Ivan Jones (author)

Ivan Jones is a British writer of fiction. His work includes novels, picture books, plays, poetry anthologies, television series and many adaptations for BBC Radio. He was born in Shropshire and educated at Adam's Grammar School in Newport and has a first degree from Birmingham University and a master's degree from Nottingham University.

Jones' best known novels are The Ghost Hunter series, published by Scholastic and Kindle The books were adapted into three six-part series for BBC Television. The first series was broadcast in 2000, second series in 2001 and the third series in 2002. They are still being shown in the U. K and in other parts of the world. One of the main characters in the series was Mrs Croker, played by Jean Marsh ( who also acted in Upstairs Downstairs). Will Theakston played Roddy Oliver. The ghost boy, William Povey, was played by Lee Godwin and Roddy's sister was played by Verity-Jane Dearsley.

The Ghost Hunter and The Ghost Hunter at Chillwood Castle have also been published as an audiobook and in large print. The Ghost Hunter is also published in Japanese. The Ghost Hunter's House of Horror was the third book published by Scholastic.

His picture books, including The Golden Cage (Andersen Press), and The Lazy Giant (Oxford University Press, illustrated by Dee Shulman) and in the USA (Dingles & Co) are written in a classic fairy-tale style and contain a moral. The Golden Cage is illustrated by Ken Brown and is also published in France (By Gallimard) and in Sweden.

His best-selling stories about Zot the Dog, published by Puffin Books, are humorous and zany. The first title, Adventures of Zot the Dog, was first noticed by Elizabeth Attenborough when the manuscript arrived at Penguin Books. The book originally published in hardback, was chosen as one of the best books of the year by Julia Eccleshare.

Other titles followed: Zot's Treasures, Zot Solves It and Zot Goes Camping. The books are illustrated by Judy Brown. The stories were adapted into a 13-part animated cartoon series for ITV and subsequently released on video. The books were dramatised for Cannon Hill Puppet Theatre and the production ran for 88 performances in Birmingham, as well as touring schools nationally. Jones has published other books, notably The Battle for Muck Farm, (Hodder and Stoughton, illustrated by Georgie Birkett,) which is a magical fantasy about a girl called Kitty and her strange and mysterious horse friend, Humpy Lumpy.

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