Shortlisted
Eve Pownall Award for Information Books
2008 CBCA Awards
Shortlisted
Best Non-Fiction
2008 Crime Writer’s Association of Australia Ned Kelly Awards
“I have been wronged…”
Ned Kelly was a dangerous man – a thief, a bank robber and a murderer. Yet when he was sentenced to hang, thousands of people rallied to save his life.
In the Jerilderie Letter we hear from Ned in his own words. Wicked, angry, vividly descriptive – this is Ned’s justification to his countrymen of how it all transpired.
Superbly edited by award-winning Ned Kelly expert, Carole Wilkinson, this is one of the most important documents of Australia’s history.
$16.99 Purchase this book
One of the most amazing documents of Australian history is made accessible through Carole Wilkinson’s careful editorship... Dean Jones’ dramatic black and white illustrations are strong and dynamic and reflect the atmosphere and desperation of Kelly’s situation... exciting and very real
— Children’s Book Council of Australia
An excellent ‘taster’... a terrific read and resource for both younger and older readers... gives us the personality of the man behind the mask: his humour, wit and anger
— Reading Time
It’s a cracking yarn. Even if a young reader knows nothing about Ned, the background is in the introduction, cast of characters, timeline and glossary. And Dean Jones’ slick illustrations, with their suggestion of black-and-white digital images, are suitably grim pictures of people shooting and being shot, spurting blood and all. They may be disturbing for some parents but they are what kids want to see.
— Jane Sullivan, The Age
...sensitively edited by Carole Wilkinson... Ned’s famous rant retains all his anger, indignation and sarcasm... This bite-sized history lesson is a gem.
— Sunday Age
An easy-to-read version of one of the most important documents in Australian history and is targeted at students aged 8+. Ned Kelly’s stream of consciousness, with all of its fabulous invective and metaphor, has been edited by Kelly expert Carole Wilkinson. The illustrations by Dean Jones will raise a whole new level of interest in the book.
— AEU News, Australian Education Union (Victorian Branch)
The strength of this book is that we get to hear Ned’s voice in close to his won words... The text is illustrated by captivating (no pun intended) images that add to the reading experience while providing support for the emerging reader.
— Magpies
