also the issue of censorship which I think better suits an older group. And of course the key text - The Devil's Arithmetic is a Young Adult title for readers aged 13+. 

Listen to an audio sample here. This is a timely and important book. It is easy to read and there are touches of humour. These kids, as Colby said (see below) feel so real. I highly highly recommend Attack of the Black Rectangles for readers aged 11+. 

Here is a quote from a review about the audio book: The group of narrators do a great job with the audiobook and King’s vivid storytelling and great characters come to life as the story unfolds. It’s a wonderful insight into the American censorship battle and shows there’s hope and always a fight to have against those who try to silence others.

Colby Sharp said: "It just so real." "I love how real this felt." "How possible it felt for kids to make a difference and for kids to find their voice and demand that they are heard." "One of the best books of the year." Listen to this audio interview at The Yarn. 

But this book is not just about book banning, it’s a moving story of a young teen boy trying to figure out who he is and navigating family, friendship, first crushes, and his own emotions as he transitions into adolescence. It’s a powerful and inspiring look at the inner lives of teen boys and it moved me at times to tears. At other times, I cheered for our Mac, who is genuine, authentic, inspiring while also being complicated, complex, at times messy and flawed. School Library Journal

Take a look at these review comments quoted on the author web page:

“Poignant, humorous, and bright . . . Whip-smart, tuned in to the mind of sixth-graders, and beautifully concluded, the novel takes a bold stand in a time of book bans and rampant censorship . . . Against the backdrop of family issues, first crushes, and the end of elementary school, this is a beacon of hope for middle grades and an object lesson in treating kids like the intelligent readers they are.”—Booklist, starred review

“[Amy Sarig King’s] respect for young people is exemplary, and her characters indelible.”—Horn Book, starred review (contains spoilers)

“Skillfully encourages keeping open minds and extending grace to the oblivious and hostile alike . . . A searingly relevant opus to intellectual freedom.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“King’s latest novel is so timely and relevant, some readers may feel like the author has been privy to what’s going on in their own schools . . . A striking book on censorship; a must-have in all middle grade classrooms and school libraries.”—School Library Journal, starred review

The Windeby Puzzle by Lois Lowry

This book is very difficult to categorize. On the one hand it is an engrossing story of life during the Iron Age from the first century AD. On the other hand, it this is such a sad and, in some ways, an awful and violent story. There is the mystery and devastating outcome. It focuses on two characters living during the Iron Age - Estrild and Varick. You are certain to care deeply about these two young friends until the shocking scenes where both adolescents die. But of course, one of them does have to die because this book has begun in modern times when the well-preserved body of a child was found in a peat bog.

So, there is the side of this story that is based on fact. In 1952, a small, remarkably well-preserved body is unearthed from a bog in northern Germany. This story fascinated Lois Lowry (you know her from books like The Giver). Of course, the actual story of the life of the child found in the bog can never be known. As a creative writer Lois Lowry weaves two possible stories - one about Estrild a young girl who wants to break away from the expected role of girls and women raising and caring for children and working hard to provide food and shelter for their family. Estrild wants to be a warrior. She plots and plans a way for her dream to come true. Alas, this cannot happen and her bold declaration at the village ceremony leads to her condemnation and ultimately her death by the mystical rulers - the Druids. Then later the story of Varick, a young boy born with a deformed spine who is shunned by the village but who is such an intelligent boy with a deep fascination for the natural world. What could have led to his untimely death?

After reading about Estrild this book takes a strange turn. Lois Lowry steps into the narrative with her author voice.

"I confess. It was excruciating for me to write the final paragraphs of Estrild's story. Yet it had been clear from the beginning, from the body found in the bog, how her story would end for her."

But then things change again in this story because early in the twenty-first century a different set of eyes studied the Windeby Girl and declared this bog body was not a girl aged about thirteen but rather a young, undernourished boy aged about sixteen. Read more here. And so, we move to the second possible story and read how Varick could be the body in the bog and discover Lois Lowry's 'invented' and thoroughly engrossing story of how he came to be there. 

