• Website
    http://www.canscaip.org/bios/wilsonb.html
    Biography

    Budge Wilson was born and educated in Nova Scotia, but spent many years in Ontario, returning home in 1989, where she lives in a South Shore fishing village. She began writing later in life, after teaching and working as a commercial artist, photographer, and for over 20 years as a fitness instructor. Her first book appeared in 1984 and she has now published 33, with 27 foreign editions in 14 languages - and has appeared in over 90 anthologies.

    Budge has received 21 Canadian Children's Book Centre "Our Choice" Awards; City of Dartmouth Book Award; Canadian Library Association Young Adult Award; Marianna Dempster Award; Lilla Stirling Award; 2 Ann Connor Brimer Awards; runner-up for Raddall Atlantic Fiction Prize; nominated for Red Maple and CNIB Torgi Awards; finalist for Commonwealth Prize (Canada & Caribbean Region); appeared in first Journey Prize Anthology; finalist for Governor General's Award (2006); shortlisted for CBA's Libris Children's Author of the Year Award (2009), for CLA's Best Children's Book Award (2009) and for Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Award (2009); winner of Atlantic Independent Booksellers Choice Award (2009); winner of National IODE's Violet Downey Award (2009). In 2003 she received the Halifax Mayor's Award for Cultural Achievement; in 2004, Armbrae Academy's Distinguished Alumnae Award; and in 2008, Dalhousie University's Alumni Achievement Award. In 2004 she was made a Member of the Order of Canada.

    Her books have been frequently read and dramatized on CBC, American and Danish Radio. The Leaving received the ALA's Notable Book Award and was listed among its Best Books for Young Adults, named a Horn Book "Fanfare Book", School Library Journal's "Best Books, 1992", Library of Congress's "100 Noteworthy Children's Books, 1992", National Council of Teachers of English "Notable Children's Books, 1993", NYPL's "Books for the Teen Age, 1993", ALA's 1994 list of "The 75 Best Children's Books of the Last 25 Years." Her latest book, Before Green Gables appears to date in 11 countries and 7 languages, with a Japanese animation, and was recognized by Quill & Quire as being one of the "Best Books of 2008." In 2009, Budge Wilson was the winner of the Atlantic Independent Booksellers' Choice Award for Before Green Gables.

    Budge has given readings, talks, interviews and workshops across Canada and in the UK., Lahr, Germany, Guadalajara and Mexico City. She is married to Alan Wilson, and has two daughters and two grandsons.

     

     

    Publications

    • Before Green Gables. Penguin Group Canada, 2008. ISBN 978-0-670-06721-3.

    • Izzie: Book Four, Homecoming. Penguin Group Canada, 2006. ISBN 0-14-305449-X.

    • Friendships: Stories. Penguin Group Canada, 2006. ISBN 0-14-301766-7.

    • Izzie: Book Three, Patricia's Secret. Penguin Canada, 2005. ISBN 0-14-3050079.

    • Izzie: Book Two, Trongate Fury. Penguin Canada, 2005. ISBN 0-14-301465-X.

    • The Imperfect Perfect Christmas. Pottersfield Press, 2004. ISBN 1-895900-66-2.

    • Fractures: Family Stories. Penguin Canada, 2002. ISBN 0-4331201-4.

    • Izzie: Book One, The Christmas That Almost Wasn't. Penguin Books, 2002. ISBN 0-14-100272-7.

    • "Mr. Manuel Jenkins." Atlantica: Stories from the Maritimes and Newfoundland. Lesley Choyce, Editor. Goose Lane Editions, 2001. ISBN 0-8692-309-0.

    • A Fiddle for Angus. Illustrated by Susan Tooke. Tundra, 2001. ISBN 0-88776-500-9.

    • Manfred the UnManageable Monster. Illustrated by Gill Quinn. Pottersfield Press, 2001. ISBN 1-895900-41-7.

    • Duff's Monkey Business. Illus. by Kim LaFave. Halifax: Formac Publishing, 2000. ISBN 0-88780-498-5.

    • The Fear of Angelina Domino. Illustrated by Eugenie Fernandes. Stoddart Kids, 2000. ISBN 0-7737-3217-9.

    • The Cat That Barked. Pottersfield Press, 1998. ISBN 1-895900-17-4.

    • Sharla. Toronto: Stoddart Kids, 1997. ISBN 0-7736-7467-5.

    • The Long Wait. Illus. by Eugenie Fernandes. Toronto: Stoddart Kids, 1997. ISBN 0-7737-3021-4.

    • Duff the Giant Killer. Illus. by Kim LaFave. Halifax: Formac Publishing, 1997. ISBN 0-88780-382-2 (pb); ISBN 0-88780-382-0 bd.

