Available from 1 October in bookshops nationwide.
Carole Wilkinson and her family emigrated from the UK to Australia under a scheme known officially as The United Kingdom-Australia Free and Assisted Passage Agreement. Post World War II, Australian industry was thriving and the Australian Government decided to encourage immigration, particularly from the UK. Ex-servicemen came free, others paid ten pounds, with children under 18 coming in free. These immigrants became known as Ten Pound Poms. The scheme continued until 1982.
The book is written in the present tense, from Carole’s perspective (of course!) and illustrated brilliantly by Liz Anelli. All of the experiences of long-distance ship travel are captured delightfully and will resonate with many older readers. For the younger readers, and I hope there will be many, it’s a great personal story, and the child’s voice comes through clearly. It has great appeal – there are lots of points of interest, and because of the episodic nature, it can be taken in small doses and thus enjoyed over a longer time.
It would be a great addition to school libraries and could be used successfully in social studies classes, I think. It would suit able readers in the middle school years, or it would be a happy addition to home libraries.
Reviewed by Sue Esterman
Ten Pound Pom
by Carole Wilkinson and Liz Anelli
Published by Walker Books
9781925381214
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good review! 🙂