“Hi, my name is Andy.” This is the first sentence of each book in the best-selling Treehouse series, written by Australian author Andy Griffiths in close collaboration with his wife, editor Jill Griffiths, and illustrator Terry Denton. In the series, fictional characters Andy (the writer) and Terry (the illustrator) create the Treehouse books while living in a fantastic many-storied treehouse. They add another thirteen levels with every new title – so far, they’re up to 130 stories. As each novel begins, Andy, Terry, and their friend Jill set off on a wild adventure, which the boys turn into the manuscript of their next book.

            In addition to the Treehouse titles, Griffiths has written easy readers and a number of other books in series, such as The Just! Books, The Bum Books, and The Schooling Around Books. While he enjoyed writing as a child, he didn’t publish his first book (Just Tricking!, 1997) until after he had worked as a punk rock singer/songwriter and high school teacher. While teaching English, he began inventing stories to motivate students who didn’t like reading and writing. “I learned a lot about performance and being sensitive to an audience from teaching and fronting a band. I enjoy talking to large groups of children, teasing and playing with them—arguing with them about my outlandish claims. And when I come to write, it feels natural to me to address the reader directly.”

            He is certainly reaching his audience. The books he creates with the talented Denton have been published all over the world. They’ve garnered dozens of children’s choice awards, as well as other honors. A number of Treehouse titles have been adapted for the stage. Griffiths attributes this popularity to several factors. First, “the books combine elements of three genres: fantasy, comedy and adventure, which is reflected in both the text and pictures.” They’re accessible, thanks in part to a multitude of energetic cartoon-style illustrations. At the same time, they have “complicated plots with lots of action and adventure.” A young reader who finishes a hefty Treehouse book can feel a sense of accomplishment. Thirdly, readers of the Treehouse series appreciate the friendship between Andy, Terry, and Jill. It has its ups and downs (“and the occasional intergalactic space battle”), but it still gets them through all their crazy adventures.

            A sense of play is paramount for Griffiths, whether it’s on the part of the audience or the book creators. While working on a manuscript, he and his team aim to entertain themselves – both as adults and former children. They unleash their imaginations and “follow ideas to their logically illogical conclusions.” This leads to some funny and preposterous situations. For example, what if the treehouse had a level called Andyville, populated by clones of Andy? What if the Andys stampeded out of Andyville and created havoc? (The 78-Story Treehouse, 2016) In the past, adults have occasionally objected, worrying that readers might actually try the characters’ shenanigans. But he argues, “Fictional characters can have a lot of dangerous fun in books precisely because they are fictional i.e. not real, and, in our experience kids understand this implicitly. It’s part of the game of fiction. They want to go to where the wild things are!”

            Sometimes Griffiths vets ideas with young people or asks them for suggestions. “The Trunkinator (a boxing elephant), the Ninja-snail Training Academy and the Exploding Eyeball levels [in the treehouse] are all based on reader suggestions. At first I questioned whether a level that caused your eyeballs to explode would be something that anybody would want to visit, but every time I mentioned it to an audience they would all fall about laughing … so the audience vetoed me on that one!”

            Given his interest in literacy and young readers, it’s no surprise that Griffiths has worked with Australia’s Indigenous Literacy Foundation on their mission to publish writing by children in remote communities. As a visiting author for the Foundation, he edited The Naked Boy and the Crocodile & Other Stories (2011). He’s also an ambassador for The Pyjama Foundation, which connects children in foster care with individual “reading angels.” These mentors supply a constant source of reading experiences (and other support) in the sometimes-unstable lives of foster children.

            As for the future, Griffiths is compiling a list of new levels for The 143-Story Treehouse, and he’s researching ghosts for a story set in the haunted house level. What about non-Treehouse projects? “My life is pretty much all Treehouse, all the time! Besides, the treehouse is so elastic and infinitely expandable that it can accommodate almost any subject matter, idea or genre that I feel like exploring. So, yes, for the moment, it’s treehouse all the way.”