Bill Freeman (author) facts for kids
William Bradford Freeman (born October 21, 1938) is a Canadian writer. He writes many different kinds of stories, including historical fiction for young people. He also writes film scripts, documentaries, plays, and non-fiction books. William Freeman loves to write about Canada and what it's like to live here.
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About William Freeman
After finishing school, William Freeman explored parts of western Canada and traveled in Europe. He then studied at Acadia University in Nova Scotia and McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.
William Freeman started writing his popular Bains Series of books for young people while living in Hamilton. There are now nine books in this series. Each book explores a different industrial setting in Canada in the 1870s. The first book, Shantymen of Cache Lake, won a special award called the Canada Council Children's Literature Prize in 1975. Several other books in the series have also won awards.
William Freeman has also written books for adults. These books often look at politics and how cities work. For example, he wrote about the city of Hamilton in Hamilton: a People's History. He also wrote about Toronto Island, where he lives now, in a book called A Magical Place. Another book, Casa Loma, Toronto's Fairy-Tale Castle, tells the story of a famous castle in Toronto.
He has also worked on films. He helped write Far From Home, Canadians in the First World War, which was also a documentary film. This led to more film projects. He was a writer for a series of science videos for high school students, covering biology, physics, chemistry, and earth sciences.
William Freeman worked with Wendy Loten, a well-known Canadian children's film producer, on these educational videos. They also worked together on Loten's Mighty Machines 2 and 3. These fun films have been shown on TVO and Tree House Television.
He has also written plays. Ghosts of the Madawaska is a play for children that was performed in Ottawa. Glory Days is a play about a big strike in Hamilton in 1946. It has been performed by Theatre Aquarius.
In recent years, William Freeman has written about cities and politics. His books The New Urban Agenda (2015) and Democracy Rising (2017) explore these topics. He has also completed a new series of 8 books called Mariner's Story, which began to be published in 2021.
Awards and Prizes
William Freeman has received several awards for his writing:
- In 1975, he won the Canada Council Award for Juvenile Literature for his book Shantymen of Cache Lake.
- A Magical Place: Toronto Island and Its People received a Certificate of Commendation from Heritage Toronto in 2000.
- Casa Loma: Toronto's Fairy-tale Castle and its Owner, Sir Henry Pellatt received an Award of Merit from Heritage Toronto in 1999.
- Prairie Fire! was chosen for the Canadian Children's Book Centre's "Our Choice" list and was nominated for the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People in 1998.
- Many books in his Bains Series were selected for the "Our Choice" list.
- He received the Vicky Metcalf Award for Children's Literature in 1984 for his entire collection of work in the Bains Series.
William Freeman's Books and Works
Books for Young Adults
The Bains Series
- Ambush in the Foothills, 2000
- Sioux Winter, 1999
- Prairie Fire!, 1998
- Danger on the Tracks, 1987
- Harbour Thieves, 1984
- Trouble at Lachine Mill, 1983
- The Last Voyage of the Scotian, 1976
- First Spring on the Grand Banks, 1978
- Shantymen of Cache Lake, 1975
Other Young Adult Books
- Cedric and the North End Kids, 1978
Plays
Plays for Adults
- "Glory Days", a play with music, performed by Theatre Aquarius in Hamilton in 1989 and again in 2006.
Plays for Young Adults
- "Ghosts of the Madawaska", performed by the Great Canadian Theatre Company in Ottawa in 1985.
Children's Television Series
- Script Writer for "Mighty Machines 2", a fourteen-part program for young children.
- Script Writer for "Mighty Machines 3", another fourteen-part program for young children.
Educational Videos
- Script Writer for "Canada for Children", a three-part video series for elementary school children.
- Script Writer/Educational Consultant for "Elements of Earth Sciences", six videos for high school students.
- Script Writer/Educational Consultant for "Elements of Chemistry", six videos for high school students.
- Script Writer/Educational Consultant for "Elements of Physics", six videos for high school students.
- Script Writer/Educational Consultant and Narrator for "Elements of Biology", a series of six films for high school students.
