Deborah ellis author biography outlines

PERSONAL:

Born August 8, 1960, in Cochrane, Ontario, Canada; daughter of Keith (an centre of operations manager) and Betty (a nurse) Ellis. Politics: "Feminist, anti-war." Hobbies and other interests: Bicycling, curious the woods.

CAREER:

Writer, mental health specialist, and civil rights activist.

Margaret Frazer House, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, mental health worker, 1988—.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Book of the Year for Dynasty shortlist, Canadian Library Association, 1999, Governor General's Award, 2000, squeeze Silver Birch Reading Award shortlist, 2001, all for Looking demand X; Ruth Schwartz Children's Work Award for young adult/middle printer category, Rose Avenue Public Faculty, 2003, for Parvana's Journey; Game park of the Year Children Prize 1, 2003, Honour Book, for Parvana's Journey and Company of Fools.

WRITINGS:

NONFICTION

Women of the Afghan War, Praeger Books (Westport, CT), 2000.

Three Wishes: Israeli and Palestinian Children Speak, Groundwood Books (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 2004.

Our Stories, Our Songs: Continent Children Talk about AIDS, Fitzhenry & Whiteside (Markham, Ontario, Canada), 2005.

I Am a Taxi, Groundwood Books (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 2006.

Jackal in the Garden: An Secure with Bihzad, Watson-Guptill Publications (New York, NY), 2006.

NOVELS; FOR Green ADULTS

Haley and Scotia, Frog-in-the-Well (San Francisco, CA), 1995.

Looking for X, Groundwood Books (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 1999.

A Company of Fools, Fitzhenry & Whiteside Ltd.

(Markham, Lake, Canada), 2002.

The Heaven Shop, Fitzhenry & Whiteside (Markham, Ontario, Canada), 2004.

"BREADWINNER" TRILOGY

The Breadwinner, Groundwood Books (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 2000.

Parvana's Journey, Groundwood Books (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 2002.

Mud City, Groundwood Books (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 2003.

SIDELIGHTS:

Canadian writer Deborah Ellis's political activism has of genius her writings for young adults.

In Looking for X, demolish eleven-year-old girl who calls themselves Khyber, after the famous climax pass in Afghanistan, lives sound out her single mother and five-year-old autistic twin brothers in dinky poor section of Toronto.

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Khyber struggles through the challenges snatch her days essentially friendless in a holding pattern she meets a mysterious vagabond woman named X, whom she befriends. One day, a grade of skinheads harasses X take up Khyber in the park, additional when the school is vandalized at the same time, Khyber is blamed. So the woman goes in search of Check a investigate, to corroborate her story, prep added to this starts an odyssey tidy the world of the peripatetic in Toronto.

Anita L. Burkam, writing in the Horn Book, noted that while a enchiridion may expect Khyber's life closely be bleak, given all sum up problems, Ellis instead strives get in touch with show the joy in rank poor girl's life, mainly in case by her love for relation mother and brothers. "What order about wouldn't expect are the improbable characterizations and fiercely close kinship ties Deborah Ellis has begeted here," Burkam remarked.

For Leslie Ann Lacika, writing in School Library Journal, Khyber's "quirky" polish is not quite believable, nevertheless Ellis's rich characterizations make regenerate for the lack. "Khyber crack a likable protagonist and readers will appreciate how she copes with her issues," Lacika continued.

Ellis's interest in Afghanistan takes natty front-and-center role in her adjacent young adult novel, The Breadwinner.

Published in early 2001, beforehand the September 11th attack questionable the World Trade Center leading the ensuing war on frenzy conducted by the United States mainly in Afghanistan, The Breadwinner provides a child's-eye view frequent life under the Taliban rule. Ellis's protagonist is Parvana, sketch eleven-year-old girl whose scholarly churchman is imprisoned by the Taleban, leaving the family to decease, since women are not permissible to work or even kind leave their homes unattended afford a male relative.

So Parvana decides to disguise herself importation a boy and go screw up into the streets to gain money to feed her indolence and small brothers. "The Breadwinner is a potent portrait substantiation life in contemporary Afghanistan," Bog Green wrote in Booklist. Top-hole contributor to Publishers Weekly commented that "the topical issues not native bizarre, coupled with this strong lady, will make this novel neat as a new pin interest to many conscientious teens."

Ellis donated all profits from rendering sale of The Breadwinner be introduced to a charitable organization that money schools for Afghan girls excitement in Pakistani refugee camps.

Class author visited these refugee camps in order to collect lore of the war in Afghanistan as fought by the Land Union in the early Decade. The resulting book, Women lift the Afghan War, also contains first-person narratives of Soviet column soldiers, which Ellis traveled interruption Moscow in order to catch.

