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A modern children’s classic from award-winning historical fiction author J L Williams.
If you enjoy Lucy M. Boston’s Green Knowe series or The Secret Lake by Karen Inglis, you won’t be able to put down this gripping time-travel mystery. The Secret Staircase delves into themes of colonization and culture with sensitivity and heart, launching readers on an unforgettable adventure.
Book 2 in The Secret Staircase series set in Russell, New Zealand. Recommended reading age 8 – 12 years.
Modern children Jasmin, a gifted concert pianist who longs for a normal life, and Leo, the son of the gardener at Kohatu House, slip back to Russell in 1893 just before voting day, during one of the most significant years in New Zealand’s history when women have won the right to vote. There they meet Annie, a Māori teen working at the hotel, and Jacob, a musically gifted Chinese boy. As the children face difficult truths about fairness and belonging, music becomes a bridge between worlds.
This novel encourages personal growth and learning in the following fields:
understanding character growth and motivation within a story
recognising themes of fairness, identity and belonging
learning about empathy and viewpoint
learning about women’s suffrage and social change
understanding personal rights and responsibilities
learning about inclusion/exclusion in history
learning about migration histories: Chinese communities in NZ
understanding music as a storytelling and emotional expression
connecting cultural identity and music
About the Kiwi author
Find out more about Whangarei author J L Williams on her author page.
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