AustLit

'Her brother, Dougy, is an embarrassment, especially when he finds some gruesome old bones that bring experts and activists to town. Gracey’s glad she can get back to school, but Dougy and those bones won’t leave her alone. They’re part of a history that draws her in, revealing more about her family than she could possibly have guessed. Who is Gracey? Does she even know herself? ' (Publication summary)
 

'Ian Abdulla's paintings and text offer a snapshot of an Aboriginal family living on a small stretch of the Murray River in South Australia in the 1950s and 1960s. This was a time of immense and profound environmental and social change when the assimilation policy still existed and there were few employment opportunities for Aborigines.

'Ian's personal story of survival affirms the culture of rural Aborigines who despite being dispossessed have been determined to stay on the land.' (Publication summary)

'At the back of Jack's school there's a special place. Not even his Mum or Gran or Splinter or Fleabag or his little sister, Pest Susie, know about all the things that happen there. His Mate, Lizard, is the only he can tell. When Jack meets the mysterious Birdman, he finds out secrets about the past. there's one secret that he can't tell anyone - not even Lizard. What happened at the Fat and Juicy Place? Why does Jack need to go there? Only that old fella Birdman has the answers.' (Publication release)

'The story tells how people behaved in the old days when Aboriginal people went to the place known by non-Aboriginals as Glen Helen, which is a sacred place called Yapalpe.'

Source: Living Archive of Aboriginal Languages