INTERNED BY PAMELA RUSHBY

Interned follows the story of 13-year-olds Greta and Tilly during World War I. Both girls come from German backgrounds. Greta and her parents lived a life of privilege in Singapore while Tilly’s father was a baker in a suburb of Brisbane. When WWI breaks out, Germans from surrounding areas and within Australia are taken from their quiet lives and imprisoned as enemy aliens.

Greta dreamt of returning to Germany to study music and continue her violin lessons. When her family arrive at the internment camp she discovers her precious violin has been stolen which compounds her anger and feelings of alienation. Tilly’s father is interned and her mother insists the family follow and join him. Her mother’s fragile mental state crumbles further and Tilly and her younger brother Franz, must always look after her.

The girls and other detainees are not welcome in the small country town they have been taken to and must suffer insults and hardships because of the war being fought thousands of kilometres away.

Pamela Rushby’s middle grade novel fictionalises a part of Australia’s history that is not commonly explored. Seeing the families’ experiences from the German perspective gives readers an insight into the cruelty of war and how blind prejudice can be so harmful. Government bureaucracies do not seem to recognise individual circumstances and so many people were treated in confusingly, illogical ways. There are many parallels to our world today, including the worldwide spread of the deadly Spanish Flu.

The themes of tolerance, racism, fortitude and isolation run through this compelling novel. Interned would be a useful tool for students studying WWI and political conflict and its effect on non-combatant civilians.

For Ages: 11 - 13 years

Number of Pages: 256

Publisher: Walker Books Australia

Published: March 2022 Penguin Random House

Themes: Racism, Family, and Isolation