Jennifer Lanthier facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jennifer Lanthier
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Jennifer Lanthier August 2012
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| Born | Jennifer Deirdre Jane Lanthier February 29, 1964 Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupation | Children's Author, Journalist |
| Alma mater | University of Toronto |
| Notable works | The Stamp Collector (2012) |
| Spouse | Stephen Rogers m. 1987 |
Jennifer Lanthier (born February 29, 1964) is a Canadian author who writes books for children. She is also a journalist. Since 2016, she has worked at the University of Toronto, helping share news about the university.
Contents
Jennifer Lanthier's Early Life
Jennifer Lanthier was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She spent her early years in Toronto, St. Catharines, and Sudbury, Ontario. She went to high school at Loyalist Collegiate Institute in Kingston, Ontario. Later, she attended North Toronto Collegiate Institute.
Lanthier studied Political Science and History at the University of Toronto. She graduated in 1985 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. While at university, she was part of the student government. She also wrote for student newspapers like The Gargoyle and The Newspaper.
After that, she studied Journalism at Ryerson University in Toronto. She was the editor of the student newspaper, The Ryersonian. She also worked as an intern at the Ottawa Citizen newspaper. An intern is someone who works to get experience. After her internship, she joined a news service called United Press International. A news service sends news stories to many different newspapers and TV stations.
She also worked for The Financial Post, which is now called The National Post. She wrote about workers' rights and later about Biotechnology, which is about using living things to make products. She has also written speeches for the Premier of Ontario, who is like the head of the provincial government. She has also written articles for magazines like Canadian House & Home and Canadian Living.
Jennifer Lanthier's Books
Jennifer Lanthier has written several books for young readers.
The Hazel Frump Series
Her first book was a novel for middle schoolers called The Mystery of the Martello Tower. It was published in 2007 by HarperCollins Canada. This book was nominated for a Snow Willow Award. A new version for younger American readers came out in 2008.
The Mystery of the Martello Tower has been used in many reading programs in Canadian and American schools. These programs often involve teams of children reading books and answering questions about them in quiz-style games.
In 2008, HarperCollins Canada published the second book in the series, The Legend of the Lost Jewels. The Ontario Library Association called it one of the "Best Bets - Fiction Books for Kids" that year. This book has also been part of school reading competitions.
Both The Mystery of the Martello Tower and The Legend of the Lost Jewels are about the adventures of a girl named Hazel Frump and her younger brother, Ned. Lanthier has said that the places in the books, "Ile du Loup" and "Frontenac," were inspired by Wolfe Island and nearby Kingston in Ontario. The Martello tower in the first book is based on Cathcart Tower on Cedar Island, near Fort Henry.
The Stamp Collector
Lanthier volunteered with PEN Canada. This is a group that helps writers who are in danger or have been treated unfairly. Through this work, she met a journalist named Jiang Weiping. He had been in a Chinese prison for six years. He was jailed for writing articles that showed how a government official was being unfair and dishonest.
Meeting Jiang Weiping inspired Lanthier to write her first picture book, The Stamp Collector. It was published in 2012 with pictures by Quebec artist François Thisdale.
The Stamp Collector is a story about two boys. One grows up to be a writer, and the other becomes a prison guard. The book shows the power of friendship and stories. At the end of the book, there is a note that explains freedom of expression. This means the right to share your thoughts and ideas without being stopped. It also talks about the work that PEN and other groups do to help writers and journalists around the world who are at risk. A part of the money from the book sales goes to PEN Canada.
In 2012, Jennifer Lanthier was chosen to be a touring author for TD Canadian Children's Book Week in 2013. This is a big festival that celebrates Canadian children's books and how important reading is. Authors and illustrators visit schools, libraries, and community centers across Canada.
In October 2012, Indigo Books and Music, a large bookstore in Canada, chose The Stamp Collector as a "Heather's Pick." This means the book was specially featured in many stores.
The Stamp Collector has received many awards and honors:
- In January 2013, the United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY) put The Stamp Collector on its 2013 Outstanding International Books Honor List.
- In February 2013, the Ontario Library Association called it one of their "Best Bets" for 2012.
- Also in February 2013, the book won the Notable Books for a Global Society Award 2013.
- In March 2013, The Ezra Jack Keats Foundation gave Lanthier its New Writer Honor for the book. This foundation helps children learn to love reading.
