The Kokoda Track
'The Kokoda Track: 101 Days' is the extraordinary story of a small force defeating a much larger one. It is the tale of the 550 men of the 39th Militia Battalion, called "chocos" because the regular soldiers thought they'd melt under pressure. In eight short and brutal weeks - from 20 August 1942 - these resilient soldiers slowed, and eventually stopped, the advance of 6000 experienced Japanese troops of the Nankai division across the massive Owen Stanley range.
Honour Book, Children's Book Council of Australia Awards, Eve Pownall Award for Information Books (2008); Shortlisted for the NSW Premier's History Awards (2007)
About the Drum Series
Books in series order
- 1.The Black Snake(2002)
- 2.Alexander the Great(2004)
- 3.Scarecrow Army(2005)
- 4.Joan of Arc(2006)
- 5.Red Haze(2006)
- 6.Mary Bryant(2007)
- 7.The Kokoda Track(2007)
- 8.Fly a Rebel Flag(2007)
- 9.The Games(2008)
- 10.The Long Patrol(2008)
- 11.Shakespeare: The Most Famous Man in London(2009)
- 12.The Death: The Horror of the Black Plague(2009)
- 13.Creforce: The Anzacs and the Battle of Crete(2010)
- 14.Closets Are For Clothes(2010)
- 15.Fromelles(2011)
- 16.Atmospheric: The Burning Story of Climate Change(2015)
Reading age: 12+ years
The Drum series combines first-person accounts and non-fiction to bring history roaring to life. The points of history are quite diverse in subject and time-period, ranging from historical figures such as Alexander the Great and Joan of Arc, sobering battles of the First and Second World Wars and Vietnam, to a lighter account of the highs and lows of the modern Olympic Games. These historical accounts are well-researched and written to be quickly engaging.