Duncan Ball facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Duncan Ball
Born	February 1941 (age 84) Boston, Massachusetts
Occupation	Writer
Genre	Children's literature
Notable works	Selby series
Spouse	Jill
Children	2

Duncan Ball, born in February 1941, is an amazing author from Australia. He was born in America but moved to Australia later. He is famous for writing fun books for kids. His most popular stories are about a talking dog named Selby and a girl with an eye on her finger, Emily Eyefinger.

About Duncan Ball

Duncan's Early Life

Duncan Ball was born in February 1941 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He was one of three children in his family. When he was just four years old, his family moved to Alaska. That's where he went to primary school. Later, as a teenager, Duncan moved to Madrid, Spain. There, he learned to speak Spanish. He finished high school back in the United States. He also studied at Northeastern University and the University of Paris. He even has a degree in Mathematics from Boston University!

Becoming an Author

In 1974, Duncan Ball moved to Sydney, Australia. At first, he worked as a chemist. He even wrote a novel for adults. Later, he changed jobs and became an editor for a school magazine. After a few years, he decided to become a full-time author. This is what he does today! For a while, he also helped the South Australian Film Corporation. He looked for books that could be made into movies or TV shows.

Duncan has written about 85 books. Almost all of them are for children. He has also written plays and TV scripts. His second children's book was Selby's Secret, published in 1985. This book is about a dog named Selby who learns to talk by watching TV. Selby tries hard to keep his talking a secret from his owners, the Trifles. He doesn't want them to make him do chores! Since then, Duncan has written 15 more Selby books. He also wrote two Selby joke books.

In 1997, Duncan started another popular series. This was the first Emily Eyefinger book. It's about a girl named Emily who has an eye on the end of her finger. There are ten books in this series! Duncan also wrote the Piggott books. These stories are about a shy boy named Bert Piggott and his friend, Antigone Attwood. He has also written picture books like "Jeremy's Tail" and "My Dog's a Scaredy Cat". His latest book is a funny poetry collection called "My Sister Has a Big Black Beard".

Duncan's Family Life

Duncan Ball is married to Jill, who is a musician and a librarian. He has two grown-up sons, Eliot and Ian, from his first marriage. He also has three grandsons.

Duncan Ball's Books

Duncan Ball has written many exciting books for young readers. Here are some of his popular series and other books.

Selby Series

These books are illustrated by Allan Stomann.

• Selby's Secret (1985)
• Selby Speaks (1988)
• Selby Screams (1989)
• Selby Supersnoop (1995)
• Selby Spacedog (1996)
• Selby Snowbound (1998)
• Selby Surfs (1999)
• Selby's Joke Book (2000)
• Selby Snaps! (2000)
• Selby Splits (2001)
• Selby's Stardom (2002)
• Selby's Side-Splitting Joke Book (2002)
• Selby Sorcerer (2003)
• Selby Scrambled (2004)
• Selby's Shemozzle (2005)
• Selby Shattered (2006)
• Selby Santa (2007)
• The Joke's on Selby (2008)
• Selby Sprung (2010)

Emily Eyefinger Series

These books are illustrated by Craig Smith.

• Emily Eyefinger (1992)
• Emily Eyefinger, Secret Agent (1993)
• Emily Eyefinger and the Lost Treasure (1994)
• Emily Eyefinger and the Black Volcano (2000)
• Emily Eyefinger's Alien Adventure (2001)
• Emily Eyefinger and the Devil Bones (2002)
• Emily Eyefinger and the Balloon Bandits (2003)
• Emily Eyefinger and the Ghost Ship (2004)
• Emily Eyefinger and the Puzzle in the Jungle (2005)
• Emily Eyefinger and the City in the Sky (2006)
• Emily Eyefinger and the Secret from the Sea (2012)

Other Books by Duncan Ball

• My Dog's a Scaredy-cat (1987)
• Jeremy's Tail (1990)
• Piggott Place (1992)
• My Sister has a Big Black Beard (2009)
• The School is Driving Me Nuts and Other Funny Plays for Kids (2016)

Awards and Recognition

Duncan Ball's books have won many awards! Here are some of them:

• 1987: West Australian Young Readers Book Award (WAYBRA) for Selby's Secret
• 1989: WAYBRA for The Ghost and the Gory Story
• 1990: WAYBRA for Selby Speaks
• 1991: WAYBRA for Selby Screams
• 1997: Kids' Own Australian Literature Award (KOALA) for Selby Spacedog
• 1997: WAYBRA for Selby Supersnoop
• 1998: KOALA for Selby Speaks
• 2000: KOALA for Selby Snowbound
• 2001: KOALA Hall of Fame for Selby's Secret
• 2001: WAYBRA for Selby Surfs
• 2003: WAYBRA for Selby's Stardom
• 2004: KANGA for Selby Snaps
• 2005: Canberra's Own Outstanding List Award for Selby's Stardom
• 2006: WAYBRA for Selby's Schemozzle