Also writes as: Virginia Baxter ; Tegan James ; Sally Darroll ; Sally Farrell ; Patrick Farrell
Born: Established: 26 Nov 1957 Latrobe Latrobe - Port Sorell area Northwest Tasmania Tasmania ;
Gender:
Female
Sally Odgers is one of Australia's most prolific writers for children. Her versatility as a writer is reflected in her range of published work from picture books to poetry and novels for older readers. She began writing as Sally Farrell for the New South Wales School Magazine and has contributed considerably to reading schemes, including the Momentum series, for which she wrote under the pseudonym Patrick Farrell.
Publisher Walter McVitty wrote in his memoir, A Life in Children's Books (2004), that Odgers has 'important qualities which, strange as it may seem, set her apart from many people who write for children: she is an unequivocally child-oriented storyteller and she has a truly professional, journeyman approach to writing.'
Odgers's early children's books were based on her experiences growing up on a dairy farm in Tasmania. Her sister, Anne Farrell also writes for children.