Andrew James Butcher, better known as A.J. Butcher, is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

writer best known for the futuristic teen spy series,

Spy High ''Spy High'' is an English book series by English writer A. J. Butcher about a high school for secret agents in training. It is divided into two series of six books each. Series One, first published in 2003 and 2004, is about Bond Team as a wh ...

. Butcher taught English at both

Poole Grammar School Poole Grammar School (commonly abbreviated to PGS) is a selective, all‐boys grammar school and academy in the coastal town of Poole in Dorset, on the south coast of England. It is a member of the South West Academic Trust (SWAT). The school wa ...

and Parkstone Grammar School, in

Poole Poole () is a large coastal town and seaport in Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east. Since 1 April 2019, the local authority is Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Counc ...

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...

, and currently teaches at

Talbot Heath School Talbot Heath School is a selective, private day and boarding School for girls aged 3–18 located in Talbot Woods, Bournemouth, Dorset, England. The school was established in 1886 and was previously known as Bournemouth High School for Girls. ...

Bournemouth Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...

. He took a sabbatical from his teaching career to write Spy High Series Two. He says he has been influenced by

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

and

George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to totalitar ...

, but that

Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Publications which ...

, creator of many of

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

super-heroes A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses Superpower (ability), ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the World peac ...

, is his biggest inspirational figure. The series is published by

Atom Books Little, Brown Book Group is a UK publishing company created in 1992, with multiple predecessors. Since 2006 Little, Brown Book Group has been owned by Hachette UK, a subsidiary of Hachette Livre. It was acquired in 2006 from Time Warner of New ...

in the UK and Commonwealth and

Little, Brown and Co. Little, Brown and Company is an American publishing company founded in 1837 by Charles Coffin Little and James Brown in Boston. For close to two centuries it has published fiction and nonfiction by American authors. Early lists featured Emily ...

in the US. The first series has also been translated into many other languages.

Spy High: Series 1

The first series he had written consists of six books, similar to the second series. Each book is about the Bond Team's struggle through their education. They must defeat criminals and viruses, and possibly most importantly of all, they must accept the death of a teammate and trust the replacement.

Reaper Trilogy

#The Time of the Reaper #Slave Harvest #The Tomorrow Seed

References

External links

SpyIt interviews A.J. Butcher
* * English children's writers Living people People from Poole Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) English male novelists {{England-writer-stub