Captain Thunderbolt was known as the ‘gentleman bushranger’. He didn’t like violence, was always polite, and even paid back most of the money he stole. In Captain Thunderbolt’s Recital, author Jane Jolly retells the true tale of one of the bushranger’s most famous robberies with comic effect. When Thunderbolt held up Wirth’s German brass band, he took their money, asked them to play some music for him and promised to pay the money back. Sure enough, when the men returned home, there was a postal order waiting for them, with the exact amount he had stolen.

Illustrations by Liz Duthie perfectly capture the funny text, bringing to life the quirky band members as well as the impish Captain Thunderbolt.

Available at bookshops or through the National Library of Australia