Andre Garant

Background

Andre J. Garant was born on October 9, 1968, in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, United States. He is a son of a professor Phil and a mayor Jeanne (maiden name, Maltais) Garant.

Education

Andre J. Garant studied at St. Michael’s College, where he got a Bachelor of Science degree in 1991.

Career

Andre J. Garant started his career in Independent Group Home Living Program, Inc., East Moriches, New York, as an accountant in 1993. In 1995 he became an auditor at Charlton Hospital, Fall River, Massachusetts. Later in 1998, he worked as an accountant in Neptco, Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Since 2000 he has worked as an accountant in Lightolier, Fall River, Massachusetts. He is also a religious education instructor.

He first became interested in writing for children between the ages of nine and thirteen while taking a home-study course from the Institute of Children’s Literature. After receiving my certificate in 1997, he actively began writing novels for boys and girls at the middle-school level. One of his very first manuscripts, "I’m Gonna Win," is the story of an eleven-year-old boy named Matthew Casey. Matthew is a very conceited boy who must learn to overcome his bad attitude by learning an important lesson in life. The sequel to this story is "Slam Dunk."

Achievements

• Andre J. Garant wrote best-selling novels, which are loved by children. He attributes his success to his dedication to his profession.

Works

More photos

• book

  • The Elite Eight

    (Told through the eyes of eleven-year-old Jake DeMartino, ...)

    2011
  • Tj's Takedown

    (TJ's Takedown is an action-packed novel that will be sure...)

    2010
  • SLAMMIN' THE PIPE

    (The Pipeis chock full of action and adventure for childre...)

    2004
  • Reilly's Black Belt

    (This novel packed with adventure and humor is especially ...)

    2005
  • Splat!

    (Splat! is a humorous story about 65 fourth graders from E...)

    2011
  • Away We Go

    (Join in the fun as fourteen boys and ten girls from Tolla...)

    2007
  • Touchdown Timmy

    (Touchdown Timmy is sure to provide hours of non-stop acti...)

    2003
  • Jake's Tree House

    (Ten-year-old Jake Robertson and his best friends decide t...)

    2010
  • Nick Makes The Kick

    (Nick Makes the Kick is a middle-grade fiction novel for b...)

    2002
  • David's Awesome Adventure

    (Eleven-year-old David Busch and his family travel to Hawa...)

    2009
  • The Circus Kids

    (A group of thirty-one students at St. Joseph's Catholic S...)

    2008
  • Slam Dunk 2000
  • Slap Shot 2000
  • Slap Shot II: Florida Vacation 2001
  • Super Spy Hunt 2004
  • I'm Gonna Win 2007

Views

“My purpose in writing for middle-school children is to help revive their interest in reading. Many kids at this age become disinterested in reading and often turn to other activities that are not mind-stimulating. I visit schools and speak to kids firsthand about my writing, and usually, when I leave the group at the end of my presentation, they are very excited about reading my books. Many boys and girls who are happy about reading can’t wait to get home and log onto the Internet to view some of my books. Even if I only reach out to one child at each school, then I have met my goal. For me, writing books is not about making money. It’s about helping children realize the importance of reading at a young age, in order to develop their oral and written communication skills fully. This is a necessity to success later on in life."

“My books are written in realistic and modern-day tones, with dialogue reflected to portray what kids are actually saying. I do, however, stay away from bad language, as I feel this only demonstrates to children that such language is acceptable to use. Realistic dialogue weaves kids into the story and makes them want to finish the book. It is like using good bait on a fishing rod. If kids are bored by what they are reading, then chances are they will not finish the book. Although most of my books deal with sports (the favored topic among kids), I have many manuscripts written about other subjects, such as school life, family life, friends, humorous situations, and death and dying. I have written about everything from food fights in the school cafeteria to a young boy who witnesses the death of his best friend. I want my readers to enjoy what they are reading, but also to learn something at the same time."

“I am just starting to do something fun in my books. All of the books that I have published to date (except one) do not have any inside illustrations. For my latest book, The Kid from North Park, I have asked many children to draw illustrations for the text. For each illustration I decided to include, I list a caption underneath it along with the child’s name, age, and town of residence. This allows children to be their own illustrators, and it gives other kids who read the book some insight into what other children’s artistic abilities might be. It also provides a quick geography lesson. Children love the idea and provide numerous drawings. The basic idea for me is to make a book as much about children as possible - not only written for children but illustrated by them. The next step for me might be to have a child co-author a book with me. Now that would be fun! Happy reading!”

Interests

• reading, writing, music, travel

References

• Contemporary Authors New Revision Series, Vol. 194
  2010