Monk, Scott 1974-

PERSONAL:

Born 1974, in Macksville, New South Wales, Australia. Education: University of Canberra, Australia. Hobbies and other interests: Indian food, photography, cricket, chocolate, movies, thunderstorms, frogs, going to the gym, and body-boarding.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Adelaide, New South Wales, Australia. Agent—Lateral Learning Speakers' Agency, P.O. Box 646, Spit Junction, New South Wales 2088, Australia. E-mail—boyz_r_us@hotmail.com.

CAREER:

Writer and journalist. Adelaide Advertiser, Adelaide, New South Wales, Australia, began as cadet journalist, 1996; the Australian, Sydney, New South Wales, reporter.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Royal Blind Society's Talking Book of the Year Award for Boyz ‘R’ Us.; South Australia's Young Journalist of the Year Award, 1999, for his commitment to youth affairs.

WRITINGS:

YOUNG ADULT FICTION

Boyz ‘R’ Us, Random House Australia (Milsons Point, New South Wales, Australia), 1996.

Raw, Random House Australia (Milsons Point, New South Wales, Australia), 1998.

The Crush, Random House Australia (Milsons Point, New South Wales, Australia), 2000.

The Never Boys, Random House Australia (Milsons Point, New South Wales, Australia), 2005.

ADAPTATIONS:

Boyz ‘R’ Us and Raw have been made into audiobooks.

SIDELIGHTS:

Author Scott Monk admits that he did not particularly like to read when he was younger. Then a teacher assigned him to write a twenty-page novella, and Scott soon discovered that he enjoyed the process of writing. His first young adult novel, Boyz ‘R’ Us, was published when Monk was only nineteen. Since then he has written several novels for young adults. When an interviewer on the NSW HSC Web site asked why he writes for young adults, the author noted: "I think stories about young adults are great. There's a lot of conflict in teenagers' lives."

In his third novel, The Crush, Monk writes about fifteen-year-old Matthew Cassidy, a talented rugby player who is already being watched by professional talent scouts. Nevertheless, Matt has several issues to deal with, including the fact that he is being harassed and beaten up by players from another team who hold a grudge against him for his role in defeating them in the playoffs. The novel also deals with Matt's longing for a father, his crush on Kelly Sinclair, and his grudge with Aaron Blackwell, another talented rugby player. Sean Fagan, writing on the RL1908: Rugby League 1908 Web site, described the books as "written in descriptive language, by an author who understands the game of rugby league and the importance it plays to the aspirations of many young boys and families."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

ONLINE

Australian Broadcasting Company Web site,http://abc.net.au/ (September 28, 2006), review of The Crush.

Byron Bay Writers Festival Web site,http://www.byronbaywritersfestival.com.au/ (September 28, 2006), brief profile of author.

Department of Education and Training, Government of Western Australia Web site,http://www.det.wa.edu.au/education/ (September 28, 2006), "Scott Monk Tells Us about Writing The Crush," also biographical information on author.

Lateral Learning Web site,http://www.laterallearning.com.au/ (September 28, 2006), brief profile of author.

NSW HSC,http://hsc.csu.edu.au/ (September 28, 2006), "An Interview with Scott Monk," student interviews with author.

Random House Australia Web site,http://www.randomhouse.com.au/ (September 28, 2006), brief profile of author.

RL1908: Rugby League 1908 Web site,http://rl1908.com/ (September 28, 2006), Sean Fagan, review of The Crush.