A Waltz For Matilda by Jackie French

How much historical fiction is too much historical fiction?

Jackie French's novels for primary aged readers embrace the history, they revel in the history, the roll around in the mud like pigs in love with history...but she does it so well.
And it's not just HIStory - Jackie rights the imbalances of most historical records by making this book HERstory.

Matilda is a strong, level-headed, gutsy protaganist. After the death of her mother and aunt, Matilda is forced to decided a better way for her to live her life. Poverty, factory work and a drunken husband seem the only way ahead. That is until one day Matilda's friend, Tommy, suffers a crushing, painful injury in the jam factory where they both work.

Matilda decides to leave the city in search of her father, a shearer, who had gone bush years before and hadn't been heard from for over year.
This sparks an extraordinary adventure and introduces Matilda to a completely new way of life, full of possibility and hope.

We follow the course of Matilda's early life in the country, finding out the 'true' story behind our national folk song "Waltzing Matilda". She endures hardship, drought, grief and loss. Despite all this Matilda thrives.

This is a wonderful ramble through Federation Australia. Easy to read & enjoyable from start to finish. Highly recommended to mature readers 10+

Fallen Grace by Mary Hooper

Historical fiction is one of my favourite genres, so I was prepared to like this from the word go. And I did.

Grace is a very likeable character and you want her to do well. The fact that the author lays down very obvious signs along the way so that you know she will eventually make good, only detracts a little from the enjoyment of the overall story.

Grace and her special needs sister are orphaned in Victorian London. They are left destitute and have to find a way to fend for themselves. They sell herbs at the markets, they pawn their few possessions, but when Grace finds herself pregnant, they fall on even tougher times.
Grace ends up working for a family with a funeral business with all kinds of underhanded tricks going on behind the scenes.
There is a newspaper clipping about a missing heiress and there is a love interest.

Fallen Grace is well-written and talks about an industry in Victorian London that I knew very little about. There are no sex scenes and the events surrounding the pregnancy are dealt with vaguely so that younger teens could safely read this.
12+