May - IndigiReads for Teens
Quote: As nations we should also commit afresh to righting past wrongs. In Australia we began this recently with the first Australians - the oldest continuing culture in human history. On behalf of the Australian Parliament, this year I offered an apology to indigenous Australians for the wrongs they had suffered in the past. - Kevin Rudd
Meet Poppy by Gabrielle Wang
Our Australian Girl series
(we may not carry all titles)
In 1864, life for a half-Aboriginal, half-Chinese orphan would have been tough. In this time of racism, immigration, hardship and the Gold Rush in Victoria, times were hard and expectations high. Wang gives us a glimpse into what this girl’s life might have been like. These books are a fantastic way to make history fun and accessible, as well as being a lovely introduction to the genre of historical fiction for young and older readers alike.
Nanberry: Black Brother White by Jackie French
Two brothers -- one black, one white -- and a colony at the end of the
world. It′s 1789, and as the new colony in Sydney Cove is established,
Surgeon John White defies convention and adopts Nanberry, an Aboriginal
boy, to raise as his son. Nanberry is clever and uses his unique gifts
as an interpreter to bridge the two worlds he lives in. With his white
brother, Andrew, he witnesses the struggles of the colonists to keep
their precarious grip on a hostile wilderness. And yet he is haunted by
the memories of the Cadigal warriors who will one day come to claim him
as one of their own. This true story follows the brothers as they make
their way in the world -- one as a sailor, serving in the Royal Navy,
the other a hero of the Battle of Waterloo. No less incredible is the
enduring love between the gentleman surgeon and the convict girl who was
saved from the death penalty and became a great lady in her own right. ′A wonderful, entertaining tale which ... will work just as well for
adults as for the teen market′ SUNDAY HERALD SUN
(I personally learnt so much about the original owners of this land from this book - I was totally awestruck! I WILL read it again.)
Deadly, Unna? by Phillip Gwynne
'Deadly,
unna?' He was always saying that. All the Nungas did, but Dumby more
than any of them. Dumby Red and Blacky don't have a lot in common.
Dumby's the star of the footy team, he's got a killer smile and the
knack with girls, and he's a Nunga. Blacky's a gutless wonder, needs
braces, never knows what to say, and he's white. But they're friends...
and it could be deadly, unna? This gutsy novel, set in a small coastal
town in South Australia is a rites-of-passage story about two boys
confronting the depth of racism that exists all around them.
Burrumbi Kids by Leonie Norrington
Dale and Tomias are
best mates. They live at Long Hole community. The kids struggle with
school, the trials of growing up, and parental expectations. Life itself
is full of danger - from wild bushfires, crocodile-infested rivers and
the thick bubbling ooze of the blood pit. As a back drop to the
children’s stories there is the land itself - a magnificent landscape of
fire and floodplain, unbearable heat and towering storms. The Barrumbi Kids
is a funny unforgettable novel that brilliantly captures the paradoxes
of life in the rural Australia with honesty and humour.
Meet Poppy by Gabrielle WangOur Australian Girl series
(we may not carry all titles)
In 1864, life for a half-Aboriginal, half-Chinese orphan would have been tough. In this time of racism, immigration, hardship and the Gold Rush in Victoria, times were hard and expectations high. Wang gives us a glimpse into what this girl’s life might have been like. These books are a fantastic way to make history fun and accessible, as well as being a lovely introduction to the genre of historical fiction for young and older readers alike.
Nanberry: Black Brother White by Jackie French
Two brothers -- one black, one white -- and a colony at the end of the
world. It′s 1789, and as the new colony in Sydney Cove is established,
Surgeon John White defies convention and adopts Nanberry, an Aboriginal
boy, to raise as his son. Nanberry is clever and uses his unique gifts
as an interpreter to bridge the two worlds he lives in. With his white
brother, Andrew, he witnesses the struggles of the colonists to keep
their precarious grip on a hostile wilderness. And yet he is haunted by
the memories of the Cadigal warriors who will one day come to claim him
as one of their own. This true story follows the brothers as they make
their way in the world -- one as a sailor, serving in the Royal Navy,
the other a hero of the Battle of Waterloo. No less incredible is the
enduring love between the gentleman surgeon and the convict girl who was
saved from the death penalty and became a great lady in her own right. ′A wonderful, entertaining tale which ... will work just as well for
adults as for the teen market′ SUNDAY HERALD SUN (I personally learnt so much about the original owners of this land from this book - I was totally awestruck! I WILL read it again.)
Deadly, Unna? by Phillip Gwynne
'Deadly,
unna?' He was always saying that. All the Nungas did, but Dumby more
than any of them. Dumby Red and Blacky don't have a lot in common.
Dumby's the star of the footy team, he's got a killer smile and the
knack with girls, and he's a Nunga. Blacky's a gutless wonder, needs
braces, never knows what to say, and he's white. But they're friends...
and it could be deadly, unna? This gutsy novel, set in a small coastal
town in South Australia is a rites-of-passage story about two boys
confronting the depth of racism that exists all around them.Burrumbi Kids by Leonie Norrington
Dale and Tomias are
best mates. They live at Long Hole community. The kids struggle with
school, the trials of growing up, and parental expectations. Life itself
is full of danger - from wild bushfires, crocodile-infested rivers and
the thick bubbling ooze of the blood pit. As a back drop to the
children’s stories there is the land itself - a magnificent landscape of
fire and floodplain, unbearable heat and towering storms. The Barrumbi Kids
is a funny unforgettable novel that brilliantly captures the paradoxes
of life in the rural Australia with honesty and humour.
