Module 5: Low Down on Authors

Select 3 authors who are favourites with students at your school level. Research each of these
authors and their books. Write down 3 appealing key facts for each author that you could use to
entice a student to try one of their books.

Lowdown on Authors - Elementary School - by Katrina Crawshaw

Lumberjanes series - Shannon Watters (writer), Grace Ellis (writer) , Noelle Stevenson (writer),
and Brooklyn A. Allen (artist)
1. LGBTQ-friendly: All-ages, female-led and female-authored titles, also featuring a trans
girl with two dads, a non-binary character, and a lesbian couple.
2. “... an ongoing coming-of-age series about friendship and girl-power in the great
outdoors. It is filled with humor and adventure as a lovably quirky diverse group of
friends tackle wild, mystical mysteries using anagrams, astronomy, and Fibonacci series’
strategies, mixed in with brain power and pure brawn.” - http://cbldf.org/2016/03/using-
graphic-novels-in-education-lumberjanes/
3. HBO Max has secured the rights to BOOM! Studios Eisner Award-winning graphic
novels LUMBERJANES as an animated series.

Wings of Fire series - Tui T. Sutherland

1. Tui is named after a bird from New Zealand (Mom’s heritage), was born in Venezuela,
and has lived in Paraguay, Dominican Republic, and USA (where she was a self-
proclaimed theatre nerd in high school).
2. Has used a few noms de plume, including: Rob Kidd, Heather Williams, Tamara
Summers - can you find the books she’s written under those names? Why do you think
she uses noms de plume?
3. You can write and send fan art to:
Tui Sutherland
c/o Scholastic Inc.
557 Broadway
New York, NY 10012-3999
4. (one more sneaky one) The Wings of Fire series is also available as audiobooks. I know
several kids who are loving listening to this series rather than tackling reading the 14-
books!

Melanie Watt
1. Watt says that the Scaredy Squirrel series has helped her to “work out her own
insecurities and fears” - https://www.kidscanpress.com/creators/mélanie-watt/223
2. Watt is both the author and illustrator of her books; her classmates in early school used
to ask her to draw little pictures for them on scraps of paper or backs of their hands
(https://www.encyclopedia.com/children/scholarly-magazines/watt-melanie-1975)
 3. She has a green parrot named "Kiwi" that hangs out with her sometimes, while she
creates her picture books. (https://houstonlibrary.org/learn-explore/blog/five-fast-facts-
about-melanie-watt)

By Devon Allen

Clea King – Low Down on Authors for K and grade 1

Kevin Henkes - Book: Wiberly Worried

- He likes to take ideas for his stories from his experiences as a child.
- He likes to use mice for characters in his stories.
- He has written over 30 books.

Jan Brett – Book: Cozy

- She has ducks and chickens.
- She as a hedgehog named Buffy
- She loved to draw horses as a child.

Robert Munsch: Love You Forever

- He like to use the kids he meets in his stories.
 - His books are sold in different languages all over the world.
- He sometimes makes surprise visits to schools.

Laura Syms

Grade 4 Famous Authors

● K.A Applegate (The one and Only Ivan)

- Her favorite part about being an author is that she gets to wear her
pyjamas and make up stories all day
- She almost threw The One and Only Ivan in the garbage! She thought
it was a crazy idea! Now it is a movie
- She likes to write her stories from the perspective of non-humans
(Ivan, Bob, the tree)
● Raina Telgemeier (Drama, Smile, Sisters)
- Raina based Smile, Sisters and Guts on her own childhood memories.
- The events she writes about in her books actually happened to her
(earthquakes, braces, etc.)
- Guts takes place in the 4th grade
- Graphic novels
● Erin Hunter (Warrior series)
- Erin Hunter is actually a pseudonym for a few authors that work on
this series.
- The group of authors has written over 120 stories
- Writing these books is a real team effort! They each share their
ideas and when it is completed and everyone agree that it is ready,
they send it to get printed.

