Cirrus@Austlit

'It is 1900 and Dorothy and her family have just moved to a new house at 11 Ruby Road. Ruby Road is a busy street, bustling with activity, families and children, noisy carts and animals. The house is close enough to see the city and very different from the rural life Dorothy has known. Best of all it has a secret writing room that only she knows about!

'Dorothy has big plans for her new neighbourhood, she wants to put on a play and write it herself! But there are other reasons for her family's move to the city and as Dorothy starts to learn about her new house, she discovers more about the period of time she's growing up in.' (Publication summary)

'The second book in the 11 Ruby Road series set in the roaring 1920s - perfect period fiction for middle-grade readers and for fans of the Our Australian Girl series.

'It is 1925 and Bert Mueller and his German-Australian family have moved from Ipswich to their new house at 11 Ruby Road. Bert’s father has been deported to Germany after the Great War, and with Dad still absent, Bert is unsure about moving away. But the city means opportunity and jobs for his mother and older siblings. And for the grown-ups , it also means fun - dressing up, going out, and all that jazz. Bert loves jazz too, but he’s too young for the clubs, and instead his time is spent at his new school where the kids play cricket, not music.

'But with the help of a Gramophone, Bert has a solution. He will start his own jazz club, and 11 Ruby Road has the perfect spot to host it. But as prejudice about Bert and his German family start to affect their new life, Bert has to find a way to save his jazz club and his family.' (Publication summary)