About the Author

Jackie French AM is an award-winning writer, wombat negotiator, the 2014–2015 Australian Children's Laureate and the 2015 Senior Australian of the Year. In 2016, Jackie became a Member of the Order of Australia for her contribution to children's literature and her advocacy for youth literacy. She is regarded as one of Australia's most popular children's authors and writes across all genres — from picture books, history, fantasy, ecology and sci-fi, to her much-loved historical fiction for a variety of age groups. 'A book can change a child's life. A book can change the world' was the primary philosophy behind Jackie's two-year term as Laureate.

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Reviews

Just when her world seems darkest, Barbara, a runaway in contemporary Australia, is ``pulled around the corner'' backward in time. Awakening in the year 1932, the confused girl meets a kindly boy named Jim, who brings her home to ``Poverty Gully,'' a relief camp for the unemployed. While Jim's parents view their strange visitor as neglected and delusional, they are quick to accept Barbara as one of the family. Their run-down shack has no floor nor beds, but there Barbara finds the love and compassion denied her in her ``other world.'' Told from several points of view, French's tender story portrays the Great Depression as the best and the worst of times. The Australian author deftly parallels the hardships of that era with the modern-day conflicts that have pushed Barbara to the streets. Persuasively expressing its characters' dreams and concerns while offering a series of surprising twists, this intriguing adventure conveys a faith in many levels of miracles. Ages 9-12. (May)