Ann Scotchmer’s Diary 1918–1919

Ann Scotchmer’s Diary 1918–1919 by Carole Lander (Checkword Publications (www.checkword.com.au) ISBN: 978-0-646-94587-3 (paperback) RRP: $15.00

Ann Scotchmer (eleven years old) writes in her diary about one crucial year of her life – between 1918 and 1919. It starts at the end of World War I and covers the period of the Spanish flu in her hometown of Nowra, New South Wales.

This is a historical fiction based on real people and real events in Nowra when it was a relatively new town but already thriving with three pubs and two schools. Ann descends from two prominent families of the region.

On her father’s side, Grandpa has established J.J. Scotchmer & Son, Tailors, and Fitters where Ann loves folding the cloth and sorting the buttons. On her mother’s side, Grandpa Fitzgerald has built the Imperial Hotel, which is the setting for celebrations – birthdays, Christmas and the annual fair.

‘We’re a privileged family’ her aunt says. And we see this in the way the Scotchmer household runs. But living through a pandemic raises Ann’s awareness of how life can be for the less fortunate.

When the soldiers return from Europe and the town holds parades and parties to celebrate the end of war, Ann believes that life will get better forever. But then the influenza epidemic hits the town. The public school is turned into a temporary hospital and Ann’s Catholic school also closes. She experiences the same boredom and concerns as modern day kids did with Covid-19. But for her, there is no technology to ease the situation and death is much closer because the poor hygiene poses a greater threat than today. 

Yellow flags begin to appear in the windows of sick peoples’ homes and the newspaper provides a daily count of the deaths. Ann comments on it all in her diary. She also confesses her ambition to be an artist and her efforts make for delightful illustrations in the book.

As the eldest of six children, all the others being boys, Ann longs for a sister. And now her mother is pregnant again.

Throughout the story, Ann is unable to forget the cryptic message a fortune-teller gave her at the Nowra fair. Especially when Mother is asked to help a young girl who has just given birth, and the girl’s husband has the influenza.

The climax of the story is what follows on from this visit.

There is sadness in this tale – but it ends positively. Ann learns to be resilient like Grandma Fitzgerald, daughter of a convict-made-good, who turns out to be a great role model for our heroine.

Today’s young readers will be able to connect Ann’s experience of a pandemic with their own contemporary experience. And Ann might even become the artist that she longs to be.

To purchase a copy of this book, visit www.checkword.com.au or one of the local bookstores in the Shoalhaven district of New South Wales.

Dreaming of Bollywood

Dreaming of Bollywood by Carole Lander                                           This is a novel for readers aged 7–12 that will appeal to girls who want to be Bollywood stars and boys who want to be famous robot designers. The brother and sister in this story are also questioning their identity and where they belong.

Daya is determined to get to Bollywood but she’s hopeless at schoolwork and so naughty that she doesn’t stand a chance––until her family visits relatives in India. Her clever brother Kavi struggles to make friends at school––until he meets Xiang who shares a passion for robots. India raises Daya’s hopes of success and stirs Kavi’s fear of dogs and insecurity about his identity––is he really adopted as Daya thinks he is? A fun story about kids who dream of success but who also have questions about themselves that must be answered.                                                                                                          (Available at Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1103196)

Robots in Bollywood by Carole Lander                                                This sequel to Dreaming of Bollywood continues the story of Daya and Kavi finding out who is adopted and why.

Daya and Kavi are excited to be returning to India for a film shoot. Daya will be dancing and Kavi will be making robots. But everything goes wrong when Daya is kidnapped and Kavi must find a way to rescue her with the help of his new girlfriend. In the middle of it all, an important relative dies and it almost looks as though the film will be made without the kids. In the end, the family secret is revealed, and the film does get made.

(Available at Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1103197)

In my World: ‘Wheels of Fire’ and ‘The Basketball Tree’

In my World: ‘Wheels of Fire’ and ‘The Basketball Tree’ by Carole Lander, 

(Checkword Publications 2016)

Reviewed by Lucinda Gifford

All children whether they live with a disability or not encounter disabled people through school, family and friends. The list of books featuring relatable disabled characters is slowly growing, but we still need more and more children's books where people with disabilities take the lead.  In my World contains two stories where the characters do just that: 'Wheels of Fire' and 'The Basketball Tree'. In both stories, the protagonist is a normal person in a normal situation who just happens to live with a disability – and who overcomes common prejudice and perceived physical issues to achieve their potential.

In 'Wheels of Fire,' the main character Bec describes her alter ego – Rebecca. 'Rebecca' is all the things Bec isn't. She's popular at school and good at sport; her parents aren't divorced and she lives in a big house. Meanwhile, the 'real' Bec is just the 'girl in the wheelchair', overlooked at school and sidelined by her peers.

Despite this, 'Wheels of Fire' is not a 'problem' book. Told with insight and without sentimentality, it is an optimistic story about making friends, being thoughtful, taking time to accommodate difference – and catching thieves! And it adds to the valuable (but still too short) list of books where the main character, while not being defined by their disability, is in a wheelchair.

In 'The Basketball Tree', Sam is a 'little person' who just happens to love basketball, a sport normally reserved for more lanky humans. Sam is no victim. He's a strong-willed and lively boy with loyal friends and a loving family. During the story we meet a 'bully' who turns out to have a few physical challenges of his own, and Sam learns that he's not the only one living with difference.

Both 'Wheels of Fire' and 'The Basketball Tree' are valuable stories about children with disabilities dealing with common events and also having a positive impact on their community.