Star by Star

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?