11 Ruby Road: 1900
Perfect period fiction for middle-grade girls - for fans of the Our Australian Girl series
It is 1900 and Dorothy and her family have just moved to a new house at 11 Ruby Road. Ruby Road is a busy street, bustling with activity - families and children, noisy carts and animals. The house is close enough to see the city and very different from the rural life Dorothy has known. Best of all it has a secret writing room that only she knows about!
Dorothy has big plans for her new neighbourhood - she wants to put on a play and write it herself! But there are other reasons for her family's move to the city and, as Dorothy starts to learn about her new house, she discovers more about the period of time she's growing up in.
Resources
Creators
Charlotte Barkla is a Brisbane-based writer who worked as a civil engineer and physics teacher before rediscovering her love for children’s literature. As well as writing for children, Charlotte writes feature articles for publications including the CSIRO’s Double Helix, Beanz magazine and Kookie magazine. She regularly visits schools for creative writing workshops, sharing her passion for science, creativity and stories with children of all ages. Charlotte’s books include All Bodies are Good Bodies (Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing, 2020), the Edie’s Experiments series (Penguin Random House, 2020) and From My Head to My Toes, What I Say Goes (Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing, 2022).
Charlotte’s books have been translated in multiple languages and short-listed for awards, and she has been the recipient of grants and mentorships for her fiction writing.
Reviews
This is a terrific read for ages 9–12.
Readings
This story gives us a wonderful insight into life in Australia in 1900. It highlights how different life really was—when children played and made their own fun; when there were no ’mod-cons’; when they learnt basic life skills— but also how different life was for women and migrants, during a time of immense inequality. With historical facts at the back of the book, this is a fantastic read for all those in middle primary and up, and will be particularly adored by fans of historical fiction.
Lamont Books
This is the kind of book that would have appealed to me as a child, and still does as an adult reader.
The Book Muse
This is a delightful step into history at a time that is so removed from 2024. Highly recommended.
ReadPlus
Perfect historical fiction for middle grade readers.
Magpies
