The JUST! series is narrated by a character loosely based on myself as a kid. The first book, Just Tricking!, was published in 1997 and consists of ten short stories in which the fictional Andy plays all the practical jokes that I might have thought about but was never brave/foolhardy to actually do in real life.

This was not only my first published book, but also the first book where Terry Denton and I worked together. Rather than supplying conventional illustrations, Terry filled the margins of the books with mischievous cartoons & doodles, sometimes related to the stories (but more often not!). Just Tricking! was followed by Just Annoying!, Just Stupid!, Just Crazy!, Just Disgusting!, Just Shocking!, Just Macbeth! and Just Doomed!

The first book in the series. Published in 2000

I’m the greatest practical joker in the world and the ten stories in this book chronicle some of my greatest hits … and misses! (Actually, they’re mostly misses, but, hey, they would have been brilliant if they’d worked.) Whether it’s trying to get the day off school by making my parents think I’m dead, attempting to retrieve a cockroach from a salad so I don’t get the blame, tricking my best friend Danny into thinking he’s invisible, or dressing up as a gorilla to deliver a gorillagram to my sister for her birthday, I leave no stone unturned in the search for pranking perfection.

The second book in the series. Published in 1998

I’m not only a brilliant practical joker, but apparently, according to my parents, sister, neighbours, fellow movie-goers and my dad’s boss, I’m also really good at annoying people (and garden gnomes). But, hey, I’m not trying to annoy anyone: I’m just trying to solve the problem of how to fill a shower cubicle with water, copy everything my sister says and does, and see how many times I can ask ‘Are we there yet?’ before my parents make good on their threat to stop the car and make me walk home. Don’t take my—or their—word for it, however—read these nine stories and judge for yourself whether I’m the most annoying person in the world … or just plain annoying!

The third book in the series. Published in 1999

Everyone does stupid things at one time or another (yes, even YOU, come on, admit it!) This book contains nine accounts of the stupidest things I’ve ever done. Whether it’s finding myself trapped in a runaway pram, accidentally starting a food fight in a fancy restaurant, pretending to be the monster under my sister’s bed or attempting to extinguish a burning shopping centre with nothing but the power of my, well, I’d prefer not to say … you’ll have to read the story, but rest assured, like the title of the book says, it’s just stupid!

The fourth book in the series. Published in 2000

Life can get a bit crazy sometimes, and sometimes it can get REALLY crazy, like the time I used a vacuum cleaner to remove a bandaid just underneath my eye (no, it didn’t go well). And the time I tied to a bunch of helium balloons to myself and went flying across the countryside because Danny let go of the rope (no, I should NEVER have trusted him). And the time me and my dad got locked out of the house with no clothes on and had to cover ourselves with mud and go an epic MUDMAN adventure to retrieve a spare set of keys (actually, that was kind of fun, but definitely crazy).

The fifth book in the series. Published in 2002

This is the most disgusting book out of all the books in the JUST! series and if you don’t believe me, just read it, well, if you CAN because it’s SO disgusting that most people don’t even make it past the first page and if you think that’s a challenge then you’re absolutely right! I DARE you to read this book about dead flies, brown blobs and, most disgusting of all, brussel sprouts!!!

The sixth book in the series. Published in 2007

Warning! If you’re easily shocked then you will be shocked by Just Shocking! And if you’re not easily shocked you’l be shocked at how easily this book shocks you, because that’s just how shocking Just Shocking! is. Exploding cans of lemonade! Exploding butterflies! Exploding explosions! Exploding exploding explosions! Need I go on? The book also contains the longest—and most unlikely—excuse for being late for school ever. You won’t believe a word of it, but I guarantee you’ll be shocked all the same.

The seventh book in the series. Published in 2000

All Danny and Lisa and I were trying to do was mix up a horrible potion to use as a prop in our presentation of the famous ‘witches’ scene in Shakespeare’s Macbeth and then after we all dared each other to take a sip everything went weird we found ourselves transported into the actual story of Macbeth and everyone thinks I’m Macbeth, that Danny is Macbeth’s best friend, Banquo, and Lisa is Lady Macbeth—Macbeth’s wife. Then we’re drawn into the whole gory, hilarious tragedy! There is also a really scary garden gnome called Macduff, and I HATE garden gnomes. It’s all presented in a fully illustrated play script, based on the original Bell Shakespeare stage production, which they based on our experience.

The eighth book in the series. Published in 2012

The best thing about being doomed is that it gives me a LOT of stuff to write about. Doomed to have to mind my mother’s handbag while out in public? Check. Doomed to sit in a car while my best friend Danny sleep-drives us both to certain doom? Check! Doomed to be the ONLY person with clothes on in a nudist resort? Check! Doomed to be just doomed no matter what I do? Check! Check! Check! Check! The best thing about this book is that it contains a list of 101 common ways of being doomed, so if you’re smart you’ll read it carefully and be able to reduce—by exactly 101—the chances of being doomed yourself.