Knowing Lowry’s versatility, I shouldn’t have been surprised that in her latest book she succeeds in doing three things at once. “The Windeby Puzzle” is structurally strange and beautifully crafted, zigzagging, as its subtitle announces, between history and story. New York Times

While both stories feature vintage Lowry strengths—strong worldbuilding, compassionate characters—it’s the sections explaining her authorial decisions that stand out and will encourage readers to reflect upon how history is told and about whom. This book, her answer to probing questions, beautifully illustrates the interaction between idea and execution, illuminating the architecture of storytelling. ... Valuable metafiction for young readers. Kirkus

This suspenseful exploration of lives that might have been by a gifted, intellectually curious author is utterly one of a kind. Includes several arresting photos of archeological finds, including of the Windeby child. Harper Collins

You can read the first chapter of The Windeby Puzzle on the publisher web page. Also take a look at Ms Yingling's thoughts.

Year ago, I had this book in my school library. It was one from a series and I remember while I some children did borrow this series from our Non-Fiction shelves, I think I was the person who was most fascinated by these true stories of bodies found almost intact hundreds of years after they had died. 

The Windeby Girl (or now we think this is a boy) can be found in the museum in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.

Companion book:

The Raven's Song

I am now keen to find this picture book. This is not the same child from The Windeby Puzzle but it certainly sounds like an interested companion read:

Stand on the Sky by Erin Bow

"Aisulu's family had always kept eagles: her oldest uncle had hunted with eagles, and her grandfather, and her great grandfather. Her people were nomads who moved with their hers across the mountains of Western Mongolia, and their life could be harsh. And yet it was glorious, and it was sweet, and it had eagles. ... In the fall they went to the Eagle Festival and came home with medals and honour."

"She did not look like an eagle hunter, in a dark thing with bright stitches. She did not look like a poor girl, with a small frame and chopped hair. She looked like something brand new. She looked like a hero. She looked as if she could stand on the sky."

Here are the opening scenes from Stand on the sky:

"There was no sign of Serik's horse. Aisulu and her brother, Serik, had searched for almost two hours ... Above them the sky was high and huge and bright, wheeled with birds."

"Serik stood with his head tipped back. He was watching the birds circling overhead. They were huge and black against the sky, a pair of golden eagles."

The pair of eagles are out collecting food for their newly hatched chicks. The children climb higher into the mountains looking for the lost horse but in the meantime a storm is gathering. A dangerous storm. Luckily, they find a stone shrine which gives them a place to shelter.

"Skerik was wearing a sweatshirt and a denim jacket and jeans and sneaker with the Velcro worn out. Aisulu's hand-me-down shapan was just corduroy and felt padding ... Neither of them was dressed well enough to survive a blizzard and they both knew that."

The children do survive and so do their horses but:

"Something was wrong. She looked down the northern slope. She saw the meadow blazing white, shadowless. Then she saw that scattered across the hard snow were birds. ... They were all dead. They were all dead, hundreds of them, scattered everywhere."

And among the dead birds the children see the golden eagle feeding on the little dead song birds. Sereik decides he can catch this eagle but as he attempts this he breaks his leg. Aisulu knows Sereik's secret. His leg is not just broken - he is unwell. Aisulu has to get her brother back to their camp. She knows she is leaving the eagle to die but what about those chicks?

You can read more plot details following links below but I really suggest reading this book first so you can let this engrossing story unfold as a wonderful reading experience. I will make special mention of one memorable character though - the wife of her Uncle Dulat - she is from a different ethnic group and is called Fox Wife. Her kindness towards Aisulu is a part of this story that lingers with me. Stand on the sky is another of the books I read on my recent holiday on a Kindle. 

On my flight while I read this book the airline kept showing an advertisement featuring footage from the documentary The Eagle Huntress. Just as aside I have no idea about the name of the bank even though I watched this advertisement multiple times on four different flights. It felt a little strange to be reading a book with the same setting and plot as the advertisement. At the time I did not know the ad was using footage from the documentary The Eagle Huntress (see images below). 