    • Mothers & Other Strangers. N.Y.: Harcourt Brace, 1996. ISBN 0-15-200312-6.

    • Harold and Harold. Illus. by Terry Roscoe. Lawrencetown Beach: Pottersfield Press, 1995. ISBN 0-919001-94-7.

    • The Dandelion Garden. N.Y.: Putnam/Philomel, 1995. ISBN 0-399-22768-7.

    • Cordelia Clark. Toronto: Stoddart, 1994. ISBN 0-7736-7423-3. Italian Edition: Milan: Mondadori.

    • The Courtship and other Stories. Concord, Ontario: Stoddart/Anansi, 1994. ISBN 0-88784-550-9. In mass market paper. Stoddart, 1997. ISBN 0-7736-7456-X.

    • Cassandra's Driftwood. Illus. by Terry Roscoe. Lawrencetown Beach: Pottersfield Press, 1994. ISBN 0-919002-85-8.

    • Oliver's Wars. Toronto: Stoddart/Irwin, 1992. ISBN 0-7737-5508-X.

    • Lorinda's Diary. Toronto: General/Gemini, 1991. ISBN 0-7736-7348-2.

    • The Leaving. Toronto: Stoddart/Anansi, 1990. ISBN 0-887784-159-7 hc. ISBN 0-887784-159-7 trade pb. ISBN 0-7736-7363-6 mass pb.

    • The Leaving. N.Y.: Putnam/Philomel, 1992. ISBN 0-3999-21878-5..

    • The Leaving. N.Y.: Scholastic, 1993. ISBN 0-590-46933-9.

    • The Leaving. Danish Edition: Man oplever sa meget, noveller (trans. by Else Sandvad). Copenhagen: Fremad, 1992. ISBN 87-557-1719-5.

    • The Leaving. Australian Edition: My Cousin Clarette and other stories. St.Lucia: University of Queensland Press, 1993. ISBN 0-7022-2503-7.

    • The Leaving. Italian Edition: Il Viaggio (transl. by Mario Bellinoza). Milan: Mondadori, 1997. ISBN 88-04-42817-1.

    • Madame Belzile and Ramsay Hitherton-Hobbs. Halifax: Nimbus, 1990. ISBN 921054-38-6.

    • Going Bananas. Illustrated by Graham Pillsworth. Toronto: Scholastic, 1989. ISBN 0-590-73365-6.

    • Going Bananas. Available in French as Ca suffit, les singeries. ISBN 0-590-73366-4.

    • Thirteen Never Changes. Toronto, Scholastic, 1989. New York: Scholastic, 1991. ISBN 0-590-73134-3. Available in Braille.

    • Breakdown. Toronto: Scholastic, 1988. ISBN 0-590-71843-6. Also available in Norwegian, Swedish, German, Greek and Italian, and, to finish, Finnish.

    • Mystery Lights at Blue Harbour. Toronto: Scholastic, 1987. Available in Braille and Finnish (Hameenlinna, Karisto Oy, 1991). ISBN 0-590-71389-2.

    • A House Far from Home.. Toronto: Scholastic, 1986. Available in Braille and Finnish (Hameenlinna, Karisto Oy, 1991). ISBN 0-590-71679-4.

    • Mr. John Bertrand Nijinsky and Charlie. Illustrated by Terry Roscoe Boucher. Halifax: Nimbus, 1986. ISBN 0-920852-57-2.

    • The Best/Worst Christmas Present Ever. Toronto: Scholastic, 1984. Available in Braille. Finnish Edition: Hameenlinna: Karisto Oy, 1991. ISBN 0-590-71430-9.

    Awards

    • Before Green Gables has won the Atlantic Independent Booksellers' Award, the National Chapter IODE's Violet Downey Award, and Quill & Quire's "Best Book for Young People in 2008."

    • Short-listed for a Torqi Award, 2003 (CNIB), and Red Maple Award; 'Fractures'

    • Shortlisted for the 2002 Ann Connor Brimer Award for Children's Literature; 'A Fiddle for Angus'

    • Shortlisted for the 2002 Atlantic Independent Booksellers' Choice Award; 'A Fiddle for Angus'

    • Finalist for 2002 Hackmatack Children's Choice Book Award; 'Duff's Monkey Business'

    • Winner of the Lilla Stirling Award, 1998; 'Sharla'

    • Winner of the 1993 Ann Connor Brimer Award for children's literature; 'Oliver's Wars'

    • Winner of the Marianna Dempster Award, 1992; 'Lorinda's Diary'

    • Winner of the 1991 Canadian LIbrary Association YA Book Award; 'The Leaving'

    • Winner of the 1991 City of Dartmouth Book Award; 'The Leaving'