The Girl from Snowy River

ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK ----- Set in a community devastated by the influenza epidemic and the losses of WWI. Flinty McAlpine disguises herself as a boy to earn money on the brumby muster headed by Clancy of the Overflow. Seeing a colt’s potential, she buys him; it will be the catalyst for her future as well. A stirring historical novel from one of our best writers for young readers. Lindy 

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Flinty McAlpine is 16 and, while WW1 ended almost a year ago, it still resonates for Flinty and her family, who lost so much. Years of war and drought have left the district in chaos and local families are doing their best to rebuild lives and land. With both parents dead, Flinty is bringing up her younger siblings, as her brother Andy has 'gone with cattle' to Queensland. Money is tight, but as the best rider in the family, Flinty seizes the opportunity to make a quick 100 quid. Disguised as a boy, she talks her way into a brumby muster headed up by the legendary Clancy of the Overflow. Among the herd there is an unbroken colt that Flinty buys as she can see his enormous potential. But for a young girl, there is still so much of life to be lived and while she has hints of her future, she never imagines what life can really hold for her. The second title in The Matilda Saga, this book is a love song to the beautiful Snowy Mountains and a tribute to Australia's poets, who immortalised so much of our land.