Paul Jennings (Australian Author)

Paul Jennings AM (born 30 April 1943), is an English-born Australian writer for children, young adults and adults. He is best known for his short stories that lead the reader through an unusual series of events and end with a twist. Many of his stories were adapted for the cult classic children's television series ''Round the Twist''. Jennings collaborated with Morris Gleitzman on the book series ''Wicked!'', which was adapted into an animated TV series in 2000, and ''Deadly!''.

Early life and education

Paul Jennings was born on 30 April 1943 in Heston, Middlesex (now part of Hounslow in London). In 1949 his family emigrated to Australia.

He first attended Bentleigh West Primary School in Bentleigh, a suburb of Melbourne, and then Caulfield Grammar School.

He graduated with a Bachelor of Education Studies from Frankston Teachers' College and taught at Frankston State School, Kangaroo Flat State School, the Turana Youth Training Centre and the Royal Children's Hospital State School in Mount Eliza. He then went to the Lincoln Institute of Health Sciences (now part of Monash).

Career

After graduating, he worked as a speech pathologist then lecturer in special education at the Burwood State College and later, in 1979, Senior Lecturer in Language and Literature at Warrnambool Institute of Advanced Education (both now part of Deakin University).

In 1985, Jennings's first book of short stories, ''Unreal!'', was published, during which he worked as a teacher, lecturer and speech therapist. He began writing for children when his son, aged 11, was having trouble reading.

Jennings's short stories were adapted for the first two seasons of children's television series ''Round the Twist'' in 1989 and 1992, and then later in 1998 for the only season of series ''Driven Crazy''.

In 2020 Jennings's memoir, ''Untwisted: The Story of My Life'', was published by Allen & Unwin. Jennings started writing it ten years earlier, and it is his longest piece of writing. In it, he examines many aspects of his life, including harbouring feelings of guilt about disliking his cold and emotionally abusive father, and having thoughts of attacking him.

Personal life

Jennings first married aged 22. He has six children, and is a great-grandfather. His third wife is comedian Mary-Anne Fahey. He has two step-children and two adopted children, who have helped to inform some of his stories about children looking for their biological parents. He currently resides in Warrnambool, Victoria.

Awards and honours

*In 1992, Jennings received a Gold Puffin Award, for selling one million books in Australia.
*In 1993 he won an Angus & Robertson Bookworld Award, as Australian Author – Children's Literary Medal Criteria, "Best Selling Author" and "Most Valued Author".
*In 1993 Jennings was made Victorian of the Year – Western Region, presented by the Australia Day (Victoria) Committee, for services to the Victorian community.
* In 1995 he was appointed Member in the General Division of the Order of Australia (AM), in the Australia Day 1995 Honours List, for service to children's literature.
*In 1998 he was named Favourite Australian Author in Dymocks Children's Choice Awards.
*In 2000 he was awarded the Dromkeen Medal, for significant contributions to the appreciation and development of children's literature.
*In 2010 he was made a Fellow of Monash University.
*In 2019 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Children's Book Council of Australia.

Awards for titles

Young Australians' Best Book Award (YABBA):
: 1987 ''Unreal!'' – Winner, best book for older readers;
: 1988 ''Unbelievable!'' – Winner, best book for older readers;
: 1989 ''Uncanny!'' – Winner, best book for older readers;
: 1989 ''The Cabbage Patch Fib'' – Winner, best book for younger readers;
: 1990 ''The Paw Thing'' – Winner, best book for younger readers;
: 1991 ''Round The Twist'' – Winner, best book for older readers;
: 1992 ''Quirky Tails'' – Winner, fiction for younger readers;
: 1992 ''Unmentionable!'' – Winner, fiction for older readers;
: 1993 ''Unbearable!'' – Winner, fiction for older readers;
: 1994 ''Spooner Or Later'' – Winner, picture book section;
: 1994 ''Undone!'' – Winner, fiction for younger readers;
: 1995 ''Duck For Cover'' – Winner, picture book section;
: 1995 ''The Gizmo'' – Winner, fiction for younger readers;
: 1996 ''The Gizmo Again'' – Winner, fiction for younger readers;
: 1998 ''Wicked!'' – Winner, fiction for older readers;
: 2002 ''Tongue Tied'' – Winner, fiction for Younger Readers.

Canberra's Own Outstanding List (COOL Award):
: 1991 ''Round The Twist'' – Winner, Primary Section;
: 1992 ''The Cabbage Patch Fib'' – Winner, Primary Section;
: 1993 ''Unreal!'' – Winner, Primary Section;
: 1995 ''The Gizmo'' – Winner, Primary Section;
: 1997 ''The Paw Thing'' – Winner, Secondary Section;
: 1998 ''Wicked!'' – Winner, Primary Section;
: 2001 ''The Paw Thing'' – Winner, Coolest Book of the Decade.

