Star by Star
by Sheena Wilkinson
Interest age: 12 to 16
Reading age: 12+
Published by Little Island, 2017
About this book
Fifteen-year-old Stella was brought up to change the world by her suffragette mother in Manchester. But when her mum dies in the 1918 flu epidemic that sweeps the world at the end of the First World War, she returns to her mum’s native Northern Ireland to live with an aunt she has never met.
The war has ended and women (over the age of 30 with property) are about to vote for the first time: a right they’ve been fighting for since the 1870s.
This is a beautifully written and fascinating story, which shines a light on an important part of history that may be unknown to many teenagers.
Stella is a bold heroine and this is an inspiring read too, showing readers that history is made person by person – like stars coming out one by one to brighten the night sky. And maybe they can shape the world themselves if they get involved in something they are passionate about?
About the author
More books like this
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Things A Bright Girl Can Do
by Sally Nicholls
11 to 14 years
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The Lie Tree
by Frances Hardinge
11 to 14 years
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Lily Tripp: Diary of an Accidental Time Traveller
by Amelia Tait
11 to 14 years
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The Blitz Sisters
by Judith Eagle
9 to 14 years
Lists of recommended reads
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St Patrick’s Day books for older children (9+)
Why not ring in St Patrick's Day this year by adding these books to your reading list? Our St Patrick's Day booklist featuring titles about or set in the Emerald Isle features a range of books - from tales of time travel, magic, witches, natural disasters and mythical worlds to both funny and hard-hitting books about contemporary Ireland and short stories too. We've picked out these titles for slightly older readers which could make you see Ireland in a whole new light... so which one will you be sampling first on 17 March?