The Mostly True Story of Matthew and Trim
Graphic novel
48 pp | Years 2–4 (and 5–8)
When their statues come to life, Matthew Flinders and his cat, Trim, remember their adventures at sea together and apart. Matthew's father had wanted him to be a doctor but Matthew loved the book Robinson Crusoe and wanted to have adventures on the sea discovering new lands. He joined the navy and sailed to Botany Bay, where he met George Bass and his boat, the Tom Thumb. They explored rivers and Lake Illawarra, then discovered that Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) was an island, separated from the mainland Australia by a strait – Bass Strait.
Matthew Flinders wanted to fill in the gaps in Captain Cook's map. He circumnavigated Australia. He was caught by the French on his way back to England to see his wife, Ann. He was imprisoned in Mauritius and he didn't see Trim again after that. In this book, Trim tells Matthew how he took the letter that was meant to free him all the way to France, to Napoleon. Even though Napoleon said that Matthew should be freed, he was kept prisoner for another three years. He did finally get to sail home, see Ann and write his book, A Voyage to Terra Australis.
Cassandra Golds was born in Sydney and grew up reading Hans Christian Andersen, C.S. Lewis and Nicholas Stuart Gray over and over again - and writing her own stories as soon as she could hold a pen. Her first book, Michael and the Secret War, was accepted for publication when she was nineteen years old, and she has been writing a monthly cartoon serial, illustrated by Stephen Axelsen, for the New South Wales School Magazine for so many years now that she has become quite good at it...
She wrote The Mostly True Story of Matthew and Trim after seeing the bronze statue of Trim on the windowsill of the Mitchell Library in Sydney and thinking, for just a moment, that it was real.
Source: Penguin Books (used with permission)
Stephen Axelsen was a highly decorated cub scout with plenty of badges. One of those was for map reading and finding his way around in the bush. He always thought he was good at this, until he got lost, map in hand, and had to spend a cold night out with his young son. So he wonders how Matthew Flinders found his way around with no maps at all, in leaky boats with bad food and his teeth falling out and no mobile phone. Stephen is in awe of Matthew Flinders' achievements and found it a privilege and a pleasure to draw him and his remarkable cat. He enjoyed the dodo too.
Source: Penguin Books (used with permission)