Maggie de Vries facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Maggie de Vries
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Maggie de Vries
August 13, 1961 Ontario, Canada
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| Occupation | Author, children's writer, speaker, teacher |
| Awards | Christie Harris Illustrated Children's Literature Prize |
Maggie de Vries is a Canadian author. She was born in Ontario, Canada, in 1961. She grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia. Maggie de Vries writes books for children, teens, and adults. She also teaches creative writing. Her books Hunger Journeys (2010) and Rabbit Ears (2015) both won the Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize.
Contents
Maggie's Book: Missing Sarah
One of Maggie de Vries's most famous books is Missing Sarah. It is a true story about her adopted sister, Sarah de Vries. Sarah was born on May 12, 1969. The de Vries family adopted her in April 1970.
Sarah disappeared in April 1998. In her book, Maggie shares memories of Sarah's life. She uses Sarah's own journal entries and poems. The book also tells the story of Maggie's search for her sister.
Maggie's Work and Impact
From 2000 to 2007, Maggie de Vries worked as a children's book editor. She worked at Orca Book Publishers in Victoria, British Columbia.
In 2005, she became the first Writer-in-Residence at the Vancouver Public Library. This means she was a special guest writer who helped people with their writing. In 2012, she was also the first Writer-in-Residence at the University of Northern British Columbia in Prince George, British Columbia.
Maggie as an Educator
Maggie de Vries has a lot of experience teaching. For five years, she was a substitute teacher. Before that, in the late 1980s, she worked with children's author Jean Little. Jean Little is also Maggie's aunt. They traveled across Canada, the United States, and England. They taught courses about children's literature together at the University of Guelph.
Maggie also taught children's literature at the UBC. She taught a special course on Canadian children's literature at Simmons College in Boston. She has also taught creative writing at Langara Community College in Vancouver.
Since 2003, she has taught a yearly course at UBC. This course is for students studying for a Master's degree in Children’s Literature. Since 2007, she has taught writing for children and young adults at UBC.
Maggie studied English at UBC, earning her B.A. in 1984 and her M.A. in 1992. She also earned a Bachelor of Education in 1994. She attended McGill University and the University of Guelph too.
Awards and Recognitions
Maggie de Vries has won many awards for her books.
- In 2015, her book Rabbit Ears won the Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize.
- In 2012, Somebody's Girl was nominated for the Diamond Willow Award.
- In 2011, Hunger Journeys won the Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize.
- In 2007, Tale of a Great White Fish: A Sturgeon Story won the Christie Harris Illustrated Children's Literature Prize. It also won the 2006 ASPCA Henry Bergh Children’s Book Award. It was a Silver Birch Express Honour Book.
- Missing Sarah: A Memoir of Loss was nominated for the Governor General's Literary Award in 2003. It won the 2004 George Ryga Award for Social Awareness in BC Literature. It also won the 2004 VanCity Book Prize. It received an Honorable Mention for the 2004 Vancouver Book Award. It was a runner-up for the 2004 One Book, One Vancouver program.
- How Sleep Found Tabitha was nominated for the 2003 Christie Harris Illustrated Children's Literature Prize.
- Chance and the Butterfly was nominated for four awards in 2002: the Silver Birch Award, the Chocolate Lily Award, the Diamond Willow Award, and the Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize.
Selected Books
Here are some of Maggie de Vries's books:
- Rabbit Ears ISBN: 978-1443416627 HarperCollins
- Big City Bees ISBN: 978-1-55365-906-8 Greystone Books
- Hunger Journeys ISBN: 978-1-55468-579-0 HarperCollins
- Somebody's Girl ISBN: 978-1-55469-383-2 Orca Books
- Chance and the Butterfly ISBN: 978-1-55469-865-3 Orca Books
- Fraser Bear: A Cub's Life ISBN: 978-1-55365-521-3 Greystone Books
- Tale of a Great White Fish Paperback ISBN: 1-55365-303-3 Greystone Books
- Once Upon a Golden Apple ISBN: 0-14-054164-0 Penguin Books
- How Sleep Found Tabitha ISBN: 1-55143-193-9 Orca Books
- Missing Sarah: A Memoir of Loss ISBN: 978-0-14-317044-0 Penguin Books
