Peter Millett
Millett, Peter (1968-) is the author of over 100 children’s books that regularly have a comedic slant. An interview on Seven Sharp revealed that cutting, pasting and rearranging letters in newspaper headlines with his grandfather, was a formative childhood activity that has propelled Millett forward into his career as a lifelong jokester.
The heart of Millett’s work is brought to life by its humour. A review by Keith Dudhnath describes Boy Zero Wannabe Hero: The Curse of the Catastrophic Cupcakes as being “pure comic book silliness… wild, wacky and perfectly ludicrous.” The Johnny Danger books, Lie Another Day, D.I.Y. Spy and Spy Borg are similarly fundamental Millett works. D.I.Y. Spy is reviewed by Isobel Moore as being an “absolute giggle of a spy story.”
In 2019 Millet published the first book in his series The Invincibles. In an article with School News magazine, Millet discusses how the series employs the concept of the everyday superhero, where young characters overcome challenges among “paddocks, cow pats and flies” rather than the perhaps less relatable sprawling metropolises and steaming lava.
The success of Millett’s books has also been recognised in awards. In 2015, The Anzac Puppy won a Children’s Choice Picture Book Award for the NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. In 2011, Boy Zero Wannabe Hero was shortlisted for the LIANZA Esther Glen Junior Fiction Award.
Most recently, Millett has published Ladybird Funny Stories for 5 Year Olds, a collection of stories available exclusively as an audiobook. Each story is a “mashup of classic stories and characters,” resulting in what interviewer Zac McCallum describes as “hilarious combinations.” Working in audiobook form was a first for Millett who says he felt energised to have worked on something new and different, and hopes to work on more audiobook projects in the future.
MEDIA
Peter Millett Books website and Seven Sharp interview
Keith Dudhnath The Curse of the Catastrophic Cupcakes review
