Ratwhiskers and Me

By: Lorraine Marwood

Paperback | 11 July 2008

At a Glance

Paperback


$17.99

or 4 interest-free payments of $4.50 with

Aims to ship in 5 to 10 business days

When will this arrive by?
Enter delivery postcode to estimate

A powerful atmospheric verse novel set in the Victorian goldfields in the 1800s.

Traumatised by a fire in which the narrator's family perishes, the narrator takes on a new identity on the goldfields. There, Sun Song, a Chinese market gardener is the only one to show any kindness. The narrator flees to the Chinese camp, taking the name Lin. But Ellery, a man with links to Lin's past, is determined to take over all rights on the goldfields, setting in place a dangerous sequence of events. To survive is a test of friendship and loyalty, and a catalyst the remembering of Lin's tragic past.
  • A unique Australian verse novel, written by a respected Australian poet, which will be an important resource for schools.
  • Deals with important social and historical issues such as racism and the role of identity.
About the Author

Lorraine Marwood was born and raised in rural Victoria and has lived for most of her married life on a dairy farm with her husband and their six children. Lorraine is an award-winning poet who has been widely published in literary magazines across Australia, as well as magazines in the UK, USA, New Zealand and Canada. She has also published several children’s novels and collections of poetry. Her titles with Walker Books Australia include 'A Ute Picnic and Other Australian Poems', 'Ratwhiskers and Me', published in 2008 and 'Star Jumps' which was short-listed for the Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Awards 2010, Lower Primary Category; received a Notable mention in the Children’s Book Council of Australia Awards, 2010; and won the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards, Children’s Fiction, 2010. For more information about the author, please visit her website: www.lorrainemarwood.com
Industry Reviews
Ratwhiskers and Me is a beautifully rendered verse novel, telling the story of conditions on the Bendigo goldfields in the 1850s. Marwood uses a minimum of words for a maximum impact, bringing to life the hardships of the life of the miners, the harsh prejudices faced by the Chinese and the extremes of human behaviour during the goldrush...A masterpiece. * Aussie Reviews *

More in Historical Fiction for Children & Teenagers

Tom Appleby Convict Boy - Jackie French
The Tattooist of Auschwitz - YA Edition - Heather Morris
The Midwatch - Judith Rossell

Hardcover

RRP $24.99

$21.25

15%
OFF
War Horse - Michael Morpurgo

Paperback

RRP $17.99

$13.95

22%
OFF
All the Beautiful Things - Katrina Nannestad

RRP $22.99

$14.95

35%
OFF
Becoming Kirrali Lewis - Jane Harrison

RRP $22.99

$21.90

Refugee - Alan Gratz

Paperback

$17.99

The Night They Stormed Eureka - Jackie French

RRP $17.99

$17.25

Number the Stars : A Newbery Award Winner - Lois Lowry
Number the Stars : Collins Modern Classics - Lois Lowry
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - John Boyne
Tales of the Kingdom, Vol. 2 : Tales of the Kingdom - Asumiko Nakamura
The Diary of a Young Girl : The Definitive Edition - Anne Frank
Silver Linings - Katrina Nannestad

RRP $22.99

$21.90

The Infernal Devices : The Complete Trilogy - Cassandra Clare

RRP $59.99

$41.25

31%
OFF
The Power of One - Bryce Courtenay

RRP $24.99

$23.75