Judith Clarke was born in Sydney and educated at the university of New South Wales and the Australian National University in Canberra. She has worked as a teacher and librarian, and in adult education in Victoria and New South Wales. Judith's novels include the popular Al Capsella series, Friend of My Heart, which was shortlisted in the 1995 Children's Book Council of Australian Book of the Year Awards for older readers, Night Train, Honour Book in the 1999 Australian Children's Book of the Year Awards for older readers, and Wolf on the Fold, Winner of the 2001 Australian Book of the Year Awards for older readers. She lives in Melbourne with her husband.