Killeen, Gretel 1963-

PERSONAL:

Born 1963, in Turramurra, New South Wales, Australia; children: Zeke Morgan, Eppie Morgan.

ADDRESSES:

E-mail—gk1@bigpond.com.

CAREER:

Freelance writer. Worked as standup comedian, actress, singer, broadcast journalist and presenter, theatrical producer, and advertising copywriter. 9 Network, Sydney, Australia, reporter and writer for Midday Show for seven years; host of the Australian broadcast of the reality program Big Brother, 2003-06; guest on television programs related to the Big Brother series and to other Australian radio and television programs. Appeared as Rhonda Halliwell in the film Gettin' Square, 2003. UNICEF, Australian ambassador, 2001.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Penguin Award, 1989, for writing and performing "Oz Rap"; Mo Award, best female comic, 2001.

WRITINGS:

Baby on Board: A Beginner's Guide to Pregnancy, Mandarin (Port Melbourne, Victoria, Australia), 1991.

How to Live with a Sausage in a Bonnet, illustrated by Craig Smith, Random House Australia (Milsons Point, New South Wales, Australia), 1991.

The Every Girl's Geek Guide, Random House Australia (Milsons Point, New South Wales, Australia), 1992.

My Life Is a Toilet, Random House Australia (Milsons Point, New South Wales, Australia), 1994.

The My Life Is a Toilet Instruction Book: How to Make the Most of Your Pathetic Existence, Random House Australia (Milsons Point, New South Wales, Australia), 1995.

My Sister's a Yo-yo, Random House Australia (Milsons Point, New South Wales, Australia), 1997, new edition, illustrated by Leigh Hobbs, Red Fox (London, England), 2002.

My Sister's an Alien, illustrated by Leigh Hobbs, Red Fox (Milsons Point, New South Wales, Australia), 1998.

Cherry Pie, illustrated by Francesca Partridge and Franck Dubuc, Random House Australia (Milsons Point, New South Wales, Australia), 1998.

My Sister's a Sea Slug, Random House Australia (Milsons Point, New South Wales, Australia), 1999.

What'll We Get for Grandma?, illustrated by Francesca Partridge and Frank Dubuc, Random House Australia (Milsons Point, New South Wales, Australia), 1999.

My Sister's a Burp, Random House Australia (Milsons Point, New South Wales, Australia), 1999.

My Life Is a Wedgie, Whitecap Books (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada), 2000.

Hot Buns and Ophelia Get a Bloke, Penguin Books Australia (Ringwood, Victoria, Australia), 2000.

My Sister's a Nightmare, Random House Australia (Milsons Point, New South Wales, Australia), 2000.

My Sister's a Full Stop, Random House Australia (Milsons Point, New South Wales, Australia), 2000.

Olly and Seepo in the Valley of the Bones, Random House Australia (Milsons Point, New South Wales, Australia), 2001.

Hot Buns and Ophelia Get Shipwrecked, Random House Australia (Milsons Point, New South Wales, Australia), 2001.

My Life Is a Boob Tube, Random House Australia (Milsons Point, New South Wales, Australia), 2001.

You're Joking!, Random House Australia (Milsons Point, New South Wales, Australia), 2001.

My Life Is a Girdle, Random House Australia (Milsons Point, New South Wales, Australia), 2003.

The Very Naughty Mother Runs Away, Random House Australia (Milsons Point, New South Wales, Australia), 2003.

The Very Naughty Mother Goes Invisible, illustrated by the author's children, Eppie Morgan and Zeke Morgan, Random House Australia (Milsons Point, New South Wales, Australia), 2003.

The Very Naughty Mother Is a Spy, Random House Australia (Milsons Point, New South Wales, Australia), 2004.

Stupid Cupid, Bantam (Milsons Point, New South Wales, Australia), 2005.

SIDELIGHTS:

Australian humorist Gretel Killeen, described as a bright, outgoing girl who excelled from an early age, was the "captain" at her school, as well as a member of the Australian Debating Team. While she was growing up, her dream was to become a lawyer, but she dropped out of law school after just six weeks to pursue a career as a standup comedian. Over the years, Killeen achieved recognition for her work in a variety of entertainment and journalism positions, as well as her reputation as a prolific author of books for young adult readers.

Killeen's writings draw upon experiences and emotions from her own life, particularly her relationships with her own two children, in lighthearted books that are aimed mainly at a young adult female audience. The Every Girl's Geek Guide offers sometimes irreverent advice on how teenage girls can cope with life and deal with their problems—everything from being overweight and dealing with acne, to how to be hip and how to date. Reviewer Robyn Sheahan of the Australian publication Magpies commented that Killeen's humor is "refreshingly direct and not too laboured. It is also refreshingly not too ‘politically correct.’" Sheahan concluded, "This is popular culture at its most lively."

My Life Is a Toilet deals with similar themes, this time in a fictional format. The story is narrated by Fleur, a fifteen-year-old who types a series of messages and letters to a strange pen pal on a "two-thousand-year-old typewriter" that she has received as a Christmas gift. Reviewer Kate Veitch, writing in the Australian Book Review, praised My Life Is a Toilet for its "wonderfully immediate and engaging" style. She noted that, while adults might find the relentless raunchy humor wearisome, "I know for a fact that adolescents scream with laughter as they read bits of Toilet to each other."

Killeen's other books take a similar lighthearted but empathetic approach to the trials and tribulations of adolescent life. She has written a series of tongue-in-cheek attacks on sisters, which includes such books as My Sister's a Burp, My Sister's a Sea Slug, and My Sister's a Nightmare. Sibling humor aside, a recurring theme in Killeen's books is how to deal with differences between people and how to reach out to others. In What'll We Get for Grandma?, two young children struggle to think of the ideal gift to buy their beloved grandmother. In the young adult novel Cherry Pie, Killeen deals with the friendship that develops between two girls who are neighbors with much in common, but also a couple of key differences: one of them is wheelchair-bound and has a speech impairment. "[Killeen's] message is about empathy," reviewer Barbara James wrote in Magpie.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Australian Book Review, December, 1994, Kate Veitch, "Direct to Camera," pp. 55-56.

Magpies, July, 1993, Robyn Sheahan, review of The Every Girl's Geek Guide, p. 38; March, 1995, Kevin Steinberger, review of My Life Is a Toilet, p. 32; July, 1998, Barbara James, review of Cherry Pie, p. 30; September, 1999, Barbara James, review of What'll We Get for Grandma?, p. 27.

School Librarian, winter, 2003, review of My Sister's a Burp and My Sister's a Sea Slug, p. 201.

Times Educational Supplement, September 6, 2002, review of My Sister's a Yo-yo, p. 13.