Follow after me

In 1914, Evie's dreams are destroyed when the shadow of World War I descends. Her sweetheart, eighteen-year-old Tom Windridge, leaves the family's farm to serve in the war with his four brothers. Before he goes, Evie gives Tom a small key as a good luck charm - the key to her heart.

Evie's spirit is shattered when she learns Tom will not return. Grappling with religious differences and the conscription debate, Evie abandons her values and ambition when wooed by the local priest's charming, yet controlling nephew. Fate intervenes to unlock a new beginning for Evie when Tom's older brother, Jack, returns from the Western Front with the missing key.

In a parallel narrative, Evie's great-granddaughter, Lizzie, is dealing with the social challenges of becoming an adult in 2018. In her final year of high school, she suddenly rejects her friends, her study and her principles to start a potentially life-changing relationship with Brandon, a narcissistic football player who conceals his predatory intention. Nick, a fellow student, secretly protects Lizzie, but an altercation with Brandon fills her with shame and regret.

A century on, the tiny key once again unlocks the way forward.

Book features :

• A poignant weaving of past and present in a contemporary fictional story based on real events.
• Uniquely blends historical detail, modern social issues and young love in a rural Australian setting.
• A story of war, love and coming-of-age that will appeal to both male and female readers.
• Written to engage readers of Ages 14 and up and cross-over to adult readership.

About the Author

Allison is the author of the 2016 ABIA and CBCA notable title Anzac Sons: Five Brothers on the Western Front, the children’s version of the adult title Anzac Sons. Her children’s picture books Granny’s Place and Shearing Time are inspired by childhood memories of life on the farm. Australia Remembers: Anzac Day, Remembrance Day and War Memorials was published in 2018 and is the first in a series. Allison was a recipient of a 2017 May Gibbs Children’s Literature Trust Creative Time Fellowship which directly contributed to the publication of Follow After Me. Previously a teacher-librarian, Allison now works full-time as a writer and presenter in schools