Channel 4 Learning


[ home page ]    [ channel4 ]    [ writers toolkit ]   [ secret passages ]

Morris Gleitzman

Morris was born in England and brought up in Surrey and had what he calls “a very ordinary childhood”. He read everything he could get his hands on: classics, Westerns, Richmal Compton's Just William Books (which were his favourites), and biographies of soccer stars.

In 1969 he emigrated to Australia with his parents. Everything was completely different. Morris adapted quickly and enrolled on a Professional Writing course. He learnt to write everything from journalism to the jokes on the backs of cornflake packets.

Morris first wrote comedy scripts for TV, providing material for the top Australian shows for ten years before he started writing his own books. In his books, he tries to show how his characters are feeling, inspired by what Morris remembers of his own childhood


Wicked!

Slurping slobberers want to suck out their bones; steel sheep want to smash them to pieces; giant frogs want to eat them all up. These are just three of the wild adventures of Dawn and Roy in this breathtaking six-part adventure written jointly with Paul Jennings. (9+)

Published in Puffin Books


Blabber Mouth

Rowena Batts may be dumb but that doesn't mean that she can't communicate. Rowena wants to be friends but the other kids seem to be avoiding her. What can she do? Is it because of her dad's hideous shirts? Or his awful singing? Or because she stuffed a frog into Darryn Peck's mouth? Rowena's search for the truth is both funny and sad. (10+)

Published by Macmillan Children's Books


Belly Flop

Determined to stop everyone in town from hating him, Mitch decides to become a champion diver. But practising diving - especially as the only place high enough is the roof of the house - is a risky business. Will Doug, his guardian angel, really be able to save him? (10+)

Published by Macmillan Children's Books


Two Weeks with the Queen

'I need to see the Queen about my sick brother.' Sent from Australia to stay with his aunt in London because his brother has cancer, Colin is sure that the Queen will be able to make things better. His attempts to find her, and other means of help, take him on an emotional journey of discovery. (10+)

Published in Puffin Books


Bumface

All Angus dreams about is being the pirate Bumface. In reality, he's Mr Dependable, looking after his younger siblings. Whatever happens, he must stop his TV soap star mother from having any more children. But how can he do it? (10+)

Published in Puffin Books


Misery Guts

Two books in one, Misery Guts and Worry Warts are the hilarious stories of Keith Shipley's attempts to cheer up his miserable parents. He tries painting their fish and chip shop sunshine orange, but that only makes them more depressed. What can he do to help? Keith comes up with an unlikely, but successful solution. (11+)

Published by Macmillan Children's Books


[ home page ]    [ author - flash version ]    [ author - non-flash version ]    [ other authors - text only ]

[ Windows Media Clip 1- Bumface ]

[ Windows Media Clip 2- I write about ordinary kids with extraordinary problems ]

[ Windows Media Clip 3- I had a pretty ordinary childhood ]

[ Windows Media Clip 4- I found I could write little stories and make them laugh ]