Wendy Phillips (author) facts for kids

Wendy Phillips is a Canadian author who writes books for young people. She grew up in Kamloops, British Columbia. She wrote her first book when she was 11 years old!

Wendy studied journalism, English, and education. She also earned a special degree in children's literature from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC. She has worked as a journalist, a bookbinder, and an English teacher.

She has lived in different places like Lesotho, Ottawa, South Africa, and Australia. Today, she lives in Richmond, British Columbia with her husband and two children. Wendy Phillips works as a teacher-librarian at MacNeill Secondary School in Richmond, BC.

Her first book for young adults, Fishtailing, won a big award in 2010. It received the Governor General's Award for children's literature.

Wendy Phillips's Books

Wendy Phillips's first book, Fishtailing, was published in 2010 by Coteau Books. It was a big success, winning the Governor General's Literary Awards for Children's Literature. This award is one of Canada's most important literary prizes.

About Fishtailing

Fishtailing tells the story of four high school students in Vancouver. Their names are Natalie, Tricia, Miguel, and Kyle. The book shows how they interact and deal with challenges like bullying and wanting to fit in.

What makes this book special is how it's written. It's written in verse instead of regular story paragraphs. This means the book switches between the four main characters by showing poems they have written.

The ideas for this book came from Wendy Phillips's own experiences. As a librarian and teacher, she saw many different students. She learned about the positive things that come from different cultures. She also saw the difficult experiences students sometimes face at home. These experiences can affect how students act at school and with their friends.

The book includes characters who are students, teachers, and school counselors. Wendy Phillips shows the challenges of understanding students and helping them. She explores these issues from different viewpoints within the school.

Characters in Fishtailing

• Natalie: Natalie struggles with difficult feelings. She tries to deal with her pain by hurting others. She also tries to hurt herself.
• Tricia: Tricia is a Japanese-Canadian student who is usually very well-behaved. She becomes interested in Natalie and learns some of Natalie's difficult habits. Eventually, Tricia realizes she doesn't want to hurt people and starts to move away from Natalie's influence.
• Kyle: Kyle is a boy who loves both music and working with his hands. He falls in love with Tricia. This love helps him follow his musical dreams while still enjoying his other interests.
• Miguel: Miguel is a new student from a country affected by war. He has experienced many sad things, including losing his parents. He lives with his uncle. Miguel feels a lot of anger. When he comes to high school, he tries to fit in by playing soccer and doing schoolwork. He is drawn to Natalie.

Two other important characters are Mrs. Farr, the English teacher, and Janice Nishi, the guidance counselor. Their notes and feedback appear in the book alongside the teenagers' poems. They try to help the students. However, there is a gap between what the adults know and what the students are truly going through at home.

At the end of the book, Natalie causes trouble for Kyle and Tricia at a party. Kyle and Tricia are hurt, but they manage to save their friendship. Natalie moves to a new school. Miguel faces a very sad end.

What Inspired Wendy Phillips?

Wendy Phillips uses her experiences as a teacher and librarian to help her write.

Real-Life Inspirations

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

• The character Miguel was inspired by a student who wrote about El Salvador.
• Natalie was based on a student Wendy Phillips taught. This student was a good writer and had a strong personality, but she felt alone.
• Some of Kyle's traits, like loving guitar and mechanics, came from Wendy Phillips's own son.
• Tricia was inspired by students who have mixed cultural backgrounds.
• Mrs. Farr, the teacher, has some traits like Wendy Phillips herself. For example, Mrs. Farr uses big words when she feels uncomfortable.

The Book's Title

The title Fishtailing came from a trip Wendy Phillips took through the Coquihalla Pass in British Columbia Highway 5. It was snowing, and her car kept sliding and "fishtailing" around. Phillips felt this was how her character Miguel felt about his life – like he didn't have control.

Other Writers Who Inspired Her

Many writers have influenced Wendy Phillips. Some of these include Margaret Laurence, Alice Munro, Barbara Kingsolver, Margaret Atwood, Douglas Coupland, Annie Proulx, and Haruki Murakami.

For young adult writers, she was inspired by Martha Brooks, Budge Wilson, and Susan Juby. She also learned from writers who write "verse novels" (books written in poetry), such as Sharon Creech, Robert Koertje, Pamela Porter, Sonya Sones, and Karen Hesse.

Alison Acheson, who was Wendy Phillips's editor and a former professor at UBC, also helped her a lot with her writing.