Canadian children's writers deal with global issues
5 finalists for Governor General's Literary Awards
By Susan Noakes, CBC News
Posted: Oct 25, 2011 11:12 AM ET
Last Updated: Oct 25, 2011 6:08 PM ET
Finalists for the Governor General's Literary Awards for children's literature. (CBC)
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Canadian literature for children and young adults is becoming increasingly international in outlook, in the same way our adult literature is engaged with the rest of the world.
The finalists for the Governor General's Literary Award for children's literature reflect this thrust, with No Ordinary Day by Deborah Ellis set in India and A Hare in the Elephant's Trunk by Jan Coates, set in Sudan and Ethiopia.
Toronto-based historian Christopher Moore looks at the world from a Canadian point of view in From Then to Now, a short history of the world written for young readers. Moore's book is the only non-fiction contender, though A Hare in the Elephant's Trunk is a fictionalized version of a true story.
Even Kenneth Oppel, the adventure writer who published Silverwing and Airborn, has set his novel This Dark Endeavour in Switzerland. Only veteran children's writer Tim Wynne-Jones' powerful Blink & Caution is a Canadian-set story.
All the writers are previous winners of a GG, except for Coates. Here's a look at a strong field of contenders for the award for children’s literature. The 2011 winner will be named Nov 15.
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