Books, Boots and Bakeries

John Marsden passed away last month, and honestly, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about him. I can’t say anything that so many others haven’t said, but I wanted to try and share with you what he meant in my world.

He was one of those authors who didn’t just write books—he changed lives. If you were a kid in Australia (or anywhere, really) in the ’90s or early 2000s, there’s a good chance you grew up reading Tomorrow, When the War Began. And if you didn’t, fix that immediately.

I met him twice at an author event at my local library. He was the kind of speaker who actually spoke with the audience, not at them. He got kids. He didn’t patronise, didn’t talk down, didn’t act like he was above anyone. He listened, he engaged, and you could tell he genuinely cared. That’s rare.

His books shaped so much of my childhood reading. Tomorrow, When the War Began wasn’t just a gripping, action-packed survival story—it was the first time I saw Australian teens in a book that felt real. Ellie and her friends weren’t sugarcoated or toned down to be more “relatable.” They were brave, messy, scared, flawed, and strong all at once. It should be required reading in schools.

I cried when I heard the news. Properly cried. Because it felt personal. Because his books mattered to me in a way not many do. Because the world feels a little dimmer without him in it.

Marsden wasn’t just an author. He was a teacher, a principal, and someone who believed in the power of storytelling to change lives. He founded Candlebark and Alice Miller schools, places built on creativity, individuality, and actually respecting kids. That tells you everything you need to know about the kind of person he was.

It’s hard to think of Australian YA without him. Hard to imagine what my bookshelves would have looked like if he hadn’t written the stories he did.

We were so lucky to have him.