SACTING SADDLER'S CROSSING — Ruth Starke

A small rural school is earmarked for closure, something which will affect not only the students and teachers but the whole community. But the kids of Saddler's Crossing are battlers, and they're not about to let their school be taken away from them. A warm, humorous and engaging story with a cast of memorable characters from varied ethnic backgrounds, and a young hero battling the odds to achieve a goal. Author Biography: Dr Ruth Starke worked in marketing before turning to fiction writing in 1992. She has since published ten novels for young people, including the award-winning The Twist in the Tale in the After Dark series. She is co-editor of Solo Spots (drama monologues for senior students) and has written a history of the Adelaide Writers' Week. Ruth teaches English at Flinders University, Adelaide, and creative writing at TAFE. She was recently awarded a PhD with first class honours. She is Chair of the SA Writers' Centre, writes and reviews for Australian Book Review and Viewpoint, and has been a Judge of the National Festival Awards for Children's Literature since 1995. She is the author of NIPS XI in Lothian's Takeaways series.