Publisher blurb: It goes against all tradition for Aisulu to train an eagle, for among the Kazakh nomads, only men can fly them. But everything changes when Aisulu discovers that her brother, Serik, has been concealing a bad limp that risks not just his future as the family's leader, but his life too. When her parents leave to seek a cure for Serik in a distant hospital, Aisulu finds herself living with her intimidating uncle and strange auntie — and secretly caring for an orphaned baby eagle. To save her brother and keep her family from having to leave their nomadic life behind forever, Aisulu must earn her eagle’s trust and fight for her right to soar. Along the way, she discovers that family are people who choose each other, home is a place you build, and hope is a thing with feathers.

In the interest of a balanced review please read these comments by Kirkus about this book and the involvement of women in eagle hunting. Putting this to one side, though, I thoroughly enjoyed Stand on the sky and I would put aside the issues of gender and just cheer Aisulu and her heroism to save and train this young eagle and her amazing courage to compete against older and more experienced hunters. 

As I mentioned you may have seen the 2016 movie documentary The Eagle Huntress - here are two images from the movie:

(This) is a story of strength, courage, and resilience that will resonate with anyone who has ever felt abandoned, alone, or doubted themselves and their place in the world. While researching the book, Bow spent a summer living with a Kazakh eagle hunter and his family and enlisted the help of Kazakh readers to ensure she got things right. Her writing is both lively and elegant, drawing the reader along on Aisulu’s quest and building toward the moment when she will learn if she has what it takes to be a true burkitshi. Bow delivers a jubilant tale that celebrates the power of family, love, and young women. Quill and Quire

Read this review for full details of the plot (warning this does contain spoilers)

Readers will love the relationship between Aisulu and her eagle Toktar. They will love the connection between girl and bird and reading about how the two learn together and grow together. It’s simply a beautiful story masterfully told, from beginning to end. Pamela Kramer

Ms Yingling also loved this book.

Here is a CBC interview with Erin Bow and audio interview when she ran the Governor General award. And here are some discussion questions. Read an extract from the book here. 

Awards for Stand on the sky:

• Winner, Governor General’s Award for Young People’s Literature — Text, 2019
• Short-listed, Rocky Mountain Book Award (Alberta Children’s Choice), 2021
• Short-listed, IODE Canada Violet Downey Award, 2020
• Short-listed, Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Award, 2020
• Commended, Best Books for Kids and Teens, Canadian Children's Book Centre, 2019
• Commended, OLA Best Bets, 2019

Companion book:

Running on the roof of the world

Here is a previous book by Erin Bow that I really enjoyed:

Simon sort of Says

Clever Katya retold by Mary Hoffman illustrated by Marie Cameron

This tale begins with two brothers. Dimitri is rich while Ivan is poor. Each has a horse. One is a stallion and one is a mare. They graze in the same field and of course in time a new foal is born. This birth is the essence of their dispute. Who owns the foal? The brothers decide to ask the Tsar. 

"The Tsar knew perfectly well that Dimitri had no claim on the foal but he decided to have a bit of fun at the brothers' expense while indulging his fondness for riddles at the same time."

He sets four riddles:

What is the fastest thing in the world; what is the fattest; what is the softest; and what is the most precious. He tells the brothers they have one week to present their answer. 

Dimitri asks his neighbour and her answers are fastest - her husband's horse, fattest is their pig, softest is the quilt she has just made and the most precious is her baby grandson.

Ivan asks his seven-year-old daughter Katya - fastest is the wind, fattest is the earth that gives us food, softest is a child's caress, and the most precious thing is honesty.

The Tsar appreciates the wise answers from Katya but he also knows he has not been especially honest himself. He sets another challenge. He wants to meet this young girl but she cannot come on horseback or on foot, she must not be dressed or naked and she cannot bring a present but she must not be empty handed. Katya solves in this in a very ingenious way using a hare, a fishing net and a partridge. And yes there is that all important 'and they all lived happily ever after' ending. 

