A girl like me, in a time gone by…
1841: The Letty Stories
It’s 1841 . . .
Letty’s older sister Lavinia is leaving England for Australia by ship. But Letty ends up stuck on board too, much to her sister’s dismay. Can Letty cope with the long sea voyage, as well as building a new life for herself in a strange far-off land?
Shy, brave and kind, Letty is an extraordinary Australian girl.
Journey with Letty across all four exciting stories about a free-settler girl making her own way.
ISBN: 9781743484616
Shortlisted in the YABBA Awards
Beautifully written, adventure-filled fiction.
Kids Book Review
I thought I was there in the story looking at what happened and when the book finished, I felt as if I’d been jolted back to reality!
Isabella, age 10
At the beginning I almost cried! If I was Letty then I would be so upset and frightened! At the end of the story I felt happy for Letty…I think the book was very cleverly written to make me feel for the character and make me want to read on.
Joanna, 10
Meet Letty
Our Australian Girl: 1841 Book 1
It’s 1841.
Letty is saying goodbye to the older sister she loves so much. Then there’s a mix-up on the docks. Letty finds herself sailing for a new life in Australia.
Will Letty find friends and a new home?
ISBN: 978-0143305408
Letty and the Stranger's Lace
Our Australian Girl: 1841 Book 2
Letty and her sister Lavinia have arrived in Sydney town. It’s a dangerous place for two girls on their own. When Lavinia gets a job, Letty is left feeling useless and alone. Then she meets Mary, a strange woman with a secret…
Follow Letty on her journey in the second of four exciting stories in the Our Australian Girl: 1841 series.
ISBN: 9781742533346
Letty on the Land
Our Australian Girl: 1841 Book 3
If Letty wants to keep her job she must travel with her mistress to a sheep farm over the Blue Mountains, leaving her sister Lavinia in Sydney. Letty has heard the bush is a wild place, full of strange beasts and dangers. Letty soon learns that life on the land has plenty of challenges.
Join Letty again on her adventure in the third of four stories about a settler girl and her new life in colonial Australia.
ISBN: 9781742533612
Letty's Christmas
Our Australian Girl: 1841 Book 4
At the end of 1841, drought has brought hard times. Letty must leave her job on the sheep run. Together, she and the Grey family set out on the rough trip over the Blue Mountains.
Will her Christmas be a happy one?
Find out how Letty’s story ends in the fourth and last book in the series about this caring and resilient Australian girl.
ISBN: 9781742534053
Australia in 1841
In 1841, England and Australia are ruled by Queen Victoria – this is the ‘Victorian era’.
Australia is changing fast. New homes and farms are springing up in South Australia, Western Australia and around Port Phillip (now Melbourne). New South Wales is now longer a dumping ground for convicts. Sydney is a bustling town, where thousands of people have come to seek their fortune.
Find out more about the real world of Letty and the Bushranger’s Boys – click the links below.
Fashion in 1841
Victorian clothes were very different to ours, especially female clothes. Women wore long dresses with very big skirts. Girls’ clothes were similar, but their skirts didn’t reach the floor. Until about the age of five, little boys wore frilly dresses!
Sailing to Australia
The only way to get to Australia in the old days was by ship. Sailing to Australia was tough. Ships were crowded and uncomfortable. Hundreds of people were crammed onto a wooden boat, about 10 metres wide by 35 metres long. That’s a bit longer and thinner than a netball court. For months and months…
Food in 1841
Did people in the past eat the same food as us?
No. Food in colonial Australia was plain – no pizzas, pastas or Asian takeaway. An 1846 recipe book called Modern Cookery (!) has recipes you probably will not like. And some you probably will.
Mrs Chisholm’s Immigrants Home
New South Wales wanted more women in 1841. But when the young women and girls got off the ships in Sydney, they often had nowhere to go.
One woman, Mrs Caroline Chisholm, was determined to do something to help.
QUIZ!
Do you know these 10 fun facts about Australia’s history?
Take the quiz and find out. (If the quiz is underneath an annoying ad, just hit ‘close’.)