Duncan ball author biography in the back

Duncan Ball spent his childhood in Boston, Massachusetts and Alaska in the USA and then in Spain where his father was posted with the US Army.

He began writing for both adults and children and became Editor of the School Magazine. The Selby books have been published in New Zealand, Germany, Japan and the USA.

Duncan’s other books include the Emily Eyefinger series (Emily Eyefinger, Secret Agent among others), the Ghost and the Gory Story series and a number of books in the Case Of series, including The Case of the Getaway Gold and The Case of the Midnight Zappers.

His most popular stories are about a talking dog named Selby and a girl with an eye on her finger, Emily Eyefinger.

About Duncan Ball

Duncan's Early Life

Duncan Ball was born in February 1941 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He was one of three children in his family. It's about a girl named Emily who has an eye on the end of her finger.

Later, he changed jobs and became an editor for a school magazine. That's where he went to primary school. It was here that he began to write for children. Here are some of his popular series and other books.

Selby Series

These books are illustrated by Allan Stomann.

• Selby's Secret (1985)
• Selby Speaks (1988)
• Selby Screams (1989)
• Selby Supersnoop (1995)
• Selby Spacedog (1996)
• Selby Snowbound (1998)
• Selby Surfs (1999)
• Selby's Joke Book (2000)
• Selby Snaps! (2000)
• Selby Splits (2001)
• Selby's Stardom (2002)
• Selby's Side-Splitting Joke Book (2002)
• Selby Sorcerer (2003)
• Selby Scrambled (2004)
• Selby's Shemozzle (2005)
• Selby Shattered (2006)
• Selby Santa (2007)
• The Joke's on Selby (2008)
• Selby Sprung (2010)

Emily Eyefinger Series

These books are illustrated by Craig Smith.

• Emily Eyefinger (1992)
• Emily Eyefinger, Secret Agent (1993)
• Emily Eyefinger and the Lost Treasure (1994)
• Emily Eyefinger and the Black Volcano (2000)
• Emily Eyefinger's Alien Adventure (2001)
• Emily Eyefinger and the Devil Bones (2002)
• Emily Eyefinger and the Balloon Bandits (2003)
• Emily Eyefinger and the Ghost Ship (2004)
• Emily Eyefinger and the Puzzle in the Jungle (2005)
• Emily Eyefinger and the City in the Sky (2006)
• Emily Eyefinger and the Secret from the Sea (2012)

Other Books by Duncan Ball

• My Dog's a Scaredy-cat (1987)
• Jeremy's Tail (1990)
• Piggott Place (1992)
• My Sister has a Big Black Beard (2009)
• The School is Driving Me Nuts and Other Funny Plays for Kids (2016)

Awards and Recognition

Duncan Ball's books have won many awards!

He also has three grandsons.

Duncan Ball's Books

Duncan Ball has written many exciting books for young readers. While the Selby and Emily Eyefinger books were always popular, they are even more so now. He is famous for writing fun books for kids. They are never on the shelves, and I have had to buy extra copies.’
‘Duncan Ball was able to catch the students’ attention and maintain their interest throughout the performance.’
‘His happy and gracious disposition was wonderful.

This book is about a dog named Selby who learns to talk by watching TV. Selby tries hard to keep his talking a secret from his owners, the Trifles. He has two grown-up sons, Eliot and Ian, from his first marriage. He looked for books that could be made into movies or TV shows.

Duncan has written about 85 books.

He finished high school back in the United States. His most recent title is My Sister Has a Big Black Beard, a collection of wicked poems illustrated by Kerry Millard.

Duncan’s books have been shortlisted for many awards and often listed as CBCA Notable Books. In addition to the indexed works, Ball has also written school readers for children.

Source: 'The Face : Duncan Ball : Children's Book Author, Reformed Party Boy', by Jodie Minus, The Weekend Australian, 13-14 August 2005.

Duncan Ball, born in February 1941, is an amazing author from Australia.

He also wrote two Selby joke books.

In 1997, Duncan started another popular series.