OUR AUSTRALIAN GIRL

The NELLIE STORIES

The full set of the 4 stories about Nellie, an Irish girl with a big heart in search of the freedom to be herself

by Penny Matthews

For more information about this series, click here

New hardcover book. Published 2016, 468 pages, with an extra bonus chapter on what happened next for Nellie and information on what life was like in Nellie's time. Delightful illustrations by Lucia Masciullo. Reading age: 8 - 11 years.

The Nellie books, 1849 by Penny Matthews

It's 1849 and Nellie O'Neill is arriving in South Australia on a ship bringing orphan girls from Irish workhouses. Nellie and her best friend, Mary, have left the famine in Ireland far behind, and crossed the world in search of a better life. They are full of hopes and dreams for the future. Nellie longs to learn to read, to be part of a family once more, and never to be hungry again. But with no job and no one to turn to, how will Nellie make her wishes come true?

Over 4000 girls like Nellie took part in the Orphan Immigration Scheme, which transported suitable orphans from the workhouses of famine-devastated Ireland to be domestic servants in the colonies. Nellie battles the prejudice and limited opportunities that caused the scheme to end after only two years - and yet she never loses hope. Follow Nellie and her adventures in four books about an Irish girl with a big heart, in search of the freedom to be herself.

1. Meet Nellie
2. Nellie and the Letter
3. Nellie's Quest
4. Nellie's Greatest Wish
5. What happened next for Nellie? Read the bonus chapter to find out!

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 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 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 The Nellie Stories 4 books in one by Penny Matthews