Nellie's Quest

Our Australian Girl - Nellie #3

by Penny Matthews

It's 1850 and Nellie's best friend, Mary, is gravely ill. To provide Mary with the care she needs, Nellie must break a promise and go on a quest to find the Thompson family. But will they be able to help? And who will Nellie turn to when her own life is in danger?Follow Nellie on her adventure in the third of four exciting stories about an Irish girl with a big heart, in search of the freedom to be herself

Genres: Childrens, Historical Fiction

132 pages, Paperback

First published July 2, 2012

Reviews

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yep, definitely enjoying the Nellie series more than the Alice ones. I do think that Nellie and Rose are my two favourites of all the six. It's just very interesting seeing how people really lived in the 1850s, and not in a city like Melbourne or Sydney but instead out in the South Australian bush, the 'Burra' mining district. I was fascinated by the dug-outs along the creek bed!

In this book, Nellie leaves Adelaide after she can't get work there, to try and find the Thompson family. She has to leave Mary behind in the infirmary, where she's down with a bad case of TB. The journey to and her time in the Burra are brilliant fun to read about! I was just sad that the book ended with her heading back to Adelaide, instead of continuing her search for the Thompsons. I know it's a bigger area than she expected, but I'd have liked her to carry on the hunt for a little longer! She had a lot of friends there to help her who surely would have been able to assist her in getting around, if slowly. Ah well, we shall see what book four brings!

[Freda · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing book! Iwish it never ended because I like learning about the facts in the olden days. Nellie's life is filled with misery and starvation , but alongside this there is an adventurous story to read.

[Amandajane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic children's historical fictions series that I am reading to my 9yo daughter. Nellie is my favourite character in the series so far. She is so brave and adventurous and unfailingly optimistic. In this book Nellie has left Mary in an infirmary in Adelaide while she travels to the Burra to find her friends, the Thompsons, who have offered her a job.

My daughter and I are loving these stories and are looking forward finding out what happens next for Nellie.