11 RUBY ROAD - 1900 BY CHARLOTTE BARKLA

Dorothy McIntyre and her family have just moved to 11 Ruby Road in South Brisbane. It is 1900 and life is very different from today. Dorothy, one of six sisters, lives beside a general store they have taken over for their elderly relative, Auntie Mildred. After exploring her home, Dorothy encounters a stray dog she names Ruffes who introduces her to a new friend, George.

Life falls into a comfortable pattern where the girls who are old enough, walk to school and after, do their chores and homework. Dorothy doesn’t like school, she finds it a waste of time that drags her away from her writing. She decides she’d like to be an actress, rather than marry like her older sister, Florence. So, when she starts writing a play during school time, her teacher is pushed to breaking point.

Along with her friend George Lin, Dorothy writes a play and tries to persuade children to take part. It is here that she encounters prejudice with regard to her friendship with a Chinese boy and her wish to become an actress rather than marry. Traditional roles and beliefs were strongly held at this time. Australia in the 1900s, was in many ways different. The Suffragette Movement was gaining momentum, racism abounded and the traditional roles for men and women were entrenched.

Charlotte Barkla has captured an era in our history where change was just on the horizon. Women gained the vote in NSW in 1902 and this was said to herald new and different times. The themes covered in this novel, family, racism, the Suffragette movement and finding your niche, have a bitter-sweet feel. It was a time of so much hope, and things did change, but some things stayed the same. This is a great book to use to spark conversations around racism, women’s rights and conventional roles. I love an historical fiction novel, I think most readers do. This is an insight into a time where change was just around the corner and society had a chance to put things right.

 For Ages: 8 - 11 years

Number of Pages: 181

Published: March 2024 Walker Books Australia

Themes: Family, friendship, Suffragette movement, racism and community

Purchase here: https://www.dymocks.com.au/book/9781760657949