Forest of Reading Red Maple Award facts for kids
The Red Maple Award is a special prize given to amazing Canadian books for young people. It's part of the Ontario Library Association's (OLA) Forest of Reading Awards. This award celebrates both fiction (made-up stories) and non-fiction (true stories) books. It's specifically for students in grades 7 and 8, usually aged 12 to 14.
Each year, ten books are chosen as nominees in each category. To vote for their favorite book, students need to read at least five of these nominated books. The book that gets the most votes from all the libraries, schools, and groups taking part wins the Red Maple Award!
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Award History
The Red Maple Award was created to celebrate books for older students. It started five years after another award, the Silver Birch Award, which was for younger readers.
In 2005, a new part of the Red Maple Award was added: a special category for non-fiction books. This non-fiction award is given out every two years, in odd-numbered years.
So far, the Red Maple Award has been given out 22 times for fiction books and 8 times for non-fiction books.
Authors Who Won Multiple Times
Some authors have won the Red Maple Award more than once, which is a big achievement!
- Eric Walters has won the most, with four awards (in 2001, 2007, 2008, and 2015 for fiction).
- Susin Nielsen (2010, 2014, 2020) and Kenneth Oppel (2005, 2006, 2012) have each won three times.
- Other authors who have won twice include Gayle Friesen, Wesley King, Norah McClintock, and Andreas Schroeder.
Kenneth Oppel was the first author to win the award two years in a row (2005 and 2006). Eric Walters also won back-to-back in 2007 and 2008. Andreas Schroeder was the first to win the non-fiction award two times in a row (2005 and 2007).
The very first fiction winner was Carol Matas. The first non-fiction winner was Andreas Schroeder.
Award-Winning Books
Many amazing Canadian authors and books have been honored with the Red Maple Award over the years. These books cover a wide range of topics and stories, from exciting adventures to important true events.
Fiction Winners
Since 1998, many fiction books have won the Red Maple Award. Here are some of the winners:
- 1998: After the War by Carol Matas
- 1999: Janey's Girl by Gayle Friesen
- 2000: What They Don't Know by Anita Horrocks
- 2001: Rebound by Eric Walters
- 2002: Clara's War by Kathy Kacer
- 2003: Losing Forever by Gayle Friesen
- 2004: Hit and Run by Norah McClintock
- 2005: Airborn by Kenneth Oppel
- 2006: Skybreaker by Kenneth Oppel
- 2007: We All Fall Down by Eric Walters
- 2008: Safe as Houses by Eric Walters
- 2009: Out of the Cold by Norah McClintock
- 2010: Word Nerd by Susin Nielsen
- 2011: Not Suitable for Family Viewing by Vicki Grant
- 2012: Half Brother by Kenneth Oppel
- 2013: The Vindico by Wesley King
- 2014: The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen by Susin Nielsen
- 2015: Rule of Three by Eric Walters
- 2016: The Dogs by Allan Stratton
- 2017: Shooter by Caroline Pignat
- 2018: The Winnowing by Vikki VanSickle
- 2019: A World Below by Wesley King
- 2020: No Fixed Address by Susin Nielsen
- 2021: Bloom by Kenneth Oppel
- 2022: The King of Jam Sandwiches by Eric Walters
Non-Fiction Winners
The non-fiction category started in 2005. These books tell true stories and share facts about the world.
- 2005: Scams! by Andreas Schroeder
- 2007: Thieves!: Ten Stories of Surprising Heists, Comical Capers and Daring Escapades by Andreas Schroeder
- 2009: Royal Murder by Elizabeth MacLeod
- 2011: Bite of the Mango by Mariatu Kamara
- 2013: Real Justice: Fourteen and Sentenced to Death by Bill Swan
- 2015: The Last Train: A Holocaust Story by Rona Arato
- 2017: Child Soldier: When Boys and Girls Are Used in War by Michel Chikwanine, Jessica Dee Humphreys, and Claudia Dávila
- 2019: Every Falling Star: The True Story of How I Survived and Escaped North Korea by Sungju Lee and Susan McClelland
