MY AUSTRALIAN STORY Diary Collection

Seven books in the series

by various well-known Australian authors

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New softcover books. Please note that some of the titles may be different to what's shown in the photo - read below for the actual titles in this set.

My Australian Story is a series of historical novels for older children published by Scholastic Australia which was inspired by the Dear America series. Each book is written in the form of a fictional diary of a young person living during an important event or time period in Australian history. Distinguished authors lend their voices to these extensively researched novels written in intimate diary format and inspired by letters and diaries of the time. Australian history has never been more accessible for Middle Primary to Lower Secondary students

* My Father's War: The Diary of Annie Cliff, France 1918 by Sophie Masson (2011)

'It scares me a lot, thinking of Dad out there, far away in that dangerous, terrible place, wondering how it will be when he comes back - if he comes back, that is ... '

Marie's dad has been away for two years, fighting on the Somme battlefields in northern France. For months there has been no word from him, no letters or postcards. Marie and her mother are sick with worry, so they decide to stop waiting - and instead travel to France, to try to find out what has happened to him. There she experiences first-hand what war is like, as she tries to piece together the clues behind her dad's disappearance. Will Marie ever see her father again? 

* Outback: The Diary of Jimmy Porter, Central Australia, 1927-1928 by Christine Harris (2005)

Jimmy Porter has moved to the middle of nowhere. His uncle's family live in a wattle-and-daub hut, days' walk away from even the nearest neighbour. Life in 1927 in the outback is tough - but the people who live there can cope with just about anything. But when disaster strikes, how can they get help?

* Our Don Bradman: The Diary of Victor McDonald, Sydney, 1932 by Peter Allen (2004)

Victor McDonald is cricket mad. He plays for his school team and his dream is to meet his cricketing hero, Don Bradman. But Australia is in the grip of the Great Depression. Work isn't easy to come by. Victor's father has lost his job and the family is moving to Sydney. Despite the daily struggle of life in inner Sydney, Victor not only gets to see Don Bradman in action, he even gets to meet him. With the England cricket team coming to Australia, Victor knows it's going to be a great cricket season. But England has many nasty surprises in store. This will be one cricket season the Australians - and Victor - will never forget.

* Who am I? The Diary of Mary Talence, Sydney, 1937 by Anita Heiss (2001)

'I woke up this morning and I couldn't stop crying cos this place is not my home, even though everyone says it is. I miss Matron Rose and all the kids and now I miss my real mum more than ever. When I was a little girl Mum would always hug me when I cried and tell me everything would be all right. Who's gonna hug me here?' Mary Talence was taken to Bomaderry Aboriginal Children's Home when she was only five years old. Now she's ten years old and living with a white family in Sydney. She doesn't fit in and starts to question why.

* The Bombing of Darwin: The Diary of Tom Taylor, Darwin, 1942 by Alan Tucker (2011)

'More bombs exploded and within seconds several ships were on fire. Japanese planes flew so close to me that I could not only see the red circles painted under their wings, but I could see the pilots' faces.'

It only took a moment. It was a moment that Tom would always remember-that morning of 19 February 1942, when everything changed . . . changed from peace to war. 

* Cyclone Tracy : The Diary of Ryan Turner, Darwin, 1974 by Alan Tucker (2010)

'Darwin's almost completely destroyed; buildings, shops, houses, cars. Whole streets are gone, even the signposts. And now the people are going.'

Evacuations started today. Ryan just wants to hang out with his mates, go fishing and avoid being hassled by his dad, the super-strict deputy principal. But troubles with his dad are nothing compared with what lies ahead: Cyclone Tracy is about to hit Darwin. 

* Refugee: The Diary of Ali Ismail, Woomera, 2001 - 2002 by Alan Sunderland (2010)

Ali Ismail is a refugee. Fleeing persecution in Afghanistan, Ali is smuggled away from his family. He eventually finds himself on a ramshackle boat bound for Australia. But instead of winning freedom, Ali and his companions are taken to a detention centre in the South Australian outback.

For twelve long months, as he waits to find out whether he will be allowed to stay, Ali must endure the hardship and despair of mandatory detention. He briefly experiences life outside the razor-wire fences of Woomera - but all too soon he must return to await his fate.

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My Australian Story Diary Collection softcover book set