Market Blues

by Kirsty Murray

Sam Sullivan is unsettled and restless. He's in trouble at school, his parents have split up and there's never enough money. Whilst busking in the market, he finds himself taken back in time to 1900, where he finds new friends, adventures and opportunities; and a great-uncle he never knew he had.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy

240 pages, Paperback

Published February 1, 2001

About the author

Kirsty Murray is a multi-award-winning author of more than 20 books for children and young adults. Her works include eleven novels as well as non-fiction, junior fiction, historical fiction, speculative fiction and picture books. She loves books, libraries, bookshops, readers, writers, puddles, puppies, and stories – especially stories about kids and teenagers. Her 2019 releases included the non-fiction title 'Kids Who Did' and a gorgeous new picture book 'When Billy was a Dog', illustrated by Karen Blair. 'Strangers on Country', by Kirsty & Dave Hartley with stunning illustrations by Dub Leffler was published in 2020.

You can find me all over the internet. There's stacks of information on my website at:

hhtps://www.kirstymurray.com


and I'm on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/kirstymurrayauthor



and Twitter:

http://twitter.com/kirstymurray

Reviews

[Gracie · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Rating: 3.5 stars!*

Found this one at our school library. Was a fun read about growing up & transporting back in time. Was an interesting adventure about Melbourne from a different era and was especially cool to read about the Vic markets from that time. I think I would have really loved this book when I was younger too. As one of my fav series when I was younger was the "My Story" series - historical fiction about different chapters in Australian history. I would say target audience would be upper primary/ secondary, but like my quote in my profile says - a good book is also loved by adults! :)
Enjoy!

[Melina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Time Travel seems to be a consistent theme in children’s fiction, a lot of the time serving as a device to turn the story into historical fiction while still allowing for lots of exposition (since the character learns about the time period at the same time as the reader). This was fairly similar to other time travel books I’ve read (and I seem to have read quite a few!). Sam Sullivan is a nice enough kid, but he seems to find trouble wherever he goes. His parents have broken up, his father isn’t always reliable (there’s a strong history of gambling) and there’s never enough money. To make a bit extra, Sam works at the markets, but soon discovers that people play music for money. He tries it himself, playing his trumpet at a nearby monument, but suddenly finds himself being pulled back to Melbourne in 1900.

There’s a lot going on in this book and both 1900 and present day Melbourne are written quite vividly. It was a bit of a jolt when someone pointed out that the states hadn’t federated yet (that happened in 1901) and I appreciated that little piece of history snuck in, especially when there’s moments when you feel like 1900 wasn’t really that long ago. The story does drag a bit at the end of the book – it almost feels like the story has been told and completed, but there’s still more to go. That made it less appealing to me.

This is a good read for people who like historical fiction, especially Australian historical fiction. With Sam constantly finding himself in trouble, despite good intentions, it’s the kind of story which would appeal to some kids who don’t always read. I dare say it would make a very good read aloud book too.

This review originally appeared at Adventures of a Subversive Reader

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sam Sullivan is a 12 year old in Melbourne in 2000. Everything in his life that can go wrong is going wrong - school, family,just about everything. It gets even worse when he is transported back in time to Melbourne in the year 1900, where the poverty and difficulties were staggering for kids like Sam. This was a real eye-opener for Sam, and his quest to help the kids he met in 1900 transforms his life.
Tightly written and centred on the iconic Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne city, this book is a good read which will take you to places you've never thought of.
If you like reading about parallel worlds and ‘time-slip’ fiction, other books you might like include: Dreamwalker (Carmody/Woolman) – fantastic graphic novel, don’t miss it; and for avid readers - ‘Playing Beattie Bow’ (Park), ‘Boys of Blood and Bone’ (Metzenthen) and ‘Doppelganger’ (Parker).
If you’re curious about the quirky history of Melbourne, Australia – yes, the Queen Victoria Market really is built on top of an old cemetery – then you must read ‘Bearbrass’ by Robyn Annear (if only for the greasy pig chase!)

‘Runner’ by Robert Newton would also be good to read after reading ‘Market Blues’, as would ‘Black Water’ (Metzenthen) for older readers.

[Heather Gallagher · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great time-shift novel in the vein of Playing Beatie Bow. I really liked the main character Sam who was struggling with his parents recent separation and the reality of trying to live between parents. I liked that music - trumpet playing - was the device for the time travel element of the story. And I also liked that the story was set around the Victoria Markets - a place I have a great fondness for after living in North Melbourne for a year. The period detail, particularly the fact that life was so difficult for the female characters at the turn of the century, was well wrought. I also liked how Sam comes to understand his father's gambling addiction by falling prey to the allure of betting in the past. My only complaint about this book would be that the ending felt a bit unresolved. Not sure how you deal with a character from the present falling in love with a character in the past...in the end they're probably going to stick to their own time.

[Bev · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great novel full of action and adventure. Sam, a 13 year old, discovers quite by accident that he can move back and forth in time. Set around the Victoria Market in Melbourne, Sam is able to slip back to the same location at the turn of the century. Together with him, we are able to explore what Australia was like at the time of Federation. Family issues that battle with divorce are a side issue in this novel. Well written. A good read.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice (and unique) combination of music and time travel. Read it for a school assignment.

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is amazing i love it. i love how it is set in Victoria and time travelling like its really good and it has a good storyline

[Richard Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Time travel fascinates many, and I'm certainly fascinated, add to that that I live in Melbourne and have for about 18 months and this book becomes a hit. Yes it's perhaps an easy story to see what's happening, but it no less enjoyable for that. Teenage angst and the context of life for children in 1900 is a good mix.