The subtitle of this book is "A Fairy Tale of Old Russia". The original title was The Wise Little Girl. This is one of those delicious stories which you might have encountered before where a powerful ruler sets a series of riddles and a very clever young child is able to solve each one and save a life. These stories are always so satisfying. You might find a couple of old junior novels in your local or school library called Smart Girls and Smart Girls forever by Robert Leeson. 

The first thing you will notice when you open up this book is the way every page is framed with a rich pattern rather like a magic carpet. You might also notice each page begins with an illuminated letter which echoes the framing. Sadly, this beautiful book is now very old (1998) and so it is out of print. I picked it up in a library partly because I saw the author name and partly because the cover looked very inviting. 

You do need to know I am a huge fan of Mary Hoffman. I read her book The Colour of Home to groups of Grade Six students in my school library for decades and every time I was moved to tears and the students were silent as the story unfolded.

The Colour of Home

The Fixer of Broken Things by Julia Patton

Don't worry! Now we have spoken, I fix what is broken.

Beatrice Millicent Robinson is a fixer. She fixes a tiny precious clock with no tock; counting machine which is kaput; and an enormous mechanical elephant that has stopped stomping. Everyone knows Bea can fix anything. One day a spaceship arrives. No problem - Bea can fix this too. Then comes the twist.  She finds a small broken heart - how can this be mended?

Bookseller blurb: Bea is a fixer. She is the finest fixer, far and wide, and people bring her everything - from tiny sprockets to enormous rockets - because they know she'll have them working again in no time. One day, Bea finds a broken thing. It's very small and very sad, and try as hard as she might, she cannot fix it. Bea soon realises that not every problem has to be solved alone, and that talking to her friends is the answer she has been looking for.

Julia Patton is an author and illustrator of over 45 picture books. She works from a rustic woodshed in the wilds of Northumberland, UK with her husband and two boys. Love Reading 4 Kids

In an ironic twist - I accidentally spilled a small amount of water on this book - and NO it cannot be fixed not even by Bea. Luckily I have been able to order a brand new copy for the library.

Luna and the Sky Dragon by Bethan Woollvin

Luna is a young astronomer. She takes the time to observe the skies and notice patterns. People in her village make sense of the skies by assigning any phenomenon to the Sky Dragon - he is angry, he is happy, he is fighting. 

"Legends said that the Sky Dragon was banished to the sky after a battle, because of his fiery breath and quick temper."

When the villagers see a trail of bright stars they are sure the Sky Dragon's claws have torn open the sky whereas Luna is sure it is just a normal part of the galaxy. When the weather turns wild the villagers again blame the Sky Dragon - of course it is really just a thunderstorm. Then the moon vanishes. The people are terrified. It is an eclipse but of course they have no knowledge of these events. Luna is determined to explain all of these things to the people in her village, so she invites them to look through her telescope. 

"From then on, the villagers often joined Luna on clear nights and together they marveled at the stars."

The end papers in this book offer an explanation of the lunar eclipse and also mention Draco the Sky Dragon and his banishment by Athena. 

I was interested to read this book after it was recommended to me BUT when I discovered the connection to an ancient woman astronomer my interest increased tenfold. This book is based on the story of the Ancient Greek astronomer - Aglaonice. Aglaonice studied the moon and understood it appears to change shape and occasionally even disappears. BUT she was considered a sorceress for her ability to make the moon vanish.

Read more about Aglaonice:

History of Scientific Women

Kids Encyclopedia

Here are some other books by Bethan Woollvin:

You could explore the the theme of a young girl making scientific discoveries - try to find this book:

Little Sure Shot by Matt Ralphs

Annie lives in Ohio. Her real name is Phoebe Anne Mosey. She lives with her Pa, Ma, four older sisters, a baby sister and a young brother. They are poor but surviving and this is a loving family. Annie is a little different from her siblings because she loves to go out with Pa hunting and he can see she has skill so he is teaching her, even though she is only six, to load his gun and how to shoot wild animals to give the family food. 

