Valerie Sherrard
Valerie Anne Sherrard (nêe 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.
Valerie Sherrard | |
---|---|
Born | Valerie Anne Russell May 16, 1957 Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada |
Occupation | Author |
Genre | Children's Literature |
Notable works | The Glory Wind |
Spouse | Brent Sherrard (m. 1999) |
Children | 3 |
Early life
Sherrard was born in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan to Bob and Pauline Russell and raised in Trenton, Ontario and Belleville, Ontario. She has two brothers, Danny and Andrew. When living in Lahr, West Germany, in the sixth-grade, her homeroom teacher, Alf Lower, inspired her to become a writer.
Career
The Glory Wind won the 2011 Geoffrey Bilson Award, the Ann Connor Brimer Award and was shortlisted for other awards, including the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award, 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 her son-in-law, 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 largest recorded land fire in North American history.
Personal life
Sherrard currently lives in Miramichi, New Brunswick, 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 over 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 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