West Australian Young Readers' Book Award (WAYRBA):
: 1989 ''Unreal!'' – Winner of Special Award, Highest Ranked Australian Author, Secondary Readers Section;
: 1991 ''The Paw Thing'' – Winner of Hoffman Award, Highest Ranked Australian Author and Primary Readers Section;
: 1992 ''Uncanny!'' – Winner of Hoffman Award, Highest Ranked Australian Author and Primary Readers Section;
: 1994 ''Unbearable!'' – Winner of Hoffman Award, Highest Ranked Australian Author and Primary Readers Section;
: 1995 ''Undone!'' – Winner of Hoffman Award, Highest Ranked Australian Author and Primary Readers Section.

Kids Own Australian Literature Award (KOALA):
: 1990 ''Unreal!'' – Winner Secondary Readers Section;
: 1992 ''Unmentionable!'' – Winner Infant/Primary Readers Section;
: 1993 ''Unbearable!'' – Winner Infant/Primary Readers Section;
: 1994 ''Undone!'' – Winner Infant/Primary Readers Section;
: 1995 ''Duck For Cover'' – Winner Infant/Primary Readers Section;
: 1996 ''Uncovered!'' – Winner Senior Book.

Kids Reading Oz Choice Award (KROC):
: 1990 ''Uncanny!'' – Winner Most Popular Oz Book;
: 1991 ''Unbelievable!'' – Winner Most Popular Oz Book;
: 1992 ''Unreal!'' – Winner Most Popular Oz Book;
: 1993 ''Undone!'' – Winner Most Popular Oz Book;
: 1994 ''Undone!'' – Winner Most Popular Oz Book;
: 1995 ''The Gizmo'' – Winner Most Popular Oz Book;
: 1996 ''Round the Twist'' – Winner Most Popular Oz Book;
: 1997 ''Wicked!'' – Winner Most Popular Oz Book;
: 1998 ''Wicked!'' – Winner Most Popular Oz Book;
: 1999 ''The Gizmo'' – Best Oz Children's Book;
: 2000 – No.s 1, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 10 in the Top Ten Books.

Books I Love Best Yearly (BILBY Award):
: 1992 ''Unreal!'' – Winner Read Alone Primary Section;
: 1994 ''Undone!'' – Winner Read Alone Primary Section;
: 1996 ''The Gizmo'' – Winner Read Australian Primary Section.

Australian Writers' Guild:
: 1990, AWGIE Award – Best Children's Adaptation (TV) ''Round The Twist'';
: 1993, AWGIE Award – Best Children's Adaptation (TV) ''Round The Twist'' – Episode 5.

ABPA Joyce Nicholson Award:
: 1993, ''Spooner Or Later'' – winner, best designed children's book of the year.

Wilderness Society Environment Award for Children's Literature:
: 1994, Picture Book – ''The Fisherman and the Theefyspray''.

Prix Jeunesse Award:
: 1994 – Winner ''Round The Twist'' (Television Series).

Australian Publishers Association – Book Industry Awards:
: 1997 – Peoples Choice Award for Children's Books for ''Come Back Gizmo''.

Christian Schools' Book Award:
: 1998 – awarded to Paul Jennings and Jane Tanner for ''The Fisherman and the Theefyspray''.

Dymocks Children's Choice Awards:
: 1998 – Favourite Australian Younger Reader Book, ''Sink The Gizmo'';
: 1998 – Favourite Australian Older Reader Book, ''Wicked''.

Queensland Premiers Literary Award:
: 1999 – Best Children's Book ''Unseen!''.

Bibliography

Short story collections

* '' Unreal! Eight Surprising Stories'' (1985)
* '' Unbelievable! More Surprising Stories'' (1986)
* '' Quirky Tails! More Oddball Stories'' (1987)
* '' Uncanny! Even More Surprising Stories'' (1988)
* '' Unbearable! More Bizarre Stories'' (1990)
* '' Unmentionable! More Amazing Stories'' (1991)
* '' The Naked Ghost, Burp! and Blue Jam'' (1991)
* '' Undone! More Mad Endings'' (1993)
* '' Uncovered! Weird, Weird Stories'' (1995)
* '' Unseen!'' (1998)
* '' Tongue Tied!'' (2002)

Picture books

''Rascal'' series

* ''Rascal The Dragon''
* ''Rascal in Trouble''
* ''Rascal's Trick''
* ''Rascal Takes Off''
* ''Rascal at the Show''
* ''Rascal and the Cheese''
* ''Rascal And Little Flora''
* ''Rascal and the Hot Air Balloon''
* ''Rascal and the Monster''
* ''Rascal Goes Fishing''
* ''Rascal and the Dragon Droppings''
* ''Little Rascal to the Rescue''
* ''Rascal Plays Up''
* ''Rascal Runs Away''
* ''Rascal's Shadow''
* ''Rascal and the Bad Smell''
* ''Rascal Bumps His Head''
* ''Rascal's Big Day''

