The Switherby Pilgrims: A Tale of the Australian Bush

by Eleanor Spence

In 1825, concerned for the future of her ten orphan charges in the grim factory towns of their native England, Miss Arabella Braithewaite, known to the children as Missabella, decides to take a land grant in Australia and makes the long, daunting journey with her wards to the austere bush country of New South Wales.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Australia, Adventure, Childrens, Fiction

195 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1970

Reviews

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars - This is a good story that introduces kids to Australia as the place where a lot of British convicts were sent, as well as a place people went to make a fresh start. It also shows the general prejudice of white settlers toward the native people living there, referring to them most often as "blacks," but it also shows a good relationship form between these settlers and a young native boy on his own.

[Rebekah Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
I wasn't sure if I was going to like this book or not when I first started reading it. But I ended up enjoying it. I now want to read the sequel.
Though a little slower paced than many books today, this is well written and interesting. I didn't want to stop reading when I reached the end because I wanted to find out what happened to the orphans and Missabella. Since this story takes place mostly in Australia, it was an added interest.

[Rachel De Jong · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pre read for my tween. Nothing objectional, fine story. Interesting setting. Not boring. Not remarkable. The climax and resolution didn't seem to connect well with the beginning of the plot arch. It read as life the Author had started the story, struggled to find a story arc that could end the story, came to with one and added a two sentences to previously written chapters, then took the story in a different direction to end it. It's not bad, just not masterful.

Overall the characters are fun. The story does deal with a few difficult subjects at a child appropriate level like the general prejudice of the English against natives, the poor, and non English persons. The rampant injustice toward the poor is also mentioned. One orphan begins to realize that but for being chosen by the woman in charge of their settlement, she would be rotting in a workhouse in England if she had survived that long.
The book mentions Australia being settled primarily by "convicts" but that few of these were hardened criminals. It hints that perhaps many were simply poor people, accused of minor misdemeanors and unjustly sentenced. Like stealing a shirt in London leads to 10 years hard labor in Australia.
The last issue brought up was that most of Australia 's English settlers were male and the antagonist plans to sell off the girls as brides to the highest bidders. The language the author uses is slightly more cloaked and it is only mentioned twice. The women in the book were otherwise treated with dignity and respect. There were no hints of violence and atrocities towards women other than those of the antagonist. In fact one woman and several female children are left in the care of one adult male "convict" without any hint of possible harm.

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

This used to be my favorite book, I knew most of it by heart years ago. It is a really fun story, good historical fiction, and the characters really come to life!
But it glosses over how England treated the convicts, many of whom were actually innocent, but had the misfortune to be born on the wrong side of the tracks, poor but good looking, or just Irish. The book is for children, so I guess it really isn't the proper place to expose the horrific treatment of petty miscreants and accidental convicts.
You will love all the characters, the scenery, the resourcefulness of Misabella, oh, pretty much everything! I highly recommend it.

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enjoyable way to learn more about early Australian settlement.

I read this with my 4, 7 and 9 year olds. We all enjoyed the story and the children immediately asked for the next book. I assume the blowhole featured in the book and depicted on the front cover is the famous Kiama blowhole that we have been to.

[Lana · Rating 2 out of 5]

The culture at the time this book was written and the time in which the book was set are so very different from modern day. The attitudes of the characters towards the aborigines they expected to encounter in Australia are very racist by modern day standards. It created some good discussion points for us as we read.

[shell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an adventurous story that I enjoyed reading for our homeschool. The character development was good and there was a lot of action. I would have liked to hear more from the perspective of Missabella & the moral reason that she decided to take 10 children across the world to Australia but it was briefly touched on.

[Melissa Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just a fun, entertaining story with a hint of educating you on Austrailian history. I love her writing style. It was a quick easy read and would be great for children! (Older kids to read on their own or younger kids would enjoy having it read to them!!) An excellent book I'm happy to have in my personal library!

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another read aloud for my son’s history curriculum. Enjoyable learning a tad bit about the English settling in Australia, wrapped in a story. We’ll see if my son wants to continue with the rest of the series.

[Jenifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great historical fiction real-aloud for homeschool history.

[Emily Graebner · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 family rating

[Mikie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a neat story.