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Children's Fiction Oliver Twist (adapted) Charles Dickens 2009 The story of the orphan Oliver, who runs away from the workhouse only to be taken in by a den of thieves, it shocked readers when it was first published. Dickens's tale of childhood innocence beset by evil depicts the dark criminal underworld of a London peopled by vivid and memorable characters - the arch-villain Fagin, the menacing Bill Sikes and the prostitute Nancy. Meet the Artful Dodger, as roistering and swaggering a young gentleman as ever stood four foot six. With him, you’ll run down the dirty backstreets of London to be entertained by the Respectable Old Gentleman and his brood of thieves and pickpockets. Fagin will bring you to ‘the trade’, and make something of you, something profitable. But there’s something about the young orphan Oliver that’s too good for this dark and dangerous world – can he ever escape its clutches? Combining elements of Gothic Romance, the Newgate Novel and popular melodrama, Dickens created an entirely new kind of fiction, scathing in its indictment of a cruel society, and pervaded by an unforgettable sense of threat and mystery. External Website

Fiction by Care Experienced authors Karobran: the story of an Aboriginal girl Monica Clare 1978 Novel based on the authors experiences growing up as an Aboriginal in the NSW white community External Website

Blogs/Web Pages/Articles Billy Connolly: ‘I’ve been scared my whole life’ Billy Connolly 2021 Billy Connolly: ‘I’ve been scared my whole life’ The comedian recalls his early years in an exclusive extract from his new autobiography. "When I was told I was going to live with my aunts and my Uncle James, I was delighted. The children’s home scared me. Everything scared me after my mother left. And I’ve gone on being scared my whole life.” Billy Connolly on the impact care can have. External Website

Authors L Little Orphan Annie ➝ Back to Top

Children's Fiction Understood Betsy Dorothy Canfield Fisher 1916 Understood Betsy is a novel for children written by American writer and activist, Dorothy Canfield Fisher (1879-1958). It was first published in 1916. Understood Betsy tells the story of 9-year-old orphan, Elizabeth Ann—Betsy—who lives first with her father’s aunt Harriet and cousin Frances in the city. She later moves to live a farm with her mother’s family, the Putneys. The child is clearly loved in both households but the parenting practices are markedly different. With aunt Harriet and cousin Frances is mollycoddled, whereas with the Putney’s Betsy is expected to walk to school and contribute to the household chores. When cousin Frances comes to collect Betsy, she is surprised to find Betsy thriving at the farm and wanting to stay there. External Website

Actors Pom Klementieff ​ ​ Pom Alexandra Klementieff (born 3 May 1986) is a French actress and model. After her father died and her mother was unable to care for her, five year old Pom was raised by relatives. Pom trained at the Cours Florent drama school in Paris and appeared in such French films as The Easy Way (2008) and Sleepless Night (2011), before making her American film debut in Oldboy (2013). She received worldwide recognition for her role as Mantis in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019). External Website

Fiction featuring Care Experience A Whole Life Robert Seethaler 2015 Andreas Egger’s first memory is of arriving in an Austrian mountain village in 1902 at about 4 years of age. His mother has died from tuberculosis and the only reason Andreas is allowed to stay with his uncle, farmer Hubert Kranzstocker, is because money comes with the boy. Andreas’ second memory is of being 8 years of age and beaten so badly by his uncle that his thigh is broken. After the bonesetter comes, Andreas spends 6 weeks lying down in the attic on a straw mattress. He limps for the rest of his life. Andreas rebels against his uncle's violence and begins his adult life at 18 by taking on casual labouring jobs. Andreas goes on to survive the devastating loss of his wife, 8 years in a prison of war camp in Russia, and the swarm of tourists to the village. Towards the end of his life, Andreas concludes that he has led a good life. External Website

Blogs/Web Pages/Articles Orphans & Care Experience in Literature Rosie Canning ​ Rosie Canning is an author, campaigner, project coordinator and PhD Candidate. The website features her PhD journey, her recent work with University of Oxford as well as featuring orphans and care experience in literature. External Website

Authors F Ella Fitzgerald ➝ Back to Top

Children's Fiction The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain 2020 Mark Twain's great American masterpiece, the tale of a boy's picaresque journey down the Mississippi on a raft conveyed the voice and experience of the American frontier as no other work had done before. When Huck escapes from his drunken father and the 'sivilizing' Widow Douglas with the runaway slave Jim, he embarks on a series of adventures that draw him to feuding families and the trickery of the unscrupulous 'Duke' and 'Dauphin'. Beneath the exploits, however, are more serious undercurrents - of slavery, adult control and, above all, of Huck's struggle between his instinctive goodness and the corrupt values of society, which threaten his deep and enduring friendship with Jim. External Website

