The Monster of Her Age

(Paperback)

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WINNER - INDIE BOOK AWARDS 2022, YOUNG ADULT CATEGORY

How do you ruin someone's childhood

Ellie Marsden was born into the legendary Lovinger acting dynasty. Granddaughter of the infamous Lottie Lovinger, as a child Ellie shared the silver screen with Lottie in her one-and-only role playing the child monster in a cult horror movie. The experience left Ellie deeply traumatised and estranged from people she loved.

Now seventeen, Ellie has returned home to Hobart for the first time in years. Lottie is dying and Ellie wants to make peace with her before it's too late.

When a chance encounter with a young film buff leads her to a feminist horror film collective, Ellie meets Riya, a girl who she might be able to show her real self to, and at last comes to understand her family's legacy.

A story of love, loss, family and film - a stirring, insightful novel about letting go of anger and learning to forgive without forgetting. And about embracing the things that scare us, in order to be braver.

'There is an unexpected intersection where family, grief, forgiveness, and horror films meet, and in the lovely center is Danielle Binks' The Monster of Her Age. Realistic, romantic, inclusive, and full of heart, this book belongs on everyone's shelf' TRISH DOLLER

'A family dynasty, a Gothic mansion, and an angry girl - The Monster of Her Age puts a clever, contemporary twist on the Final Girl horror trope. This is a sensitive and compelling story about one girl's struggle to defeat her monsters, escape the past, and find her place in the here and now. I loved it' VIKKI WAKEFIELD

'Horror films, Hollywood scandals and Hobart are just some of the treats on offer in The Monster of Her Age. Come for the razzle dazzle, stay for the moving portrait of a young woman grappling with love, loyalty, betrayal and forgiveness' ERIN GOUGH

'All kinds of wonderful ... a book I so wished existed when I was a film-obsessed teen. All up this is my favourite kind of YA and this book is perfection' JACLYN CRUPI

'A warm hug of a book that's packed to the brim with tenderness, truth, and timeless charm. The Monster of Her Age is as much an homage to film as it is to family and heart-fluttering crushes. A must-read for fans of Nina LaCour.'

SARAH ROBINSON-HATCH, The YA Room

Author Bio

Danielle Binks is a writer, reviewer, agent and book blogger who lives on the Mornington Peninsula. In 2017, she edited and contributed to Begin, End, Begin, an anthology of new Australian young adult writing inspired by the #LoveOzYA movement, which won the ABIA Book of the Year for Older Children (Ages 13+) and was shortlisted in the 2018 Gold Inky Awards. The Year the Maps Changed, Danielle's debut middle-grade novel, was a CBCA Notable Book for Younger Readers 2021, longlisted for the ABIA Book of the Year Award for Younger Children 2021, shortlisted for the Readings Children's Book Prize 2021 and longlisted for the Indie Book Awards 2021. The Monster of Her Age is Danielle's debut YA novel.