Monday, April 25, 2011

Pin-Up Post: Aussie books for ANZAC day

today is ANZAC day, so I'm posting fabulous war stories by Australian authors (of course). this is our first pin-up post. each Pin-Up post is a list of books fitting a theme, all as Australian as i can manage.


A rose for the ANZAC boys by Jackie French
The 'War to end all Wars', as seen through the eyes of three young women It is 1915. War is being fought on a horrific scale in the trenches of France, but it might as well be a world away from sixteen–year–old New Zealander Midge Macpherson, at school in England learning to be a young lady. But the war is coming closer: Midge's brothers are in the army, and her twin, Tim, is listed as 'missing' in the devastating defeat of the Anzac forces at Gallipoli . Desperate to do their bit – and avoid the boredom of school and the restrictions of Society – Midge and her friends Ethel and Anne start a canteen in France, caring for the endless flow of wounded soldiers returning from the front. Midge, recruited by the over–stretched ambulance service, is thrust into carnage and scenes of courage she could never have imagined. And when the war is over, all three girls – and their Anzac boys as well – discover that even going 'home' can be both strange and wonderful. <



Soldier Boy by Anthony Hill 28 June 1915, young James Martin sailed from Melbourne aboard the troopship Berrima – bound, ultimately, for Gallipoli. He was just fourteen years old.
Soldier Boy is Jim's extraordinary true story, the story of a young and enthusiastic school boy who became Australia's youngest known Anzac.
Four months after leaving his home country he would be numbered among the dead, just one of so many soldier boys who travelled halfway around the world for the chance of adventure.
This is, however, just as much the story of Jim's mother, Amelia Martin. It is the heartbreaking tale of the mother who had to let him go, of his family who lost a son, a brother, an uncle, a friend.
It is about Amelia's boy who, like so many others, just wanted to be in on the action.

Once by Morris Gleitzman
Once I escaped from an orphanage to find Mum and Dad.
Once I saved a girl called Zelda from a burning house.
Once I made a Nazi with toothache laugh.
My name is Felix.
This is my story.
Everybody deserves to have something good in their life.
At least once.
this is my favourite war story, the perfect balance between emotion, action and facts. the sense of understanding gained is incredible, and it's beautifully written.

Hitler's Daughter by Jackie French
Four kids tell a story at a bus stop in country Australia on a rainy Monday. But the story seems to have a life of it's own. It's the story of a girl in another time and another country. her name was Heide, and she was Hitler's daughter.
Could- just possibly- the story be true?
this was the 1st story i really read about war, i read it in year 6 for our reading groups, and though the protagonist doesn't have a clue what's going on it was an enlightening read, i loved it.

the blurbs to these are from the author's website or penguin, for more details check those websites or our reviews.
I'm planning to do more of these posts, they're quite fun :)
what do you guys think of the name Pin-up posts? like a list of books you plan to read. I'm still working on it.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Awesome book, Hitler's daughter... have you read it???
Well, thanks for the Q&A related comment, I'm so glad that you liked it! ( : It's my very first Q&A with an artist/illustrator... how exciting!

Anonymous said...

In reply to your converse comment:

Oh awesome! Thanks! I'm so glad for you telling me about your converses, the sequin ones sound so cool! (So do your other ones!)
And thanks! I'm glad you like mine, and the ones I've designed... annoyingly, I can't get them sent to Australia! AAGH!

Anonymous said...

No, not really... I never get writers block! Ever! Which is great! hope your idea's come better soon! ( :

Ismé said...

I like the name, I think it works :)
Hitler's daughter sounds interesting, I really like the idea of theming them to a day...
The Book Slooth

Anonymous said...

Hi Anna,
Thanks for the bril comment!
Thank you, that would be great!
I know, but I'll still (probably) be minorly posting on TDT, and I'll have a tonne of postsready for after the 3d, which will be great!
That's wonderful, I'm so glad that your writing's going well again, I really appreciate you telling me too, it means such a lot.
Not really, at one point I got a book of pet's names, but I don't think I ever used it!
I've such a lot of names I love, and when I get one, it just seems right... maybe I'm the sort of writer who shapes a character around a name... I really don't know.
Lola is an awesome name, I love it and she sounds like a real character, plenty of personality!
If you ever need any help with proof reading or help with a section of your writing, remember that I'm always ready to help and would be more than happy to read through your work, if you want me to.
Don't forget that. ( :

Thanks for the comment, I hope you'll be entering the competition!

Romi.x

Unknown said...

Nice post!
in year 9 english our whole class had to do assignments on The Book Thief, which led to me reading other awesome stories including Once, The boy in the striped PJ's and I love these sort of stories, though sad they may be.
i'll definitely put some of these on my TBR list.