Twin Annick Authors Go West for Red Cedar Visits

Red Cedar nominees Charis Cotter (Kids Who Rule) and Laurie Coulter (Cowboys and Coffin Makers) had a wonderful time last week as guests of the Richmond Public Library. Charis visited libraries and schools in Richmond, North Vancouver, Vancouver and Victoria, while Laurie gave presentations in Richmond, Vancouver and Surrey. Enthusiastic students, welcoming librarians, stunning scenery and lots of shared laughs made it a memorable trip.

Charis presenting Kids Who Rule:

Laurie presenting Cowboys and Coffin Makers:


The two Toronto authors met in 2007 after they published their first books with Annick. They found they had some strange and spooky connections, including a shared birthday. Were they twins, separated at birth? The evidence is mounting: they both graduated from York’s Glendon College, they both are long-time book editors working for the same publishers, they have both published an adult book, and they have both written a children’s book about royalty. The Twin-ness doesn’t stop there – they each have a child who attended the Etobicoke School of the Arts, they were brought up as Anglicans and they both have fond memories of chicken pot pie at the Arcadian Court in the old Simpsons (now the Bay) in Toronto.

Coincidence? I don’t think so. Look at the picture and you decide.

Writing by the Sea

Hello from the Rock! I’m sitting at my writing desk overlooking a spectacular view of the ocean. A winding road lined with wildflowers leads to the lighthouse, my daily walk.

Last year I bought a little cottage beside the sea in my beloved Newfoundland, so I could work here for part of the year. Now I’m halfway through my second summer and I have to pinch myself every day to make sure I’m not dreaming. Yes, it’s that much fun! I’ve been fixing up my house, painting it yellow and blue, baking bread and hobnobbing with my friendly neighbours.

In fact, it’s so much fun that I have to give myself a stern lecture every day, right after I pinch myself: Charis, get to work! I open up my e-mail and look at the art for A World Full of Ghosts, coming out next winter. Yikes! Marc Mongeau has created a series of spooky but hilarious illustrations. I’d like to pore over the details for an hour or two but I have to get on with my writing.

Today I want to finish the chapter about Madeleine L’Engle (A Wrinkle in Time) for my book about children’s authors. It’s tough going: I always find the first chapter the hardest to write, as I find my way into the book.

Every so often, searching for just the right word or phrase, I look up from my computer. The ocean is still there, stretching away to the horizon. I take a deep breath, pinch myself again, and then turn my thoughts back to Madeleine L’Engle, tesseracts and time travel.

Charis Cotter

Author of Kids Who Rule, Wonder Kids, and forthcoming A World Full of Ghosts

It's a movie star! It's a rock star! No, it's an author!!

Just imagine 3500 kids cheering and clapping for their favorite star! No, it wasn't a rock concert, the Emmys or the Academy Awards. It was the Ontario Library Association's Forest of Reading awards ceremony at Toronto's Harbourfront Centre. The students from across the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) had read all the nominated books and voted for their favorite ones. Now it was time to root for the authors of their chosen titles.

Author David Jones takes the mic

The excitement reached fever pitch as each author was led onto the stage by a student holding high a sign with his or her name. To the sounds of deafening applause, the authors took their place on the stage. Following an introduction by a student, each author came up to the microphone to speak for a few minutes. Then the stage area fell silent as the envelope was opened, first to reveal the three finalists, then the winner. The surprise and delight on the winners' faces revealed how thrilled they were to have their book chosen. But at the end of the day, every author was a winner. Thousands of kids around Ontario had read their books, enjoyed them, and got super excited about reading. The long lines of kids waiting for autographs and the opportunity to meet their favorite authors at the end of the ceremony only proved that books still rule!

