About - Andy Griffiths (original) (raw)

Aboutadmin2024-08-20T10:06:16+00:00

I’m passionate about harnessing the power of laughter to supercharge children’s literacy — writing silly stories is a serious business!

About andy

Seriously silly

Books and comics have been an enormously important part of my life for as long as I can remember. Words and pictures have both stimulated and fed my curiosity about the world, expanded my imagination in countless ways and fuelled a lifetime of creative endeavour.

As a kid I wrote stories, made cartoons, wrote and edited multiple editions of a humorous magazine for my classmates. As a teenager I discovered my love of performance when my friends and I formed a punk band, for which I wrote—and shouted—the lyrics. What started as a prank soon became a passion.

After leaving school I completed an honours degree in literature by day and performed in bands at night. Eventually, however, I realised my talent really lay in the words and I began focussing my energy on written story-telling (much to the relief of anybody who’d ever had the misfortune of hearing me “sing”).

After graduating and becoming a high-school English teacher, I was astonished to meet many students who thought reading and writing were boring. I did notice, however, that they all enjoyed laughing and I immediately began writing short, funny, provocative pieces for them to demonstrate how much fun playing with words and pictures can be.

The enthusiasm with which the students embraced both reading my pieces and writing their own encouraged me to begin self-publishing collections of my early stories. Eventually I left teaching and spent the next ten years learning everything I could about writing, humour and how to create books that would have a powerful appeal to children of all reading abilities. During this time I was fortunate enough to meet and work with the illustrator Terry Denton to create Just Tricking!, the first of 32 books which we created—along with my wife, editor and co-writer, Jill Griffiths—over the next 25 years.

I’m passionate about the power of literacy to change lives and am dedicated to encouraging children all over the world to love reading, writing, being creative, and most importantly of all, to enjoy and celebrate the funny side of life.

Career Highlights

In 2008 Andy became the first Australian author to win six children’s choice awards in one year for Just Shocking!

In 2008 Andy and his wife Jill collaborated with The Bell Shakespeare Company on the popular and critically acclaimed theatrical production Just Macbeth! which was nominated for two Helpmann Awards.

The 65-Storey Treehouse was the fastest-selling Australian book in a decade and the number 1 bestselling book of 2015.

The Treehouse Series has sold over 10 million copies, won 80 children’s choice awards and 10 Australian Book Industry Awards— including Book of the Year for The 52-Storey Treehouse in 2015.

The Treehouse Series is published in more than 35 countries. Five of the books in the series have been adapted for the stage and have all had sell-out seasons at the Sydney Opera House, as well as highly successful seasons in the Netherlands, New Zealand, and America.

Industry Praise

What people like about my books

They are marvellously silly and wonderfully irreverent (very important in children’s books) and are full of just the right amount of heart.

Dani Solomon, Readings Kids Bookshop

Easy-to-read, visually exciting and wonderfully entertaining, the pace is fast and the fun never stops. Simply brilliant and guaranteed to get even the most reluctant readers begging for more!

Part chapter book, part graphic novel, all humour and playfulness, the Adventures Unlimited series will delight existing Griffiths devotees and win new ones.

Drawing Portrait of Andy in a star

Starring Andy

Commonly Asked Questions

If you’re like most of my readers, you probably want to know how old I am, how many books I’ve written, where I get my ideas from and what I have for breakfast. Well, wonder no more: here are the answers!

Q: When and where were you born?

3rd Sept, 1961 in Melbourne, Australia.

Q: What books did you like reading as a kid?

Some of my special favourites were Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr Seuss, The Adventures of the Wishing Chair by Enid Blyton and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. I also loved sci-fi comics and MAD magazine.

Q: How many books have you written?

Q: What is your favourite book you have written?

They’re ALL my favourites!!! (If I didn’t REALLY love a book, I wouldn’t publish it … I’d keep working on it until I DID love it!)

Q: How did you become a writer?

I’ve written all my life for my own amusement and to make my family and friends laugh. As a child I was constantly filling up exercise books with stories, jokes, cartoons, newspaper clippings, ticket stubs, bubblegum cards … anything that interested and/ or excited me. Later in life as a high school English teacher I wrote little stories to amuse my students. I collected a few together and made photocopied books, which I shared with my students and friends. People liked them and I was encouraged to make more books and eventually I quit teaching and started writing full time.

Q: What was the first book you wrote?

The first book I had published by a publisher—as opposed to little books I used to publish myself— was Just Tricking! in 1997 when I was 35 years old.

Q: Where do you get your ideas?

Ideas come from everywhere: from books I read, TV shows and movies I watch and, of course, all the things that happen in everyday life.

Q: What advice do you have for people who want to be writers?

Write as much as you can and, just as importantly, read as often as possible! Get an exercise book and write in it every day… 5 minutes a day to start with, and gradually increase to at least 30 minutes a day. You get better at writing like you get better at everything else, through constant practice.

Q: What do you do when you’re not writing?

I love reading, listening to music, watching comedy, running, cycling, swimming, and staring out the window.

Q: Can you put me in your book?

Well, funny you should ask that! You just might find yourself right in the middle of the action in my new series, Adventures Unlimited, starring me and … YOU!!! See the BOOKS section for details.

Q: What do you have for breakfast?

Breakfast, of course, duh!

Andy next to two statues of monkeys in a park. Andy is pulling a funny face.

See all the books I’ve written, including my new series, Adventures Unlimited

Snail mail is my favourite mail!

If you would like to write me a letter I’d love to hear from you. It might take me a little while to respond so please be patient, but I will write back as soon as I can.

PO BOX 731
Williamstown
Victoria, 3016
Australia

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I acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land where I work and live, the Bunurong People of the Kulin Nation and pay my respects to Elders past and present. I celebrate the stories, culture and traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders of all communities who also work and live on this land.

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