Kathleen Grainger
Lowdown on Authors - Grades 5-8
Eric Walters – Canadian author
1. Eric was a teacher before he became a full time writer. He wrote his first book, Stand Your
Ground, in response to the reluctant readers and writers in his grade 5 classroom.
2. He writes YA and the topics reflect issues and current events of this age range (and beyond).
His most recent book, Don’t Stand So Close to Me, is about the pandemic. Some of his books
are mini-series. Eric’s books can be “homeruns” for some students.
3. Eric has won several Canadian awards - including the Silver Birch and Red Maple, along with
several International awards. He is also a recipient of the Order of Canada.
Gary Paulson – American Writer
1. Gary is the author of Hatchet that has been often used in class novel studies. There are
several other books in this series. Many of the scenarios in the books are based on Gary’s
personal experiences. His book, Guts, talks about these real experiences and how he
incorporated them into some of his books.
2. He has received several awards for his books, including the Margaret A. Edwards Award
(from the American Library Association).
3. His books range in topics, from the adventure to human interest, to writing about his
own life experiences.

Jim Davis – creator of Garfield

1. Garfield has been around for a long time (since 1977). The books are familiar to all
ages of students.
2. The comic strip books are accessible – school libraries, public libraries and
bookstores carry a variety of the published works. They are also accessible in terms
of reading ability and interest.
3. These books make for great ‘light reading’ or ‘snack’ reading in the classroom when
there is only short periods of time for reading (so getting ‘into’ a book isn’t possible)
or the room isn’t quiet enough to concentrate on a novel.

Andra Lincke
Grade 4-6

Kenneth Oppel
· Born in Port Alberni, Vancouver Island
· Decided to be a writer when he was 12
· His newest series takes place on Salt Spring Island
· Started writing Sci-fi, then switched to humour at age 14
· Roald Dahl read his book and liked it enough he sent his agent to him
My top recommendation: Silverwing Series, Airborn, Bloom Series

Jeff Smith
· Started creating Boneville characters when he was 9
· Started his own company to publish his books
· He attributes much of his love for cartooning to Pogo by Walt Kelly.
Bones Series of Graphic Novels (great GN lit circle series)

David Alexander Robertson

· Indigenous graphic novelist from Winnipeg, Manitoba
· He had to write poetry in grade 3. Complained that he thought it was for girls. He
went into a closet and wrote a ton of poems, then went home and told his mom he
wanted to be a writer
 · He was a reluctant reader growing up and only liked comic books and graphic novels
Recommendations: Barren Grounds: The Misewa Saga Series Book 1 of what will be a
trilogy

Guillaume Robidoux
Elementary Intermediate
I often use Sachar and Spinelli books as read alouds after lunch in my Grade 4-6 classrooms,
and I think that this sparks the students’ interests to make them want to read more by the same
authors.
1. Louis Sachar
a. His novel Holes was made into a movie starring Shia LeBeouf, and his Wayside
School stories were made into a cartoon TV show (though nowhere near as
good!)
b. Before becoming a famous author, he worked as a supervision aid at an
elementary school - this was his inspiration for the Wayside books. Many of his
books have inspiration from his life.
c. He studied to be a lawyer, but once he became famous enough to live off selling
books alone, he stopped practicing law. He was also fired from his job before he
became a lawyer, because he was spending too much time writing!
2. Jerry Spinelli
a. It took him 25 years of trying before one of his books was published! He
persisted and didn’t give up on his dream.
b. There is a movie for his book Maniac Magee (students love watching movies
based on books they have read, even if the movies are quite bad).
c. He has published 25 books - you won’t run out of things to read for a long time if
you decided you like him as an author.
3. Katherine Applegate
a. She is the author of the popular Animorphs series (this is a new fact to me!) and
has had one of the novels turned into a graphic novel - what a fun follow up read!
b. Her book The One and Only Ivan was recently released as a movie on Disney+
c. Many of her novels are told from the point of view of creatures or things that
cannot talk (gorilla, dog, tree, etc!)

