Continuing to defy categorisation, John Marsden now reaches a wider audience than any other Australian author. He writes powerful stories which are infused with humanity and humour, and which treat young people as important. His books are devoured in primary schools, secondary schools and universities, and by adults in every walk of life.

Behind the books is a man who remains open to his readers, who never reads reviews, who has no interest in awards and who determinedly maintains a plain and simple life. In 2006 he became Principal of Candlebark, a small alternative school on what is possibly the biggest campus in the world. It occupies 1100 acres in the Macedon Ranges north of Melbourne.