Killing Aurora is a novel by Helen Barnes about a girl with anorexia. It was published in 1999 by Penguin Books.[1]

Killing Aurora
First edition cover
AuthorHelen Barnes
LanguageEnglish
GenreYouth novel
PublisherPenguin Books
Publication date
1 May 1999
Publication placeAustralia
Media typePrint (Paperback)
Pages240 pp (first edition, paperback)
ISBN0-14-130532-0 (first edition, paperback)

Plot summary

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The novel contains two central characters, both fourteen years of age: the first, Aurora Thorpe, has been forced by her overprotective mother and stepfather to attend the prestigious St Dymphna's Non-Denominational Ladies' College. The second, also attending St Dymphna's, is Web Richardson, an outcast from a single parent family. Aurora and Web share a prickly connection, despite Aurora's reluctance to be associated with the terribly unpopular Web.

In an abruptly unfamiliar environment, and under the pressure of family and social expectations, Aurora becomes increasingly concerned with losing weight as a means of achieving the acceptance of her peers and living up to her own rigorous standards. Meanwhile, Web endures life without a mother, having only the scant guidance of her timid father, overbearing aunt, bitter grandfather and volatile older sister to rely on. Web desperately tries to stop Aurora from "disappearing", at the same time struggling with her mother's absence and the need for a friend.

Release details

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Awards

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Further reading

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Killing Aurora by Helen Harnes". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  2. ^ "Prize for Young Adult Fiction, Premier's Literary Awards, State Library of Victoria". State Library of Victoria. Archived from the original on 29 March 2016. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  3. ^ ""CBCA Awards – Winners 2000-2006"". CBCA. Retrieved 20 April 2024.