Lisa Jensen

Elementary School
1. Tui T. Sutherland
a. Has written, co-written and contributed to several epic novel series for children,
most notably Seekers, Warriors, Menagerie, Spirit Animals and Wings of Fire.
Wings of Fire was a #1 New York Times bestseller in 2019.
b. Look for these pseudonyms: Erin Hunter (shared), Tamara Summers, Rob Kidd
(shared) and Heather Williams
 c. LGBTQ+ character representation in the Wings of Fire series and she is named
after the tui, after a very loud bird native to New Zealand!
2. James Dean
a. Has collaborated with Kimberly Dean and Eric Litwin to create the New York
Times bestselling series Pete the Cat, of which there are almost 100 published
titles
b. Pete the Cat, based on James Dean’s pet cat, is a positive, funny and engaging
character that helps young children explore social-emotional learning and
academic subjects in tandem. Some are available as “I Can Read” books.
c. Many of the books have a free downloadable song connected to the book,
infusing arts education into the literature
3. Peter H. Reynolds
a. Canadian author hailing from Toronto who, among many other awards, was
awarded an honorary doctorate for his "substantial contributions to education and
the arts." He is also the founder of the educational media company FableVision.
b. Reynolds is known for making books that support self-expression, real learning
and creativity, of which his best known books are Ish, The North Star, So Few of
Me, and The Dot. I am also a huge fan of his book, Say Something, which
explores how to stand up and be courageous.
c. The Dot has inspired International Dot Day, which supports students in
developing their confidence, creativity and collaboration with one another.

Favourite Authors
Submitted by: Maranda Turner

Grade Level: Lower Intermediate

1. Jerry Pallotta- Who Would Win book series and tons of other children’s books

· Jerry has four brothers, two sisters and 72 first cousins!

· Jerry says he would pick a saltwater crocodile as his go to battle partner

· The funniest piece of fan mail he got was a kid asking him to write a Who
Would Win book about Apple vs. Orange

2. Roald Dahl – The World’s No. 1 Storyteller

· Roald Dahl was a spy, an ace fighter pilot, a chocolate historian, and a
medical inventor.

· He invented more than 500 new words and character names

· He wrote most of his books in his garden shed

3. Dav Pilkey- Captain Underpants and Dog Man book series

· He changed the spelling of his name while working at Pizza Hut, when his
name was misspelled as “Dav” on his nametag, and the rest was history...

· Dav Pilkey has written books under pennames including George Beard,
Harold Hutchins, and Sue Denim

· In elementary school Dav was diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD. Since he
was often reprimanded for his behavior he spent a lot of time at a hallway desk.
This is where his Captain Underpants character was created!

Raman Badesha
The Lowdown on Authors

Elementary Level (Grade 2-4)

Robert Munsch (Various Books)

● He has had surprise visits with hundreds of schools and daycares without letting
them know that he is coming in advance.
● He loves to go fishing but is not very good at it.
● When his children were younger, they used to visit the library every week on
Wednesdays and they took home the books that they checked out in laundry
baskets.

Elisabetta Dami (Geronimo Stilton Series)

● She loves adventures just like the characters in her books. She has run
marathons in the Sahara Desert, climbed mountains in Nepal and even visited
the North Pole and slept in an igloo.
● Many of her real life adventures are written about in her Geronimo Stilton stories.
● She grew up reading and having a love for books, her father even owned an
international publishing firm.

JK Rowling (Harry Potter Series)

● Her Harry Potter manuscript was rejected 12 times before she got it published.
● She completed her first draft of Harry Potter & The Philosophers Stone on a
manual typewriter.
● The Harry Potter series has sold over 500 million copies throughout the world.

Authors Selected
Submitted by Nina Ruck
Secondary Level
Eden Robinson (Son of a Trickster, 1st of 3 book series)
Grade 11/12 - Fiction
● Canadian Indigenous author who discusses real issues teens are facing today
(drugs, alcohol, sexual content, explicit language, and suicide).
● Super dysfunctional family but he is doing his best to support them and
survive his addictions.
● Supernatural Element (Indigenous Spirituality)

Cherie Dimaline (The Marrow Thieves)

Grades 10-12 - Dystopian/Fantasy
● Boys tend to love this shorter book that is similar to the show The 100.
● Interesting read that echoes the experience of Indigenous Peoples in
Residential Schools.
● A best seller that includes death, foul language, and sexual content that
seems to be of interest to teen readers.

