Finding Father: The Journal of Mary Brogan, Otago, 1862

My New Zealand Story

by Pauline Cartwright

It's been seven years since Mary Brogan has seen her father. He was supposed to have followed the rest of her family from Australia to New Zealand, but he never turned up.

Now a new goldfield has opened up in Otago, and 13-year-old Mary overhears her aunt saying that she's sure Will Brogan will be there, as he always followed the call of gold.

And thus Mary hatches her daring plan - to make the long trek from her home in Dunedin to the Dunstan Diggings to find her father. But to do so, she will need to disguise herself as a boy...

Genres: Historical Fiction, Diary

187 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Pauline Cartwright is a New Zealand author of children's literature. She has written novels, picture books, stories (including for radio), educational readers, and poems for children.

Cartwright was awarded the Choysa / QE11 Arts Council Bursary for Children's Writers in 1991 and shared the University of Otago College of Education / Creative New Zealand Children's Writer in Residence Fellowship in 2003 with David Hill.

Several of her books have been short-listed for New Zealand Book Awards, including Grow a Gift (1991) and Saved by Ryan Kane (1994).

She lives in Alexandra, New Zealand.

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is from the My Story series published in New Zealand, which is their version of the Dear America series. The books are diaries of fictional boys and girls during important events and eras in New Zealand history.

Seven years ago, Mary Brogan's family moved from Australia to New Zealand. Mary's father was supposed to follow them, but he never arrived. Everyone believes he deserted his family. When Mary hears of a gold rush in Otago, she knows if her father is still alive, he would head for the goldfields to make his fortune. Determined to see her father again and help her impoverished family, Mary decides to disguise herself as a boy and search for him.

This was one of my favorite books from the New Zealand My Story series. Mary was a very likable character in her determination to reunite her family. Her diary brought to life the hardships and adventures of life in the mining camps of 1860s New Zealand. I highly recommend this book to young readers who enjoy historical fiction in diary format.

[Molly]

This entire series is a wonderful way to learn history or teach it to adolescents. I find today's generations seem to recall more when they learn through other people (pop songs, celebrity gossip, etc.), so what better way to teach history than through someone else's perspective? Yes, "authentic" diaries would be "better", but would the language really hold the modern student's attention? Did the diary writer know what WOULD be important in the context of history? Probably not.

[Jen]

very interesting especially as my ancestors came to New Zealand in 1863