11 Ruby Road 1950 by Charlotte Barkla

Title: 11 Ruby Road 1950

Author: Charlotte Barkla

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: Walker Books

Published: 1^st September 2025

Format: Paperback

Pages: 176

Price: $16.99

Synopsis: The third installment in the 11 Ruby Road series, set in the post-war 1950s – perfect period fiction for middle-grade readers and for fans of the Our Australian Girl series.

Since Patsy’s baby sister was born, things at home have felt different. So, when her mother goes to spend some time in countryside, Patsy stays with her uncle and aunt, at Number 11 Ruby Road. There are so many new people to meet, especially when she begins to help out in Uncle Alex’s bright and busy milk bar.

Patsy and her new friend Jolanta soon bond over their shared love for sketching. Jolanta’s family are ‘new Australians’ from Poland, but Patsy discovers that not everyone is as welcoming to the people who came all the way from Europe after the war.

Inspired by the stories of the old Jazz, Cricket and Pastry Club that used to take part in 11 Ruby Road’s under croft, Patsy has an idea to bring together all the wonderful inhabitants of Ruby Road … wherever they come from!

~*~

Ruby Road has seen many generations and families come and go, and each book in this series is linked by its characters. Now, Australia is moving into the second half of the 20^th century in the post-war years. Immigration from Europe is increasing, but despite the diversity that has always been in Ruby Road, there are still certain attitudes surviving and proving that there will always be discrimination.

It’s 1950, and Patsy has been packed off to Aunty Mary and Uncle Alex for the summer holidays while her mother goes off to recover from ‘influenza’. Ever since Patsy’s little sister, Maria was born, her mother hasn’t been herself. And with Dad away so often and Gran taking care of Maria, Patsy arrives at 11 Ruby Road. She’s feeling pretty lonely, until she meets Jolanta, and they bond over their love of sketching. But its only five years after the war, at a time when ‘new Australians’ like Jolanta’s family from Poland are treated differently and not always welcomed. Ruby Road has always been a place where everyone comes together and tries to get along. Because they connect over commonalities: jazz music, cricket, food and the club that used to meet in the under croft of 11 Ruby Road, they’re determined to help bring the same unity back to Ruby Road and its residents.

Ruby Road moves through Australian history around pivotal events that shaped Australia, with each book focusing on a new generation and family, all connected by 11 Ruby Road, and each character who has come before is mentioned. It shows that everyone has had a distinct impact on the community as it has grown from 1900 to 1950, and the many changes the street has seen in the past fifty years. It captures a picture of what Australia was like before Federation, after World War I, and after World War II. Patsy’s story feels like the start of a move into the modern world, where things are going to start changing quickly. Each adult character so far – has appeared in previous books or been referenced in previous books, so the connections to the first two books flow well into the new one.

This book captures a pivotal point in Australian history, where people are caught between tradition and the new world and the changes to society. Where people are starting to see that the way things were done for women’s health in the past need to change, and where family starts to become important. The changes mean that Patsy is able to work on being part of a new community as well, and the history is threaded throughout, with things hinted at about post-war immigration and the White Australia Policy and the undercurrents of discrimination or assumptions about people based on where they come from, what they look like, or how they speak. It can spark discussions about racism and discrimination, and the ongoing role these had in Australian history. Their impacts might still be felt today, and this series makes the issues accessible, and are written in an age-appropriate way whilst still capturing the essence of the times.

I loved this addition to the 11 Ruby Road series that brought 1950 to life and captures what it means to accept people and how this has occurred over time. It also shows that being silent never works, and whilst there are people who will never listen, surrounding yourself with those who will listen can be effective, especially when more voices grow to support inclusion and diversity.