Maddy McAllister: Shipwreck detective
Deb Fitzpatrick
About this series
Each book is written by an award-winning children’s author and follows the real-life stories of some of Australia’s top scientists and inventors, chosen on the basis of their pioneering work. Themes explored include childhood, school, family, and formative experiences, what inspired them to pursue their chosen path, how they persevered in the face of challenges, and what they have contributed to science in Australia.
About Maddy McAllister: Shipwreck detective
Maddy spent her early years in the Northern Territory before her family moved back to Western Australia. Maddy’s love of the sea and everything in it was nurtured by her beloved grandfather who would take her fishing and snorkelling in the ocean off Busselton, south of Perth. On these trips he would regale her with his many stories of shipwrecks around the coast and share his great curiosity in the natural and human-made world.
Still only a 14-year-old teenager and already a certified SCUBA diver, her passion for maritime archaeology in particular, was sparked by a lecture she attended in Busselton where her family had finally settled. A maritime archaeologist from the Museum of Western Australia in Perth told the gathering the story of the shipwreck of a cargo ship Georgette, that occurred in 1876, south of Busselton. At great risk to themselves, two courageous young people who lived in the area, Indigenous man Sam Isaacs and 16-year-old Grace Bussell, rode their horses into the boiling surf to rescue survivors.
Dr Maddy McAllister is a Senior Lecturer at James Cook University and the Senior Curator of Maritime Archaeology at Queensland Museum Network and is based in the Queensland Museum Tropics in Townsville. Her PhD research was on the notorious Batavia shipwreck of 1629 in the Houtman Abrolhos Islands of Western Australia.
More to love about the Aussie STEM Stars
• Teacher’s notes available. A perfect series for school libraries or home bookshelves.
• A fresh and unique series that focuses on our Australian STEM heroes. Science is more important than ever as we look to our inventors and innovators to solve the contemporary problems facing humanity and the planet.
• Strong role model and inspiration to young scientists to dream the impossible.
• Narrative non-fiction as a tool for educating children, proving that it can be as fun and interesting as fiction.
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February 2024 | 9781925893823 | 160 pages | Paperback | 198 x 129 mm | Middle Grade
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Aussie STEM Stars, Maddy McAllister, Shipwreck detective, maritime archaeology, #loveozmg
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photo credit: Sabine AlbersDeb Fitzpatrick writes fiction and creative non-fiction for adults, young adults and children. Her books have been named Notable Books by the Children’s Book Council of Australia, shortlisted in the West Australian Young Readers Book Awards, published in the US, and optioned for film. Deb lived in a shack in Costa Rica for four years where she became accustomed – well, almost – to orange-kneed tarantulas walking through her house, and sloths and spider-monkeys in the trees outside. Deb loves using stories from real life in her novels and regularly teaches creative writing to all ages. She shares her life with a lovely family and their kelpie.
She is also the author of Aussie STEM Stars: Ajay Rane.