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Title : Review: Shakespeare in the Orchard
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Review: Shakespeare in the Orchard
At fourteen, with his father killed in a horse accident and his older brother serving as a soldier in Egypt, Jack Thorning is the man of the house. Together with his mother, Ada, Jack is keeping the family apple orchard running in between school and army cadet training.
Like most of his peers, Jack is keen to ‘do his bit’ with the war effort, but despite his skill with a rifle, he is too young to enlist and, besides, his mother needs him. But still …
Then it’s announced that the Langwarrin Military Camp is to house German ‘aliens’ – Australians of German descent, many of whom are civilians and, before the war, lived and worked in Australian society. The people of Langwarrin are mortified and terrified to discover that not only will the ‘enemy’ be housed in their community, but the families of the male prisoners will be allowed to live within the township.
While the announcement is divisive, most of the community is on the same page with how they feel. However, when Jack’s mate Warren’s family are seen as sympathisers and branded as traitors, their friendship becomes strained, leaving Jack torn between what he thinks he knows and believes, and what he is coming to understand about the personalities of the people around him.
To make matters worse, with a shortage of available labour and the orchard’s picking season looming, Ada decides to take on a small group of supervised prisoners to help her and Jack meet their consigned orders. Jack insists on supervising, thinking it’ll just be routine and never assuming he’ll have anything in common with these men.
A lot is going on in this coming-of-age story and, although it takes a little while to get moving, the development of the characters and the overall wartime tone are sensational. The reader will feel Jack’s pain at the loss of his father and the fracturing of his friendship with Walter, along with his frustration with his lack of control as a young person who wants to be so much more.
Inspired by true events, Shakespeare in the Orchard is well-researched and demonstrates the author’s ability to get inside the heads of her characters, bringing them and the events to life in a way that connects with readers and makes the stories behind the history accessible.
There is an abundance of stories set during World War I and the fact that Danielle Binks was able to find an angle that has not been over-explored, and has told this story beautifully through the eyes of a 14-year-old, is commendable.
Title: Shakespeare in the Orchard
Author: Danielle Binks
Publisher: Lothian Children’s Books (Hachette), $17.99
Publication Date: 7 July 2026
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780734421920
For ages: 10 +
Type: Middle Grade Fiction
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