Pa sets out one day with grain for the Mill but on his return journey the weather takes a terrible turn and Pa arrives home frozen and desperately unwell. The family all try to keep him alive in the hope that he might recover but sadly, after a few months Pa dies. Things now become desperate and so Ma is forced to give her baby to a childless couple and then she decides Annie will need to go to the Infirmary. Luckily the people there are kind and Annie can eat well and have some freedom but all of this is cut short when a farmer requests a girl to come and help his wife with her new baby. Annie does not want to go but there is a promise of $2 to be sent to her Ma each week. 

Mr and Mrs Grace are despicable people. They starve Annie and beat her but she stays and tries to survive in this horrible place because she knows the money will be helping her family. Little does she know (spoiler alert) no money is actually being sent. Eventually the violence becomes so bad that Annie runs away back to the Infirmary. Now her luck and fortunes change. Annie is very skilled with a gun and this comes to the attention of a local butcher. He enters her in shooting competitions and she begins to win some money - enough money to help her family. Then Annie comes to the attention of a hotel owner and he takes her to see a sharp shooter called Frank Butler. From there she goes on to meet Chief Sitting Bull (yes this really did happen to Annie Oakley) and later Buffalo Bill or Wild Bill Cody. She joins his show with her new husband Frank Butler and she then travels all over the US, Canada and even Europe.  

Publisher blurb: Annie’s family work hard to survive on their Ohio farm. Annie’s happiest when hunting game with her pa, and she doesn’t care one bit that it’s not the kind of thing girls are meant to do. When tragedy strikes, the family is thrown into deepest poverty. Until one day, Annie dares to pick up Pa’s old rifle, and find a way to feed her starving family. As the family’s fortunes worsen, Annie is sent away to work, and life becomes an ever greater struggle. Yet Annie has the courage and pluck to survive – and her brilliance with a rifle starts to gain her more than just turkeys for the pot. Can Annie’s amazing skills take her all the way to fame and fortune?

Little Sure Shot is the story of Annie Oakley but readers will not know this until the final pages and the Afterword. I really enjoyed this story of courage and survival. As a young reader I loved books set in the pioneering days of the US such as the Little House books and Children of the Oregon Trail. Readers who enjoy stories about real people are sure to enjoy meeting Annie. I was totally caught up in her story. I sat down to read a few chapters of Little Sure Shot just after breakfast today and I then I kept reading right to the end (287 pages).

I do need to give a warning - the book is filled with guns and shooting and also the domestic violence in the scenes with Mr and Mrs Grace are very distressing. I would recommend this book for mature readers aged 11+.

Shot-through with courage and adventure, Ralphs’ rendering of Oakley’s incredible rags-to-riches story is an inspiration. Love Reading4Kids

Read more about Annie Oakley:

National Women's History Museum

History.com

Companion read:

May B: A novel

Matt Ralphs is the author of Fire Girl and Fire Witch - two books which totally engrossed me. Little Sure Shot is very different in setting and style but it is just as engrossing. 

Ruby's Sword by Jacqueline Véissid illustrated by Paola Zakimi

Ruby would love to play with her two brothers but they keep either ignoring or rebuffing her. Then she finds three sword shaped sticks in the grass. 

"I found dragon fighting swords!' she announced. Her brothers jumped down to take a closer look. Ruby granted them each a sword."

Two swords, two boys - Ruby is excluded again so she sets off to make her own games. With her trusty sword she spears some apples from a tall tree and then she fights against the wind and rumbling clouds. She catches a wind blown sheet off the clothes line and builds a tent. Her brothers arrive to see what she is doing. Can they play too? Ruby is not sure. Click Clack was all they heard. The boys head off and return with some "honourable offerings of twigs, rocks and dandelions" and the three children begin a wonderful game of knights and castles.

