Just So Stories

Harper Collins Australia

August 2023

The early 20th century pre-Great War was an interesting time, and there were many fads and fashions which likely strike us these days as being quite bizarre. Certainly there were interests which we could or would consider quite normal such as the growing enthusiasm for motorcars, bicycling, and a fondness for outdoor pursuits in general. But there were also such oddities as mummy unwrapping parties, spiritualism, seances, the Cottingley Fairy hoax,phrenology and definitely fortune-telling– cartomancy, crystal gazing, palmistry just a few of the practices. Even those folk with little money to spare were willing to part with their coins in the hope of hearing some good fortune was coming their way.

Twelve year old Maud lost her mother at an early age, then the ‘house’ in which she and father lived sank without trace into the foetid swamp of the river, taking their seven years of savings, meagre as they were, with it. Then her father is killed in a terrible accident. Maud has less than nothing and while she is extremely sceptical about fortune-telling, she cannot help but wonder if she has any kind of future. According to the seer she consults, there is nothing to alleviate her misery and poverty.

Then a chance encounter with a wealthy heiress leads to Maud being seen as the salvation of a factory and it’s future but Maud is not so easily persuaded. She escapes the overbearing Mrs Awford and the odious Victor Harmer, aided by the rich woman’s daughter, Eleanor and finds a refuge with Walter and Caroline, brother and sister – and good, caring people. It is through Caroline that Eleanor becomes acquainted with the suffragettes, and discovers her own latent ‘gift’ and begins to learn to tame it.

There’s a lot going on this novel which will intrigue your capable readers. There is the historical aspect and the slice of life insight into this period of time. Alongside that is the fight for emancipation, the struggle for the lower classes to rise out of poverty and the inequality of the class system, equality for girls and women and rights for workers just to start with. I enjoyed this immensely and it is a fascinating look at this period of time. I also enjoyed creating the teaching guide for this as there were so many possibilities (and I have additional ideas on the Freebies page). Any of your readers from around 10 upwards who are astute and interested in both history and social issues will find this a really engaging read.

I would recommend it for your upper primary/lower secondary kiddos without any hesitation.