‘Oh,’ said Lina, her cheeks stinging pink. ‘That. I didn’t mean you had to come and watch, Papa. It’s not important. Kids read stuff out in assembly all the time.’
Her father’s face dropped into a frown. ‘You sounded like it was important the other day.’
Lina’s cheeks burned hotter. She wished she hadn’t mentioned it at dinner last week. ‘I know, but you’re tired, Papa. You’ve worked all night . . .’ Lina’s voice petered out. How could she tell him she really didn’t want him to come? With his grease-stained hands and his shabby suit jacket and thick Italian accent. What if the girls at school made fun of him?
It’s not that I don’t love him, Lina told herself. Lina loved her father so much that sometimes she felt her heart might burst. I just don’t want to stand out any more than I have to – than I already do, she thought desperately.
Lina hung her head and a lie crept out over her lips. ‘Actually, it’s been cancelled. I just remembered. They only told us yesterday. They said they weren’t doing performances in assembly anymore.’ Her voice came out ashamed and small.
Lina’s father stood quietly for a while, his hands still foamy in the sink. ‘All right, love,’ he said slowly. ‘Another time. Go wake your little brother and I’ll be off to bed, then.’
Lina slunk down the corridor, relieved to escape her father’s eyes, but with a cold dark lump of badness lodged in her gut. She slipped into the stuffy dimness of her brothers’ bedroom and jerked back the curtains.
‘Get up,’ Lina told the pile of blankets.
Lina’s little brother, Enzo, peeked his sleepy face out of the muddle. He stuck out his arms towards Lina. ‘Cuddle?’ he said in a baby voice, but Lina wasn’t in the mood. She pulled his clothes off the chair and tossed them onto the bed.
‘Up, Enzo!’ she repeated.
Enzo sat up obediently, blinking. Lina huffed and yanked his pyjama top over his head.
‘Ouch!’ Enzo squeaked and scrunched up his forehead. He rubbed his eyes with his fists. Despite her grumpy mood, Lina couldn’t hold herself back from giving him a cuddle. He was so warm and soft in the mornings, with his skinny white arms sticking out of his singlet like sticks of spaghetti. Enzo squeezed Lina tight and she buried her face in his downy neck, and as she did, she felt that black lump in her stomach soften and melt away.
‘Thanks, Enzo,’ she whispered in his ear. Then she tickled him until he squealed. ‘Come on! Nonna will spank you if you’re late for breakfast.’
Lina helped Enzo put on his clothes then chased him down the corridor.
When they entered the kitchen, Nonna was already busy, kneading the dough for the evening’s zeppoli, up to her elbows in flour.
At the other end of the wooden table, there were three neat bundles tied up in Papa’s big cotton handkerchiefs. Lina took a peek at her lunch for the day. Inside was a hunk of crusty white bread, a wedge of Parmesan cheese and a hard-boiled egg. ‘Nonna! I told you I can’t take Parmesan to school anymore,’ Lina complained. ‘The girls don’t like it. They say it smells like vomit.’
‘Rubbish,’ said Nonna, kneading furiously. ‘They don’t even know what is cheese. They eat that yellow plastic stuff they call cheese. That’s not cheese. You eat what I give you, all right? Here,’ she said, wiping her floury hands on her apron. ‘Take your zio his coffee and tell him to get up. He’s not going to find a job in bed!’ Nonna handed Lina a tiny white cup of steaming black liquid.
Never mind, thought Lina. I’ll just throw out the cheese on my way to school and tell Miss Spring I forgot my lunch again. Getting in trouble is still better than that horrible Sarah Buttersworth telling everyone I vomited in my school bag. Lina breathed in the coffee fumes and wrapped her cold hands around the cup. How can coffee smell so good when it tastes so awful? she wondered. And Parmesan smell so awful when it tastes so good?
Lina walked down the hallway and knocked on the door of the room where her uncle slept. Before he had arrived from Italy, three months ago, this had been the sitting room. Now the only place to sit was in the kitchen or at the long wooden table outside, under the grapevines. In winter it was too cold to sit out there and the vines were spindly and bare, but in summer they became a dappled green shelter, dripping with plump ruby and emerald fruit, like clumps of sweet jewels.
