Her schooling was somewhat indifferent but she went on to Sydney University to study Anglo-Saxon and Middle English. A two-year period of teaching in a private school followed her graduation, but then, like so many young Australians of her generation, she set off in 1968 for the almost obligatory "year in Europe" - a year which turned into a lifetime. In London she taught for a while, and then took off to travel round Europe and North America.
Returning to London, Boase enjoyed a brief and unlikely spell as a croupier in a gambling club before taking her first publishing job at Reader's Digest, where she was a reluctant secretary until she was promoted to the research department. From there she went to Marshall Cavendish, the book packager. There she met the charismatic Sebastian Walker and the art director Amelia Edwards.
When Walker began his publishing adventure Walker Books, in 1978, he invited Boase to join him "to look after the words". Walker, Boase, and Edwards together set up the fledgling company in the spare bedroom of Walker's Islington home and from this modest start grew a children's book publishing company which is now one of the most innovative, successful and admired in the world. After Walker's premature death in 1991 Wendy joined the new board, becoming Editorial Director.
Wendy’s life was Walker Books.
She was an influential figure in the groundbreaking deal Walker struck with Sainsbury; the subsequent marketing in Sainsbury stores of high- quality, low-cost children's books, produced by Walker, was one of the most significant developments in children's publishing since the Second World War.
But it was fiction which was Boase's particular love and over 10 years she built the Walker fiction list to its present pre-eminent position at a time when many publishers were cutting back on their children's fiction.
Like all good editors, Boase abhorred sloppiness and could be impatient if her high standards were not met. But her colleagues loved and respected her, and many young editors benefited from her training. A rather severe and unchanging hair-style could give her a formidable air, but this was misleading - she was never a grande dame. She retained her down-to-earth Australian directness of manner, did not suffer fools, and had a robustly earthy sense of humour. Boase claimed to have no hobbies but she enjoyed walking and country life, was interested in antiques, never stopped reading and once knitted a Kaffe Fassett sweater. Cancer struck her with terrible swiftness and was endured with awesome grace.