Not bad but I feel like I have read this book before as there is only so much you can write about a 20 minute battle on the Ballarat goldfields.
Henry has to work his father's claim with his sister, after his mother and baby brother have died. He befriends an Irish boy called Frank who leads him to meet a strange character known as Happy Jack, much to the annoyance of his father who thinks his new friends are a bad influence.
It is a time of great unrest on the goldfields with corrupt police, a murder, riots and the burning of the Eureka hotel. The miners are angry with the exorbitant prices of mining licences that they see as a form of taxation with no representation of their rights. Despite his father's warnings to stay clear Henry soon finds himself with a gun and sleeping in the newly constructed Eureka Stockade, and then, in the dead of night, he hears gunshots...
Written for younger readers with maps, glossary and fact files. ( )

Book review - 1854 Do You Dare

1854 Do you dare is a novel based off of the middle 1800's gold rush. There is a young boy, Henry, who was born on the gold fields and raised up in a very poor environment. His mother passed away and Henry was raise by a poor father, who couldn't afford a mining licence. Henry gets caught by the police and they hold him “hostage” until his father can offer something pricy to the policemen as a bribe.
The main characters of this book are: Henry, his mother and father, Frank and the police men
This is an easy-read novel.
I like this book because the storyline is clear and easy to understand, however, I do not like this book as the language is very basic and I did not have any trouble understanding any word. ( )