Miscellaneous

* ''Teacher Eater'' (1991)
* ''Grandad's Gifts'' (1992)
* ''The Fisherman and the Theefyspray'' (1994)

Chapter books

''Cabbage Patch'' series

* ''The Cabbage Patch Fib'' (1988)
* ''The Cabbage Patch War'' (1996)
* ''The Cabbage Patch Pong'' (2002)
* ''The Cabbage Patch Curse'' (2004)

''Gizmo'' series

* ''The Gizmo'' (1994)
* ''The Gizmo Again'' (1995)
* ''Come Back Gizmo'' (1996)
* ''Sink The Gizmo'' (1997)

''Singenpoo'' series

* ''The Paw Thing'' (1989)
* ''Singenpoo Strikes Again'' (1998)
* ''Singenpoo Shoots Through'' (1999)
* ''Singenpoo's Secret Weapon'' (2001)

Miscellaneous

* ''The Spitting Rat'' (1999)
* ''Sucked In'' (2000)
* ''Maggot'' (2003)
* ''The Lorikeet Tree'' (2023)

Novels

''Deadly'' series (co-written with Morris Gleitzman)

# ''Nude'' (2000)
# ''Brats'' (2000)
# ''Stiff'' (2000)
# ''Hunt'' (2000)
# ''Grope'' (2000)
# ''Pluck'' (2000)

''Wicked'' series (co-written with Morris Gleitzman)

# ''The Slobberers'' (1997)
# ''Battering Rams'' (1997)
# ''Croaked'' (1997)
# ''Dead Ringer'' (1997)
# ''The Creeper'' (1997)
# ''Till Death Do Us Apart'' (1997)

YA novels

* '' How Hedley Hopkins Did a Dare'' (2005)
* ''The Nest'' (2009)

Puzzle and joke books

# ''Spooner or Later'' (1992)
# ''Freeze A Crowd'' (1996)
# ''Duck For Cover'' (1997)
# ''Spit It Out'' (2003)

Compilations and bind-ups

* ''Thirteen! Unpredictable Tales'' (1995)
* ''Wicked: All six books in one'' (1998)
* ''Uncollected: Every Story from Unreal!, Unbelievable!, and Quirky Tails'' (1998)
* ''Uncollected: Volume Two: Every Story from Uncanny!, Unbearable!, and Unmentionable!'' (1999)
* ''Uncollected: Volume Three: Every Story from Undone!, Uncovered!, and Unseen!'' (2000)
* ''Deadly: All six books in one'' (2000)
* ''The Fantastic And Amazing Gizmo'' (2002)
* ''The Many Adventures of Singenpoo'' (2002)
* ''The Cabbage Patch Fibs'' (2002)
* ''Paul Jennings' Funniest Stories'' (2005)
* ''Paul Jennings' Weirdest Stories'' (2006)
* ''Paul Jennings' Spookiest Stories'' (2007)
* ''Paul Jennings' Trickiest stories'' (2008)
* ''Unreal! The Ultimate Collection: 30 Stories in 30 Years'' (2015)

Miscellaneous

* ''Round the Twist'' (1989)
* ''Round The Twist #1: Pink Bow Tie & Nails'' (a graphic novel) (1993)
* ''The Paul Jennings Superdiary 1996''
* ''The Paul Jennings Superdiary 1997''
* ''The Paul Jennings Superdiary 2002''
* ''The Bird Said Nothing'' (eBook) (2012)

Adult non-fiction

''The Reading Bug...and how you can help your child to catch it'' (2008)

Memoir

*

Critical studies and reviews of Jennings's work

;''Untwisted''
*

Television

* ''Round The Twist'' (1989–2001)
* ''Driven Crazy'' (1998)
* ''Wicked!'' (2000-2001)IMDb Wicked – https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0341997/

See also

* List of Caulfield Grammar School people

References

External links

Paul Jennings's official website

Paul Jennings's autobiography

Paul Jennings Interview

''Paul Jennings''
a
The Internet Movie Database


from ''The Age''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jennings, Paul
1943 births
Living people
20th-century Australian novelists
21st-century Australian novelists
Australian children's writers
Australian male novelists
Australian male short story writers
English emigrants to Australia
Members of the Order of Australia
People educated at Caulfield Grammar School
20th-century Australian short story writers
21st-century Australian short story writers
20th-century Australian male writers
21st-century Australian male writers
People from Bentleigh, Victoria
People from Heston
Australian lecturers
British lecturers