An adventurous, fast moving middle grade historical fiction about survival, second chances and searching for your place in the world.
As a young girl growing up in an unforgiving land, Connie learns that sometimes good people need to do bad things to survive.
When her pioneering family travels to outback Queensland to try and rebuild their lives, as their only surviving daughter, Connie struggles to fit into society’s expectations.
The challenges keep mounting as the unforgiving climate threatens their happiness. Devastating drought is followed by a flood that wipes out their entire flock. And then Connie uncovers the real reason behind why her father had to leave Scotland.
When her father’s past finally catches up with him, can Connie find the courage to find her own path forward and rewrite the future for her family?
Kathleen Grace Buzz Words –
This is an adventurous middle grade historical fiction with themes of survival, second chances, and searching for your place in the world.
Paul F. Murray – Readers’ Favorite –
The Bushranger’s Daughter by Michelle Worthington has several strengths. First, the novel shows that female beauty comes in many forms and that no one standard is required. Connie is a charming, attractive, freckle-faced adolescent girl. The story also demonstrates that different English-speaking peoples in different countries are not cookie-cutter copies. They have different cultures, expressions, mannerisms, and ways of looking at life. The novel also raises some
profound questions. First is the impact on their kids, which adults would do well to think about when considering moving from a familiar home to a new environment. How will their kids fit into a new environment? Next, the broader question stems from dreams fulfilled—will achieving your dream, your goal in life, make you as happy as you thought it would? Connie’s family wanted to move from Scotland to Australia, but whether they were any happier or better off in their new home and environment is a question readers will have to decide for themselves. The Bushranger’s Daughter targets adolescent readers in 4th, 5th, and 6th grades. Still, young adults and even older adults will enjoy this delightful taste of survival and self-discovery set in Queensland (northeast) Australia. Kids in the U.S. will enjoy the fast-paced tempo of the story while learning about life in another country and its culture.