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About the Author: Tony Abbott

by Tony Abbott

To begin with, I was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and lived in a small house on top of a hill. Together, my mother, a school teacher, and my father, a returning World War II paratrooper pursuing his college studies, brought tons of books into our small house on Cliffview Road. I guess you could say that these books were my first introduction to the world of literature. My father was always writing, so the sound of the typewriter was like the background music of my early childhood.

When I was eight, we relocated, by car, to Connecticut where I finished elementary school and high school. I went to college at the University of Connecticut, majoring first in music (too hard), psychology (too many theories), and finally English (yes! lot and lots of books!). I graduated UConn with a bachelors degree in English Literature. After that, I traveled to Europe for quite a while, drank a lot of coffee, and wrote notebooks full of strange poetry. When I returned, I found work in a variety of bookstores and finally a library where I met my wife to be.

It was when I began reading bedtime stories to my children that the spark of writing I had had for so many years finally turned to children's books. After many failures, my first published book, Danger Guys, was written while taking a writing class with renowned children's author, Patricia Reilly Giff. That first book, and the series that it began, became the cornerstone of my writing career and has become something of a cult favorite, by virtue of its being difficult to find. Since then, I've written over seventy-five books for readers ages 6 to 14, including the cult favorite popular fantasy saga, The Secrets of Droon.

Over 8 million of my books have been sold worldwide, and my series and novels combined have been translated into Italian, Spanish, Korean, French, Japanese, Polish, Turkish, and Russian. Danger Guys was named a Children's Book-of-the-Month Club Main Selection, and the American Booksellers Association voted The Secrets of Droon among the "Top 10 List of Books to Read while Waiting for the Next Harry Potter." The series was also a Main Selection of the Children's Book-of-the-Month Club, and is on many school and library reading lists.

In 2007, my novel Firegirl won the Golden Kite Award for Fiction presented by the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. It is the only award given by children's writers to children's writers, a peer award I remain honored at having received. It was also a selection of the Junior Library Guild.

In the Spring of 2008, my second novel for Little, Brown Books for Young Readers appeared. The Postcard is a comedy/mystery about a boy who finds a clue on an old postcard while cleaning his recently deceased grandmother's Florida house, and who has no choice but to follow the mystery wherever it leads. Among other things, The Postcard is my love song to Florida's Gulf Coast, where my grandparents lived, and to old Florida, its architecture, roadside attractions, and Wild-West origins. It is, not least, my homage to the great hardboiled tradition of Hammett and Chandler, translated to a Florida setting.

My literary and cultural interests include the films of Preston Sturges, the Road pictures of Bob Hope and Bing Crosby, and the Marx Brothers, and the writings of Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, P.G. Wodehouse, Jules Verne, Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, Seamus Heaney, Emily Dickinson, Ted Hughes, F. Scott Fitzgerald, John Steinbeck, The Arabian Nights, Beowulf, James Thurber, Philip Roth, Ralph Ellison, and William Faulkner. I'm currently a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, the Yale Center for British Art, and other esteemed organizations. With my wonderful wife, two delightful and brilliant daughters, and the best dog imaginable, I live and work happily in Connecticut.

From www.tonyabbottbooks.com. Complete information on Tony Abbott and a list of his publications.

Books by Tony Abbott

"Danger Guys" Series

• Danger Guys, illustrated by Joanne Scribner, HarperTrophy (New York, NY), 1994.
• Danger Guys Blast Off, illustrated by Joanne Scribner, HarperTrophy (New York, NY), 1994.
• Danger Guys: Hollywood Halloween, illustrated by Suwin Chan, HarperTrophy (New York, NY), 1994.
• Danger Guys Hit the Beach, illustrated by Joanne Scribner, HarperTrophy (New York, NY), 1995.
• Danger Guys on Ice, illustrated by Joanne Scribner, HarperTrophy (New York, NY), 1995.
• Danger Guys and the Golden Lizard, illustrated by Joanne Scribner, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1996.

