Wendy Phillips (author) facts for kids

Wendy Phillips is a talented Canadian author. She grew up in Kamloops, British Columbia. Wendy wrote her very first book when she was just 11 years old!

She studied many subjects in college. Wendy earned degrees in journalism, English, and education. She also got a special degree in children's literature. This was from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC.

Before becoming a full-time author, Wendy had many interesting jobs. She worked in journalism and even learned how to bind books. She also taught English to students. Wendy has lived in different countries like Lesotho, South Africa, and Australia. She also lived in Ottawa, Canada. Today, she lives in Richmond, British Columbia. She shares her home with her husband, son, and daughter.

Wendy Phillips works as a teacher-librarian. She helps students at MacNeill Secondary School in Richmond, BC. She is best known for writing books for young adults. Her first book, Fishtailing, won a big award. It received the 2010 Governor General's Award for children's literature.

About Fishtailing

Wendy Phillips' first book is called Fishtailing. It was published in 2010 by Coteau Books. This book won the 2010 Governor General's Literary Award. This award is for children's literature in Canada.

Fishtailing tells the stories of four high school students. They live in Vancouver. Their names are Natalie, Tricia, Miguel, and Kyle. The book lets you see the story from each character's point of view. It shows how they interact with each other. It also explores how they deal with tough situations. These include bullying and wanting to fit in.

This book is special because it's written in verse. This means it uses poems instead of regular story paragraphs. The book switches between the four main characters. It does this by showing poems written by each of them.

Wendy got ideas for this book from her own experiences. As a librarian and teacher, she met many different students. She saw the positive side of different cultures. She also saw the difficult things students faced at home. These challenges often affected their school life.

In her novel, Wendy includes students, teachers, and school counselors. She shows the challenges of helping students. She also explores how to understand their problems from different roles in a school.

Meet the Characters

Fishtailing features several memorable characters.

• Natalie is a strong but troubled character. She struggles with difficult feelings. She also tries to make others feel hurt.
• Tricia is a Japanese-Canadian student. She is usually a "good girl." Tricia is drawn to Natalie. She learns from Natalie how to push her family away. Eventually, Tricia realizes she doesn't want to hurt people. She starts to dislike Natalie's actions.
• Kyle is a boy who loves music and working with his hands. He falls in love with Tricia. This love helps him follow his musical dreams. At the same time, he keeps his interest in trades.
• Miguel is a new student from a country affected by war. His parents died in the conflict. His village was destroyed. He lives with his uncle. Miguel feels a lot of anger. He knows about knives and guns. When he starts high school, he tries to fit in. He plays soccer and works on his school assignments.

Two other important characters are Mrs. Farr and Janice Nishi. Mrs. Farr is the English teacher. Janice Nishi is the guidance counselor. Their notes and feedback appear in the book. They are shown along with the teenagers' poems. They try to help the students. However, there is a gap between them and the students. They also don't fully understand the students' home lives.

At the end of the book, Natalie causes trouble at a party. She tricks Kyle and Tricia. She also betrays Miguel. Kyle and Tricia are hurt by this. But they manage to save their friendship.

What Inspired Wendy?

Wendy Phillips uses her experiences as a teacher and librarian in her writing.

Some characters in her book are based on students she has taught.

• The character Miguel was inspired by a student. This student wrote about El Salvador and a poet named Pablo Neruda.
• The character Natalie is based on a student Wendy taught. This student was a good writer and very charming. But she felt alone among her friends.
• Some of Kyles traits come from Wendy's own son. These include loving to play guitar and mechanics.
• The character Tricia is based on some students who have mixed racial backgrounds.
• Some of Mrs. Farrs traits are like Wendy herself. For example, Mrs. Farr uses big words when she feels uncomfortable. She also gives feedback to students about their work in a similar way.

The title of the book, Fishtailing, also has a story. It comes from a trip Wendy took. She was driving through Coquihalla in British Columbia Highway 5. It was snowing, and her car kept sliding and "fishtailing." Wendy felt this was how her character Miguel felt. He felt like he didn't have control over his life.

Many writers have influenced Wendy Phillips. These include Margaret Laurence, Alice Munro, and Margaret Atwood. She also likes Douglas Coupland and Haruki Murakami. For young adult writers, she looks up to Martha Brooks and Susan Juby. Wendy has also been influenced by writers of verse novels. These include Sharon Creech and Karen Hesse. A special helper for Wendy's writing is Alison Acheson. Alison is Wendy's editor and was her professor at UBC.