Category: News stories

The Awards themselves are designed by students who submit their artwork in a contest. The Silver Birch award was designed by Gurleen Randhawa, Grade 6 Fletcher’s Creek PS Brampton, ON

What a wonderful experience, to have Tuyet on the stage with me for the Red Maple awards. What made it especially awesome was that Tuyet’s daughter Bria held the sign, and her son Luke introduced me. In this pic, Katlyn joins me and Tuyet for a smile.

 

What a lovely surprise it was to WIN the Silver Birch Fiction Award this year! The SB roster of authors was company I was honoured to be included in, and quite frankly, it never occurred to me that I might win. Just to be nominated was a dream come true. My signing session was scheduled before the announcements. On the students’ autograph sheets was a spot set aside for the “winner”. One young lady insisted that I sign there. I told her that we didn’t know who had won yet. She gave me a pitying stare and said, Puleeze, you’ve won it. Sign it on the winner’s spot. I did, with trepidation.

The pic, from Helen Kubiw  shows me in a complete state of shock, thanking the audience.

 

 

I happened upon a wonderfully perceptive reflection by a grade 5 student from Richland Academy from a notification on google. And then, on Silver Birch day, I got to meet the actual young man who wrote that reflection. He asked me to sign the paper copy of his essay — and it was one of the proudest moments of my life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks, Denise Anderson, for snapping this great photo from the back of the crowd. What a totally amazing day!!!!

 

This is a photo of our Red Maple book signing! Tuyet’s daughter Bria, Tuyet, Praveen — who sent me this pic — Tuyet’s son Luke, and me. Thanks for sending the pic, Praveen!

What a fabulous Northern Forest of Reading series of events it was last week. The volunteers worked tirelessly. Special thanks to Meredith Gilbert Tutching, our own energizer bunny. The toughest job fell to the students, especially those who carried the signs and made the speeches about their favourite books and authors, like this young lady from North Bay.

If someone just walked by this little sticker, they might think a student had “issues” but as the author of Making Bombs for Hitler, I am thrilled!

Kari Trogen (co-author of Margaret and the Moth Tree) snapped this shot at the Thunder Bay Forest of Reading day.