Kids' Book Review: 12 Curly Questions with author Oliver Phommavanh

1. Tell us something hardly anyone knows about you.
I have a soft spot for cheesy pop songs. Yes, that includes Justin Beiber and One Direction.

2. What is your nickname?
Ollie! They used to call me Oliver Winfree in High School, cos they couldn't say my surname (and er...thought my name was Oprah)

3. What is your greatest fear?
Heights, without a doubt. Sky diving, bungee jumping, living in a two storey house, ain't gonna happen for me.

4. Describe your writing style in ten words.
Funny, quirky, weird, full of heart, punchy, sharp, WOO HOO!

5. Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer.
Energetic, contagious, immature, dedicated, heartfelt

6. What book character would you be, and why?
I still have dreams of being Charlie, going into the chocolate factory. I love the mystery of it all, discovering something that would beyond my imagination. Sometimes I buy a few boxes of Gobstobbers and just wonder...

7. If you could time travel, what year would you go to and why?
I'd go back to the age of dinosaurs, back before they were just old fossils. As a kid who wanted to be a dinosaur, it would an awesome adventure.

8. What would your ten-year-old self say to you now?
'Why have you still got your ninja turtles bed sheets? Even I thought they were daggy.' Or 'Who would have thought Sonic and Mario would join forces. Times have changed'

9. Who is your greatest influence?
Paul Jennings, Morris Gleitzman and Andy Griffiths, I was hooked as a kid and now read every new book that they release. They're just light years ahead of what I'm doing so far!

10. What/who made you start writing?
I always wanted to be a writer, reading and writing a lot at school, but I didn't who for. When I became a primary school teacher, I realised that kids were my audience. So I quit and started writing. I write to make people laugh and to test out my own comedy on stage.

11. What is your favourite word and why?
Pineapples! It's just a weird word for a crazy fruit. Plus it looks like my head and hair.

12. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I gotta say the Bible! But as for a kid's book, I can't tear myself away from Unreal by Paul Jennings. They're stories that I still think about today.