Fantastic Australian middle fiction that brings history to life
There has been a wealth of fantastic middle grade novels by Australian authors recently that focus on time periods from prehistory, all the way through to recent history.
While wars often feature as a backdrop, these recent books prove historical fiction for kids aged 8-12 years is incredibly diverse, depicting young characters amid events such as cataclysmic fires, space race milestones and ancient rituals.
Catch a Falling Star by Meg McKinlay
When the NASA space station Skylab broke into pieces and fell to earth in 1979, residents of Western Australia rushed to gather fragments from the town of Esperance, where it landed. Skylab’s fall has particular poignancy for twelve-year-old Frankie and her little brother Newt, because their father was killed when his light aircraft crashed over the ocean.
Catch a Falling Star is a moving exploration of a family’s grief and a young character who is trying to find a sense of purpose. Frankie and Newt’s mum works long hours as a nurse at the local hospital, so Frankie takes on responsibility for Newt (who is growing increasingly obsessed with Skylab) while trying to balance school and changing friendships. This is an emotionally honest, warm and funny read that is pitched perfectly for ages 10 and up.
Tarin of the Mammoths: The Exile (Book 1) by Jo Sandhu
Travelling way, way back in time to the Stone Ages, Tarin of the Mammoths: The Exile (Book 1) is an action-packed quest that won the Readings Children’s Book Prize in 2018. Tarin has been exiled by his Clan of the Mammoths following an unlucky mishap, and embarks on a journey to deliver an appeasement offering to the Earth Mother.
Struggling with a twisted foot, Tarin meets twins Kaija and Luuka from the River Clan, and the three kids must endure the harsh natural elements and escape the clutches of the aggressive Boar Clan to survive their trek across the tundra. The in-depth details of Tarin’s prehistoric world are fascinating for young readers, and the icy, untamed landscapes are tangibly created. Tarin’s adventures continue in Clan of Wolves and Cave Bear Mountain. For ages 8 and up.
Lenny’s Book of Everything by Karen Foxlee
It’s the mid-1970s in small town Ohio and the highlight of Lenny and her brother Davey’s week is receiving the latest instalment of Burrell’s Build-It-At-Home Encyclopaedia. The encyclopedia is full of thrilling facts about the world that are used to fuel their wild imaginations and dreams of running away to Great Bear Lake in Canada.
Lenny and Davey are raised by their single mother Cynthia, who juggles working at a retirement home and a fruit shop, while contending with an undiagnosed medical condition that makes Davey grow bigger at a frightening rate. Lenny’s Book of Everything is an extraordinary book that combines childish wonder and adult realities, and perfectly examines the pleasures of acquiring knowledge in a pre-internet age. For ages 10 and up.
A Great Escape by Felice Arena
When his parents and sister go to West Berlin on a short visit to look for somewhere to live, Peter stays in Soviet-occupied East Berlin with his Oma and Opa. Overnight the government lays down a barbed wire fence and begins to build a wall, guarded with soldiers, tanks and dogs. Peter is desperate to reunite with his family and begins to plot ways he can cross the border, despite warnings from his grandparents not to try. When he joins with Elke and Otto, who are in a similar situation, the three children demonstrate their bravery and resourcefulness.
Perfectly recreating the fraught time of the Cold War, and what it was like to live under the oppressive authority of the Stasi, this is a fast-paced adventure with heart. For ages 8 and up.
Best known as the author of the Specky Magee books, Arena has been concentrating on historical fiction recently, with his other titles The Boy and the Spy and Fearless Frederic.
Brimstone (The Firewatcher Chronicles, Book 1) by Kelly Gardiner
If you like a little time-slip with your historical adventures, you can’t go past the first book in Kelly Gardiner’s Firewatcher trilogy. Christopher lives in London during the Blitz, doing his bit by looking for planes, bombs and spotting fires. When he discovers a mysterious Roman ring and shelters underground during a massive German onslaught, Christopher passes through a hidden doorway to find himself in the middle of the Great London Fire of 1666.
Taking on a new identity and family as Kit, Christopher embarks on a courageous quest to save people from the fire and combat the extreme religious beliefs of the Righteous Temple. With a heady blend of action, fantasy and gripping historical mystery, this will delight readers aged 8 and up.
There are also several excellent historical fiction series for kids. The Our Australian Girl series have delighted young readers for years, and now each character has their own gorgeous bind-up hardback that contains four books. Experience WWII in Darwin in The Pearlie Stories, follow a young convict girl emigrating to Australia in The Grace Stories, meet the suffragettes in Federation-era Australia in The Rose Stories, and more.
