Part of the My Story (New Zealand) series and based loosely on the recollections of 93-year-old Ruth (Micky) Murray (nee McIsaac) (6 December 1910-3 March 2007), who in 1929 married bushman John Leslie Murray 'Jack' (8 May 1911-1996). Laura Ann Findlay and her family live the bush life among the mighty kauri trees of the Coromandel forest in the 1920s. The last remnants of the once mighty kauri forest are being cleared for timber and farmland. Laura and her mother cook for a bush camp, feeding around 10 men per day. The text is fulled with much historical information about the time. Historical notes and photographs at the end of the story add value and are useful learning tools. This is a wonderful series. ( )

This entire series is a wonderful way to learn history or teach it to adolescents. I find today's generations seem to recall more when they learn through other people (pop songs, celebrity gossip, etc.), so what better way to teach history than through someone else's perspective? Yes, "authentic" diaries would be "better", but would the language really hold the modern student's attention? Did the diary writer know what WOULD be important in the context of history? Probably not.