Felice Arena facts for kids

Felice Arena is a well-known Australian author and illustrator. He writes exciting books especially for young readers. He is famous for co-creating the popular Specky Magee series about Australian rules football. Felice Arena has also written acclaimed historical novels like The Boy and the Spy and fun picture books such as Pasta! and Cheese!.

Felice Arena's Early Life and Career

Felice Arena was born in Kyabram, Victoria, Australia. He studied teaching at La Trobe University in Bendigo, Victoria. After graduating in 1990, he decided to become an actor and writer.

In 1992, he joined the Australian soap opera Neighbours as Marco Alessi. A year later, he moved to the UK. While performing in West End theatre, he started writing his very first book in his dressing room.

Writing Exciting Stories for Kids

When Felice Arena returned to Australia, he had an idea for a football book. He asked his friend, Australian rules football player Garry Lyon, for advice. Garry Lyon offered to help write the book, and together they created the Specky Magee series.

Eight books in the Specky Magee series were published between 2002 and 2011. Felice Arena also adapted his 2017 novel The Boy and the Spy for the stage. It was performed at St Margaret's Berwick Grammar School.

His four-part series called Besties came out in 2020. From 2018 to 2022, he released historical books like Fearless Frederic and A Great Escape. His novel The Unstoppable Flying Flanagan was even long-listed for a major historical award. More recently, his fun picture books Pasta! and Cheese! were released.

Popular Books by Felice Arena

Felice Arena has written many books for different age groups. Here are some of his popular series and standalone books:

Adventure and Mystery Series

• Wish (2005)
• Andy Roid series:
  • Andy Roid and the Superhuman Secret (April 2012)
  • Andy Roid and the Field Trip of Terror (April 2012)
  • Andy Roid and the Camp Howl Crusaders (July 2012)
  • Andy Roid and the Heroes of the Night (July 2012)
  • Andy Roid and the Turbine Runaways (Oct 2012)
  • Andy Roid and the Sinister Showdown (Oct 2012)
  • Andy Roid and the Unexpected Mission (Aug 2013)
  • Andy Roid and the Tracks of Death (Aug 2013)
  • Andy Roid and the Missing Agent (Sept 2013)
  • Andy Roid and the Avalanche of Evil (Sept 2013)

Funny and Action-Packed Books

• Stick Dudes series:
  • Stick Dudes #1 Water Fight Frenzy (2009)
  • Stick Dudes #2 Champions of the World (July 2010)
  • Stick Dudes #3 The Secret Four-ce (July 2010)
• Farticus Maximus series:
  • Farticus Maximus #1 Other Stories that Stink! (2008)
  • Farticus Maximus # 2 Stink-Off Battle of the Century (2009)
  • Farticus Maximus # 3 Bottomus Burps of Britannia (Oct. 2010)
• Whippersnapper (August 2011)

Historical Novels

• The Boy and the Spy (April 2017)
• Fearless Frederic (April 2018)
• A Great Escape (March 2019)
• The Unstoppable Flying Flanagan (March 2022)

The Besties Series

• The Besties to the Rescue (January 2020)
• The Besties Show and Smell (January 2020)
• The Besties Party On (June 2020)
• The Besties Make a Splash (June 2020)

Sporty Kids Series

• Sporty Kids – Footy! (May 2015)
• Sporty Kids – Swimming! (May 2015)
• Sporty Kids – Tennis! (August 2015)
• Sporty Kids – Soccer! (August 2015)
• Sporty Kids – Basketball! (April 2016)
• Sporty Kids – Handball! (April 2016)
• Sporty Kids – Cricket! (October 2016)
• Sporty Kids – Netball! (October 2016)
• Sporty Kids – Little Athletics! (February 2017)

Picture Books for Young Readers

Felice Arena has also written delightful picture books:

• Sally and Dave, A Slug Story (2007)
• Hey, Cat! (June 2008)
• Pasta! (April 2023)
• Cheese! (October 2024)

The Specky Magee Series

The Specky Magee series is very popular. Felice Arena co-wrote these books with his former schoolmate and Melbourne Football Club star Garry Lyon. The series has been shortlisted for Australian Children Choice awards many times. It has even won the Young Australian Best Book Award three times! There are eight books in this exciting football series:

• Specky Magee (2002)
• Specky Magee & the great footy contest! (2003)
• Specky Magee and the Season of Champions (2004)
• Specky Magee and the Boots of Glory (2005)
• Specky Magee and a Legend in the Making (2006)
• Specky Magee and the Spirit of the Game (2007)
• Specky Magee and the Battle of the Young Gun (2009)
• Specky Magee and the best of Oz (2011)