About MeAside from writing for young people I am a Montessori elementary teacher. I'm really interested in history, so many of the books I've written are historical + read more fiction. Before teaching and writing I studied archaeology and great apes. As part of my training I worked in Borneo with Dr. Birute Galdikas, following orang-utans through the jungle, waist-deep in tea-coloured swamp. My first novel, Reading the Bones, was published in 2008.

I received the Governor General's Award for Teaching Excellence in Canadian History. Then six years later I was nominated for the Governor General's Literary Award for FREE AS A BIRD. Both experiences were highlights in my career as a teacher and an author. Show Less

My Work Contact Me

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You May Know Me For:

Literature Types
• Middle Grade Fiction
• Middle Grade Nonfiction
• YA Fiction
• Editorial Services

Published Works
My latest middle grade novel is THE JIGSAW PUZZLE KING. It won the 2021 Silver Birch Award and is nominated for the 2022 Diamond Willow Award, the Rocky Mountain Book Awards, and the Chocolate Lily Awards. It is also an audio book with OrangeSky.

The book that earned me a Governor General Literary nomination and five other award nominations was FREE AS A BIRD. It is the life of a girl with Down Syndrome living in an institution in the1970s.

READING THE BONES, the first of my archaeology adventure series, takes the reader into the past to learn about the prehistoric Coast Salish people. BROKEN BONES takes place during the harsh life of an early Canadian pioneer. BONE DEEP takes the reader out to sea to find a two hundred year old sunken ship from the Pacific fur trade. And A BONE TO PICK is all about the Vikings who landed a thousand years ago on the shores of Newfoundland. This series is full of adventure and fun, while also addressing different periods in Canadian history.

WHEN CHILDREN PLAY is my first non-fiction book for middle readers and tells how healing play can be when brought back into the lives of the most disadvantaged children in the world.

I will visit:
• Vancouver
• Coast
• Lower Mainland
• Gulf and Vancouver Islands
• Canada - beyond BC

I Present to Age Groups:
• Grades 4-6
• Grades 7-8

Request Booking Info

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Awards and Recognition:I won the Governor General's Award for Teaching Excellence in Canadian History. Six years later I + show more was nominated for the Governor General's Literary Award. Many of my books have been nominated for numerous awards throughout Canada, such as the Canadian Library Association Award, Hackmatack, and BC Book Awards. Show Less