Eleanor Spence facts for kids

Eleanor Spence (1928–2008) was an amazing Australian author. She wrote many novels for young adults and older children. Her books explored important topics like Australian history, different beliefs, and how people deal with challenges. She was also recognized for her work with the Order of Australia in 2006.

About Eleanor Spence

Eleanor Rachel Therese Spence was born in Sydney, Australia, on October 21, 1928. She went to the University of Sydney and earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1949.

For the next ten years, she worked as a teacher and a children's librarian. These jobs helped her discover her passion for writing stories for young people. Her very first novel, Patterson's Track, was published in 1958.

Awards and Recognition

Eleanor Spence won the CBCA Book of the Year award twice! She won in 1964 for her book The Green Laurel. She won again in 1977 for The October Child.

Other books, like Me and Jeshua and The Family Book of Mary Claire, also received special mentions from the CBCA. Her book Seventh Pebble won the Ethel Turner prize.

In 1999, Eleanor Spence received a special award from the Australia Council for the Arts. This award was for her amazing and long-lasting contribution to Australian literature. In 2006, she became a Member of the Order of Australia. This was for her writing and for helping people understand autism.

Eleanor Spence passed away in Erina, New South Wales on September 30, 2008. She was 79 years old.

What Eleanor Spence Wrote About

Most of Eleanor Spence's books are set in New South Wales, Australia. She made sure her stories felt real, with true-to-life Australian places and characters.

For example, The Family Book of Mary Claire tells the interesting story of two families living on the NSW coast. The Switherby Pilgrims and Jamberoo Road are about early settlers in Australia. These books follow young "pilgrims" from England who were orphans. They struggled to build new homes in Australia in the 1820s.

Stories in Different Places

Two of her books, Me and Jeshua and Miranda Going Home, are set in a different time and place. They take place in ancient Palestine, about 2,000 years ago. Me and Jeshua is about the childhood of Jesus. Miranda Going Home is about a girl whose mother was Jewish and her father was a Roman soldier.

Eleanor Spence was very good at showing what family life is like. She wrote with understanding and humor. The Somerville family in The Green Laurel is a great example. She once said she was fascinated by orphans when she was a child. She wanted to adopt neglected babies, but instead, she adopted stray kittens or pretended her dolls were orphans. That's why orphans often appear in her books, like in The Left Overs.

Characters Facing Challenges

Eleanor Spence was one of the first authors for older children to write about characters facing different kinds of challenges.

• In The Nothing Place, the main character, Glen, can't hear very well. He becomes friends with Reggie, an older man who is also an "outsider."
• In The October Child, Douglas often feels annoyed because he has to look after his younger brother, Carl. Carl has autism, which changed their family life.
• In A Candle for St. Antony, Justin's friendship with Rudi becomes very strong. Justin is still young and learning how to handle such intense feelings.
• The Seventh Pebble explores conflicts between different religious groups.
• In Time to go Home, Rowan decides to coach an Aboriginal boy in Rugby Union. This decision leads to unexpected problems.

Often, her books show young people who feel different or don't quite fit in. This feeling of being an outsider helps them learn to overcome difficulties. It also helps them grow more confident and understand themselves better.

Maurice Saxby, an expert in children's literature, said that Eleanor Spence helped shape Australian children's books. He noted that her novels showed how Australian society was changing and becoming more complex.

Books by Eleanor Spence

• Patterson's Track (1958)
• The Summer In Between (1959)
• Lillipilly Hill (1960)
• The Green Laurel (1963)
• The Year of the Currawong (1965)
• The Switherby Pilgrims (1967)
• Jamberoo Road (1969)
• The Nothing Place (1972)
• Time to go Home (1973)
• The October Child (also known as The Devil Hole) (1976)
• A Candle for St. Antony (1977)
• Seventh Pebble (1980)
• The Left Overs (1982)
• Me and Jeshua (1984)
• Miranda Going Home (1985)
• Deezle Boy (1987)
• Another October Child: Recollections of Eleanor Spence (1988)
• The Family Book of Mary Claire (1990)
• Another Sparrow Singing (1991)