George Ivanoff author page

George Ivanoff biography

George Ivanoff is an Australian author who has written more than 100 books for children and teenagers, including novels, short stories, school readers and non-fiction. His work spans science fiction, fantasy, adventure and interactive fiction.

His first book, the short-story collection Life, Death and Detention, was originally published by Margaret Hamilton Publishing in 1999. He later created the science-fiction Gamers trilogy for Ford Street Publishing. The first novel, originally published as Gamers’ Quest in 2009, follows teenage thieves Tark and Zyra as they discover unsettling truths about the computer-game world in which they live. The trilogy was relaunched by Ford Street Publishing in 2020 as Game On!, Level Up! and Game Over!. Gamers’ Quest and Gamers’ Rebellion received Chronos Awards for speculative fiction.

Ivanoff is also the author of the interactive You Choose series, originally published by Random House Australia. The Treasure of Dead Man’s Cove won the 2015 YABBA Award for Fiction for Younger Readers, while Alien Invaders From Beyond the Stars won the same category in 2023. His other series include RFDS Adventures, Other Worlds and the non-fiction Survival Guides.

His middle-grade novel Monster Island was published by Puffin in 2023. It follows Bernie to a secret research facility on a remote island where extinct and mythical creatures are alive, and where he and his new friend Ivy begin investigating a series of mysteries.

Ivanoff returned to interactive fiction with You Choose MEGA: Prehistoric Peril, published by Penguin Random House Australia in July 2025. The book was shortlisted for the 2026 YABBA Awards.