Ken Spillman facts for kids

Ken Spillman, born on June 11, 1959, is a well-known Australian writer. He lives in Perth, Western Australia. Ken writes many different kinds of books, including poetry and stories about sports. He is most famous for writing lots of books for kids and teenagers. He has also written many books about Australian history.

Ken's Early Life

Ken Spillman was born in London, but his parents were Australian. He grew up in Sydney and Perth. When he was a teenager, Ken loved acting in plays. He was even in a school rock band! A teacher at Newman College, Perth encouraged him to write. He started publishing poetry and stories after moving to Brisbane for Griffith University.

Writing Non-Fiction Books

From 1977, Ken Spillman worked with a professor named Ross Fitzgerald. They researched a book about the history of Queensland. Later, they worked together on a book about Australian rules football. They also wrote a book called Fathers in Writing.

Ken's first big solo book was about the history of Subiaco, Western Australia. It was called Identity Prized. A former Governor-General, Sir Paul Hasluck, launched the book. Over a thousand people came to the outdoor event. Ken wrote another history book about Subiaco about 20 years later. For these books, he interviewed many people. These interviews are now kept in a special library collection. After writing about Subiaco, Ken worked on a history of the Parliament of Australia.

Later, Ken wrote books about many different topics. These included mining in Western Australia, a bank called Bankwest, and local areas like the Shire of Mundaring. He also wrote about Edith Cowan University, a surf lifesaving club, a ballet college, and a big hospital. He wrote about several schools and sports clubs in Western Australia too.

A book editor named Rod Moran once said that Ken Spillman writes history very clearly. He also said that Ken's writing has sharp observations. In 2008, after writing 17 non-fiction books, Ken decided to focus more on writing fiction.

Writing Fiction Books

Ken Spillman's first successful novel was Blue in 1999. After that, he wrote three children's books with writer Jon Doust. One of these, Magpie Mischief, was nominated for an environmental award. These books were later released as ebooks with new pictures.

In 2007, Ken's novel for teenagers, Love Is a UFO, won an award. His international success began with the "Jake" series. These books are for young readers. The first one, Jake's Gigantic List, came out in 2009. This book celebrates reading. Ken even donated the money he earned from it to the Children's Book Council of Australia. The Jake series is now available in almost 20 countries and languages. It is very popular in India.

In 2011, Ken started another series for young readers. It was called The Absolutely True Fantasies of Daydreamer Dev. Four years later, his 12-book "Virtues" series came out in South East Asia. This series was inspired by the Virtues Project, which started in Canada. A professor from Singapore said that Ken's Virtues series shows he understands children's feelings. She also said it respects children's judgment without being too preachy.

Ken Spillman has also written many picture books. Some of these include The Strange Story of Felicity Frown and The Great Storyteller. Others are Rahul and the Dream Bat, The Auto That Flew, The Magic Bird, and Clumsy!. He also wrote a picture book for all ages called The Circle. This book talks about important issues like cutting down forests and people having to leave their homes.

Helping Others

Ken Spillman is known for helping many foundations. These foundations work with children who are facing difficulties. He donates books and money to them. He has also met with children helped by these foundations in different cities in India and Malaysia.

Ken Spillman's Books

Non-Fiction Books

• (1985) Identity Prized : a history of Subiaco
• (1988) Custodians and Champions : the story of the City of Perth Surf Life Saving Club
• (1989) Horizons: A history of the R&I Bank of Western Australia
• (1993) A Rich Endowment : government and mining in Western Australia 1829–1994
• (1997) A Club for All Seasons : the story of the Wembley Athletic Club 1926–1996 (with Andy Collins)
• (1998, 2000) Diehards : the story of the Subiaco Football Club
• (2003) Life was meant to be here : community and local government in the Shire of Mundaring
• (2005) Hands to the Plough : the Shire of Victoria Plains since 1945
• (2006) Tales of a Singular City : Subiaco since the 1970s
• (2006) Raising Edith : the transformation of a new generation university : Edith Cowan University 1995–2005
• (2007) For the Good of Many: The story of the Australian Pensioners' League and Retirees WA
• (2008) Fifty and counting: Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital's first half century

Fiction Books

• (1999) Blue : a novel
• (2002) Magpie Mischief (Jon Doust, co-author)
• (2005) Magwheel Madness (Jon Doust, co-author)
• (2007) "Love Is a UFO"
• (2009) Jake's Gigantic List
• (2010) Jake's Monster Mess
• (2010) Jake's Balloon Blast
• (2011) "Advaita The Writer"
• (2011) Jake's Great Game
• (2012) Jake's Concert Horror
• (2012) "Radhika Takes the Plunge"
• (2013) Jake's Cooking Craze
• (2014) "I Am Oscar"
• (2014) The Circle
• (2014) "The Great Storyteller"
• (2014) "Rahul and the Dream Bat"
• (2014) "Everlasting Tales"
• (2015) "The Auto That Flew"
• (2015) "All-Time Favourite Fairy Tales: Little Red Riding Hood and Goldilocks"
• (2015) "All-Time Favourite Fairy Tales: Beauty and the Beast and Hansel and Gretel"
• (2015) "The Magic Bird"
• (2015) Jake's Cash Quest
• (2015) "Sophie's Moment of Truth" (Virtues Series)
• (2015) "Dylan Owns Up" (Virtues Series)
• (2015) "Grace Under Pressure" (Virtues Series)
• (2015) "Nicholas Floats an Idea" (Virtues Series)
• (2015) "James Works It Out" (Virtues Series)
• (2015) "Zara's Time to Grow" (Virtues Series)
• (2015) "Ethan Makes it Right" (Virtues Series)
• (2015) "Tessa Stands Tall" (Virtues Series)
• (2015) "Ryan Teams Up" (Virtues Series)
• (2015) "Emily's Heart of Gold " (Virtues Series)
• (2015) "Brandon's Big Test" (Virtues Series)
• (2015) "Mikaela Finds Her Voice" (Virtues Series)
• (2016) "Clumsy!"
• (2016) "Aesop's Fables Vol. 1"