Abbott, Tony 1952-

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ABBOTT, Tony 1952-

Personal

Born October 26, 1952, in Cleveland, Ohio; son of a teacher and a paratrooper; married; children: two daughters. Education: University of Connecticut, B.A. Hobbies and other interests: Tennis, playing guitar, biking.

Addresses

Home— Trumbull, CT. Agent— George Nicholson, Sterling Lord Literistic, 65 Bleecker St., New York, NY 10012. E-mail— [email protected].

Career

Writer; formerly worked in bookstores, a library, and a publishing company.

Member

Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, Connecticut Reading Association, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Yale Center for British Art.

Writings

"DANGER GUYS" SERIES

Danger Guys, illustrated by Joanne Scribner, HarperTrophy (New York, NY), 1994.

Danger Guys Blast Off, illustrated by Joanne Scribner, HarperTrophy (New York, NY), 1994.

Danger Guys: Hollywood Halloween, illustrated by Suwin Chan, HarperTrophy (New York, NY), 1994.

Danger Guys Hit the Beach, illustrated by Joanne Scribner, HarperTrophy (New York, NY), 1995.

Danger Guys on Ice, illustrated by Joanne Scribner, HarperTrophy (New York, NY), 1995.

Danger Guys and the Golden Lizard, illustrated by Joanne Scribner, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1996.

"TIME SURFERS" SERIES

Space Bingo, illustrated by Kim Mulkey, Bantam (New York, NY), 1996.

Orbit Wipeout, Bantam (New York, NY), 1996.

Mondo Meltdown, Bantam (New York, NY), 1996.

Into the Zone Zone, Bantam (New York, NY), 1996.

Splash Crash, Bantam (New York, NY), 1997.

Zero Hour, Bantam (New York, NY), 1997.

Shock Wave, Bantam (New York, NY), 1997.

Doom Star, Bantam (New York, NY), 1997.

"WIERD ZONE" SERIES

Zombie Surf Commandos from Mars, illustrated by Broeck Steadman, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1996.

The Incredible Shrinking Kid, illustrated by Lori Savastano, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1996.

The Beast from beneath the Cafeteria, illustrated by Broeck Steadman and Peter Peebles, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1996.

Attack of the Alien Mole Invaders, illustrated by Lori Savastano, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1996.

The Brain That Wouldn't Obey, illustrated by Broeck Steadman and Lori Savastano, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1997.

Gigantopus from Planet X, illustrated by Broeck Steadman and Lori Savastano, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1997.

Cosmic Boy versus Mezmo Head, illustrated by Broeck Steadman and Lori Savastano, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1997.

Revenge of the Tiki Men, illustrated by Broeck Steadman and Lori Savastano, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1997.

"DON'T TOUCH THAT REMOTE!" SERIES

Sitcom School, Pocket Books (New York, NY), 1999.

The Fake Teacher, Pocket Books (New York, NY), 1999.

"SECRETS OF DROON" SERIES

The Hidden Stairs and the Magic Carpet, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1999.

Journey to the Volcano Palace, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1999.

The Mysterious Island, illustrated by David Merrell, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1999.

City in the Clouds, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1999.

The Great Ice Battle, illustrated by Tim Jessell, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1999.

The Sleeping Giant of Goll, illustrated by Tim Jessell, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2000.

Into the Land of the Lost, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2000.

The Golden Wasp, illustrated by Tim Jessell, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2000.

The Tower of the Elf King, illustrated by David Merrell, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2000.

Quest for the Queen, illustrated by David Merrell, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2000.

The Hawk Bandits of Tarkoom, illustrated by Tim Jessell, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2001.

Under the Serpent Sea, illustrated by Tim Jessell, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2001.

The Mask of Maliban, illustrated by Tim Jessell, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2001.

Voyage of the Jaffa Wind, illustrated by David Merrell, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2002.

The Moon Scroll, illustrated by Tim Jessell, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2002.

The Knights of Silversnow, illustrated by Tim Jessell, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2002.

The Magic Escapes, illustrated by Tim Jessell, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2002.

Dream Thief, illustrated by David Merrell, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2003.

Search for the Dragon Ship, illustrated by Tim Jessell, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2003.

The Coiled Viper, illustrated by Tim Jessell, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2003.

In the Ice Caves of Krog, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2003.

Flight of the Genie, illustrated by David Merrell, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2004.