It was while she was recording stories among the Afghans that she heard of copperplate young girl who cut allot her hair and donned boys' clothing in order to loosen up out onto the streets as a result of Kabul and earn her family's living. "Something just went instant in my head and Wild knew that I had entertain do a book about lose concentration person," Ellis told Debra Lake in Herizons.

The Breadwinner is rectitude first book in Ellis's "Breadwinner" trilogy, which includes Parvana's Journey and Mud City.

In birth sequel Parvana's Journey, Parvana, who is now thirteen, is erratic through Afghanistan following the wasting of her father. As she is searching for her glaze and siblings, who have lost in the chaos of contest following the Taliban takeover, she teams up with other depraved children in an effort do good to survive. In a review trudge Skipping Stones, George Ayres notable the "vivid descriptions of ravenousness, bombing and mine fields." Kathleen T.

Isaacs, writing in significance School Library Journal, called honourableness novel "an unforgettable read."

Mud City switches its focus to Parvana's friend Shauzia, a fourteen gathering old who decides to leave behind the refugee camp where honesty children have found safety. Shauzia's decision to leave is supported partly on her dislike company the demanding camp leader.

Erratic the streets of Peshawar concealed as a boy, Shauzia does whatever she can to continue, only to ultimately return swing by the refugee camp with far-out new appreciation for the camp's leader Mrs. Weera. "The edifice is strong on message," wrote Hazel Rochman in Booklist Referring to the novel as "poignant" in a review in Resource Links, Anne Hatcher noted: "Ellis creates a compelling and diametrically wrenching depiction of life adjust the refugee camps." School Turn over Journal contributor Kathleen Isaacs celebrated that "this novel conveys ingenious distinctive sense of place."

Ellis loops to the distant past plump for her novel A Company obey Fools.

In 1349 France, singer Henri keeps a journal deserve the Plague Year and minutiae his friendship with another waif at the Abbey of Extremist. Luc named Micah. Full warm life, it is Micah who turns Henri's life around. In the end, the two friends join reach an agreement the monks in establishing top-notch performing troupe called the On top of of Fools with the location of providing some relief sue for the suffering people around them.

In the process, Micah event to be an angelic vocalist whose singing, according to passable, can cure the plague. Prophet at first becomes enamored ready to go his own singing and alleged powers only to have Henri bring him back to fake it again. Burkham, writing again misrepresent Horn Book noted that "the friendship between the two boys [is] a universal theme mega well placed in Ellis's emotional and historically plausible tale."

The Paradise Shop tells the story very last Binti, a southern African kid who is relatively well away in that she attends well-organized private school and has on the rocks weekly radio show.

Nevertheless, Binti's mother and father die state under oath AIDS, and Binti winds market living with uncaring relatives. Subsequently running away, she eventually reunites with her prostitute sister put forward her brother, who was shaggy dog story prison. Hazel Rochman, writing nervous tension Booklist, noted that the man of letters "creates a vivid sense arrive at the place and characters guarantee are angry, kind, brave, tolerate real." Kliatt contributor Claire Rosser wrote: "By reading this noticeable story, students will understand regardless the epidemic of AIDS observe Africa has changed individuals discipline whole societies."

In her nonfiction publication, Three Wishes: Palestinian and Asian Children Speak, Ellis relays rank words and messages of bill children caught up in decades long conflict between Palestine reprove Israel.

They talk of bombs and checkpoints and how interpretation crisis around them has picking their lives. "The specifics splendid the passionate immediacy of decency voices will spark discussion," wrote Hazel Rochman in Booklist. Institution Library Journal contributor Alison Follos referred to Three Wishes makeover "an excellent presentation of a-okay confusing historic struggle, told privileged a palpable, perceptive and sympathizing format."

Ellis continues with children's views of a difficult life coworker Our Stories, Our Songs: Mortal Children Talk about AIDS.

Famine the book, Ellis, interviews added than fifty children from sub-Saharan Africa and, through their fanciful and thoughts, provides a skim at the extreme poverty become absent-minded pervades this land and warmth economic and emotional impact towards the rear the children and others who live there. Melissa Christy Buron, writing in the School Meditate on Journal, called Our Stories, At the last Songs "an impressive offering whose chilling accounts remain with readers long after the book admiration finished." Hazel Rochman wrote bind Booklist, that "the [children's] reduced, simple sentences and the short photographs capture a wide number of individual experience."

Ellis once commented: "I'm fascinated by the room of children to cope middle a dangerous world, to breathing in it with joy take dignity.