"Time Surfers" Series

• Space Bingo, illustrated by Kim Mulkey, Bantam (New York, NY), 1996.
• Orbit Wipeout, Bantam (New York, NY), 1996.
• Mondo Meltdown, Bantam (New York, NY), 1996.
• Into the Zone Zone, Bantam (New York, NY), 1996.
• Splash Crash, Bantam (New York, NY), 1997.
• Zero Hour, Bantam (New York, NY), 1997.
• Shock Wave, Bantam (New York, NY), 1997.
• Doom Star, Bantam (New York, NY), 1997.

"Weird Zone" Series

• Zombie Surf Commandos from Mars, illustrated by Broeck Steadman, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1996.
• The Incredible Shrinking Kid, illustrated by Lori Savastano, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1996.
• The Beast from beneath the Cafeteria, illustrated by Broeck Steadman and Peter Peebles, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1996.
• Attack of the Alien Mole Invaders, illustrated by Lori Savastano, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1996.
• The Brain That Wouldn't Obey, illustrated by Broeck Steadman and Lori Savastano, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1997.
• Gigantopus from Planet X, illustrated by Broeck Steadman and Lori Savastano, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1997.
• Cosmic Boy versus Mezmo Head, illustrated by Broeck Steadman and Lori Savastano, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1997.
• Revenge of the Tiki Men, illustrated by Broeck Steadman and Lori Savastano, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1997.

"Don't Touch That Remote!" Series

• Sitcom School, Pocket Books (New York, NY), 1999.
• The Fake Teacher, Pocket Books (New York, NY), 1999.

"Secrets of Droon" Series

• The Hidden Stairs and the Magic Carpet, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1999.
• Journey to the Volcano Palace, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1999.
• The Mysterious Island, illustrated by David Merrell, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1999.
• City in the Clouds, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1999.
• The Great Ice Battle, illustrated by Tim Jessell, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1999.
• The Sleeping Giant of Goll, illustrated by Tim Jessell, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2000.
• Into the Land of the Lost, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2000.
• The Golden Wasp, illustrated by Tim Jessell, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2000.
• The Tower of the Elf King, illustrated by David Merrell, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2000.
• Quest for the Queen, illustrated by David Merrell, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2000.
• The Hawk Bandits of Tarkoom, illustrated by Tim Jessell, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2001.
• Under the Serpent Sea, illustrated by Tim Jessell, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2001.
• The Mask of Maliban, illustrated by Tim Jessell, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2001.
• Voyage of the Jaffa Wind, illustrated by David Merrell, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2002.
• The Moon Scroll, illustrated by Tim Jessell, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2002.
• The Knights of Silversnow, illustrated by Tim Jessell, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2002.
• The Magic Escapes, illustrated by Tim Jessell, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2002.
• Dream Thief, illustrated by David Merrell, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2003.
• Search for the Dragon Ship, illustrated by Tim Jessell, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2003.
• The Coiled Viper, illustrated by Tim Jessell, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2003.
• In the Ice Caves of Krog, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2003.
• Flight of the Genie, illustrated by David Merrell, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2004.
• Wizard or Witch?, illustrated by David Merrell, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2004.
• Isle of the Mists, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2004.
• The Fortress of the Treasure Queen, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2004.
• The Race to Doobesh, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2005.
• The Riddle of Zorfendorf Castle, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2005.
• Voyagers of the Silver Sand, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2005.
• The Moon Dragon, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2005.
• The Chariot of Queen Zara, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2006.

"Cracked Classics" Series

• Dracula: Trapped in Transylvania, Volo (New York, NY), 2002.
• Mississippi River Blues: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Volo (New York, NY), 2002.
• What a Trip!: Around the World in Eighty Days, Volo (New York, NY), 2002.
• Humbug Holiday: A Christmas Carol, Volo (New York, NY), 2002.
• Treasure Island: X Marks the Spot, Volo (New York, NY), 2002.
• Romeo and Juliet: Crushing on a Capulet, Volo (New York, NY), 2003.