writes about war from a young person's view #bannedbyrussia
It was so meaningful to meet my fellow panelists for the War and Trauma panel. I was particularly struck by the work that Hooria Rezaei is doing with children in Tehran during this current war, using books as a refuge and a way of dealing with trauma in kids who are in the midst of the unimaginable.
So honoured to have two articles referencing my novel, Stolen Child (Stolen Girl) in the newest edition of Bookbird! Thank you Mateusz Świetlicki and Sharon Smulders for writing such interesting pieces. Stolen Child holds a special place in my heart. It was the first of my Scholastic WWII novels, and is the only one set in Canada. It was written as a tribute to my dear late mother-in-law, whose own WWII experiences inspired the story. Here’s a pic of her as a child:
Very thrilled to see Making Bombs for Hitler on the The Canadian Children’s Book Centre’s 50 Must-Read Canadian Middle Grade books in celebration of the Centre’s 50th anniversary! Such an honour to be included in this list that goes all the way back to Anne of Green Gables (1908!)
And all the others:
Thank you, Barbra Hesson of the Calgary Herald for including Standoff in your June picks! Thank you also, to the Canadian Children’s Book Center for selecting Standoff in the Best Books selection for spring 2026.
It was a wonderful event last night in London Ontario. Many thanks to the volunteers and organizers from London UCC and the London Ukrainian Centre. It was great to see the students and educators from Woodstock’s St. Sophia Ukrainian school as well!
After my last school session and on my way to returning the rental car, I stopped in at Book Warehouse on Main to autograph their stock copies of my books. The traffic was heavy and where I parked wasn’t exactly great, but the books are signed! LOVE independent bookstores. They are an author’s best friend, and readers’ best friend!