Nanberry

Written by Jackie French

Narrated by Kris Dyer

The amazing story of Australia's first surgeon and the boy he adopted.

It's 1789, and as the new colony in Sydney Cove is established, Surgeon John White defies convention and adopts Nanberry, an Aboriginal boy, to raise as his son. Nanberry is clever and uses his unique gifts as an interpreter to bridge the two worlds he lives in.With his white brother, Andrew, he witnesses the struggles of the colonists to keep their precarious grip on a hostile wilderness. And yet he is haunted by the memories of the Cadigal warriors who will one day come to claim him as one of their own.

This true story follows the brothers as they make their way in the world - one as a sailor, serving in the Royal Navy, the other a hero of the Battle of Waterloo. No less incredible is the enduring love between the gentleman surgeon and the convict girl who was saved from the death penalty and became a great lady in her own right.

AWARDS

Honour Book - CBCA 2012 (Younger Reader's Book of the Year)

PRAISE

'[Jackie] is one of few masters who can embed historic characters in rattling good tales, and her meticulous research is seamlessly inserted so that you live the detail rather than learn it. Irresistible for history buffs of any age.' - Good Reading Magazine, five stars

'If every Australian history class in the country could be taught by Jackie French, we'd have an entire generation of kids with an enormous thirst for knowledge about our early European settlement and a whole lot more compassion for those who already called this country home.' - Sunday Tasmanian

'I've been telling all my friends to read this book, and to give it to their kids to read. It's absolutely engrossing.' - Herald Sun

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Jan 5, 2022
• ISBN: 9781460741474

Jackie French

Jackie French AM is an award-winning writer, wombat negotiator, the 2014–2015 Australian Children's Laureate and the 2015 Senior Australian of the Year. In 2016 Jackie became a Member of the Order of Australia for her contribution to children's literature and her advocacy for youth literacy. She is regarded as one of Australia's most popular children's authors and writes across all genres — from picture books, history, fantasy, ecology and sci-fi to her much loved historical fiction for a variety of age groups. ‘A book can change a child's life. A book can change the world' was the primary philosophy behind Jackie's two-year term as Laureate. jackiefrench.com facebook.com/authorjackiefrench

Reviews for Nanberry

[Betty Stewart · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great story based on real people who lived in the challenging times of the early penal colony in Sydney. So interesting and thought provoking.

[becthing · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Nanberry: Black Brother White is an enchanting historical work of fiction crafted by French in early colonial white settlement times, around 1788 in Sydney Cove. Nanberry, the protagonist of the novel is struggling to find his identity in a black and white world. Nanberry is an aboriginal boy adopted by Surgeon White when his family was struck by small pox. Surgeon White is sent to assist the convicts, but realises white people have brought disease to the Aboriginal tribes. Other characters such as Rachel a convict join White as his mistress and they have a child called Andrew. Rachel eventually became a great lady in her own right. Another character called Maria also a convict adds to this story. This is a novel about survival, identity, loss, love and above all triumph in colonial Australia. It is also about the displacement of Aboriginal people during early settlement. Nanberry is misplaced in a world he really doesn’t feel like he belongs as does Surgeon White, however they form a small family unit in a rather depressing setting of disease and hardship. The telling of this story is a mix of fiction and truth – as true as history allows French to tell it. French has won an array of Australian awards from children’s picture books to gardening. This book was short-listed for the Book of the Year for Younger Readers, although I would disagree with its audience as I think this book has enough complex and rich themes to appeal to an adult market. If you loved A Waltz for Matilda French will definitely capture your heart with this novel too.