Families who loved Grim Crims and Convicts 1788-1820 by Jackie French often look for books with a similar feel. These 20 recommendations were selected for their similarity in style, theme, and reading level.
Reach for this book when your child starts asking tough questions about fairness and history, wondering if the past was always as neat as it seems in textbooks. "Grim Crims and Convicts" provides a raw and honest look at the founding of the Australian penal colony, focusing on the real human stories behind the historical facts. It explores themes of justice, incredible resilience, and survival against the odds. Best suited for older children (10-14) who can handle direct discussions of hardship and historical brutality, this book is an excellent choice for fostering critical thinking and empathy. It turns history from a list of dates into a compelling, and often heartbreaking, human drama.
