The Goodbye Year

‘Timely and vivid, this brilliant book is a warm hug, a rustle of autumn leaves and the last day of term all rolled into one. I loved every minute spent with Harper, her friends, her sometimes-prickly gran, Lolly, her persistent ghost and her dear little trench dog, Hector.’ * Fiona Wood, author of How to Spell Catastrophe *‘A time capsule with a dash of mystery, The Goodbye Year encourages kids to be hopeful and brave.I loved it.’ * Karys McEwen, author of All the Little Tricky Things *‘A sweet, gentle story about friendship, family…making sense of your world when everything is changing…discovering the past and noticing its connection to your present.’ * Readings *‘The Goodbye Year is a beautifully written story that deftly weaves the challenges that Harper is faced with in 2020, into the historical challenges that confronted young people in the past…and shows that no matter what happens we can always rise to the difficulties that face us. A fantastic read for those in upper primary, especially those embarking on their own “goodbye year”.’ * Lamont *‘The Goodbye Year is a great coming-of-age tale that explores themes of resilience and friendship. Gale has really nailed that feeling of being on the cusp of growing up.’ * Better Reading *‘A moving story of change and the lives of children as they leave primary school.’ * CBCA *‘Written so brilliantly…A book that articulates what so many young people might not be able to voice and reading this will be a beautiful healing experience for them.’ * Great Escape Books *‘A deeply relatable story, with a hint of the supernatural, and a lot of heart.’ * BookPeople *‘Harper is one of the most charming creations that has come along in children’s literature in a very long time, and her ability to notice the good in the world acts like a balm, soothing even in the most difficult of times.’ * Readings *‘A moving and uplifting story.’ * Age *‘The Goodbye Year is a wonderfully written book that weaves its way through many different issues and historical moments in a very engaging and sensitive way.’ * StoryLinks *‘I recommend this fabulous story to those who are starting year 6 or soon will be.’ * Amelia, 13, Youkie *‘It’s hard to resist a book housing a resident ghost in the school library!…A terrific novel to use as a platform for discussing facing teen fears and living through real-life crises…There is every reason to use this novel in the classroom as a model text.’ * ACTATE *

Emily Gale’s work includes the junior fiction duology Eliza Boom, middle-grade novels The Other Side of Summer, Elsewhere Girls and Outlaw Girls (co-written with Nova Weetman), The Goodbye Year, and most recently The Wild Unknown, as well as the YA novels Girl, Aloud, Steal My Sunshine, and I Am Out With Lanterns. Emily’s books have been published all over the world and shortlisted for a number of awards.