Christine Bongers is a former radio and television journalist who is now happier writing fiction. She has a Master of Arts (Research) in Children's and Youth Writing. Her debut YA novel Dust was a CBCA Notable Book and long-listed for the Prime Minister's Literary Awards for Children's Fiction in 2010. Her middle school novel Henry Hoey Hobson has been shortlisted for the 2011 CBCA Book of the Year for younger readers.
Christine grew up with six brothers on a farm outside Biloela. She now lives in Brisbane and holidays at the Sunshine Coast so often that she has her very own Caloundra City Council library card. She admits to being a shocking liar as a kid, and even now as a grownup, she never lets the truth interfere with a good story.
She is currently working on a young adult novel Intruder and an adult crime novel, The Lonely Dead.
Christine is an accomplished public speaker who loves sharing her passion for writing with people of all ages.
Response to Dust Christine has captured the outback of the 70's with an evocative and earthy flavour in her coming of age debut novel. Her story is complex, multi-facetted and sensitive-tough. Dust is a novel of transition: from drought to flood, from childhood to adolescence, from innocence to maturity and from ignorance to hard-won wisdom. Told in beautifully lyrical yet surprisingly tough language, the novel perfectly evokes an Australia also in transition, socially and politically. It provokes with remarkable clarity a glimpse into another era and into the hearts and minds of its beautifully drawn characters. The novel rings with truths about the human condition that young readers today will easily recognize and value. This is as good as it gets. 
"Christine was fabulous. She was such an engaging and enjoyable presenter to our parent group. We arranged to have her novels there and had no trouble selling them all. It was a lovely evening. " All Saints Parish School, May, 2011 "Thanks for recommending Christine to us she was great. The girls learnt a lot and had a good time." St. Margaret’s Anglican Girl’s School, August, Book Week, 2010. "Christine visited us today. In short, it was such a gift to have someone of her intellect, experience and personality speak with our students. My only wish was to have had more time. Hopefully, we will be able to make arrangements for other year groups to have the same opportunity to hear Christine in the near future. Thank you so much for organising her visit." Rockhampton Grammar School, August, 2010. | 
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