Wizard or Witch?, illustrated by David Merrell, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2004.

Isle of the Mists, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2004.

The Fortress of the Treasure Queen, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2004.

The Race to Doobesh, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2005.

The Riddle of Zorfendorf Castle, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2005.

Voyagers of the Silver Sand, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2005.

The Moon Dragon, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2005.

The Chariot of Queen Zara, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2006.

"CRACKED CLASSICS" SERIES

Dracula: Trapped in Transylvania, Volo (New York, NY), 2002.

Mississippi River Blues: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Volo (New York, NY), 2002.

What a Trip!: Around the World in Eighty Days, Volo (New York, NY), 2002.

Humbug Holiday: A Christmas Carol, Volo (New York, NY), 2002.

Treasure Island: X Marks the Spot, Volo (New York, NY), 2002.

Romeo and Juliet: Crushing on a Capulet, Volo (New York, NY), 2003.

Abbott's books have been translated into Spanish, Italian, French, Russian, Korean, and Japanese.

Work in Progress

Kringle, an epic fantasy that reimagines the early days of the central figure in the Santa Claus legend; Firegirl, a school-based novel about a boy and his several intertwined relationships.

Sidelights

Tony Abbott is the author of several series of books aimed at elementary school students, particularly boys. His first series, "Danger Guys," is a "good-natured parody of the likes of Indiana Jones films," explained a Publishers Weekly reviewer. The series features two school-aged sleuths, Noodle and Zeek, who constantly find themselves being sucked into fantastic, high-octane adventures. In the first book of the series, Danger Guys, Noodle and Zeek accidentally stow away with two kidnappers-cum-thieves and find the band's captives, a married couple of explorers. The boys free the couple and put a stop to the thieves' plan to steal artifacts from a prehistoric temple, all while escaping from a series of injurious obstacles that include trapdoors leading to unpleasant places, giant rolling boulders à la Raiders of the Lost Ark, and a nasty fate at the hands of the thieves themselves. "Readers will happily overlook the sheer implausibility of it all" and enjoy Abbott's "blithe caper," a Publishers Weekly reviewer concluded. In subsequent installments, Noodle and Zeek find themselves riding in a runaway rocketship, slaying movie monsters come to life at Paragon Studio, and falling into the Pit of Death. "Struggling new readers will find the books exciting," thought Booklist critic Mary Harris Veeder.

Abbott's longest-running series, "The Secrets of Droon," takes place in a fantasy world described by the author on his Web site as "populated by wizards and sorcerers, helpful pillow-shaped folks called Purple Lumpies, [and] fleet six-legged beasts called pilkas." Three children—Eric, Julie, and Neal—discover a staircase in Eric's basement that leads to Droon, and they return again and again to help Droon's Princess Keeah defeat the wicked Lord Sparr.

In his "Cracked Classics" series, Abbott introduces young readers to such classic works of fiction as Bram Stoker's Dracula (Trapped in Transylvania ), Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Mississippi River Blues ), Jules Vernes's Around the World in Eighty Days (What a Trip! ), Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol (Humbug Holiday ), Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island (X Marks the Spot ), and William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet (Crushing on a Capulet ). In the series, two reluctant students, Devin and Frankie (short for Francine), discover that the library's electronic security "zapper gates" also have the power to zap the pair into a book. Their first trip into a story, Dracula, happens accidentally, but soon they realize that traveling into books is a good way to prepare for tests. "While it is clear that the message is 'reading is good, fun and important,'" Molly S. Kinney noted in School Library Journal, "the author delivers it through the characters and plot, rather than by lecturing." The "Cracked Classics" books are also extremely funny, critics generally agreed; a Publishers Weekly reviewer praised the "buoyant banter" in Trapped in Transylvania, while School Library Journal contributor Elaine E. Knight thought that Abbott's "irreverent homage" to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in Mississippi River Blues "would probably win a chuckle from Twain himself."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, August, 1994, Mary Harris Veeder, review of Danger Guys and Danger Guys Blast Off, p. 2040.

Publishers Weekly, May 16, 1994, review of Danger Guys, p. 65; September 6, 1999, review of Sitcom School, p. 104; May 20, 2002, review of Trapped in Transylvania, p. 65.

School Library Journal, July, 2002, Molly S. Kinney, review of Trapped in Transylvania, p. 113; January, 2003, reviews of Mississippi River Blues and What a Trip!, p. 133.