Michael Gerard Bauer

Michael Gerard Bauer was born in Brisbane, Australia. He studied English literature in college and then became an economics and English teacher in Brisbane. Bauer taught for decades until he quit his job to write his first novel, The Running Man, which was published in 2005. The Running Man won a number of awards in Australia and elsewhere, and it jumpstarted Bauer’s career as an author of young adult fiction. Don’t Call Me Ishmael was his second book; his son designed the cover art for the original Australian edition. Bauer has continued to publish about a book per year since then—some for middle-grade readers, some for younger readers, and several picture books. His novels have been translated into many different languages and published all over the world. Bauer has said that he doesn’t have the opportunity to write every day, since he spends a lot of his time speaking to school groups and attending literary festivals. He also maintains a blog and interacts with fans on Facebook. He and his wife, who was also a teacher, live in Brisbane.