James Moloney

Not to be confused with James Maloney.

James Moloney
James Moloney
James Moloney
Born (1954-09-20) 20 September 1954 (age 70)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
OccupationAuthor
NationalityAustralian
Notable worksSwashbuckler, A Bridge to Wiseman's Cove, Dougy, Gracey, Angela (Gracey Trilogy), Lost Property

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.[1] His books have been translated into French, Korean, Lithuanian and Flemish/Dutch.[2]

Moloney was born in Sydney[3] but grew up in Brisbane where he still lives today with his wife, Kate a retired teacher-librarian.[4][5] He trained as a teacher (Griffith University)[6] and holds diplomas in Teacher–Librarianship and Computer Education.[4][6] 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[7] at Marist College Ashgrove and now writes full-time in a cabin in his backyard affectionately known by the family as 'Dad's Shed'.[8]

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.[6]

His themes in his novels for older readers include family, love, belonging, body image, rites of passage,[9] sexism, mateship/friendship, winning at all costs,[10] relationships, identity, disability and racial issues.[11]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "James Moloney". Penquin. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  3. ^ "James Moloney". The Literature Centre. Archived from the original on 10 May 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  4. ^ a b "James Maloney". UQP. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  5. ^ "An interview with James Moloney 19 April 2016". Write links - Brisbane children's writers and illustrators. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  6. ^ a b c "A novel for young adults by James Maloney". Teachers Notes. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  7. ^ "James Moloney Fantasicfiction". Fantasticfiction. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  8. ^ "Book people : James Moloney 10 June 2014". Children's Bools Daily.
  9. ^ "A bridge to Wiseman's Cove Teacher' Notes" (PDF). UQP. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  10. ^ "Touch me Teachers' Notes" (PDF). UQP. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  11. ^ "Gracey Trachers' Notes" (PDF). UQP. Retrieved 20 September 2016.