Ivan Jones (author) facts for kids
Ivan Jones is a British writer who creates many different kinds of stories! He writes novels, picture books, plays, and poems. He has also adapted many stories for BBC Radio and television.
Ivan was born in Shropshire, England. He went to Adams Grammar School in Newport and later studied at Birmingham University and the University of Nottingham.
Contents
Exciting Novels and Picture Books
Ivan Jones is probably best known for his exciting The Ghost Hunter novel series. These books were published by Scholastic and are also available on Kindle.
The Ghost Hunter TV Show
The Ghost Hunter books were so popular that they were made into three TV series for BBC Television! Each series had six parts. The first show aired in 2000, the second in 2001, and the third in 2002. These shows are still enjoyed by viewers in the UK and around the world.
Some of the main characters in the TV series included:
- Mrs Croker, played by Jean Marsh
- Roddy Oliver, played by Will Theakston
- The ghost boy, William Povey, played by Lee Godwin
- Roddy's sister, played by Verity-Jane Dearsley
The first two books, The Ghost Hunter and The Ghost Hunter at Chillwood Castle, are also available as audiobooks and in large print. The Ghost Hunter has even been published in Japanese! The third book in the series was The Ghost Hunter's House of Horror.
Magical Picture Books
Ivan Jones has also written lovely picture books. These include The Golden Cage (published by Andersen Press) and The Lazy Giant (published by Oxford University Press). The Lazy Giant has amazing illustrations by Dee Shulman. These picture books are written like classic fairy tales and often teach a good lesson. The Golden Cage is illustrated by Ken Brown and has been published in France and Sweden.
Zany Zot the Dog Stories
Another popular series by Ivan Jones features a funny and silly character called Zot the Dog. These books are published by Puffin Books. The first book, Adventures of Zot the Dog, was chosen as one of the best books of the year by Julia Eccleshare.
Other books about Zot the Dog include:
- Zot's Treasures
- Zot Solves It
- Zot Goes Camping
These books are illustrated by Judy Brown. The Zot stories were even turned into a 13-part animated cartoon series for ITV and later released on video! The stories were also performed as a puppet show by the Cannon Hill Puppet Theatre, which toured schools across the country.
Ivan Jones has written other books too, like The Battle for Muck Farm (published by Hodder and Stoughton). This book, illustrated by Georgie Birkett, is a magical fantasy about a girl named Kitty and her mysterious horse friend, Humpy Lumpy.
Exciting Plays
Early in his career, Ivan Jones wrote a weekly comedy show for BBC Radio called Lost Hollow. This show was set in a village cut off from the outside world, full of funny and unusual characters. The series ran for 60 episodes!
Powerful Stage Plays
Ivan Jones' play Shelter was a winning entry in the Midlands New Writers Festival. This play tells a powerful story about homelessness and imagination. It explores themes like young love, anger, and how people escape from tough situations. The main character's love for James Bond is a fun part of the play, showing how fictional heroes can inspire us.
His stage play Winterblock's Ghost was performed at Leicester Haymarket, with Colin Hurley playing the main role. This play uses dark humor and strange characters to tell a story about power struggles in an office, where a ghost is looking for revenge!
Wonderful Poems
Besides his novels and plays, Ivan Jones has published many poems for both adults and children. One very successful collection is Good Night, Sleep Tight, published by Scholastic. This book has a poem for every single night of the year – that's 365 poems! Each month in the book is illustrated by a different, famous artist.
Many of Ivan Jones' poems were written for BBC schools' radio. Some of these poems were about Kochi in India, including:
- The Chinese Fishermen at Kochi
- Water City
- Monsoon Storm
Some of these poems were even read on the radio by the famous poet Michael Rosen. Other poems he wrote for radio include "The Magpie," "Birds Arrive," and many about "the sea." His poems also appear in other collections like I Love You, Football, I Wanna Be Your Mate (edited by Tony Bradman), and Spooky Poems. More recently, his poems have been included in collections edited by Gaby Morgan.
One of his well-known poems, "Ironbridge," can be found in several collections, including "Between the Severn and the Wye."
Amazing Adaptations
Ivan Jones has adapted many popular children's books for BBC Radio 4 and Radio 7. This means he rewrites them into scripts so they can be performed as radio plays.
Some of the books he has adapted include:
- The Machine Gunners by Robert Westall
- Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
- The Pig Scrolls by Paul Shipton
- Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver
- The Fantastical Adventures of the Invisible Boy by Lloyd Alexander
- Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah
- The Girl with the Broken Wing by Heather Dyer
- The Daydreamer by Ian McEwan
- Stunt Girl by Jonny Zucker
- The War Diaries of Alistair Fury by Jamie Rix
- Avril Crump by Angela Woolfe
- Smile by Geraldine McCaughrean
- Notes from a Liar and her Dog by Gennifer Choldenko
- Vinegar Street by Philip Ridley
Personal Life
Ivan Jones is married to another author, Mal Lewis Jones. His eldest daughter was Lara Jones, who was an illustrator and writer. Lara created the very popular Poppy Cat books, which have sold millions of copies. Sadly, Lara passed away in March 2010. Poppy Cat is now a television series in the UK and America.
