I read this junior fiction novel from my school library to fulfil a challenge I was doing on LibraryThing.
It is one of the My Story diary series aimed at informing today’s young people of the rigours suffered by children their age in the early settlement of New Zealand.
The book does this effectively. 11 year old Mary goes in search of her father on the Otago goldfields. He was last seen in Australia following a big find and sent his family on ahead to Wellington where he would join them. Several years pass and he has not appeared. Mary over hears a conversation between her Uncle and Aunt about her father probably digging for more gold in Otago. She disguises herself as a boy and sets off to find him. ( )

This entire series is a wonderful way to learn history or teach it to adolescents. I find today's generations seem to recall more when they learn through other people (pop songs, celebrity gossip, etc.), so what better way to teach history than through someone else's perspective? Yes, "authentic" diaries would be "better", but would the language really hold the modern student's attention? Did the diary writer know what WOULD be important in the context of history? Probably not.

This book is from the My Story series published in New Zealand, which is their version of the Dear America series. The books are diaries of fictional boys and girls during important events and eras in New Zealand history.

Seven years ago, Mary Brogan's family moved from Australia to New Zealand. Mary's father was supposed to follow them, but he never turned up. Everyone believes he deserted his family. When Mary hears of a gold rush in Otago, she knows if her father is still alive, he would head for the goldfields to make his fortune. Determined to see her father again and help her impoverished family, Mary decides to disguise herself as a boy and search for him.

This was one of my favorite books from the New Zealand My Story series. Mary was a very likable character in her determination to reunite her family. Her diary brought to life the hardships and adventures of life in the mining camps of 1860s New Zealand. I highly recommend this book to young readers who enjoy historical fiction in diary format. ( )