Ethel Turner

Born in Yorkshire in 1870, she moved to Australia as a child and grew up in Sydney, where much of her writing life took shape. She became famous with Seven Little Australians in 1894, a lively, warm, and sometimes unsentimental family story that became one of the best-known classics of Australian children's fiction.

She wrote far beyond that single success. Over the years she worked as a journalist and editor, published many novels and stories for young readers, and also wrote books for adults, poetry, and memoir. Her work often mixed humor, strong family feeling, and a clear-eyed view of everyday life.

She died in 1958, but her reputation has lasted because her books still feel energetic and human. For many readers, she remains one of the key early voices in Australian literature for children.