The Riding Gallery

May 21, 2024
Prominent children’s verse novelist Sally Murphy (Queen Narelle) returns with The Riding Gallery. With charming illustrations by Martina Heiduczek (Spies in the Sky), this middle-grade verse novel is a beautiful story written with accessible language about inclusivity and friendship, set in Australia—primarily St Kilda—during the First World War. The narrative is based on the true story of Anton Weniger, a German immigrant beloved for building fair rides. It follows his journey as he sets out to construct the world’s most beautiful riding gallery—a merry-go-round powered by a steam engine, evoking memories of his childhood in Germany. Weniger’s Riding Gallery opened on the Esplanade near Alina Park in 1914. In the book, fictional characters Evelyn and Rory have recently become friends after Evelyn moved to St Kilda, and they enjoy playing together. Evelyn loves the Riding Gallery and Mr Weniger, but Rory, influenced by the rising anti-German sentiment fuelled by the war, hesitates to join in the fun. Murphy tells this story through poems of alternating perspectives, and occasionally with found poems sourcing text from historical newspapers, and has crafted a magnificent text, with memorable characters that encourage discussion of oppression and bigotry, particularly in the context of how war impacts the lives of those who stay at home. Suitable for readers aged 8+, The Riding Gallery is a stellar example of both middle-grade verse novels and Australian children’s historical fiction.