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Our Australian Girl - Grace #4
A Home for Grace
Grace's journey concludes in this, the thrilling final book about a brave convict girl who is given a second chance.
Poor Glory, the beautiful horse, is ill, and it's all Grace's fault. Her master blames her, and refuses to let her visit Hannah, her best friend. In a desperate attempt to save Glory, Grace hatches a daring plan that will take her deep into the bush. But can she really heal the horse she loves so much? And can she keep it a secret from the master who threatens to send her away? Grace's future in Australia hangs in the balance in this exciting story of courage and love.
Poor Glory, the beautiful horse, is ill, and it's all Grace's fault. Her master blames her, and refuses to let her visit Hannah, her best friend. In a desperate attempt to save Glory, Grace hatches a daring plan that will take her deep into the bush. But can she really heal the horse she loves so much? And can she keep it a secret from the master who threatens to send her away? Grace's future in Australia hangs in the balance in this exciting story of courage and love.
77 pages, Paperback
First published September 28, 2011
4 people are currently reading
84 people want to read
About the author
Sofie Laguna
33 books393 followersSofie Laguna originally studied to be a lawyer at the University of New South Wales, but after deciding law was not for her, she moved to Melbourne to train as an actor. Sofie worked for a number of years as an actor at the same time as completing a Diploma in Professional Writing and Editing at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. Sofie is now an author and playright writing for both adults and children.
Her many books for young people have been named Honour Books and Notable Books in the Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Awards and have been shortlisted in the Queensland Premier’s Awards. She has been published in the US and the UK and in translation throughout Europe and Asia.
Her picture book, On Our Way to the Beach, was included in the White Raven 2005 annual selection of outstanding international children’s books by the International Youth Library (Associated Project if UNESCO)
In 2008 Sofie released her first novel for adults, One Foot Wrong, to international acclaim. It was shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards and long-listed for the Miles Franklin Award. Screen rights for the book have been optioned and Sofie has recently completed the screenplay.
Sofie continues to write for a wide readership, from picture books for very young children, to series for older readers, to novels for adults.
Sofie lives in Melbourne with her partner and their young son.
Her many books for young people have been named Honour Books and Notable Books in the Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Awards and have been shortlisted in the Queensland Premier’s Awards. She has been published in the US and the UK and in translation throughout Europe and Asia.
Her picture book, On Our Way to the Beach, was included in the White Raven 2005 annual selection of outstanding international children’s books by the International Youth Library (Associated Project if UNESCO)
In 2008 Sofie released her first novel for adults, One Foot Wrong, to international acclaim. It was shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards and long-listed for the Miles Franklin Award. Screen rights for the book have been optioned and Sofie has recently completed the screenplay.
Sofie continues to write for a wide readership, from picture books for very young children, to series for older readers, to novels for adults.
Sofie lives in Melbourne with her partner and their young son.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 24, 2011
The year is 1808, and after being sent from London to Australia as a convict because she stole food, ten-year-old Grace is now working as a servant for a young married couple, Tom and Beth, who live on a farm in the Australian wilderness. Beth is very kind to Grace, but Tom has never trusted her. In the previous book, Grace had to take Tom's beloved horse, Glory, and ride for help when Beth went into labor while Tom was away working. Glory was injured, and now Grace fears that Tom blames her for what happened, even though riding the horse was the only way Grace could get help in time.
Grace feels terrible about what happened to Glory, because she has always loved horses. Now that Tom is home and Glory seems to get sicker each day, Grace fears that she will be sent away. She loves helping Beth with the housework and caring for her new baby, Alice, and she doesn't want to have to leave them. Grace decides the only thing she can do is try to help Glory get better, but who can she turn to for help?
A Home for Grace is the fourth and final book about Grace from the Our Australian Girl series. I have really enjoyed reading Grace's story. She had such a hard life as a poor orphan in London, so I loved reading about her finally getting the happy ending she deserved. I love the time period the stories are set in, and since I haven't read that many books about Australian history, I enjoyed learning about what life was like for the convicts and settlers in early 19th century Australia. I think this series is a great choice for young Australian readers who want to learn more about their country's history, although I wish these books were more easily available outside Australia too. As an American, I've always wished for more historical fiction to be available here that isn't set in either the United States or England.
Grace feels terrible about what happened to Glory, because she has always loved horses. Now that Tom is home and Glory seems to get sicker each day, Grace fears that she will be sent away. She loves helping Beth with the housework and caring for her new baby, Alice, and she doesn't want to have to leave them. Grace decides the only thing she can do is try to help Glory get better, but who can she turn to for help?
