num_pages: 479
description: In 1894 twelve-year-old Matilda flees the city slums to find her unknown father and his farm. But drought grips the land and the shearers are on strike. Her father has turned swaggie and he's wanted by the troopers. In front of his terrified daughter he makes a stand against them defiant to the last. Youll never catch me alive said he...Set against a backdrop of bushfire flood war and jubilation this is the story of one girl's journey towards independence. It is also the story of others who had no vote and very little but their dreams. Drawing on the well-known poem by A.B. Paterson and from events rooted in actual history this is the untold story behind Australias early years as an emerging nation.
language: English
title: A Waltz for Matilda
publisher: HarperCollins Australia