Unpacking Harper Holt

An emotional debut novel about love, loss, fitting in and finding a place to call home.


Harper Holt’s close-knit family is always moving. All she wants is to have a normal, quiet life – in one place. But when she experiences a devastating loss, she realises that her future will never be the way she imagined it. She will have to find a support system and a strength she never knew she had to overcome her grief and redefine herself. This is a heartbreaking but ultimately hopeful story about the way one unexpected moment can change your world.

“Di Walker has taken an insular family, very new to the area, before completely untethering them with a devastating loss. She has taught us a great deal about our need for community.”

Di Walker has taken an insular family, very new to the area, before completely untethering them with a devastating loss. She has taught us a great deal about our need for community. ReadPlus
This story deals with issues of grief and loss which Walker handles in the story lines in a thoughtful, sensitive and powerful manner. I could sense Walker’s expertise as a counsellor and teacher within the dialogue. By weaving hope and a sense of tomorrow into the sadness of trying to make sense out of events that change people forever, Harper’s story is a compelling exploration of complex emotional issues for young adults. Reading Time

Di Walker has taught primary and secondary school. After retraining at university, she spent ten years working as an adolescent/family counsellor before returning to teaching. She now teaches year 5 at a school with a fabulous reading program that encourages students to read widely and daily. Di lives two hours outside of Melbourne, with her teenage son and their dogs. This is her debut novel.

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