Next week, the University of British Columbia will have the pleasure of a lecture by local author Sarah Ellis. She will speak in the Dodson room in the I. K. Barber Learning Centre (third floor) from 12-1 pm on Wednesday February 26th, 2014. Admission is free. Come one, come all!
Ellis worked as a children’s librarian before becoming a children’s author. Most of her books are set in contemporary times and written for middle readers. She has been noted for the emotional honesty with which her characters face their difficulties, which include poverty and changing family situations. Her writing is also playful, and rife with wordplay, as one of my particular favourites, The Several Lives of Orphan Jack, demonstrates.
Ellis has also written stories in the Dear Canada series. Last month Laura reviewed That Fateful Night: The Titanic Diary of Dorothy Wilton by Sarah Ellis – go check it out!
Sarah Ellis has also written on writing. Her Young Writer’s Companion is an excellent introduction and tool to writing for young readers… and not-so-young readers. The excerpts and tantalizing descriptions of great children’s books Ellis includes had me writing down title after title on my to-read list. Her love of good writing illuminates every page and inspires.
Last note: at the talk, there will be a bake sale, the proceeds of which will go to the grad student-organized children’s literature conference “I Will Be Myself.” Hope to see you next week!
The Book Wars 