Alice Patricia Furlonger Wrightson was born June 21, 1921, in Lismore, New South Wales, Australia, where students living in isolated rural areas ("the Outback") of Australia received standardized lessons by mail which they studied at home. Tests and homework were mailed to a central office for grading. After completing the State Correspondence School, Wrightson attended St. Catherine's College in Stanthorpe. She married in 1943 and had two children, a daughter and a son. In 1953, after ten years of marriage, she was divorced. In 1946 she began working at Bonalbo District Hospital as secretary and administrator and in 1960 she became administrator of the Sydney District Nursing Association. In 1964, she took a position as assistant editor of School Magazine, and became editor in 1970. She retired from her post as editor in 1975 to devote all her time to writing.

Her books for young readers have won numerous awards: the Australian Children's...