- In April 2013, The Stamp Collector won The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators' Crystal Kite Award for the Americas. This award is special because other children's book writers and illustrators choose the winners.
- In September 2013, The Stamp Collector was a finalist for both the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award and the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award.
Other Picture Books
Lanthier's second picture book, Hurry Up, Henry, was published in September 2016. It was illustrated by Isabelle Malenfant. In 2017, the USBBY also named Hurry up, Henry to its Outstanding International Books Honor List.
Her third picture book, By the time you read this, came out in 2017. It was illustrated by Patricia Storms.
Jennifer Lanthier's Professional and Personal Life
Jennifer Lanthier is the Communications Chair on the Board of Directors for PEN Canada. She has also been a judge for Canada's National Newspaper Awards. She is a member of several groups for authors and illustrators, including CANSCAIP, Authors Guild, and The Writers' Union of Canada.
Jennifer Lanthier married Stephen Rogers on June 30, 1987. They have three children and live in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
She enjoys running and has a black belt (1st Dan) in Taekwondo, which is a type of martial art.
Awards and Honours
- USBBY Outstanding International Books List, 2017 for Hurry up, Henry
- Poet Laureate - 2014 Quebec Peter Gzowski PGI Dinner for Literacy
- Winner - 2014 Golden Oak Award, OLA Forest of Reading, Ontario Library Association, for The Stamp Collector
- IBBY Honour List 2014 for The Stamp Collector, International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY)
- Winner - 2014 Great Books Award, Canadian Toy Testing Council (CTTC), for The Stamp Collector
- Finalist - 2013 TD Canadian Children's Literature Award, Canadian Children's Book Centre (CCBC), for The Stamp Collector
- Finalist - 2013 Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award, Canadian Children's Book Centre (CCBC), for The Stamp Collector
- Nominee - 2014 Silver Birch Express Award, OLA Forest of Reading, Ontario Library Association, for The Stamp Collector
- Winner - Huguenot Society of Canada Award, Ontario Historical Society, for The Stamp Collector
- Finalist - 2013 Libris Award – Young Readers' Book of the Year, Canadian Booksellers Association (CBA), for The Stamp Collector
- Winner - 2013 Crystal Kite Award, Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) - Americas Division, for The Stamp Collector
- Ezra Jack Keats 2013 New Writer Honor, Ezra Jack Keats Foundation, for The Stamp Collector
- Notable Books for a Global Society Award 2013, International Reading Association (IRA):Children's Literature and Reading Special Interest Group, for The Stamp Collector
- "Best Bets 2012" designation, Ontario Library Association - Canadian Materials Committee, for The Stamp Collector
- USBBY Outstanding International Books List, 2013 for The Stamp Collector
- Canada Council for the Arts Grant, 2008
- Saskatchewan Snow Willow Award nominee, 2008 for The Mystery of the Martello Tower
- "Best Bets - Fiction Books for Kids" designation, Ontario Library Association - Canadian Materials Committee, 2008, for The Legend of the Lost Jewels
Books by Jennifer Lanthier
- Jennifer Lanthier and Patricia Storms (2017). By the time you read this. Clockwise Press (Toronto, Ontario, Canada). ISBN: 978-1-988347-05-9
- Jennifer Lanthier and Isabelle Malenfant (2016). Hurry Up, Henry. Puffin/Penguin Random House Canada (Toronto, Ontario, Canada). ISBN: 978-0670068371
- Jennifer Lanthier and Francois Thisdale (2013). Le Collectionneur de Timbres. Fitzhenry & Whiteside (Toronto, Ontario, Canada). ISBN: 978-1-55455-325-9
- Jennifer Lanthier and Francois Thisdale (2012). The Stamp Collector. Fitzhenry & Whiteside (Toronto, Ontario, Canada). ISBN: 978-1-55455-218-4
- Jennifer Lanthier (2008). The Legend of the Lost Jewels. HarperTrophyCanada (Toronto, Ontario, Canada). ISBN: 978-0-06-202670-5
- Jennifer Lanthier (2007). The Mystery of the Martello Tower. HarperCollins Canada (Toronto, Ontario, Canada). ISBN: 0-06-125712-5, Laura Geringer Books, (New York, New York)(2008).
