Category: History
Two gripping new productions will provide theatre audiences with a powerful fusion of great Fremantle Press books, live theatre and cinema. Based on Dianne Wolfer’s award-winning quartet of picture books for older readers, The Lighthouse Girl Saga will open at Albany’s Princess Royal Theatre (Albany Entertainment Centre) on 23 February before playing in Busselton on […]
The Wreckers’ Revenge is the second book following on from Norman Jorgensen’s The Smuggler’s Curse. This children’s fiction adventure series follows Red Read who is sold to an infamous smuggler plying his trade off the north-west coast of Australia in the closing days of the 19th century. The Shipwreck Survival activity sheet was designed to […]
Activity Sheet
'The Wreckers' Revenge Activity'Download activity sheet
Mel and Shell is about two best friends living in 1979. Swedish pop group ABBA rules the airwaves and roller skating is cool. Confiding in her pen pal from 1829, Shell discovers she has a lot to learn about loyalty and honesty. The Dear Pen Pal activity sheet encourages research into history and fosters imagination. […]
Activity Sheet
'Mel and Shell Activity'Download activity sheet
The Vexatious Haunting of Lily Griffin is the whopper doorstop of never-ending educational resources and inspiration for students ages 8–13. Here some activities for the classroom. Real-life issues/themes The Vexatious Haunting of Lily Griffin is a supernatural fantasy of epic proportions, but wrapped up in all the haunting, high jinks and history lies an earnest and […]
At the 2022 Great Big Book Club held at Success Library with Fremantle Press, historical fiction authors David Whish-Wilson, Sharron Booth and Portland Jones made the writing process sound equal parts challenging and rewarding. Moderator and author Brooke Dunnell kicked off the discussion by having each author introduce their book. Despite their vastly different plots […]
Synchronicity – it’s a ‘thing’ for many authors. During the research and writing of each story in my historical ‘Light’ series I’ve experienced delightfully unnerving coincidences, making me wonder how books come about. Do I choose the story or does the story choose me? In the case of The Last Light Horse, perhaps it’s the […]
The Light series by Dianne Wolfer and illustrated by Brian Simmonds includes The Last Light Horse, In the Lamplight, Light Horse Boy and Lighthouse Girl. These four books each look at some of the historical figures who played a part in World War I and are suitable for children to read as they learn about […]
Activity Sheet
'The Light series activity sheets'Download activity sheet
In The Last Light Horse we meet Sandy, one of the 136,000 horses that was sent to fight during the First World War, and the only horse that came home. Learn about Sandy and his experiences in this activity sheet designed to test children’s research skills. For more teaching activities, download the free teaching notes […]
Activity Sheet
'The Last Light Horse Activity'Download activity sheet
Goldfields Girl by Elaine Forrestal is a fictional account of the coming of age of fourteen-year-old Clara Saunders, a pioneer woman on the Coolgardie Goldfields in the 1890s. Elaine Forrestal wrote this book for children to learn about the history of the Western Australian gold rush from a younger person’s perspective. The Gold Search activity […]
Activity Sheet
'Goldfields Girl Activity'Download activity sheet
The Lighthouse Girl is a children’s fiction novel about a young girl living in Australia during World War I. This book draws on fascinating archival material, and interweaves fact with fiction. The Morse Code activity sheet is designed to challenge young minds in an interactive way while also teaching them about communication skills and history. […]
Activity Sheet
'Lighthouse Girl Activity'Download activity sheet
The Smuggler’s Curse is a children’s fiction adventure novel about Red Read who is sold to an infamous smuggler plying his trade off the north-west coast in the closing days of the 19th century. Catch the Smugglers activity sheet was designed to make geography and history fun and engaging. For more teaching activities, download the […]
Activity Sheet
'The Smuggler's Curse Activity'Download activity sheet
Riddle Gully Secrets is a mystery and adventure fiction novel for young readers about a famed youth reporter Pollo di Nozi who stumbles upon two surprising secrets. This book is the first in the trilogy. This activity sheet is designed to test children’s history knowledge and memory. For more teaching activities, download the free teaching […]
Activity Sheet
'Riddle Gully Runaway Activity'Download activity sheet
David Price says when we hold strong views about a subject, we often do not like to listen to contrary ones. He says, ‘In fact, we live in a time when we are able to exclusively access – mainly online – only the information and opinions that suit our own view of the world. In […]
Goldfields Girl by Elaine Forrestal is a historical novel for middle readers featuring real-life nineteenth-century teenager Clara Saunders. In this blog post, Elaine takes us into the exciting, dusty, fly-ridden world of a gold rush.
Anzac Day marks the anniversary of Australia’s first major military action, and is also a national day of remembrance that commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations.
Anzac Day marks the anniversary of Australia’s first major military action and is also a national day of remembrance that commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations. Though we may only be able to celebrate the Dawn Service with a candle in our front yards, […]
It’s Women’s History Month and we’re really excited to announce the publication of Goldfields Girl, a historical fiction novel about an extraordinary woman named Clara Saunders. Here, author Elaine Forrestal shares with us some of what she learned about this amazing pioneer of the Western Australian Goldfields.
Norman Jorgensen and Andy Griffiths have taken their places alongside Roald Dahl, Brian Jacques, Victor Kelleher, Paul Jennings, Duncan Ball and John Marsden in the West Australian Young Readers Book Awards (WAYRBA) Hall of Fame. Now in its fortieth year, the WAYRBA Hall of Fame is reserved for those authors who have won the award […]
In the last edition of Classroom Express we shared some inspiration form the library team at Bunbury Catholic College on how to create a book display project worthy of entry into our Creative Classrooms competition.
NAIDOC Week takes place in the first week of July each year, which this year is Sunday 7 to Sunday 14 July 2019, and recognises the culture, history and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It’s a great opportunity to show support for your local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
I think it is important for fictional characters to live in real places, which is why I have set my stories in locations I have visited. Often an interesting-looking town – or island, in this case – can be the spark that inspires the whole story. The Cocos Islands, approximately 2,750 kilometres north-west of Perth, […]
Teach Australia’s colonial history through the eyes of a 12-year-old boy embroiled in one of the greatest criminal underworlds in the Gold Rush era. Or start a discussion around grief and loss in young people with a beautifully written literary novel.
Each book in Dianne Wolfer’s Light trilogy of picture books for older readers, about young girls and boys living through World War I, has now been given the nod as a CBCA Notable Book.
As NAIDOC Week approaches, take advantage of our wide range of Indigenous titles for children and young adults to join in the community celebrations. Some Indigenous authors are still available for school and community events and can be booked using this author booking form.