Captain Thunderbolt
By (Author) Jane Smith
1
Big Sky Publishing
Big Sky Publishing
2nd February 2014
Australia
Paperback
260
Frederick Wordsworth Ward, better known as 'Captain Thunderbolt', had one of the longest bushranging 'careers' in history. Plaguing New South Wales for almost seven years, he enjoyed much public support as he was intelligent, and charming. This book describes some of Thunderbolt's exploits and refutes many of the popular myths that surround him.
Author and librarianJane Smithhas a passion for Australian history and bushrangers in particular. With thirteen books on the subject published since 2014, and with titles receiving award nominations in the ABIA and CBCA awards and glowing reviews nationally it appears that Janes fascination with Australian history is shared by children, parents and teachers alike! In 2015 Captain Thunderbolt from her much loved Australian Bushranger series was shortlisted in the 2015 ABIA Awards. Shoot-out from the Rock the first in her new series, Tommy Bell Bushranger Boy, followed suit as a 2017 CBCA Book of the Year notable. The books teach younger readers about the colourful lives of our bushranging legends and the times they lived in. Her meticulous research offers an insight that goes beyond the surface into the personalities of her characters and debunks a few well-known myths and facts along the way. Janes clever and entertaining series has been written with not only a flare for fun and reader engagement but also with the Australian National Curriculum in mind. The seventh book in the Tommy Bell series wasreleased in February 2019.