Felice Arena facts for kids

Felice Arena is an Australian author and illustrator who writes books for children. He is famous for co-creating the popular Specky Magee series, which is about Australian rules football. He has also written historical novels like The Boy and the Spy and Fearless Frederic. Felice also creates fun picture books such as Pasta! and Cheese!.

Early Life and Career Beginnings

Felice Arena was born in Kyabram, Victoria, Australia. He studied teaching at La Trobe University in Bendigo, Victoria and finished his studies in 1990. After graduating, he decided to become an actor and writer. In 1992, he played the character Marco Alessi in the Australian TV show Neighbours. A year later, he moved to the UK and performed in the West End theatre in London. It was there, in his dressing room, that he started writing his first book.

Writing Adventures

When Felice Arena returned to Australia, he had an idea for a book about football. He asked his friend, Australian rules football player Garry Lyon, for some advice. Garry liked the idea so much that he offered to help write the book. Together, they created the Specky Magee series. Eight books in this series were published between 2002 and 2011.

Felice also turned his 2017 novel, The Boy and the Spy, into a play. It was performed in Geneva and later at St Margaret's Berwick Grammar School. In 2020, his four-part series called Besties was released. Between 2018 and 2022, Felice published his historical books Fearless Frederic and A Great Escape, which were recognized by the Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA). His historical novel The Unstoppable Flying Flanagan was also long-listed for the ARA Historical Awards. More recently, his picture books Pasta!, Cheese!, and My Big Secret have been released.

Books by Felice Arena

• Wish (2005)
• 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 #1 Other Stories that Stink! (Australia 2008, UK April 2010, Canada Sept 2011)
• Farticus Maximus #2 Stink-Off Battle of the Century (Australia 2009, UK April 2011, Canada January 2012)
• Farticus Maximus #3 Bottomus Burps of Britannia (Oct. 2010)
• Whippersnapper (August 2011)
• 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)
• 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)
• The Boy and the Spy (April 2017)
• Fearless Frederic (April 2018)
• A Great Escape (March 2019)
• 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)
• The Unstoppable Flying Flanagan (March 2022)

Picture Books

• Sally and Dave, A Slug Story (Australia 2007, US 2008)
• Hey, Cat! (June 2008)
• Pasta! (Australia April 2023, Pasta! These Names are Fun to Say October 2024)
• Cheese! (October 2024)
• My Big Secret (February 2025)

The Specky Magee Series

The Specky Magee series was co-written by Felice Arena and his former schoolmate, Melbourne Football Club star Garry Lyon. These books have been nominated for and won several Australian Children's Choice awards. They won the Young Australian Best Book Award three times! There are eight books in this popular series:

• The Specky Magee series (co-written with Garry Lyon):
  • 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)