Ruby: A Story of the Australian Bush

"Ruby: A Story of the Australian Bush" by Molly E. Jamieson is a tale set in the late 1800s, centered around Ruby Thorne, a young girl residing in the Australian bush with her father and stepmother, who creates a world in her mind full of dreams about her mother in Scotland. The story explores themes of family relationships, the importance of kindness, and the universal feeling of longing, contrasting the roughness of the Australian landscape with the beauty of the Scottish home she imagines. Opening the story, Ruby expresses her excitement for Christmas in the Australian bush and the preparations for Christmas dinner. As the reader is introduced to Ruby, her innocence, longing, and thoughts about her mother's life in Scotland begin to reveal themselves. The tension builds as her stepmother's unhappiness with their bush life is revealed, and Ruby's journey of self-discovery, as she explores what family means to her, begins.