Lina knocked again and when there was no reply, she pushed the door open a crack. ‘Zio!’ she called quietly into the dark. ‘Your coffee.’
Lina could just make out the shadowy bulk of her uncle asleep on the couch under a mound of flowery bedclothes. ‘Zio,’ she called again, a little louder, but not so loud that she might wake her father, who had just got into bed. Her uncle’s only response was a snuffle and a snort, then one arm snaked out from under the blankets and waved towards the dresser. Lina frowned and plonked the little cup onto the furniture by the door. ‘Drink it cold then,’ she hissed under her breath.
Lina closed the door and hurried back into the warm kitchen, where Enzo was dipping bread into a bowl of hot milk. Lina helped herself to a chunk of old bread and dropped it into a bowl. Then she took the saucepan of milk from the stove and poured it over the bread to soften it.
Pierino stomped into the kitchen, school bag slung over his shoulder, shirt ironed into sharp creases. ‘Aren’t you even dressed yet?’ he growled at Lina. ‘It’s nearly seven o’clock. You’ll miss your bus!’ He picked up the lunch Nonna had prepared for him and allowed her to kiss him on both cheeks.
Lina frowned and shoved the last bit of wet bread into her mouth. ‘I’m nearly ready,’ she grumbled. ‘You don’t have to nag me. You’re not the boss, you know!’ She wiped her hands on her nightdress and carried her bowl to the sink.
‘Well, if you were ready quicker I wouldn’t have to keep nagging you,’ Pierino insisted.
‘I’ve been catching the bus to school all year and haven’t been late once. Or missed a single day,’ said Lina.
‘It’s true,’ Nonna piped up, taking Lina’s side. ‘Not like this one.’ She gestured towards Bruno who had just sauntered through the doorway. ‘Look at you!’ she moaned. ‘I iron your shirt yesterday and already it’s full of creases. Why can’t you stay clean like your brother, huh?’ She shook her head despairingly.
Bruno grinned and pinched Lina’s arm as she pushed past.
‘Ow!’ she yelled, but more to get him into trouble than out of pain.
‘Bruno!’ Nonna scolded, right on cue.
Lina giggled as she dashed down the hallway and pulled her school uniform out of Nonna’s wardrobe. Unlike Bruno, who hated the stiff shirt and heavy shoes of his uniform, Lina loved her navy pleated skirt and crisp white shirt, and wore them with pride. She dressed quickly and pulled her dark hair back into a high ponytail, tied with a navy ribbon. I hope I won’t be too nervous in assembly this morning, she thought as she took a quick peek in the brown-speckled mirror on Nonna’s dresser. She grabbed her hat and gloves from the hook on the back of the door, slung her leather satchel over her shoulder and ran to kiss Enzo and Nonna goodbye.
5 QUESTIONS FOR PENNY MATTHEWS, AUTHOR OF THE NELLIE AND RUBY BOOKS
How are you and Nellie similar, and how are you different?
My first reaction on reading this question was that Nellie O’Neill and I aren’t a bit alike. Nellie has experienced unbelievable hardship, and yet she is brave and optimistic and resilient – far more so than I could ever be. And she’s passionate and hot-tempered, while I am usually fairly calm. But when I thought about it some more . . . We both believe that who you are is much more important than what you are. We both hate injustice and prejudice. We both value the love of family above everything else. We are both superstitious. And we both love animals, especially cats! So perhaps we are quite similar after all.
If Nellie were around today, what would she do on Saturday mornings?
In 1849 Nellie’s Saturday mornings would be like every other morning. She would get out of bed and start work at about five-thirty. She would ma
ke sure the kitchen stove was well alight, and she’d start to prepare breakfast, first making bread from the bread dough she’d set to rise the night before. So if Nellie was around today, I think she’d sleep in for as long as she could. She’d read in bed until it was time for breakfast, and she’d read some more while she was eating her muesli. (She’d be reading at least three books at once.) After that her best friend Mary Connell would come around, and they’d go off together to their Irish dancing class.
