Felicity Pulman started writing stories in primary school. 'I didn't take my writing seriously until I went back to school as a mature-age student to do the HSC,' Felicity explains. 'After that, I did a BA (Communications) degree at the University of Technology, Sydney followed by a Master of Arts in Children`s Literature at Macquarie University.'
Since then, Felicity has written several novels for children. 'Most of them have an element of fantasy, like a time slip to the past (Ghost Boy and Shalott) or to the future (Surfing the Future) or even reincarnation (Double Time)!'
Felicity's book, Ghost Boy, tells the story of Tad, a young boy who, in 1881, was snatched by his father and brought out to Australia. Tad soon discovers that smallpox rages in Sydney Town and the Quarantine Station is full of disease and death. Tad needs to cross time and space to tell the secrets of the past.
Part of Ghost Boy is set at the Quarantine Station, both at the time of the smallpox epidemic and in the present. It is an historic site with a grisly past and a lot of ghosts! Special 'Ghost Boy Tours' and teachers' notes are available for schools studying the book. Contact the Quarantine Station for bookings.
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