Child Convicts by Net Brennan - OPTIONAL

Brennan, Net  Child Convicts, 27 pgs.  Candlewick Press, 2013.  $16.99 Content: Language: G; Violence: PG-13; Mature Content: PG.   

In England, many prisoners were sent as slaves to Australia.  This book tells the beginning of Australia’s history.  It gives details such as the amount of prisoners sent per year, where on the island prisons were established and how the hard working prisoners became the first settlers of Australia.  There were a few teens among the stories, and it was heartbreaking to read about their treatment.   

This book is misleading because I’m not sure what the title had to do with the information inside.  It had very little to do with child convicts and a lot to do with Australia.  The other confusing issue with this book is it is the size of a picture book, but the information is more geared towards maybe a high school or middle school history class.  The information about Australia is interesting, but it is presented in the wrong format.   

MS, HS – OPTIONAL.  Reviewer, C. Peterson.