Angie Thompson (The Hate U Give)

Sr Grades - Fiction
● Not only do kids love it but there is also a movie which seems to interest
teens.
● Stars a young girl whose friend is shot by a cop. She becomes the centre
between cops and gangs.
● Fits well with the BLM climate. Students also love the TuPac (the Rapper)
quotes.

Elementary School Intermediate- Submitted by Leigh Richardson

Elise Gravel: (The Disgusting Critter Series- The Spider, The Lice, The Toad, The Worm, The
Fly, The Rat + A lot more books!)
1) Elise Gravel is a Canadian Author and Illustrator from Montreal, Quebec. Her goal is to
promote “ diversity, tolerance, respect and empathy”.
2) Elise’s books are all available in French and many are also available in English.
Many of her books are funny graphic novels, but some are funny non-fiction books
as well, like the Disgusting Critter Series! Some of her books discuss important
topics in a way that kids can understand like “C’est quoi un réfugié” (What is a
refugee?)
 3) Elise studied Graphic Design at CEGEP (Post Secondary Education in Quebec) and
one of her books has received the Governor General’s Literary Award (La clé à
molette).

Cece Bell (El Deafo + more children’s titles)

1) El Deafo is Bell’s first graphic novel. She has written lots of other children’s books
prior to that. She is the author and illustrator of El Deafo.
2) El Deafo is an autobiographical graphic novel about Bell growing up being deaf! Bell
had meningitis as a kid which caused her deafness, she was not born deaf.
3) El Deafo explains how Bell’s hearing aids gave her a sort of superpower. Her
hearing aids were connected to a microphone for people to wear and teachers often
forgot to turn it off when they were on break so Bell could hear everything her
teachers were saying!

Victoria Jamieson (When Stars are Scattered, Roller Girl, All’s Faire in Middle School +
more titles)
1) Jamieson wrote her first book in grade called “Super Cow!”, and shared it with her
teachers and parents.
2) A lot of her books are based on her real life experiences. When Stars are Scattered
is based on her co-author, Omar Mohamed’s experiences living as a refugee in
Kenya.
3) Before she became an author, Jamieson had many jobs including being a portrait
artist on a cruise ship!

Kathryn Boyd
The Lowdown on Authors

Eric Walters

Grade Level: K - 10

Canadian Author that covers a variety of age groups but my experience is specific to grades 8-
12.
 ● Eric started out as a teacher and wanted to encourage reading and literacy in his
classroom, so he wrote a book dedicated to his class. The book included features of the
school, neighbourhood, and even some names of his students.
● Co-founders of The Creation of Hope – provides money to over 400 orphans or
disadvantaged youth in Kenya.
● His focus in writing is to create strong characters who take ownership of their actions and
often need to overcome adversity.

Ben Mikaelsen

Grade Level: 6 – 10

Author of “Touching Spirit Bear” and “The Ghost of Spirit Bear”

● Ben spent 27 years living with a 750 pound Black Bear named Buffy. He adopted the
bear when she was young. Buffy passed away in 2012.
● Ben has travelled to some pretty amazing places including the North Pole, South
America, and the Florida Keys. During his adventures he has tried scuba diving, sledding,
traveling through fjords and mountains, dirt biking in Mexico etc.
● Ben started skydiving in high school, raced sled dogs in College, rode across the country
on a horse, learned to play horse polo.

Jeff Smith

Grade 4 – 8

Although this is directed towards younger students, I do find that a lot of grade 8, 9, and even 10
students gravitate towards these books. Especially if they are emerging readers.

● Spent four years drawing comic strips for the Ohio State University newspaper.
● Jeff launched his own company to publish his comic book BONE.
● He has won the highest awards in Germany, France, Italy, and America.

