Too Young to Hold a Gun: Thunderbolt's Apprentice Bushranger

by Peter Spencer

Will Monckton ran away at age 13 and joined the bushranger Captain Thunderbolt for a life of crime because it seemed better than being abused by his stepfather. He rode with the outlaw for almost a year before being captured and senteced to 6 years imprisonmnet with 1 year of hard labour. He was 14 years old. This is a fictionalised account of the author's great grandfather's life set in the Australian bush of the 1860s.

329 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2022

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Reviews

[Andrew Bysterveldt]

I absolutely loved this book. I picked it up at a visitor centre while travelling through the New England highlands. After a lifetime hearing glorified stories of bushrangers, it was refreshing to read a more realistic story of how their lives must have been. I have since driven through the New England and kept looking at the places differently. They all became places linked to Thunderbolt.

[Chloe (Keefe + Jaren Vallentis's Version!)]

I loved this book! I live in the New England Region, and have for all my life, so Thunderbolt has been someone I have grown up hearing about. I loved that I was reading about places that I know about, and have been to. I also really loved that I could see the passion that Peter Soencer has put into writing this book. And it must be so cool to know for certain that you are related to someone who not only knew Thunderbolt, but was on the run with him too.

The flashbacks in this book were really clear, and I lived that dates were included, as well as actual historical images.

Overall, I loved this book, and will treasure it for many years to come.

[Carly F]

This book was vividly detailed with such expressive dialogue.
You can actually imagine you are in the life of William Monkton.
Loved the memory flashbacks, very clever.
It's a must read for an Australian.

[Casey]

Great book. Would recommend to anyone interested in Australian history (non-fiction and fiction lovers).