Sally Rippin was born in Darwin, but grew up mainly in South-East Asia. She has a very clear memory of herself as a child. She remembers the details of her primary school years with surprising clarity: the trials, the treasons, the tribulations, as well as all the lovely things that exist in childhood friendships. Perhaps this is the main reason behind why she is the successful author and illustrator of over 50 published children's books; many of them award winning, including two novels for young adults. She aims to write stories with heart. Her most recent books include the best-selling Billie B Brown early-reader series and its recent spin-offs, A Billie B Mystery, Billie's Adventures and Hey Jack! series. These are quality stories with characters that have struck a chord with children, their parents, teachers and librarians alike, and has gone on to cement Sally's position as Australia's highest selling female author, third-highest selling children's author, and eighth-highest selling author overall. Sally's brand new junior-fiction series Polly and Buster is very close to her heart as it's a story she's wanted to write for some time. As a bonus to fans, Sally - who spent three years studying fine art in China as a young adult - has stunningly illustrated Polly and Buster herself!
""What struck me most was the depth of the story. On one level it's as simple as the Billie B Brown stories that Sally is well known for, but beneath the surface, Polly and Buster bubbles with issues that our children, and society as a whole, are (unfortunately) still dealing with ... It really was more of an emotional rollercoaster than I'd expected from both Sally and a book aimed at this age group. But part of Sally's talent is being able to write for an 8-year-old mind whilst managing to beautifully and subtlety explore much larger and darker issues. Magnificent."" –L-J Lacey, Three Four Knock on the Door, Independent Children's Bookshop ""I adored this book. I felt my own heart shrink and swell with Buster's as I read this wonderful tale of friendship, peer pressure, hope and doing what's right (even if it feels scary or too big for you)... The kind of book I want everyone I know to read, adult and child!"" –Dani Solomon, Readings. ""This book contains all the big themes - friendship, family, empathising with others, holding on to what is right in the face of peer pressure - (and) promises to be the start of a series that middle-primary readers will want to follow."" –Books + Publishing.