Author Charis Cotter, The Queen, signing autographs

Annick's nominated authors included:

David Jones, author of Baboon, Silver Birch Fiction

K.V. Johansen, author of Torrie and the Snake-Prince, Silver Birch Fiction

Charis Cotter, author of Kids Who Rule, Silver Birch non-fiction

Henry Aubin, author of Rise of the Golden Cobra, Red Maple

Hazel Hutchins, author of The List, Blue Spruce

Forest of Reading: How to Raise a Reader

Education Reportor Kris Rushowy interviews Silver Birch nominees for The Star. Click the title below for the full article.

How to raise a reader
May 21, 2008

Kris Rushowy EDUCATION REPORTER

Authors honoured at the 15th annual Forest of Reading Festival of Trees offer these tips for fostering a love of reading in your kids. Hint? Read, read, read!

Author: Charis Cotter

Book: Kids Who Rule: The Remarkable Lives of Five Child Rulers Gr.3-6 (Silver Birch, non-fiction nomination)

Inspiration: “I wanted to be a writer because I love the world of books and I want to live in that world. Writing puts me there. Kids Who Rule and my latest book, Wonder Kids: The Remarkable Lives of Nine Child Prodigies, are both part of a series I'm writing about the childhoods of famous people. The books illustrate how unusual children handle the extraordinary circumstances of their lives. "Kids Who Rule came directly from my own fascination with royalty. When I was a child I had many fantasies about being a king or a queen. I think a lot of kids do. There is something very seductive about the idea of that kind of power. Kids imagine that a king or queen can do whatever they want to—eat what they like, boss grownups around and live in a castle—just like in a fairy tale. Of course the reality is very different. The child rulers in my book had very difficult lives and they had to struggle to live up to what was expected of them. They had much less control of their lives than the average modern child. Yet each story in the book has some element of the danger and wonder of a fairytale: a girl sleeps beside a box with her father's heart in it, a boy lives in a Forbidden City where time stands still, a girl is chased by a king who wants to kidnap her and a king is found through a series of strange omens.” Advice for raising a reader: “My only advice to parents who want to raise kids that love reading is to read to your child as much as you can and read books you both enjoy. Some of my best childhood memories are of my dad lying beside me reading the Narnia books, one chapter a night. And some of my best times with my own daughter were settling down in her bed with a stack of picture books and reading half a dozen at a time. Reading together is warm and cuddly and fun.”

Author: K.V. Johansen

Book: Torrie and the Snake-Prince Gr.3-6 (Silver Birch nomination)

Inspiration: “I've always enjoyed telling stories. For me, most story ideas arise out of a character. The Torrie books simply began with Torrie, telling stories of adventures he had with young humans long before. Because he is a character who is outside of humanity, he is able to be a wry, wise, and sympathetic observer to what's going on as the young heroes undertake their various quests, and bring some humour from this outsider's perspective. He gives me a great deal of freedom in telling the stories, because of the oral quality he brings to the narrative. He is telling the story, and so he is able to pause and explain the unfamiliar to his audience, set things in context. And he isn't limited to a narrow place and time in his world; he is immortal and a traveller, so his tales span centuries of his world's history.” Advice for raising a reader: "Read to your child every night. Don't dumb things down for them. Remember that you can and should read books to a child that they aren't yet able to read for themselves; that's how their minds, their imaginations, their understanding of the world, and their grasp of language all grow.”

The Queen and I

The Queen and I are happy to announce that my website is now up and running: check it out at http://www.chariscotter.com/. The Queen is excited because there is a button you can click on to see her talking in a video. She has been coming with me on school visits to talk about Kids Who Rule and she has confided that these outings provide a welcome change from opening hospitals, christening ships, and having lunch with French presidents.

We are both looking forward to the Silver Birch celebrations in May. We are booked to go to four award ceremonies in the week of May 19: in Whitby, Innisfil, Toronto, and Uxbridge. Can’t wait!

Charis Cotter

Author of Kids Who Rule: The Remarkable Lives of Five Child Rulers

Silver Birch nominee for non-fiction, 2008