Paul JenningsAM is an English-Australian children's book writer. His books mainly feature short stories that lead the reader through an unusual series of events that end with a twist.
Biography
Paul Jennings was born on 30 April 1943 in Heston, Middlesex. In 1949 his family emigrated to Australia, where he attended school at Bentleigh West Primary School. He graduated with a Bachelor of Education Studies from Frankston Teachers College at Monash University in 1978 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 and became a speech pathologist. After that he became a lecturer at the Burwood State College and the Warrnambool Institute of Adult Education. In 1985, Jennings' first book of short stories, Unreal!, was published, during which he worked as a teacher, lecturer and speech therapist. In 1989, he made the decision to devote himself full-time to writing. Jennings' short stories were adapted for the first two seasons of children's television seriesRound the Twist in 1989 and 1992, and then later in 1998 for the only season of series Driven Crazy.
How Hedley Hopkins Did A Dare, Robbed A Grave, Made a New Friend Who Might Not Have Really Been There at All, and While He Was at It Committed a Terrible Sin Which Everyone Was Doing Even Though He Didn't Know It
The Nest
Puzzle and joke books
Spooner or Later
Freeze A Crowd
Duck For Cover
Spit It Out
Compilations and bind-ups
Thirteen! Unpredictable Tales
Wicked: All six books in one
Uncollected: Every Story from Unreal!, Unbelievable!, and Quirky Tails
Uncollected: Volume Two: Every Story from Uncanny!, Unbearable!, and Unmentionable!
Uncollected: Volume Three: Every Story from Undone!, Uncovered!, and Unseen!
Deadly: All six books in one
The Fantastic And Amazing Gizmo
The Many Adventures of Singenpoo
The Cabbage Patch Fibs
Paul Jennings' Funniest Stories
Paul Jennings' Weirdest Stories
Paul Jennings' Spookiest Stories
Paul Jennings' Trickiest stories
Unreal! The Ultimate Collection: 30 Stories in 30 Years
Paul Jennings has received 64 awards and prizes. Young Australians' Best Book Award : Canberra's Own Outstanding List : West Australian Young Readers' Book Award : Kids Own Australian Literature Award : Kids Reading Oz Choice Award : Books I Love Best Yearly : Order of Australia: Victorian of the Year — Western Region Australian Writers' Guild: Gold Puffin Award: ABPA Joyce Nicholson Award: Angus & Robertson Bookworld Award: Wilderness Society Environment Award for Children's Literature: Prix Jeunesse Award: Australian Publishers Association — Book Industry Awards: Christian Schools' Book Award: Dymocks Children's Choice Awards: Queensland Premiers Literary Award: Dromkeen :
Personal life
Jennings first married aged 22. He has six children, and is a great-grandfather. His second wife is comedian Mary-Anne Fahey.
