Arena, Felice 1968-

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ARENA, Felice 1968-

Personal

First name is pronounced "Fe-li-che;" born March 10, 1968, in Kyabram, Victoria, Australia. Education: Graduated from La Trobe University (Bendigo, Victoria, Australia).

Addresses

Home— St. Kilda, Victoria, Australia. Agent— Booked Out Speakers Agency, P.O. Box 2321, Prahran, Victoria 3181, Australia. E-mail— [email protected].

Career

Children's author. Formerly worked as an actor, starring in various musicals in London's West End; playing Marco Alessi in the Australian soap opera Neighbours, 1992; and appearing in numerous other television dramas. Presenter for children's television.

Writings

Dolphin Boy Blue, Collins (London, England), 1996.

Mission Buffalo, Collins (London, England), 1997.

Wish, Angus & Robertson (Pymble, New South Wales, Australia), 1999.

Bravo, Billy!, HarperCollins (Pymble, New South Wales, Australia), 2000.

Breakaway John, Angus & Robertson (Pymble, New South Wales, Australia), 2001.

"SPECKY MAGEE" SERIES; WITH GARRY LYON

Specky Magee, Angus & Robertson (Pymble, New South Wales, Australia), 2002.

Specky Magee and the Great Footy Contest, Puffin (Camberwell, Victoria, Australia), 2003.

Specky Magee and the Season of Champions, Puffin (Camberwell, Victoria, Australia), 2004.

"BOYZ RULE!" SERIES; WITH PHIL KETTLE

Yabby Hunt, MacMillan Education Australia (South Yarra, Victoria, Australia), 2003, published as Crawfish Hunt, Mondo (New York, NY), 2004.

Golf Legends, MacMillan Education Australia (South Yarra, Victoria, Australia), 2003, Mondo (New York, NY), 2004.

Test Cricket, MacMillan Education Australia (South Yarra, Victoria, Australia), 2003.

Bull Riding, MacMillan Education Australia (South Yarra, Victoria, Australia), 2003.

Basketball Buddies, MacMillan Education Australia (South Yarra, Victoria, Australia), 2003.

Bike Daredevils, MacMillan Education Australia (South Yarra, Victoria, Australia), 2003.

Rock Star, MacMillan Education Australia (South Yarra, Victoria, Australia), 2003.

Skateboard Dudes, MacMillan Education Australia (South Yarra, Victoria, Australia), 2003.

Camping Out, MacMillan Education Australia (South Yarra, Victoria, Australia), 2003.

Water Rats, MacMillan Education Australia (South Yarra, Victoria, Australia), 2003.

Gone Fishing, MacMillan Education Australia (South Yarra, Victoria, Australia), 2003.

Secret Agent Heroes, MacMillan Education Australia (South Yarra, Victoria, Australia), 2003, Mondo (New York, NY), 2004.

Park Soccer, MacMillan Education Australia (South Yarra, Victoria, Australia), 2003.

Tree House, MacMillan Education Australia (South Yarra, Victoria, Australia), 2003, Mondo (New York, NY), 2004.

Tennis Ace, MacMillan Education Australia (South Yarra, Victoria, Australia), 2003, Mondo (New York, NY), 2004.

Wet World, MacMillan Education Australia (South Yarra, Victoria, Australia), 2003, Mondo (New York, NY), 2004.

Battle of the Games, MacMillan Education Australia (South Yarra, Victoria, Australia), 2004.

Olympic Champions, MacMillan Education Australia (South Yarra, Victoria, Australia), 2004.

On the Farm, MacMillan Education Australia (South Yarra, Victoria, Australia), 2004.

Pirate Attack, MacMillan Education Australia (South Yarra, Victoria, Australia), 2004, published as Pirate Ship, Mondo (New York, NY), 2004.

Hit the Beach, Mondo (New York, NY), 2004.

Halloween Gotcha!, Mondo (New York, NY), 2004.

Race Car Dreamers, Mondo (New York, NY), 2004.

Rotten School Day, Mondo (New York, NY), 2004.

Sidelights

Felice Arena took a long detour between graduating from college as a certified elementary school teacher and beginning to write children's books. He had a successful career as an actor for many years, capped by the role of "Marco Alessi" on the popular Australian soap opera Neighbours and several starring roles in musicals in London's West End theater district. Arena left acting to become a full-time author and a popular guest speaker in schools. As critics have noted, his books appeal to reluctant readers, particularly young males. Partially because of his success at reaching this audience, Arena receives many requests by teachers, as he told SATA, "to visit their classrooms and excite readers about learning."

Published in England, Arena's first book, Dolphin Boy Blue, features a story about a teenage boy who is a champion swimmer, as Arena was at that age. (At one point, Arena owned the under-fourteen record for the fifty meter butterfly in Victoria.) One summer vacation, thirteen-year-old Mickey befriends a dolphin named Dana. Mickey discovers that he swims better and faster as he and Dana slice through the ocean waves together, but then he must find the confidence to leave Dana behind and transfer his newfound skills to chlorinated racing lanes. "I concentrate on the feel-good factor," Arena told Daily Telegraph interviewer Liz Deegan. "I prefer to write about striving for your goals, achieving your dreams."

Arena partnered with his old school friend and former Melbourne Football Club star Garry Lyon to write a series of books about Specky Magee, a boy whose art-loving parents cannot comprehend his obsession with Australian Rules football. The books have proved to be a smash hit with Aussie youngsters. "I'm getting hundreds of letters from parents and teachers that say, 'My kids are reading again,' which is the biggest inspiration for me to continue writing," Arena said to Courtney Walsh of the Herald Sun.

Also focusing on a young male readership, Arena has teamed up with fellow Australian children's author Phil Kettle to create "Boyz Rule!," a popular series themed around boys' recreational interests. According to the Children's Book Council of Australia's quarterly journal Reading Time, the series is "of premier appeal to boys in the lower-middle primary school and would be a worthy inclusion in a reading program."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Daily Telegraph (Surry Hills, New South Wales, Australia), November 30, 1996, Liz Deegan, "Playing in the Write Arena," p. 93.

Herald Sun (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia), June 1, 2002, Eddie McGuire, "Showing the Right Stuff," p. 114; July 24, 2002, Courtney Walsh, "Taking Author at His Word," p. 12.

Mirror (London, England), June 29, 1996, review of Dolphin Boy Blue, p. 3.

Reading Time, February, 2004, review of "Boyz Rule!" series.