Judith Rossell

Judith Rossell is an Australian author and illustrator, born in 1953, known for richly illustrated fiction for young readers that combines her own pen-and-ink artwork with the text. She is best known for the Stella Montgomery quartet, a Gothic Victorian-set adventure beginning with Withering-by-Sea (2014) and continuing through Wormwood Mire (2017) and Wakestone Hall (2018), following an orphan girl who discovers an unusual magical ability while living with three eccentric aunts at a seaside hotel. Rossell has also written and illustrated lighter series and picture books for younger children, including the Spud and Snowball books and The Midwatch, an illustrated mystery about an orphan drawn into adventure at a strange institute. Her work is noted for its atmospheric detail and integration of visual puzzles within the narrative.