Valerie Anne Sherrard (née Russell: born May 16, 1957) is a Canadian author of books for children and young adults including the novels ''The Glory Wind'', ''Kate'', ''Speechless'' and the Shelby Belgarden mystery series.
Early life
Sherrard was born in
Moose Jaw
Moose Jaw is the fourth largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada. Lying on the Moose Jaw River in the south-central part of the province, it is situated on the Trans-Canada Highway, west of Regina. Residents of Moose Jaw are known as Moose Javian ...
,
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dak ...
to Bob and Pauline Russell and raised in
Trenton,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
and
Belleville, Ontario. She has two brothers, Danny and Andrew. When living in
Lahr
Lahr (officially Lahr/Schwarzwald since 30 September 1978) (); gsw, label= Low Alemannic, Lohr) is a town in western Baden-Württemberg, Germany, approximately 50 km north of Freiburg im Breisgau, 40 km southeast of Strasbourg, and 95&nb ...
,
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
, in the sixth-
grade
Grade most commonly refers to:
* Grade (education), a measurement of a student's performance
* Grade, the number of the year a student has reached in a given educational stage
* Grade (slope), the steepness of a slope
Grade or grading may also ref ...
, her homeroom teacher, Alf Lower, inspired her to become a writer.
Career
''The Glory Wind'' won the 2011
Geoffrey Bilson Award
The Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young Readers is a Canadian literary award that goes to the best work of historical fiction written for youth each year. The award is named after Geoffrey Bilson, a writer of historical fiction ...
, the
Ann Connor Brimer Award The Ann Connor Brimer Award for Atlantic Canadian Children's Literature is a $2,000 annual award given to an Atlantic Canadian writer deemed to have made an outstanding contribution to literature for young people. Starting in 2016, the prize alter ...
and was shortlisted for other awards, including the
TD Canadian Children's Literature Award
The TD Canadian Children's Literature Award is an annual Canadian literary award, presented to the year's best work of children's literature. Sponsored by TD Bank Financial Group and the Canadian Children's Book Centre, the award carries a moneta ...
, and the
Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children Award.
Sherrard's novel in free verse, ''Counting Back from Nine'', was nominated for a 2013 Governor General's Award in the Children's Text category.
Sherrard's picture books include ''There's a Cow Under my Bed'' that was illustrated by Canadian Illustrator David Jardine and ''Miss Wondergem's Dreadfully Dreadful Pie'' that was illustrated by Canadian Illustrator Wendy J. Whittingham.
Sherrard's 2007 historical novel, ''Three Million Acres of Flame'', is about the
1825 Miramichi Fire The 1825 Dee, or Great Miramichi Fire, or Great Fire of Miramichi, as it came to be known, was a massive forest fire complex that devastated forests and communities throughout much of northern New Brunswick in October 1825. It ranks among the three ...
, the largest recorded land fire in North American history.
Personal life
Sherrard currently lives in
Miramichi, New Brunswick
Miramichi () is the largest city in northern New Brunswick, Canada. It is situated at the mouth of the Miramichi River where it enters Miramichi Bay. The Miramichi Valley is the second longest valley in New Brunswick, after the Saint John Rive ...
, with her husband, Brent, who is also an author. Sherrard previously was the executive director of a group home for adolescents. While raising her own three children, Anthony, Rebecca (deceased) and Pamela, she was a foster parent to approximately seventy teenagers.
Selected works
Picture books
* ''There's a COW Under my Bed!'', Tuckamore Books, 2008
* ''There's a GOLDFISH in My Shoe!'', Tuckamore Books, 2009
* ''Miss Wondergem's Dreadfully Dreadful Pie'', Tuckamore Books, 2011
* ''Down Here'', Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2015
Middle Grade and Young Adult novels
* ''Kate'', Dundurn, 2003
* ''Sam's Light'', Dundurn, 2004
* ''Sarah's Legacy'', Dundurn, 2006
* ''Speechless'', Dundurn, 2007
* ''Three Million Acres of Flame'', Dundurn, 2007
* ''Watcher'', Dundurn, 2009
* ''Tumbleweed Skies'', Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2009
* ''The Glory Wind'', Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2010
* ''Accomplice'', Dundurn, 2011
* ''Testify'', Dundurn, 2011
* ''Counting Back from Nine'', Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2012
* ''Driftwood'', Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2013
* ''Rain Shadow'', Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2014
* ''Random Acts'', PenguinRandomHouse Canada, 2015
* ''The Rise and Fall of Derek Cowell'', DCB, 2020
* ''Birdspell'', DCB, 2021
* ''A Bend in the Breeze'', DCB, 2022
The Shelby Belgarden Mysteries
* ''Out of the Ashes'', Dundurn, 2002
* ''In Too Deep'', Dundurn, 2003
* ''Chasing Shadows'', Dundurn, 2004
* ''Hiding in Plain Sight'', Dundurn, 2005
* ''Eyes of a Stalker'', Dundurn, 2006
* ''Searching for Yesterday'', Dundurn, 2008
References
Sources
"Valerie Sherrard" by The Writers' Union of Canada June 16, 2006, retrieved June 16, 2006
"The Dundurn Group - Valerie Sherrard" by The Dundurn Group May 8, 2012, retrieved May 8, 2012
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sherrard, Valerie
1957 births
Living people
Canadian children's writers
People from Moose Jaw
Canadian expatriates in Germany
Canadian women children's writers
Canadian writers of young adult literature
Women writers of young adult literature