Zakimi’s beautifully illustrated double-page spreads capture Ruby’s bouncy bob, the anger in her eyes, and the windy, leaf-strewing storm. Kirkus

This is a wonderful book to share with young children about relationships between siblings and more importantly about imaginative play. It might inspire you to go outside and hunt for sword sticks for your own game of knight, dragons and castles. I have a Pinterest of picture books about using your imagination. Ruby's Sword was published in 2019 and while it is available here in Australia it is quite expensive which is very disappointing. Update I did find a discount book seller (11th April 2023) with copies for just AUS$15 but you would need to act quickly. 

Take a look inside Ruby's Sword. Here is the image under the dust jacket - I do love books where removing the dust jacket reveals a surprise.

Here are some quotes from Happily Ever Elephants about imaginative play:

Kids learn empathy by taking on new personas and stepping into another’s shoes. They explore scary situations while nestled in safe spaces. They experiment with language when they act as parents or teachers, or, even better, when they make up their own languages while pretending to be animals or fairies. They even learn to problem solve when they determine how build a castle or how to perfect a jump shot high enough to knock down a star.

So often, we underestimate the power of play. Yet it is play – pretend play, imaginative play, playing “make-believe” – that helps our children make sense of their worlds. Kids learn not just by doing, but by imagining.

Ruby's Sword is a debut picture book by US Author Jacquelin Véissid. The illustrations are by Paola Zakimi comes from Argentina.  She also illustrated Teddy and Co. by Cynthia Voigt - please note very sadly this book is not available in Australia. I am not sure why. 

Gold Rush Girl by Avi

"San Francisco was set amidst steep, scrubby hills the colour of dead straw, with dusty, sandy dunes an little shrubbery. ... (There was a) muddle of low, wretched, lopsided buildings. These pathetic structures came right down to the water as if they had slid off the hills into a great jumblement."

Times are hard for the Blaisdell family who live in Providence Rhode Island so father declares he will travel to San Francisco where gold has been discovered. Even the US President has declared this land is filled with gold. Surely it will be easy to gather enough gold to restore the family's fortunes. The plan is for father with travel with his young son Jacob while Mother and Victoria (Tory) aged fourteen will join them in a few months.  This plan, however, does not suit young Tory who longs to break away from convention and find adventure.  Her life motto from Jane Eyre is:

Your will shall decide your destiny

Tory contrives a plan to stowaway and travel with her father but she has no idea about the dangers she will meet and her first sight of San Francisco is so very different from the town of her imagination. Then father heads off to the goldfields and Tory and Jacob are left to fend for themselves. This place is filled with crime, gambling, drinking and wild men. Tory does find a way to survive, she is such a resourceful and sensible girl, but then one day Jacob disappears.

Gold Rush Girl was published in 2020 but the paperback has only just arrived here in Australia.

In this video Avi reads chapter 6.

Avi describes his book: Victoria Blaisdell longs for independence and adventure, and she yearns to accompany her father as he sails west in search of real gold! But it is 1848, and Tory isn’t even allowed to go to school, much less travel all the way from Rhode Island to California. Determined to take control of her own destiny, Tory stows away on the ship. Though San Francisco is frenzied and full of wild and dangerous men, Tory finds freedom and friendship there. Until one day, when Father is in the gold fields, her younger brother, Jacob, is kidnapped. And so Tory is spurred on a treacherous search for him in Rotten Row, a part of San Francisco Bay crowded with hundreds of abandoned ships.

Middle-grade readers will thrill over this swashbuckling adventure  ... Historical Novel Society

A splendidly exciting and accessible historical adventure. Kirkus

His storytelling is rich and visual and will stimulate your senses. Readers will smell the stench of San Francisco — the rotting boats,  street sewage, drunken and sweaty men, and soaked sailcloth tents. They will feel what it’s like to trudge through thick mud and dense fog. Children's Books Heal

This book would be a terrific class read aloud book especially if you are studying the Gold Rush era or teachers might select one or two scenes to read aloud such as when Tory and her new friends finally find Jacob but Tory is confronted by a wild man with a gun and then the ship catches on fire.(Chapter 40 and 41).  

