Jackie French has the happy talent for making historical fiction interesting to younger readers. She does not resort to anachronism, nor does she patronize her audience. In her new novel she describes the journey of the First Fleet and the early years of settlement in Sydney. Her hero is the resourceful, intelligent Tom Appelby, a boy orphaned by judicial injustice who is sold as a chimney sweep in London. French does not gloss of the horrors of Toms life, but she describes how his courage and capacity for friendship enable him to survive. When Tom is transported French describes the reality rather than the myths of the First Fleet. Her account of the settlement is fascinating, as she portrays the Europeans as suffering from dislocation and disorientation as much as starvation. Relationships with the local Aboriginal population are also carefully drawn. Toms sterling qualities lead him to find a home with a new family and become a successful farmer. Tom Appelby, Convict Boy, makes history interesting whilst never neglecting to provide an exciting and believable story.

Penny Roberts is from Readings Carlton