Penny, when you sat down to start the OAG books, what was the first sentence you wrote?
So this was South Australia! It’s hotter than a good turf fire, Nellie thought.
What’s one thing you wish you could do really well but have always been too timid to try?
I’ve always wished I could speak a foreign language fluently. But I wouldn’t say I was too timid to try – just too lazy! I’d be much too timid to do bungee jumping or white-water rafting, but I don’t think I’d want to do these things even if I could . . .
Do you have one piece of advice for OAGs everywhere?
Be true to yourself, and never give up. You just don’t know what wonderful thing might be waiting for you around the corner.
5 QUESTIONS FOR ALISON LLOYD, AUTHOR OF THE LETTY BOOKS
How are you and Letty similar, and how are you different?
Letty loves lace and those gorgeous Victorian dresses because I do and I wanted to have them in the Our Australian Girl books! Letty is a younger sister, whereas I was a bossy older sister, but we are both trustworthy and responsible. Letty loves babies, more than I did when I was a kid. And she had a tougher childhood than I did.
If Letty were around today, what would she do on Saturday mornings?
I think she would lie in bed and her younger brothers and sisters would climb in and snuggle with her. She might sing songs with them. Later she might talk Lavinia into making cupcakes together.
Alison, when you sat down to start the OAG books, what was the first sentence you wrote?
‘The coachman dumped the hope chest in the street.’ I started at the beginning.
What’s one thing you wish you could do really well but have always been too timid to try?
When I was a girl I always thought soccer looked like fun. But I wasn’t good at sports, I had no brothers, and there were no football teams for girls then. So I never tried. I also wish I could ride a horse properly. One day . . .
Do you have one piece of advice for OAGs everywhere?
Every Australian girl’s story is unique and precious. You are significant whether you’re in a book or not! As Abner says to Letty in the first book, ‘”He tells the number of the stars; He calls them all by name.” If the Lord God can tell the stars apart, he knows me too. And you.’
5 QUESTIONS FOR DAVINA BELL, AUTHOR OF THE ALICE BOOKS
How are you and Alice similar, and how are you different?
Alice thinks she always has to be perfect – that it’s her job to make sure everyone and everything is okay – and that’s just what I was like when I was a little girl.
But Alice has much more discipline that I do. If I could work as hard at my writing as she works at her dancing, I think I’d feel a lot better! Also, we both like chubby babies, homemade cakes and Dalmatians.
If Alice were around today, what would she do on Saturday mornings?
Ballet, of course! I think she’d have an extra-long class with Miss Lillibet (first barre work and then on pointe), and when they’d finished, Little would bring them a scrumptious morning tea.
When you sat down to start the OAG books, what was the first sentence you wrote?
‘Papa Sir, why did the war make everyone so horrible? You weren’t there, you didn’t see, but it was awful.’
I started right at the end of Book 4, so I knew where I had to end up.
Davina, what’s one thing you wish you could do really well but have always been too timid to try?
Stand-up comedy! And that’s not a joke!
Do you have one piece of advice for OAGs everywhere?
I’d give the same advice that Papa Sir gives Alice, which is this: Make beautiful art with everything that you do – how you live each day.
It’s wonderful to have big dreams and goals and ambitions, but it’s how you do the small things in life – how you talk to people, the effort you put into the things you do – that will shape how your life turns out.
5 QUESTIONS FOR GABRIELLE WANG, AUTHOR OF THE POPPY BOOKS
Gabi, how are you and Poppy similar, and how are you different?
Poppy is much braver than I would ever be. She lived in a time where you had to be brave. In the 1860’s there were not the comforts of today and there were many dangers out on the road like bushrangers. Poppy likes to ride horses and so do I. And Poppy loves her dog Fisher, like I love my dog, Hero.
If Poppy were around today, what would she do on Saturday mornings?
Poppy would read a book while she’s having breakfast. She’s reading Tiger in the Bush. Then she would go outside and climb a tree. The tree looks over into her best friend, Noni’s back yard. She would call out to Noni, and together they would get on their bikes and go on an all-day adventure to the beach.
