Teresa : a new Australian

Teresa Front cover B_1

Deborah Abela, Teresa : a new Australian, Scholastic Australia,  1 March 2016, 288pp., $16.99 (pbk) ISBN 9781742990941

Teresa is a brave young girl who tries to make sense of war. Malta is being relentlessly bombarded by German air raids. Her house is reduced to rubble. But she manages to remain strong in the face of fear, hunger, loss and death. When her father returns from service in 1949, he decides to take advantage of an immigration scheme by the Australian government and relocate to Australia to provide a better future for his family. Teresa is torn between the excitement and promise of a new life and the heartbreak of saying goodbye to her Nanna, her best friend, George and her home.

The long voyage by ship is merely the beginning of Teresa’s journey to be ‘home’. On arriving in Sydney, it soon becomes apparent that life is not going to be as rosy as the family’s dreams. Things are so different from Malta. There are many ordeals along the way. Teresa must endure bullying and racism but also experiences friendship, compassion and tremendous hope. She learns to look beneath the surface and begins to understand what can motivate certain behaviour, helping her to act with empathy.

This story is written in the third person from Teresa’s point of view. The narration is interspersed by letters home to Nanna and George, which help the reader feel personally connected with the main character, to know her hopes, dreams and heartaches. It is amazing how much the human spirit can endure. Through Teresa’s eyes, and the characters we meet along the way, such as the returned serviceman with PTSD, we vicariously experience the effects of war, the ugliness of racism and fear of the unknown. By taking the journey with Teresa we can understand the past better and hopefully, through empathy, develop tolerance of others. This story is part of the New Australian series and is recommended for mid to upper primary.  More information about Deborah Abela can be found on her website.

Teachers’ Notes are available through Omnibus Books.

Reviewed by Sharon Seymour

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