The Year It All Ended
Category: Young Adult Historical Fiction
Age range: 13-17
On Tiney Flynn’s seventeenth birthday, every church bell tolled, as if heralding a new year, a new era. Tiney stood in the garden, purple jacaranda petals fluttering down around her. One by one, her sisters came outside to join her; first Nette, then Minna and lastly Thea. It was 11 November, 1918, Armistice Day.
For Tiney and her sisters everything is about to change, but not in the way they might have imagined. Building peace is complicated; so is growing up. From tragedy to undreamt-of joy, from weddings to séances, from masked balls to riots in the streets, Tiney’s world will be transformed.
At the end of the war and the dawn of the Jazz Age, Tiney must face her greatest fears and begin a journey that will change her destiny,
See Teachers Notes
Awards
CBCA Notable Book 2015
Reviews
The Year It All Ended is a fantastic piece of YA historical fiction set in Australia after the conclusion of WWI… I loved this book for its honesty in portraying what life must have been like for many Australians affected by the war, with an enthralling plot and well-developed characters.
Eugenia - Genie In a Book
Kirsty Murray has captured the essence of life in Australia at the beginning of the 20th century …The writing in this book is really lovely – it is refreshing to read something so authentically true to the period in which it is set – and the stories of each member of the Flynn family are genuine and honest, gentle and almost quaint in their telling. This is a fascinating time in Australia’s history and I think Murray has done a wonderful job in weaving the story with great historical accuracy.
The Kids’ Bookshop
RA wonderfully astute look at the changing fortunes of young women at the end of the war, a time of change for them as well as society as a whole. Murray has skilfully incorporated historical detail into the story, making this a luminous addition to the genre of historical fiction.
Fran Knight - Read Plus
Behind The Book: The Year It All Ended
Here you will find research, notes and photographs that went into the creation of the book.
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The Year It All Ended at The Little Bookroom.
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