OUR AUSTRALIAN GIRL - RUBY

The full set of 4 books about Ruby, a happy-go-lucky girl in a time of great change

by PENNY MATTHEWS

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New softcover books. Published 2013, 132 pages in each book. Delightful illustrations by Lucia Masciullo. Reading age: 8 - 11 years.

The Ruby books, 1930 by Penny Matthews

It's 1930 . . .
and Ruby lives a privileged life in a big home in Adelaide. But when her father’s business goes bankrupt, Ruby’s world changes dramatically and she and her mother are forced to go and stay with relations in the country. Ruby has to leave behind her beautiful house, her friends and even her dad, who is staying in Adelaide to look for work. At least she can take Baxter, her beloved fox terrier. But life in the country is hard! For Ruby it means a new school and a very different lifestyle. In the meantime, back in Adelaide Ruby’s dad has disappeared, and nobody knows where he is.

1. Meet Ruby
2. Ruby and the Country Cousins
3. School Days for Ruby
4. Ruby of Kettle Farm

About the author

Penny Matthews is a freelance writer and editor based in Adelaide. She has written three junior novels, several chapter books for beginning readers, and picture books for all age groups. As well as being an author of note, Penny is a much-valued member of the Books for Children and Young Adults team at Penguin Australia. She has written the Nellie and Ruby books for the Our Australian Girl series and she co-ordinates and edits the highly regarded Puffin Aussie Bites and Nibbles program.

More about the Our Australian Girl series:

Our Australian Girl is a new series of historical novels for girls published by Puffin Books Australia. Each story in the series is set in a particular era of Australian history - the convict era, colonisation, the effects of the Irish famine, the goldrush, Federation, the Depression and the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. All written by highly acclaimed Australian authors, they feature strong plots, colourful and varied characters and genuine, likeable heroines.

The covers of the Our Australian Girl books are designed to appeal to pre-teen girls, with a logo of a locket and charm bracelet, enduring symbols of girlhood. Inside, an array of emotional experiences awaits readers with engaging descriptions of life as it once was and suspenseful plots about things such as family, friendship, betrayal, loneliness, standing up for what's right and surviving in a dangerous world. Our Australian Girl focuses on the fortunes of eleven likeable young girls: Grace, Letty, Poppy, Rose, Nellie, Alice, Ruby, Lina, Pearlie, Daisy and Marley. Each of their stories begins in a different era and each character has their own series of four books with a distinct voice and personality. It's their stories, their dramas, hopes and dreams that illuminate Australia's past, its rich diversity and the independent spirit that was fundamental to the building of a nation.

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Our Australian Girl Series: the Ruby books by Penny Matthews