Erin Bow facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Erin Bow
Erin Bow photographed in Montreal, Quebec, Canada at the Salon du livre de Montréal 2016.
Born	Erin Noteboom April 1, 1972 (1972-04) (age 53) Des Moines, Iowa, USA
Occupation	Author
Language	English
Citizenship	Dual: American and Canadian
Education	Creighton University
Alma mater	Creighton University
Period	2001–present
Genre	Young adult, Speculative fiction, Science fiction, Fantasy, Dystopian, Historical fiction, Bildungsroman
Notable works	Plain Kate
Notable awards	TD Canadian Children's Literature Award (2011) Monica Hughes Award (2014) Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children Award (2016)
Spouse	James Bow
Children	2 children

Erin Bow (born April 1, 1972) is an author from both America and Canada. She is well-known for writing books for young adults. She has won many awards for her stories.

Some of her awards include the 2011 TD Canadian Children's Literature Award for Plain Kate. She also won the 2014 Monica Hughes Award for Sorrow's Knot. In 2016, she received the Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children Award for The Scorpion Rules. Most recently, she won a 2019 Governor General's Award for Stand on the Sky.

Erin Bow's Early Life and School

Erin Noteboom was born in Des Moines, Iowa, in the United States. She grew up in Omaha, Nebraska. She had one younger sister named Wendy. As a child, Erin loved science, writing, and exploring the woods.

When she was in eighth grade, her family moved to a different suburb in Omaha. She went to Mercy High School and finished in 1990. In high school, she started the math club. She was also the leader of the debate team.

College and Science Studies

Erin went to Creighton University. She studied physics as her main subject and writing as a minor. She chose physics because she thought it would be easier to learn writing on her own. She felt it was harder to become a physicist without formal training.

After college, Erin started a special program to get her doctorate in particle physics. This was in Twin Cities, Minnesota. As part of her studies, she worked one summer at CERN. This is a big science organization near Geneva, Switzerland.

During her time in graduate school, doctors found a brain tumor. At first, they thought it was very serious. But it turned out to be a type of tumor that could be removed. This experience made Erin change her mind about her future. She decided to leave her science program. She chose to focus full-time on writing poetry instead.

Erin Bow's Writing Career

Before writing books for young adults, Erin Bow wrote poetry and a memoir. During this time, she had different jobs. All of these jobs were connected to her love for writing. She was an editor for poetry at a magazine called New Quarterly. She also helped organize writing workshops in Kitchener, Ontario.

She worked part-time as a writer at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. She also took part in a special program for writers at Rossland Summit School. Erin Bow gave a talk at St. Jerome University. She spoke about how science and literature are connected.

What Inspires Erin Bow's Stories

Erin Bow's novels often feature young people in science fiction and fantasy worlds. She has explained why she loves writing young adult fantasy. She believes these books help young readers fall in love with reading. Erin also enjoys writing about questions that don't have easy answers.

She gets ideas from places she knows. These include the prairies where she grew up, Saskatchewan, and the Black Hills in South Dakota. She also finds inspiration in Lakota and Russian folklore. Erin Bow's characters often come from diverse backgrounds. Her stories usually explore ideas like having faith, doing what is right, and what it means to be human.

Awards and Special Mentions

Many of Erin Bow's books have been chosen as Junior Library Guild selections. These include Plain Kate (2010), The Scorpion Rules (2015), Stand on the Sky (2019), and Simon Sort of Says (2023).

Her books have also appeared on many "best-of" lists. In 2010, Kirkus Reviews called Plain Kate one of the best books of the year. The Young Adult Library Services Association added it to their 2011 list of Best Fiction for Young Adults. In 2013, Kirkus Reviews and Quill & Quire named Sorrow's Knot one of the best books of the year.

In 2015, Chapters and Kirkus Reviews chose The Scorpion Rules as one of the best books. In 2023, Kirkus Reviews named Simon Sort of Says one of the best middle grade books.

Erin Bow's Personal Life

In 1997, Erin Noteboom moved to Canada. There, she married another author named James Bow.

In 2005, her younger sister, Wendy Ewell, who was a painter, passed away.

Erin Bow now lives in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. She lives with her husband, their two children, and two pets. She writes her books in a special shed in her backyard. She also enjoys cooking.

Erin Bow's Books

Fiction Novels

Standalone Novels

• Plain Kate (2010)
• Sorrow's Knot (2013)
• The Scorpion Rules (2015)
• Stand on the Sky (2019)
• Simon Sort of Says (2023)

Prisoners of Peace Series

The Prisoners of Peace series is set in a future world. It takes place on the prairies of Saskatchewan. In this world, the children of rulers are kept as special guests. If their country goes to war, these children are in danger. The children live together in a school. They must follow the rules set by the governing AIs.

Short Stories

Erin Bow worked with her husband, James Bow, on a short story. It was called "A Stone of the Heart" and was published in 2001. This story was part of Missing Pieces (2001). This book was a collection of stories based on the TV show Doctor Who.

Poetry Collections

Under her maiden name, Erin Noteboom, she published two books of poetry:

• Ghost Maps: Poems for Carl Hruska (2001)
• The Year of the Monsoon (2003)

Her poetry also appeared in other collections. These include The Malahat Review, PRISM International, and Prairie Fire. Some of her poems were also published online in Rattle.

Other Writings

In 2013, Erin Bow wrote an essay called A Defense of Fantasy: Classical Literature v. Modern YA. She wrote this for a website called YA Interrobang. She also published short essays for the Perimeter Institute of Theoretical Physics.