Description
The third instalment in the 11 Ruby Road series, set in the post-war 1950s - perfect period fiction for middle-grade readers and for fans of the Our Australian Girl series.
Since Patsy's baby sister was born, things at home have felt different. So when her mother goes to spend some time in countryside, Patsy stays with her uncle and aunt, at Number 11 Ruby Road. There are so many new people to meet, especially when she begins to help out in Uncle Alex's bright and busy milk bar.
Patsy and her new friend Jolanta soon bond over their shared love for sketching. Jolanta's family are 'new Australians' from Poland, but Patsy discovers that not everyone is as welcoming to the people who came all the way from Europe after the war.
Inspired by the stories of the old Jazz, Cricket and Pastry Club that used to take part in 11 Ruby Road's under croft, Patsy has an idea to bring together all the wonderful inhabitants of Ruby Road ... wherever they come from!
Review
Patsy’s Mum hasn’t been well since the birth of baby Maria. Gran tells everyone that it's influenza, but Patsy knows it is more than that. When her Mum goes to spend some time in the country, Patsy is sent to spend the summer holidays with her Aunt and Uncle in their Ruby Road house and milk bar. She makes friends with Jolanta, a girl of Polish background, and they have many great adventures.
But their most important adventure is painting a mural on a wall of the milkbar to depict the places where the people of the neighbourhood have come from, in an attempt to stop the growing racist attitudes of some of the people in their area. Will it work?
This is a terrific junior novel highlighting issues of racism and mental health in Australia, as it was in 1950. This was a period of growth in Australia and a time when many migrated here in order to find a better life for their families (my family included). Part of a fantastic series but also a stand-alone story, I highly recommend it to readers in the middle primary levels and above.