Here are some other books about the Gold Rush ears with Australian and US settings. You might also be able to find a wonderful book called The Rusty Key Adventures by Gary Hurle (sadly long out of print):

Image from To the Goldfields by Rachel Tonkin (published 1999)

Here are some other books by Avi:

The Button War

The Book without Words

I first discovered US author Avi through is Poppy book series. 

Stellarphant by James Foley

"One ordinary Monday, at 9am precisely, Stella walked into Space Command. 'Hello,' she said. 'I'd like to become an astronaut.' The man stopped clacking on his keyboard and looked up. 'But ... you're an elephant,' said the man. '

I am,' said Stella, holding out her application."

Stella the elephant is fighting interstellar discrimination one pachyderm at a time! Stella wants to be an astronaut. There is only one problem: Stella is an elephant. Every time she applies to Space Command, they come up with a new reason she can’t join. But where there’s a will, there’s a way and Stella is determined to reach for the stars. Fremantle Press

Stellarphant was published in 2021 and I was one of three judges for our National book of the Year competition so I was not able to talk about this book until late last year. In fact I am a judge again for this round (2022-23) and we have been sent SO many amazing children's picture books but I just have to wait until August 2023 to share them with you. Stellarphant won an honour award from the CBCA (Children's Book Council of Australia). I think by now I have talked about nearly all of the short list, winning and notable picture books from 2021 submitted for the 2022 award. You need to know Stellarphant is one of the best! 

This book ticks all the boxes for me. I adore the character of Stella – her persistence, her patience, her intelligence, her determination. The setting is perfect too, with tiny touches of humour in the illustrations which serve as a commentary on the idiocy of the bureaucracy who keep rejecting young Stella. 

On the cover, Stella looks so young but she is clearly fascinated by space and space travel and she has big dreams. The book design has been carefully crafted and the end papers are especially clever. I love the way curious readers can now potentially explore other animals in space. I did some research last year about Laika for example, and that story alone is a fascinating (and tragic) one. 

James Foley conveys so much emotion onto the face of Stella through her eyes, tongue and forehead wrinkles – just delightful. Adult readers will enjoy the sly jokes such as the “elephant in the room” and those young white male managers all wearing the corporate tie. The fold out page at the end is also a delightful addition. Make sure you find the office pot plant. Watching it grow a little bigger each time Stella rises to yet another challenge by the men of Space Command is such a terrific way to mark the passing of time. 

The addition of the sheep mopping the floors subtlety adds to this message about privilege and diversity – the ‘other’ is doing the menial work. Make sure you look for the sheep in Stella's space crew!

Stellarphant is a story of being creative and innovative, and overcoming prejudice. It's also about dreaming big and never giving up. Kids' Book Review

Stella is made of something impenetrable, undefeatable, and undeterrable. I guess it’s her elephant skin plus her brilliant mind and practical nature. Reading Time

The CBCA judges say...

This story about an anthropomorphised, larger than life elephant can be read either as an ironic comment on privilege and diversity or the power of persistence. Readers will admire Stella’s resilience and problem solving as she challenges the status quo of Space Command’s space programme. Foley’s use of humour and playfulness outweigh any dogma. Stella and her gang jump off the page with gumption and determination. The endpapers are fascinatingly informative. ... This book has the potential for lots of rich discussion around who become powerful, educated, and celebrated and who doesn’t.

Here are James Foley's web pages. Here are some resources to use with Stellarphant.

AWARDS 

• Better Reading’s 2022 Top 50 Kids’ Books (Winner 2022)
• Children’s Book Council of Australia’s (CBCA) Picture Book of the Year (Honour book 2022)
• WA Premier’s Book Award (Shortlisted 2022)
• Speech Pathology Book of the Year (Shortlisted 2022)
• Children’s Book Council of Australia’s (CBCA) Picture Book of the Year (Shortlisted 2022)
• Aurealis Awards for Best Children’s Fiction (Shortlisted 2022)

Image source: James Foley