When you sat down to start your OAG books, what was the first sentence you wrote?
I don’t remember what my first sentence was. I plotted all the Poppy books out in one sitting so it would have been something like, ‘Poppy lives at an Aboriginal mission near Echuca’. It sounds boring doesn’t it? Of course you can’t begin a novel like that. Nobody would read past the first page. It is only after a lot of research is done and some rough drafts are complete that I begin to try and make the sentences sing.
What’s one thing you wish you could do really well but have always been too timid to try?
Gliding. I would love to have the feeling of being completely free, soaring in the sky with only the wind to carry me. I have tried hang gliding and was really scared when I had to jump off the cliff. But I didn’t go very far and I was with a friend. I think gliding would be different. I could be up in the clouds for hours.
Gabi, do you have one piece of advice for OAGs everywhere?
If you want to be really good at something you need to practise. Talent is only a small part of it. If you have a passion, then practise that passion every day.
5 QUESTIONS FOR SHERRYL CLARK, AUTHOR OF THE ROSE BOOKS
How are you and Rose similar, and how are you different?
I think Rose and I are alike in that we both like to think things through and make a decision, rather than putting it off. I suspect Rose is braver than me, and she is definitely better at sport than me. We both love reading, though.
If Rose were around today, what would she do on Saturday mornings?
She’d be playing cricket in the summer! In the winter, I think she would be eating a large breakfast and looking forward to going to the footy.
When you sat down to start the OAG books, what was the first sentence you wrote?
I can’t remember! It’s lost in the drafting somewhere, but I am pretty sure it was Rose wondering what she would get for her birthday.
Sherryl, what’s one thing you wish you could do really well but have always been too timid to try?
I wish I could play a musical instrument, maybe the piano. I know Rose hates her piano lessons but that’s because the teacher is horrible.
Do you have one piece of advice for OAGs everywhere?
Be brave, stand up for what you know is right, follow your dreams.
5 QUESTIONS FOR SOFIE LAGUNA, AUTHOR OF THE GRACE BOOKS
How are you and Grace similar, and how are you different?
Just like Grace, I loved horses when I was a girl. I have always found them so mysterious and beautiful and graceful. Horses remind Grace that the world is a good and magical place full of possibility and adventure. Maybe horses reminded me of the same thing when I was growing up. I am different to Grace too, though. I am outgoing, I
have always loved to laugh and share things with my friends. I am confident in ways that Grace isn’t; I love to put on plays and perform and pretend to be other characters. Grace doesn’t get a chance to discover that side of her personality until she meets Hannah.
Sofie, if Grace were around today, what would she do on Saturday mornings?
Go to a horse-riding lesson with her best friend! And Grace would love picnics – where she can look at the trees and the water and the sky and feel free. Freedom is very important to Grace, as is family. I would hope that if Grace were around today she would find herself in a loving family with brothers and sisters to share her life with.
When you sat down to start the OAG books, what was the first sentence you wrote?
I better get back to the shore before the tide comes in or I’ll be drowned like poor Annie.
What’s one thing you wish you could do really well but have always been too timid to try?
Surfing. I am scared of the waves and of sharks and of being that out of control. But I envy the surfers riding the waves, being away from the streets and buildings and shops and feeling peaceful, feeling brave, feeling powerful and close to nature.
Do you have one piece of advice for OAGs everywhere, Sofie?
Advice? Find creative ways to express anything that feels difficult or scary. Write, draw, make things, perform, play music. Being creative can change the hardest things into wonderful things.
5 QUESTIONS FOR SALLY RIPPIN, AUTHOR OF THE LINA BOOKS
Sally, how are you and Lina similar, and how are you different?
Lina and I are similar in that we both love books and longed to be writers from a very young age. I loved writing stories in English and at Lina’s age, I had a teacher who would often read my work out in class. Also, like Lina, I had a father who was hoping I would go on to university to study to be a doctor or a lawyer, but instead I went to China to study traditional Chinese painting. He was disappointed for a while, but my father is proud of what I do now.
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