Fiction by Care Experienced authors Invisible thread Maree Giles 2001 A semi-autobiographical account of Maree Giles' time in the notorious Parramatta Girls' Home in New South Wales. External Website

Children's Fiction The Graveyard Book Neil Gaiman 2008 Nobody Owens is a boy being raised in graveyard by ghosts. There are many adventures for Nobody, or Bod, in the graveyard, but danger if he leaves it - from the man who killed his family. External Website

Autobiography/Memoir The True “Drama of the Gifted Child”: The Phantom Alice Miller — The Real Person Martin Miller 2018 The "true“ Drama of the Gifted Child is a biography of the famous childhood researcher Alice Miller. As her son and as an experienced psychotherapist Martin Miller discovered the secret who Alice Miller really was. His mother Alice Miller created a mother image in her books she never complied with and shows what happens when you do not overcome your traumas and you pass them on the next generation. The book is also a concrete application of Alice Miller’s theory. It shows how you can overcome the terrible legacy of your parents in a therapeutical way. External Website

Children's Fiction Extraordinary Birds (8-12 years) Sandy Stark-McGinnis 2019 Eleven-year-old December knows everything about birds, and everything about getting kicked out of foster homes. All she has of her biological mum is the book she left behind, The Complete Guide to Birds, Volume One, and a photo with a message: 'In flight is where you'll find me.' December knows she's truly a bird, just waiting for the day she transforms and flies away to reunite with her mum. The scar on her back must be where her wings have started to blossom - she just needs to practise and to find the right tree. She has no choice; it's the only story that makes sense. When she's placed with Eleanor, a new foster mum who runs a taxidermy business and volunteers at a wildlife rescue, December begins to see herself and what home means in a new light. But the story she tells herself about her past is what's kept December going this long, and she doesn't know if she can let go of it ... even if changing her story might mean that she can finally find a place where she belongs. External Website

Fiction by Care Experienced authors Nothing Natural Jenny Diski 1986 Nothing Natural is the 1986 debut novel by Jenny Diski, initially published in hardback through Simon & Schuster. It follows a young woman who enters into a sadomasochistic relationship with a charming and domineering man. The book, perceived as an S&M-book by the New Yorker, received some backlash upon its release, as critic Anthony Thwaite criticized it as being "the most revolting book I've ever read," and the feminist magazine Sisterwrite chose to ban Diski from publishing with them. Rachel Kee is a depressed single mother who has been slowly withdrawing from the world around her. She's still suffering from the lasting effects of a disastrous childhood where her father abandoned his family, pushing Rachel's mother further into madness and prompting Rachel's removal and placement in a foster home. When she meets Joshua, she's almost instantly drawn to him. The two begin to indulge in a sadomasochistic relationship where Joshua will appear for a rough session of sex and then disappear for months on end. Eventually Rachel begins to question the relationship, especially after reading about the kidnapping and rape of a young girl, complete with a composite sketch that greatly resembles Joshua. External Website

Children's Fiction Refugee Boy Benjamin Zephaniah 2017 Life is not safe for Alem. His father is Ethopian, his mother Eritrean. Their countries are at war, and Alem is welcome in neither place. So Alem is excited to spend a holiday in London with his father - until he wakes up to find him gone. What seems like a betrayal is in fact an act of love, but now Alem is alone in a strange grey country. On his own, and in the hands of the social services and the Refugee Council, he lives from letter to letter, waiting to hear something from his father. External Website

Children's Fiction Uprising Alex Wheatle 2017 A thought provoking and inspiring story written for emerging readers, particularly those who are offenders or at risk. This is the gritty but inspiring true story of the award-winning author Alex Wheatle. Alex had a tough start in life. He was abandoned by his family as a young child and grew up in a care home. After being expelled from school as a teenager, he was sent to live in a hostel in Brixton. There, Alex found music and friends but he also got mixed up in drugs and violence. When he was sent to prison for taking part in the Brixton Uprising, Alex’s future seemed hopeless. But then something happened to change his life… External Website

Fiction featuring Care Experience In The Clearing J.P. Pomare 2020 The story of Freya who was in foster care from the age of 15 after she was removed from a charistmatic and fantatical woman, Andriene, who is determined to collect together 12 children as her disciples. External Website

Children's Non-fiction Oprah: The Little Speaker Carole Boston Weatherford 2010 At age three, Oprah began performing in churches, becoming known to adoring crowds as the Little Speaker. When she was asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, she answered, "I want to be paid to talk."Here is the story of Oprah Winfrey's childhood, a story about a little girl on a Mississippi pig farm with her grandfather who grew up to become one of the most famous women in the world. External Website

Children's Fiction Escape from Cockatoo Island Yvette Poshoglian 2021 Eleven-year-old orphan, Olivia Markham, has been sent to Cockatoo Island, in the middle of Sydney Harbour. She is desperate to escape the island, but mostly, she wants to find her own family. External Website