"Ned Kelly was a thief, a bank robber and a murderer. He was in trouble with the law from the age of 12. He stole hundreds of horses and cattle. He robbed two banks. He killed three men. Yet, when Ned was sentenced to death, thousands of people rallied to save his life. He stood up to the authorities and fought for what he believed in. He defended the rights of people who had no power. Was he a villain? Or a hero? What do you think?"--Back cover. ( )

A retelling of the Ned Kelly story. It is an exploration of the man who was Ned Kelly and why he chose to live as he did.
The title "Black Snake" comes from a letter written by Ned in 1870.
There are many of the well-known facts about the Kelly legend contained in this book. The story reminds us that there was more to Ned Kelly than the helmet and the siege at Glenrowan.
This is the story of his life - from a boy to the man and his death.
Each chapter begins with a hypothetical "What if you were there?" account written by other, real or fictional, characters, each giving their own slant on the major events in this story.
There are small grey boxes that relate various trivial and otherwise facts and quite a few old photographs. The addendum gives a timeline, internet sites, and sources of information - including those for the pictures.

Shortlisted for the CBC Eve Pownall Award for Information Books 2003. ( )

Make up your own mind whether Ned Kelly was a hero or a villain. Gives you facts about his life and then imagines a person of that time coming into contact with him or his gang – innocent hostages, policemen or bounty hunters or Kelly supporters p.65 –68what the maid saw