A Home for Grace is the fourth and final book about Grace from the Our Australian Girl series. I have really enjoyed reading Grace's story. She had such a hard life as a poor orphan in London, so I loved reading about her finally getting the happy ending she deserved. I love the time period the stories are set in, and since I haven't read that many books about Australian history, I enjoyed learning about what life was like for the convicts and settlers in early 19th century Australia. I think this series is a great choice for young Australian readers who want to learn more about their country's history, although I wish these books were more easily available outside Australia too. As an American, I've always wished for more historical fiction to be available here that isn't set in either the United States or England.
August 4, 2018
This was a nice ending to the series, which I have enjoyed reading with my daughter. Unfortunately, it had a swear word in it, which I absolutely cannot understand in a children's book. My daughter is 6, and since I was reading aloud I could edit, but she reads well enough to read these books on her own and several of the Australian Girl books I have reviewed have had mild swearing in them. What were the authors and editors thinking?
Overall, I think this series is just average. It's an okay fictional introduction to a bit of Australian history, but I have read better like Tom Appleby by Jackie French, though I think I'd have to edit that one for a 6-yr-old as well...
Overall, I think this series is just average. It's an okay fictional introduction to a bit of Australian history, but I have read better like Tom Appleby by Jackie French, though I think I'd have to edit that one for a 6-yr-old as well...
November 4, 2017
Great historical children's novel series I am reading to my 9 yo daughter. These stories are wonderfully written with fabulous decriptions that bring the stories to life. This part has Grace secretly visiting the Aboriginal camp to get help to save Master Tom's horse when the wound in Glory's leg becomes infected.
This is the final part to Grace's story and both my daughter and I have loved reading it.
This is the final part to Grace's story and both my daughter and I have loved reading it.
December 11, 2024
The 4th and last of a series. Regarding all four of the books: Grace is a poor young girl from London of 1808, who is arrested and sent to Australia. There she undergoes adventures, makes friends and finds herself a home.
Each book is about 100 pages. Good for 2nd-3rd-4th grade. A page turner, i wanted to see what was going to happen to Grace next.
Each book is about 100 pages. Good for 2nd-3rd-4th grade. A page turner, i wanted to see what was going to happen to Grace next.
February 10, 2018
The concluding story in the Grace story. This one had my 8 year old daughter on the edge of her seat, eyes covered in a couple of tense moments but it had a very sweet, satisfying end.
June 7, 2018
Fourth and final entry in the Grace series brings it to a satisfying conclusion. Well written and engaging.
February 13, 2022
a great end to the series. I was really invested in it and flew through this whole thing in two sittings!
Loved the epilogue and thought it was really cute
Happy reading my friends 📖 📚
Loved the epilogue and thought it was really cute
Happy reading my friends 📖 📚
December 6, 2023
i love these books so much
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 25, 2023
Grace is becoming more than a servant to Beth and Tom and she loves baby Alice like a little sister. Grace is intrepid, and although she takes risks, her devotion is always apparent.
April 24, 2012
This was my fourth book for the 24-hour read-a-thon on Sunday! When Grace took Glory (the horse) on that mad rush for help (where btw she found that their neighbours were none other than Liza and Hannah! Yay!), poor Glory got injured... and is only getting much worse :( Which means that Tom is still as grouchy as ever with Grace.
I don't have some kind of Aboriginal shelf here. I should probably make one, because it's Beth's friend Mulgo who helps save Glory, by showing Grace which plants have the best medicinal purposes to heal the horse's infection. I really enjoyed the way the story all came together! We'd met Mulgo previously and it was nice to have her play such an important role in the final book - helping to save Glory, and to let Tom trust Grace. Yay happy endings all around! Tom even lets Grace name Glory's foal, aww :)
I don't have some kind of Aboriginal shelf here. I should probably make one, because it's Beth's friend Mulgo who helps save Glory, by showing Grace which plants have the best medicinal purposes to heal the horse's infection. I really enjoyed the way the story all came together! We'd met Mulgo previously and it was nice to have her play such an important role in the final book - helping to save Glory, and to let Tom trust Grace. Yay happy endings all around! Tom even lets Grace name Glory's foal, aww :)
August 9, 2016
I really liked this book, because Grace has to choose her own way of living in the world. My favourite part of the book was when she rode her master's horse, Glory, all the way to the neighbours to get help for her mistress who was having a baby. I think she was really brave when she did that. She found out that the new neighbours were actually her convict friend she had met on the ship. In the end she led a really happy life with her master and mistress, and even got her own horse from them.
May 21, 2015
I think that it is a really good book about slavery in the middle ages and not just that i think that what ever grace does she is all way's helping someone like she helped Dorthy when she went to jail she stole apples to give to a poor horse and now she is nice to her master's no matter what they do this is the best book I have ever read
Thank You
Thank You
May 13, 2012
I have posted about all four of Grace's books here
http://www.theintrepidreader.com/2012...
http://www.theintrepidreader.com/2012...
September 3, 2015
3 & a half..
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews