Susin Nielsen facts for kids

Susin Nielsen (born 1964) is a Canadian author for children, adolescents and young adults. She received the 2012 Governor General's Award for English-language children's literature and the 2013 Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children Award for her young adult novel The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen, which deals with the aftermath of a school shooting.

In 2019, she received the Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People.

Personal life

Nielsen was raised in London and Chatham-Kent, Ontario.

She is married to Goran Fernlund and has one child: Oskar.

Career

Nielsen began her writing career with the Degrassi franchise, writing scripts for the television shows as well as books for the series. Nielsen also played Louella Hawkins the Janitor in Degrassi Junior High. Following her work with Degrassi, Nielsen wrote for many other Canadian television series such as Heartland, What About Mimi?, and Braceface. While working on these shows she produced three children's picture books: Hank and Fergus, Mormor Moves In, and The Magic Beads.

Her first independent novel, Word Nerd, deals with bullying, a theme she returns to in The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen. Her books often describe the effect of broken families on children.

Nielsen's 2015 book, We Are All Made of Molecules, about two step siblings trying to form a bond with each other, was shortlisted for the Governor General's Award.

Nielsen's books have been translated into Dutch, French, Portuguese, Italian, German and Polish (In the Polish language, not all of them have been translated).

Nielsen's 2021 book, Tremendous Things, was nominated for the 2022 Ontario Library Association's Red Maple Award for Fiction.

Awards and honors

In 2019, Nielsen was honored with the Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People, which honors writers and illustrators whose body of work has been "inspirational to Canadian youth."

Two of Nielsen's books are Junior Library Guild selections: No Fixed Address (2018) and Tremendous Things (2021).

In 2015, The Globe and Mail, Kirkus Reviews, Quill & Quire, and The Telegraph' included We Are All Made of Molecules on their list of the best young adult novels of the year.