The Low Down on Authors

Submitted By: Angela Stevens
For: Middle School Readers (Gr 6-8)
1. Rick Riordan
(Percy Jackson series, The Lost Hero, Magnus Chase series)
● In order to promote the love of reading in his own family, they often did a drop
everything and read for an hour.
● One of Rick’s characters, Alex Fierro, is a gender-fluid, Norse demigod teenager. Rick
researched for this character and won the Stonewall award for this character.
● Rick was a middle school teacher for 15 years and taught English and Greek
mythology.
 ● Rick wrote the character Percy for his son Haley and even modeled a few of Percy’s
characteristics after Haley who, like Percy, has ADHD and dyslexia.

2. Lois Lowry
(The Giver Quartet)
● Lois decided that she wanted to be a writer at the age of eight.
● Lois Lowry is the writer’s pen name. Lois’ actual name is Lois Ann Hammersberg.
● One of Lois’ most popular books, The Giver, has been challenged and banned in
some schools.

3. Gordon Korman (Canadian)

(Schooled, No More Dead Dongs, Hypnotists series, Island series, Everest series, Dive series)
● Gordon successfully published his first book (This Can’t be Happening at Macdonald
th
Hall) with Scholastic Canada at the age of 14 when he was in 7 grade! He wrote
and published five books by the time he graduated high school.
● Gordon received a B.F.A. in dramatic visual writing with a minor in motion picture
and television.
● Gordon has written over 80 books, there are lots to choose from!

The Low Down on Authors

Submitted by: Shelby Steeves
Grades k-3

1) Oliver Jeffers
● Incorporates humour and wonder into his stories
● Includes beautiful pictures and lots of colours
● He paints, illustrates and creates sculptures and collages
2) Peter H Reynolds
● His books are written in a very creative manner and are very unique
● He strives to give kids the confidence to pursue their own interests and
talents
● He gives back to the community by supporting schools
3) Laura Numeroff
● She is an animal lover and supports Canine Companions for Independence
● Her books are funny and involve animals
● She visits schools and talks about her books!
The Low Down on Authors
Submitted by: Jazmine Ghuman
For: Primary (K-3)

1. Mo Willems (Best known for: Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, Elephant & Piggie
series & many more!)
Grade Level: K-2
- Mo is an American author, illustrator, animator, playwright and Artist-in-
Residence at the inaugural Kennedy Center.
- Mo started his career as a writer and animator for Sesame Street, where he
earned six Emmy Awards.
- Many of Mo’s books are now animated films and he has co-written four musicals
based on his books.
- Mo’s art has been exhibited around the world.
- His websites: www.mowillems.com & http://pigeonpresents.com are interactive
and worth visiting!

2. Tedd Arnold (Best known for: Fly Guy series)

Grade Level: K-3
- New York Times bestselling author and illustrator of over 60 books!
- For 10 years he worked in textbook illustration, graphic design and advertising
while his wife received a master’s degree in ECE and taught Kindergarten.
- Tedd studied the picture books his wife read to her students and then began
writing and illustrating his own.
- Was rejected for 6 years!
- Before an author he had many jobs such as a newspaper boy, soldier, hamburger
cook, popcorn popper, worm counter at a fishing store, designer and advertiser.
- Fly guy books are humorous, eye-catching and packed with thrilling action. They
appeal to both reluctant and eager readers.

3. Jory John (Best known for: The Good Egg & The Bad Seed)
Grade Level: K-2
- The #1 New York Times bestselling picture book is The Good Egg and the #2 is
The Bad Seed.
- He has a love of comics and wanted to be a newspaper cartoonist.
- Currently collaborates with his wife Alyssa who is an illustrator on a
three-times-per-week webcomic called “Animals Got Problems” (which
you can find on instagram)
 - Was initially an education major and intended to become a teacher until he
switched to journalism - “it was really a natural fit for me to combine my love of
writing and my love of working with kids into one profession”
- He created a book of children’s letters to the president from kids all over
America - the letters were featured in “New York Times”, “This American Life”
and “People” magazine and there is a photo of President Obama holding their
letters.
- “Anything is possible if you’re starting from a good place, with a good idea and
you’re willing to work hard”

