Far From Home (The Sisters of Street Child)
by Berlie Doherty
Interest age: 7+
Reading age: 7+
Published by HarperCollins, 2015
About this book
A parallel volume to Doherty’s powerful 2009 story set in the 1860s around Jim Jarvis, Dr Barnado’s inspiration for the orphanages he set up. Now we discover what happened to Jim’s sisters Emily and Lizzie after he was separated from them. In Street Child we saw the girls left in the care of a friend, the cook at a lawyer’s house, but her kindness misfires and the girls are sent far away to work in a cotton mill. The cruelty of life there is vividly portrayed, before we see evidence of the philanthropy which also existed in Victorian England.
Less realistic than Street Child, its resolution being rather far-fetched, nevertheless this novel paints a vivid picture of nineteenth-century child labour.
About the author
More books like this
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Blue John
by Berlie Doherty, illustrated by Alexandria Neonakis
5 to 14 years
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Deep Secret
by Berlie Doherty
11 to 14 years
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Treason
by Berlie Doherty
9 to 14 years
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Haunted
by Susan Cooper, Joseph Delaney, Berlie Doherty, Jamila Gavin, Matt Haig, Robin Jarvis, Derek Landy, Sam Llewellyn, Mal Peet and Philip Reeve
9 to 14 years
Lists of recommended reads
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Books set in Victorian times
These fiction books are all set in the nineteenth century, and are suitable for ages 7-11. They provide an insight into Victorian lives, shining a light on different aspects of society, with settings as varied as Cardiff, London and a travelling circus. They are all realistic stories.