Somewhere Around the Corner

Somewhere Around the Corner
Author Jackie French
Country Australia
Language English
Genre Children's historical fiction
Publisher HarperCollins
Publication date
1994
ISBN 0207183597

Somewhere Around the Corner is a children's novel written by Australian author Jackie French. It was her first historical novel, and chronicles the adventures of a homeless girl from 1994 who goes 'around the corner' to another time - the Great Depression.

Plot

When Barbara becomes caught up in a wild demonstration, she is frightened and wants to escape. An old man she meets at the demonstration tells her to close her eyes, walk around the corner and arrive at a better place. She travels back around 60 years and the place she finds is 1934, the height of the Depression. Times are tough and people are finding it hard to feed their families.

A boy called Young Jim comes to Barbara's aid and takes her on a journey to meet his family. They offer Barbara the love, security and peace that are missing from her own life and she becomes part of the O'Reilly family. But their time isn't Barbara's time and she may not be able to stay there forever. Young Jim promises to always look after Barbara, but what will happen if she is forced to return to her own time? And does she have a choice?

Awards and nominations

References