Ivan Southall's award-winning novels for young adults are often considered inappropriate by critics because of his serious topics and challenging literary techniques. However, none of this has altered Southall's style: he continues to treat his readers intelligently, regardless of their age. And the popularity of his books has increased, ever since he made the plunge into writing serious children's fiction.

Southall's own life story was peppered with tragedies, starting from before he was even born. His maternal grandmother lived in the harsh climate of a gold mining town in the Australian outback and died of pneumonia, leaving her aunt to raise the children. His mother's family never did strike it rich searching for gold, but they stayed on in the rough mining town. His father was so poor growing up that he had to trudge through the streets of his hometown, earning money by selling yeast. Eventually, half...