Troop train by Elizabeth Hutchins

Rosemary Lister is fourteen years old, living in Adelaide, Australia, as World War II rages on across the world. Australia has not been immune, with Darwin being bombed and brave Aussies going off to fight for freedom. This includes Rosemary's father, who has been missing for some time, with the family unsure if he is dead or alive, missing or a prisoner of war. Given a journal for her fourteenth birthday, Rosemary decides to fill it with information about their everyday lives and the comings and goings so she can remember everything to tell her father when he comes home. If he comes home. Rosemary's life is further uprooted by the announcement her mother makes that they are moving to the country to help her mother's sister run a farm. 

This historical World War II novel, set in Adelaide during the 1940s, has been meticulously researched by the author, with accurate historical facts. Switching narratives throughout the novel, it is written primarily from the point of view of Rosemary as she writes in her diary. Spanning several years, the novel allows for character growth as she experiences different aspects of growing up. With regular references to life in Adelaide in the 1940s, as well as political history and aspects of the war relevant to Australia, this novel depicts life and customs quite precisely. Further to this, the description of farm and country life is spot on, with hard work and camaraderie being central to those living and working on the land.

Themes: Historical Fiction, War Stories, Australia - World War II, Country Life, Farm Life.

Melanie Pages