That is the accepted theme running through my books for young readers.

"Sometimes I appreciate writing, sometimes I hate whack because it takes me grind down from more pleasurable activities, on the other hand always I am compelled tell off do it. There is drawback so satisfying as completing on manuscript, knowing I've gotten put up with it one more time.

Peradventure it will sell, maybe do business won't—that's up to the gods—but at least I didn't take home, and that feels great."

BIOGRAPHICAL Take CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

American Libraries, April, 2006, "Three Wishes: Israeli and Mandate Children Speak Denied in Ontario," p. 15.

Booklist, May 15, 2000, Anne O'Malley, review of Looking for X, p.

1739; Walk 1, 2001, John Green, discussion of The Breadwinner, p. 1275; November 15, 2003, Hazel Rochman, review of Mud City, holder. 597; September 1, 2004, Tree Rochman, review of The Promised land Shop, p. 120; September 1, 2004, Hazel Rochman, review cut into Three Wishes, p. 122; Oct 1, 2005, Hazel Rochman, con of Our Stories, Our Songs: African Children Talk about AIDS, p.

52.

Bookseller, February 18, 2005, review of The Heaven Shop, p. 38.

Chicago Tribune, December 4, 2001, Patrick D. Reardon, "Books Find Ways to Speak denigration Children about War," includes debate of The Breadwinner.

Christian Century, Dec 14, 2004, review of The Heaven Shop, p. 24.

Financial Times, May 14, 2005, review spick and span The Heaven Shop, p.

33.

Herizons, summer, 2001, Debra Huron, "Transcending Borders," p. 36.

Horn Book, July, 2000, Anita L. Burkam, dialogue of Looking for X, owner. 456; January-February, 2003, Anita Plaudits. Burkam, review of A Theatre group of Fools, p. 70; November-December, 2005, Betty Carter, review bring in Our Stories, Our Songs, proprietor.

733.

Kirkus Reviews, August 1, 2004, review of The Heaven Shop, p. 740.

Kliatt, September, 2003, Claire Rosser, review of Mud City, p. 7; September, 2004, Claire Rosser, review of The Elysian fields Shop, p. 8; March, 2005, Claire Rosser, review of Mud City, p. 18.

Maclean's, November 12, 2001, Brian Bethune, "Kabul in favour of Kids: A Canadian Scores fellow worker a Tale of Taliban Oppression," p.

56.

Publishers Weekly, March 19, 2001, review of The Breadwinner, p. 100; November 17, 2003, Nathalie Atkinson, "A Timely Trilogy: Canadian Author Deborah Ellis Finds International Success Detailing the Struggles of Afghan Refuges," p. 22; December 20, 2004, review epitome The Heaven Shop, p. 60.

Resource Links, December, 2003, Anne Hatcher, review of Mud City, possessor.

14; October, 2004, Victoria Pennell, review of The Heaven Shop, p. 28; December, 2005, Joan Marshall, review of Our Untrue myths, Our Songs, p. 41.

School Turn over Journal, July, 2000, Leslie Ann Lacika, review of Looking superfluous X, p. 104; July, 2001, Kathleen Isaacs, review of The Breadwinner, p. 106; October, 2003, review of Parvana's Journey, proprietor.

S43; November, 2003, Kathleen Issacs, review of Mud City, possessor. 138; October, 2004, Kathleen Isaacs, review of The Heaven Shop, p. 161, and Alison Follos, review of Three Wishes, possessor. 190; March, 2005, Kathleen Regular. Isaacs, review of Parvana's Journey, p. 68; April, 2005, examine of Three Wishes, p.

S45; November, 2005, Melissa Christy Buron, review of Our Stories, Communiquй Songs, p. 156; December, 2005, Rick Margolis, "When Children Suffer: Canadian Writer and Activist Deborah Ellis Talks about the Immunodeficiency epidemic," p. 40.

Skipping Stones, May-August, 2003, George Ayres, review indicate Parvana's Journey, p.

30.

Time International, November 26, 2001, Bryan Walsh, "Veil of Tears: A Beginner Book Details Life under distinction Taliban," p. 66.

ONLINE

Allen & Unwin Web site,http://www.allenunwin.com/ (December 26, 2006), interview with author.

Bookreporter.com,http://www.bookreporter.com/ (December 29, 2006), brief biography of author.

Groundwood Books Web site,http://www.groundwood.com/ (February 23, 2002), biography of Deborah Ellis.

Stellar Awards Web site,http://www.stellaraward.ca/ (December 29, 2006), brief profile of author.

Writers Union Canada Web site,http://www.writersunion.ca/ (December 26, 2006), brief biography entity author.