Hester doesn’t much like living with her uncle. But her and her siblings have no choice in the matter after their father is missing at sea, presumed drowned and their mum lost while giving birth to their baby brother and sister.

Their uncle is a businessman and puts them all to work immediately. The oldest brother is at work in the rope business, Hester’s older sister looks after the babies, and Hester herself makes whips with knots in them called a Cat of Nine Tails. She hates making them and wishes she was back at school which she loved.

Hester is very clever, in particular with maths and science and she misses her lessons. When she sees an opportunity to escape her terrible daily task she sits an exam to attend a Navigation and Astronomy School. Being the 1800’s, this is no easy task being a girl. She fools the examiners and sits the test.

Learning about Navigation is part of her three part plan to find her missing father. Wishing with all her heart that he is still alive somewhere out there, she wants more than anything to go and look for him. Her father once told her he needed a compass, navigation skills and a telescope out on the ocean and also to find his way home each time.

Although some parts of her plan come together, others do not, and instead of being a student she ends up a scullery maid far from home. Feeling further and further away from her goal, she does make unlikely friends. Her dimming determination soon rises back up again, not only to help herself but others who have their own dreams.

Set in the 19th Century when girls are meant to be maids or married off, main character Hester is feisty and steadfast at changing her and her sibling’s fate. Although not the oldest in the family, she is definitely the most clever particularly with maths and science. This knowledge and her plucky, dogged nature drives this story.

I have enjoyed many historical tales of girls going into house service and living within the strict dynamics of wealthy households, but this story surprised me. It’s set in a time of much change where woman were beginning to break away from the rules of ‘polite society’ to achieve their dreams, and ideas of science and engineering were being pursued with greater intensity.

The household Hester finds herself in is in upheaval before she even arrives due to an accident, a teacher with secrets and a lord working on a huge project that will affect the entire world.

All this makes for a great read, perfectly plotted to keep readers glued to the page.

Hester Hitchins and the Falling Stars is based around pioneering women in Science in the 19th Century and interesting aspects of their lives.

Author – Catherine Norton

Age – 8+

(2024, HarperCollins Publishers Australia, Science, Maths, Astronomy, Asteroids, Stars, Historical, Friendship, Family, 1800’s, 19th Century, Scullery Maid, Secrets, Missing at Sea, Cat of Nine Tails, Pioneering Women, Steam Engines, Telescope, Grief, Control)