Sarah Ellis (author) facts for kids

Sarah Ellis (born May 19, 1952, in Vancouver) is a Canadian writer and librarian. She writes books especially for children and young adults. Sarah has worked as a librarian in cities like Toronto and Vancouver. She also teaches writing and reviews books for important magazines.

Sarah gets her ideas from many places. She uses memories, stories people tell her, and even dreams! She also pays close attention to the world around her. Sarah really believes in the power of children's books. She is part of many groups that support writers and children's literature.

About Sarah Ellis

Sarah Ellis was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, on May 19, 1952. She grew up with two older brothers.

She went to the University of British Columbia. There, she earned a degree called a Bachelor of Arts in 1973. Later, she got another degree, a Master of Library Science (MLS), in 1975. An MLS helps you become a librarian. After this, Sarah started working as a librarian in Vancouver. She then went to Simmons College and earned a Master of Arts degree in children's literature in 1980. This degree focused on books for young people.

Sarah published her very first book, The Baby Project, in 1986.

In 1999, she was a "writer-in-residence" at Massey College at the University of Toronto. This means she was a special guest writer who could work on her books and share her knowledge.

Sarah stopped working as a librarian in 2007. But soon after, she started teaching writing at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. She also writes reviews for Quill and Quire and The Horn Book. These are magazines that review books, especially children's books.

Awards and Recognitions

Sarah Ellis has won many important awards for her books. In 1995, she received the Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People. This award celebrates a writer's entire body of work for young people. In 2013, she won the Lieutenant Governor's Award for Literary Excellence. This award recognizes her great contributions to literature.

She has also been nominated four times for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. This is one of the biggest international awards for children's and young adult literature. In 2012, Sarah was the main judge for the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award.

Her book Pick-Up Sticks won the Governor General's Award for English-Language Children's Literature in 1991. This is one of Canada's most important literary awards. Her book Out of the Blue won the Mr. Christie's Book Award in 1995. The Several Lives of Orphan Jack also won a Mr. Christie's Book Award in 2004. Sarah Ellis has won many other awards, including the Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize multiple times for books like The Baby Project, Back of Beyond, and Odd Man Out.

Sarah Ellis's Books

Sarah Ellis has written many different kinds of books for young readers.

Books for Middle Graders and Young Adults

These books are often for readers aged 8 to 15.

• The Baby Project (1986)
• Next Door Neighbours (1990)
• Pick Up Sticks (1991)
• Out of the Blue (1994)
• The Several Lives of Orphan Jack, illustrated by Bruno St-Aubin (2003)
• Odd Man Out (2006)
• Outside In (2014)
• Dodger Boy (2018)

Picture Books

These books are usually for younger children, but older kids can enjoy them too!

• Next Stop!, illustrated by Ruth Ohi (2000)
• The Queen's Feet, illustrated by Dušan Petričić (2006)
• Salmon Forest, with David Suzuki, illustrated by Sheena Lott (2003)
• Waiting for Sophie, illustrated by Carmen Mok (2017)
• As Glenn as Can Be, illustrated by Nancy Vo (2022)

The Ben Series

The "Ben" books are a series of picture books about a character named Ben. They are illustrated by Kim LaFave.

• Ben Over Night (2001)
• Big Ben (2001)
• A+ for Big Ben (2015)
• Ben Says Goodbye (2015)
• Ben and the Scaredy-Dog (2018)

Short Story Collections

• Back of Beyond: Stories of the Supernatural (1997) - This book is a collection of spooky or mysterious short stories.

Dear Canada Diary Books

These books are part of a popular series where historical events are told through the diaries of young characters.

• A Prairie as Wide as the Sea: The Immigrant Diary of Ivy Weatherall (2002)
• A Season for Miracles: Twelve Tales of Christmas (2006)
• Days of Toil and Tears: The Child Labour Diary of Flora Rutherford (2008)
• A Christmas to Remember: Tales of Comfort and Joy (2009)
• That Fatal Night: The Titanic Diary of Dorothy Wilton (2011)

Nonfiction Books

Sarah Ellis has also written books that share facts and information.

• The Young Writer's Companion, illustrated by Juan Fitzherbert (1999) - This book helps young people learn about writing.
• From Reader to Writer: Teaching Writing Through Classic Children's Books (2000)

Anthologies Edited

An anthology is a collection of stories or poems by different authors.

• Girls' Own: An Anthology of Canadian Fiction for Young Readers (2001)