Writing Historic Fiction with Charlotte Barkla

Story can be a powerful tool for igniting a love of history. In this talk, author Charlotte Barkla shares how she researched and wrote a historical fiction series, 11 Ruby Road, set in Brisbane in the early 20th century.

Charlotte will discuss an author's delicate balance of fact and fiction, and her process for bringing history to life for young audiences.

Participants will leave equipped with practical tools for incorporating history in their own classrooms and libraries.

11 Ruby Road: 1900

Perfect period fiction for middle-grade readers - for fans of the Our Australian Girl series.

Dorothy and her family have moved to the city, and life is very different to the rural one she has known. Ruby Road is bustling – full of families and children, horse-drawn carts and even a mysterious dog. Best of all her new home has a secret writing room that only she knows about.

There are many reasons for her family’s move, but Dorothy has her own plans. She has to settle into a new school, make new friends and find an ingenious way to help the suffragists in their fight for women's right to vote! Perhaps her secret writing room holds the answer.

Join Dorothy and the inhabitants of 11 Ruby Road in 1900, as Federation is dawning and a new century begins.

11 Ruby Road: 1925

The second book in the 11 Ruby Road series set in the roaring 1920s - perfect period fiction for middle-grade readers and for fans of the Our Australian Girl series.

It is 1925 and Bert Mueller and his German-Australian family have moved from Ipswich to their new house at 11 Ruby Road. Bert’s father has been deported to Germany after the Great War, and with Dad still absent, Bert is unsure about moving away. But the city means opportunity and jobs for his mother and older siblings. And for the grown-ups , it also means fun - dressing up, going out, and all that jazz. Bert loves jazz too, but he’s too young for the clubs, and instead his time is spent at his new school where the kids play cricket, not music.

But with the help of a Gramophone, Bert has a solution. He will start his own jazz club, and 11 Ruby Road has the perfect spot to host it. But as prejudice about Bert and his German family start to affect their new life, Bert has to find a way to save his jazz club and his family.

11 Ruby Road: 1950

The third installment in the 11 Ruby Road series, set in the post-war 1950s - perfect period fiction for middle-grade readers and for fans of the Our Australian Girl series.

Since Patsy's baby sister was born, things at home have felt different. So when her mother goes to spend some time in countryside, Patsy stays with her uncle and aunt, at Number 11 Ruby Road. There are so many new people to meet, especially when she begins to help out in Uncle Alex's bright and busy milk bar.

Patsy and her new friend Jolanta soon bond over their shared love for sketching. Jolanta's family are 'new Australians' from Poland, but Patsy discovers that not everyone is as welcoming to the people who came all the way from Europe after the war.

Inspired by the stories of the old Jazz, Cricket and Pastry Club that used to take part in 11 Ruby Road's under croft, Patsy has an idea to bring together all the wonderful inhabitants of Ruby Road ... wherever they come from!

About Charlotte Barkla

Charlotte Barkla is a Brisbane-based author and teacher. Her books include Let's Try Again Another Day, the 11 Ruby Road historical fiction series, All Bodies are Good Bodies, the Edie's Experiments series, and From My Head to My Toes, I Say What Goes.

Charlotte's books have been translated in multiple languages and short-listed for awards, including the Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year awards and the Wilderness Society's Environment Award for Children's Literature. In 2023, All Bodies are Good Bodies was adapted into a song by the children's band, The Quokkas.

As well as writing for children, Charlotte is a creative writing tutor for the Australian Writers' Centre and has written feature articles for publications including AEU News, Create Digital, Beans Magazine, and Double Helix. She regularly visits schools, libraries and festivals for creative writing workshops, sharing her passion for creativity and stories with children of all ages.

To find out more, visit Charlotte's website.

Key information

You will need a stable Zoom connection.
Upon registration you will receive a Zoom link to the webinar.

2 hours.

Email digitalexcursions@moad.gov.oph.au or call 02 6270 8222 with any questions.

This event will be recorded and made available to those who register for two weeks after the live event.

Writing Historic Fiction with Charlotte Barkla

Curriculum Links:

Online

Cost