Michael Panckridge
Michael Panckridge is the author of the acclaimed Legends and Anniversary Legends series. These series are a culmination of many years of dedicated sports mania combined with an enthusiastic exploration of what boys and girls really want to read.
Michael Panckridge enjoys talking to children, parents and teachers about reading and writing — and especially boys about reading.
Michael is a teacher at Geelong College and has been working there for 12 years. He is pretty mad-keen on sport. He has played cricket, football, soccer, tennis, hockey, golf. He also collects sporting things. He has a massive collection of football cards and lots of cricket books too.
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Frequently asked questions
How many books have you written?
18 books that have been published. Three more that are soon to be published.
What was your first book?
Chasing the Break.
When did you start writing?
Have been writing for a very long time, but my first published writing
happened in 2001.
Why do you like to write books for
children?
I like to know that I am writing a story that children who might not
otherwise read are actually reading.
Where do you get
your ideas from?
I get my ideas from situations at school, and when I hear things or
see things happen, I sometimes twist things around a bit and that
gives me an idea. Then I sit and think and imagine and plan and slowly
the idea for a story comes to be formed.
Are the characters
in your books based on real people?
Not really. There are some who are perhaps pretty close to students
I've taught or teachers I've worked with or other people but not
really.
How do you create characters that will appeal to children?
The main thing for me is to make the readers want to be the character
or be in their situation. I also try to make the characters actually
quite normal to increase the chance of my readers easily identifying
and relating with them and the experiences and encounters they have.
Who are your favourite writers/illustrators? And favourite
books?
I actually like quite a wide range of books and writers — I like sporty
books and books about people. I also like learning about history —
I love the books that tell historical events but in a story format,
like Colleen McCulloch's Roman series of books. I like mysteries and
thrillers and I love browsing non-fiction books — like Wisdens and
other sporty books.
Which character from a book would
you most like to meet?
I would actually love to meet Jim from my Toby Jones series, but also
any of the sporting people that I've read about. I'd love to meet
Don Bradman and have a bit of a chat — find out what he was really
like, and ask him if he really did have tears in his eyes when he
was given 3 cheers at the start of his last innings. (He made a duck
— very un-Bradman like!)
What do you use to write your
books?
I use a pen and paper to plan, then computer to plan and write the
story. Computers are quite awesome at this task and help massively
— as long as you remember to save your work — often!
What
were you like at school?
Pretty average — would stare out the window and watch myself take
screamers or smash the bowlers all over the park. I was ok at music
— I enjoyed that.
What is your favourite food?
I like heaps — roasts, Thai, Mexican, barbecues — love lettuce, actually!
What are your hobbies?
Running, going to see films, collecting sporty things like footy cards
and cricket magazines, reading, listening to music.
Do
you have any pets?
Oscar — our 4 yr old golden retriever — and a whole bunch of fish.
Sometimes less when there are big, grey/white birds about, but I think
they've learnt to dive deep now. Cool!
What is your most
treasured possession?
Well, since children aren't really possessions (nor Oscar the dog!),
I'd have to say my 1968 footy card set — it's a thing of beauty.
If you weren't a writer, what would you be?
Well, I'm a teacher, but maybe a clarinet player in a symphony orchestra — or even better, a conductor. That would be brilliant.
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