Books that appeal to sporty kids are hard to find - Elsewhere Girls hits the sweet spot: engaging characters who are passionate about their chosen sport, in this case, swimming.

Cat lives in modern day Sydney and is on a sports scholarship at an exclusive girls’ college, which makes her feel extremely pressured. Fan lives in 1908 Sydney, and is passionate about swimming, wanting to compete in the Olympics one day. She is constrained by the lack of choice available for women at this time.

While both swimming in Wylie Baths at Coogee they mysteriously swap places. Time-slip novels often play on the laughs of a character being a ‘fish out of water’. The authors don’t write for the laughs, instead using the time difference to highlight the fundamentally similar issues the girls face, but also illustrating the particular hardships Fan faces in trying to follow her dreams. But there is a light touch, and there is humour. As Cat wonders what is happening in her life - ‘If Fanny is me, is she doing a good job? She’s probably fainted from the shock of everything that’s been invented since 1908. I hope she’s using deodorant.’

This book works on so many levels: it’s a great story, with engaging, strong female characters that also offers the reader an insight into women’s lives in 1908. There’s a lot of historic content which will easily be absorbed by the reader, without them even realising!

Fanny Durack and Mina Wylie are, of course, real girls who did eventually compete in the 1912 Olympic Games, becoming the first Australian women to win Olympic medals; gold for Fanny, silver for her best friend Mina.

If you live in Sydney, make a date to swim at the historic Wylie Baths and remember the indomitable Fanny and Mina.

Recommended for ages 10+