James Moloney

James Moloney
James "Jim" Moloney (born 20 September 1954) is an Australian children's author. A prolific writer whose books span an age range from seven- to seventeen-year-olds, he is best known for his young adult novels. He has been nominated and won awards for his books in the Children's Book Council of Australia Awards. His books have been translated into French, Korean, Lithuanian and Flemish/Dutch.
Moloney was born in Sydney but grew up in Brisbane where he still lives today with his wife, Kate a retired teacher-librarian. He trained as a teacher (Griffith University) and holds diplomas in Teacher–Librarianship and Computer Education. His role as a Teacher Librarian sparked his interest in children's literature and eventually led to his early attempts at writing. His first book, Crossfire, was published in 1992 and he continues to publish. In 1998 he resigned from teaching at Marist College Ashgrove and now writes full-time in a cabin in his backyard affectionately known by the family as 'Dad's Shed'.
His says of his writing I like to get inside the head of today's adolescents to connect with the passion they have for like and understand what they care about. The challenge then is to express it in a story.His themes in his novels for older readers include family, love, belonging, body image, rites of passage, sexism, mateship/friendship, winning at all costs, relationships, identity, disability and racial issues.
Bibliography
Crossfire (UQP 2015, 2007, 1992)
Swashbuckler (UQP 2011, 1995)
The House on River Terrace (1995)
Trapped (Stone Arch Books 2008, 1996)
Buzzard Breath and Brains (UQP 1998)
Boys and books : building a culture of reading around our boys (ABC Books 2002, 2000) (Non fiction)
Touch Me (UQP 2007, 2000)
Intergalactic Heroes (World Weavers Press 2002)
Black Taxi (HarperCollins 2004)
Lost Property (Puffin Books 2005)
A Bridge to Wiseman's Cove (UQP 2007)
Kill the Possum (Penguin Books 2008)
How to Talk to a Frill Neck Lizard (Omnibus Books 2010)
The Tower Mill (UQP 2012)
1844 do you dare? : the last horse race (Puffin Books 2014)
Disappearing act (HarperCollins 2014)
The beauty is in the walking (HarperCollins 2015)
Bridget (Omnibus Books 2015)
The Love That I Have (HarperCollins 2018)
Gracey Trilogy
Dougy (UQP 2009, 1993)
Gracey (UQP 2009, 1994)
Angela (UQP 2009, 1998)
The Book of Lies series
The Book of Lies (Angus & Robinson 2004)
Master of the Books (Angus & Robinson 2005)
The Book from Baden Dark (HarperCollins 2009)
The Doomsday Rats series
The Tunnels of Ferdinand (HarperCollins 2004)
The Scorpion's Tail (HarperCollins 2005)
Malig Tumora (HarperCollins 2005)
In the Lair of the Mountain Beast (HarperCollins 2005)
Doomsday (HarperCollins 2006)
Aussie Bites and Nibbles
David, The Best Model Maker in the World (Puffin Books 2000)
Blue Hair Day (Puffin Books 2000)
Moving House (Puffin Books 2001)
Duck Sounds (Puffin Books 2004)
A Box of Chicks (Penguin Books 2004)
Aussie Chomps
Grommet Saves the World (Puffin Books 2003)
68 Teeth (Puffin Books 2005)
The Trolley Boys (Penguin Group 2007)
The Mobile Phone Detective (Penguin Books 2010)
Driving the Fishy Frog (Puffin Books 2012)
Silvermay Trilogy
Silvermay (Angus & Robinson 2011)
Tamlyn (HarperCollins 2012)
Lucien (HarperCollins 2013)
Awards
Children's Book Council of Australia Awards
1993 Notable - Older Readers : Crossfire
1994 Honour Book - Older Readers : Dougy
1995 Honour Book - Older Readers : Gracey
1996 Book of the Year - Younger Readers : Swashbuckler
1996 Shortlisted for Book of the Year - Older Readers : The House on River Terrace
1997 Book of the Year - Older Readers : A bridge to Wiseman's Cove
1999 Shortlisted for Book of the Year - Younger Readers : Buzzard Breath and Brains
2001 Shortlisted for Book of the Year - Older Readers : Touch me
2004 Shortlisted for Book of the Year - Older Readers : Black Taxi
2006 Honour Book - Older Readers : Lost property
2009 Shortlisted for Book of the Year - Older Readers : Kill the possum
2016 Notable - Older Readers : The beauty is in the walking
2018 Winner - Dame Annabelle Rankin Award
2019 Nan Chauncy Award
Winner Children's Peace Literature Award 1997 : A bridge to Wiseman's Cove
Recommended Book Children's Peace Literature Award 1999 : Buzzard Breath and Brains
Honourable Mention - UNESCO Prize for Children's Literature in the Service of Tolerance and Peace : Angela (published 2009, 1993)
Winner Victorian Premiers Award 2001 Young adult category : Touch me
Winner Children's Peace Literature Award 2001 : Touch me
Winner Herald Sun prize for Young Adult Literature 2001 : Touch me
Shortlisted Children's Peace Literature Award 2007 : Lost Property
Winner Gold Inky 2011 : Silvermay
Shortlisted Best Designed Children's Fiction Book 2015 : Disappearing Act
References
External links
James Moloney Home Page
1954 births
Australian children's writers
Living people
Writers from Sydney
People educated at Villanova College (Australia)
Australian male novelists
20th-century Australian novelists
21st-century Australian novelists