Sing a Rebel Song

by Pamela Rushby

It's 1891. Maggie McAllister and her family are caught up in one of the most dramatic events in Australia's history: the Shearers Strike. The trouble that erupts between the Shearers Union, the pastoralists and the government has never been seen before on the quiet streets of Barcaldine. Maggie plays her part in the Unions struggle in no small way herself, through her writing. Her friends, a local pastoralist family, do not see things the same way, and for Maggie, singing a rebel song may yet have heartbreaking consequences.

Genres: Historical Fiction

240 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2015

Reviews

[Bec]

Great insight into the Queensland Shearer's Strike of 1891. This junior fiction book is clear and straight forward for younger readers without being too boring for older readers.
Includes some historical facts in the back.
(I don't normally take this long to read a book but this was my 'lunch break' book i read at work and i haven't had much of a chance to read it!)

[Scott]

A moving personal account of the Barcaldine Sheep Shearing Strike of 1891, and the subsequent rise of the Labor Party.
Pamela Rushby tells the tale through Maggie, the daughter of a fictitious union advocate, weaving diary entries with narrative to tell the story.
I enjoyed this, even though the plot seemed relatively slow. The writing style is great and I enjoyed the characters and insight to Queensland's history. Recommended reading for anybody interested in Queensland's history.

I won this book thanks to QTMB's involvement in the Premier's reading challenge.

[Pauline]

Pamela Rushby’s books never disappoint. It is so refreshing to have our local stories about our Queensland history brought to life in a lively, yet factual, manner. The Ratcatcher’s Daughter (2014) that deals with the outbreak of plague in Brisbane in 1900 has been extremely popular in schools and Sing a Rebel Song will be equally successful. The shearer’s strike of 1891 almost brought Australia to the brink of civil war, heralded the beginning of the Australian Union Movement and then ultimately the foundations of the Australian Labor Party. This was a particularly significant time in the history of the colonies on the brink of federation as workers, unwilling to replicate the social conditions from the United Kingdom, promoted the notion of an egalitarian society. Rushby tells this story through the eyes of Maggie, who becomes the town’s self-appointed reporter and reports back on events to the Brisbane newspaper, The Worker. Through Maggie’s relationship with Clara, the daughter of the local pastoralist, and Clara’s brother James, we also get to see the pastoralists’ perspective to provide a balanced view of the building tensions. This is an interesting snapshot of a part of history that is relevant to us all.

For readers 10+ - some suggestions of violence, brutality

[Sarah Thornton]

Good coverage of the1980/1981 shearing strikes.

[Bookishbabe]

I found the layout problematic at first. It's a series of reflections on diary entries from two years ago. The layout out bounces between her present reflection and the relatively small entries from the past.
However the story is very well researched. The author has woven in the most intricate details of Australian history into the story of Maggie, a shearer's daughter. I enjoyed learning about the shearer's strike as this was a time in history that I'd always wanted to learn about.

[Sue]

Set in 1891, in outback Queensland, this story follows the shearer's strike. Told through the eyes of 12 year old Maggie, it follows the struggle of the workers. The book is part diary and part re-telling and is an easy and interesting read about Australian history.

[Linda]

Great story about an interesting period of history in Australia. Well worth reading