Carly Mills, Pioneer Girl

The series

In this empowering new series Carly Mills discovers how strong women of our past helped change the world. Through determination, integrity and courage, women such as Caroline Chisholm, Dr Lilian Cooper, Dame Nellie Melba and Florence Nightingale made a difference. Carly applies their examples to modern life and discovers the timeless value of dignity, kindness and courage.

This does more than acknowledge our female trailblazers. It teaches our daughters about them in a delightful and entertaining away. Gold!
- Madonna King, author and journalist.

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'A New World' the trailer

'The Lady with the Lamp' trailer

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This book is a time travelling romp with a feminist heart. Learning about important female figures has never been more fun!
- Dr Tara East, author and lecturer in creative writing

This book is a must for school and public libraries, sharing a time from our colonial history.
-Liz Derouet, Lecturer in Teacher Librarianship

Exciting
new look Carly Mills
is
coming soon!

Once again Jane Smith has managed to take a piece of Australian history and weave an interesting story with engaging characters that is guaranteed to appeal to her target readers. It will fit perfectly into the primary school curriculum and will, I’m sure, become the next ‘in demand ‘series.
- Allen Heald, educational bookseller 22 years

What an absolute delight! Reaching back in time, A New World, the first book in the ‘Carly Mills Pioneer Girl’ series, invites young readers to discover the story of one of Australia’s greatest humanitarians, Caroline Chisholm, through the eyes of Carly Mills, a young, and sometimes, brave adventurer. As a teacher of young women for over 30 years, I recommend Carly Mills as a heroic character who will inspire young readers, especially girls like Carly, to be curious and ready for action at a moment’s notice.
- Kathi-Ann Hill, English and Japanese teacher

WOW! ... A glorious EXPLOSION of excitement, action and Aussie history, as country girl, CARLY, launches into an extraordinary adventure, in ye olde Sydney-town, hurled back in time, where she learns the super-values of kindness, friendship and wonder, from our very own CAROLINE CHISHOLM! A superb blend of fiction and history for young readers; a superb blend of fiction and women's history for all readers!! Congratulations to acclaimed Queensland author, JANE SMITH! This series, I believe, will make educational and literary history! "A New World" is the first of Jane's series - Readers will be busting to read more.....
- Jennifer Ann Davies NCWQ/ICW
(National Council of Women, QLD / International Council of Women)

I am the teacher librarian in a girls' school, and I am always on the lookout for books about strong female role models. Carly Mills, Pioneer Girl will connect our girls to outstanding women from Australia's past. What I love most is the way the fictional format helps us to get to know each famous woman personally, and brings to life their contributions to their communities. I highly recommend the series as enjoyable reads and as supporting texts for the Australian Curriculum.
- Marie Miegel, teacher-librarian

Australian history contains wonderful characters and stories, but it is an uphill battle to convince students of that. Thank goodness, therefore, for author Jane Smith whose Australian historical fiction is so engaging and relatable for a young audience. Seen through the eyes of Carly Mills and her new friend Dora, Caroline Chisholm becomes a flesh and blood heroine, tackling rats and rogues with equal aplomb. Better still, without being heavy-handed about it, her story neatly lets historical example provide a path forward for contemporary problems. Highly recommended for readers in years 3-7.
Diana Carrigan, teacher

As a mother of three school-aged boys I am thrilled about Jane Smith’s new children’s series focussing on strong women from our past. Meeting Caroline Chisholm through our new time-travelling character Carly brings history to life, making Chisholm’s philanthropic achievements accessible to children and presenting themes of the importance of showing kindness and generosity to others.
We have all been avid fans of Jane Smith’s previous work – we enjoyed following the adventures of Tommy Bell as he met up with various bushrangers. Smith’s meticulous historical research really helps to immerse the reader in the 19th-century time period that Tommy finds himself in. And the books are lots of fun … who doesn’t love the magic of time travel?
- Lisa Taylor, nurse/midwife and mother of three

We read the first few chapters, and the kids were obsesssssssed!'
- Sally Hannah, primary school teacher, Cloncurry.

I was absorbed by this book, Carly Mills: Pioneer Girl. A New World, as was my 9 year old daughter – we read it in one sitting!
- Educate. Empower

As a school librarian, this book makes me excited! It is the right balance of adventure, relationships and meticulously researched history. It could sit quite comfortably as a classroom text and be very popular as a book for reading for leisure.
But as a mother of a young girl, this book makes me very excited! What a wonderful way to introduce strong, smart female characters.
Heidi Edwards, teacher-librarian

This book will appeal to 7 to 12-year olds, particularly girls, who will enjoy coming on a time-travelling journey with the protagonists and find inspiration in the achievements of Caroline Chisholm. It will also be an asset to upper-primary teachers covering Australian colonial history.
Nikki M Heath, Buzzwords

Young readers who love mystery, adventure and time travel will love this series and will learn a lot about Australian women of our past.
Highly recommended
Vanessa Ryan-Rendall, Instagram blogger

The author: Jane Smith

Jane Smith is a QLD author, librarian and editor. She likes books, history, chocolate and cats. She is grateful to the heroic women in the Carly Mills books who helped make the world a better place.

Visit Jane Smith's website