Child Convicts

A stark and intriguing portrayal of life for the youngest convicts who populated the Australian colonies more than two hundred years ago.

At the age of seven, children in eighteenth-century Britain were tried in court like adults. For crimes such as picking pockets or stealing clothes, they could be sentenced to death by hanging or transported to the then-perilous and isolated colonies of Australia. Life in the colonies was often as difficult and dangerous as the poverty from which many of the convicts came, but the dreaded sentence of transportation could also present opportunities. In a fascinating volume filled with historical photos and drawings, today’s young readers can consider anecdotes of youthful prisoners from long ago, whose new lives on the shores of Australia ran the gamut from the boy who became the first person hanged on its soil to the girl whose photo is now on the twenty-dollar note. Back matter includes a glossary, bibliography, index, and web resources. | A captivating introduction to a history that's not so well-known on this side of the Pacific.
—Kirkus Reviews

This is an informative book about an important...time in world history, and it comes complete with old maps and even older illustrations that are sure to keep readers engaged.
—New York Journal of Books

The text is fast paced and draws the readers in...This history will be eye-opening to American audiences.
—School Library Journal | Net Brennan has more than twenty years of experience as a feature writer, magazine editor, and sports journalist. She lives in Australia.