The Book that Made Me A Collection of 32 Personal Stories.

Just as authors create books, books create authors — and these essays by thirty-one writers for young people offer a fascinating glimpse at the books that inspired them the most.

What if you could look inside your favorite authors’ heads and see the book that led them to become who they are today? What was the book that made them fall in love, or made them understand something for the first time? What was the book that made them feel challenged in ways they never knew they could be, emotionally, intellectually, or politically? What book made them readers, or made them writers, or made them laugh, think, or cry? Join thirty-one top children’s and young adult authors as they explore the books, stories, and experiences that changed them as readers — for good.

Some of the contributors include:
Ambelin Kwaymullina
Mal Peet
Shaun Tan
Markus Zusak
Randa Abdel-Fattah
Alison Croggon
Ursula Dubosarsky
Simon French
Jaclyn Moriarty

Judith Ridge is internationally recognized as one of Australia’s leading experts on literature for children and young adults. In a career spanning more than twenty years, she has worked as a teacher, writer, critic, and editor. Judith Ridge has taught children’s literature at several universities and is currently working toward a PhD in Australian children's and young adult fantasy fiction. She lives in South Windsor, Australia.