Lowdown on Authors
Rupert Gadd
Elementary School

1. David TenNapel: Tonnes of great graphic novels including Cardboard and

Tommysaurus Rex
a. Clear and easy to read. The illustrations complement the writing. The reading
level is accessible, unlike some graphic novels where the vocab is
deceptively difficult.
b. Wonderful for avid readers who are new to graphic novels, or struggling
readers who are looking for a good read
c. Magical realism. Need a I say more. So creative and quirky.
2. Kenneth Oppel: So many good titles: Silverwing series, Skyborn series, The
Boundless. Canadian
a. Good for advanced readers. Silverwing is great for kids who love animal
books. It is told from the point of view of bats.
b. I read The Boundless aloud to the class. It fits with my grade 5 curriculum as
it captures the feeling of the early days of Canadian immigration and the
railway.
c. Strong characters, both female and male.
d. Magical realism.
3. Roald Dahl: A classic, so many strong titles.
a. I include this because I use George’s Marvelous Medicine, or The Twits as a
read aloud at the beginning of the year. They are short, and you can do fun
voices. I find it gets the kids dialed in to enjoying listening to me read.
b. Crazy characters and plots.
c. Kid power- the kids in his books are often the cleverest and bravest
characters. It teaches self reliance and wonder.

Low down on Authors

Submitted by: Brynn Hendrix
Elementary

1. Aaron Blabey
(The Bad Guys Series graphic novels, Grades 2-5)
● Blabey doesn’t write his picture books sitting down but while walking and on
his phone!
● The Bad Guys Series and Thelma and the Unicorn are being adapted to films
that are in production and will hopefully be out soon!
● Aaron has had many professions such as an author, a college lecturer,
comic-strip creator, a designer, painter, actor and more!
● Check out this interview to learn more about Aaron:
http://www.scholastic.ca/books/authors&illustrators/aaron-blabey

2. Lynda Mullaly Hunt

(Fish in a tree, One for the Murphys, Shouting at the rain, Grades 5-7)
● Lynda didn’t grow up writing stories but rather she liked to write songs!
● The license plate on Lynda’s car is a shark conservatory one that is for a
character in the novel she wrote “Shouting at the rain”).
● Growing up Lynda loved to get outside and ride her bike; she even had a
bright green bike with “Dill Pickle” written on it.

3. John Jory
(The Couch Potato, The Cool Bean, The Good Egg, The Bad Seed, That’s What
Dinosaurs Do, Penguin Problems and more!)
● John has been a camp counsellor, tutor and program coordinator at an
educational centre before he began writing.
● John loves eating snack plates filled with pickles, olives, cheese, mustard and
crackers!
● John shared that the entire process of writing children’s books takes quite a
long time - at minimum two years!
● John is an avid comic book and graphic novel lover! He grew up thinking he
wanted to be a cartoonist.
● John Jory is a #1 New York Times bestselling author for his picture book The
Good Egg.

Lowdown on Authors
Marhielle Gelera
Elementary

1. Grades 4-5: Raina Telgemeier (Baby-Sitters’ Club graphic novel series, Guts, Ghosts,
Smile, Drama, and Sisters)
○ Raina is a cartoonist, so her books include a lot of colourful illustrations
 ○ Raina adapted the well-loved The Baby-Sitters’ Club stories by Ann M. Martin into
graphic novels
○ Many of her books discuss the changes and situations that pre-teens and
teenagers deal with, which relate to her own experiences with, for example,
losing her teeth or getting braces.
2. Grades 2-3: Elisabetta Dami (Geronimo Stilton series and Thea Stilton series)
○ Elisabetta wrote adventure stories about a mouse named Geronimo Stilton while
she volunteered to care for sick kids after finding out she couldn’t have kids of
her own
○ Geronimo Stilton is her most famous book which has been translated into 49
languages and sold all over the world
○ Elisabetta is inspired by her own adventurous life, as she has travelled around
the world and got her aircraft pilot license and parachutist license at a young age
3. Kindergarten-Grade 1: Robert Munsch
○ Robert is known for his hilarious, relatable yet simultaneously outrageous stories
○ Robert grew up not being at a high academic level, and believes he only passed
because no one wanted him to be in the same grade as his brother, but he
always wrote silly poetry growing up
○ Robert’s stories were based on real kids, and each story is about a different one