Martine Leavitt

Martine Leavitt is a Canadian American writer of young adult novels and a writing teacher.

Martine Leavitt
Leavitt in 2012
Born	1953
Occupation	Writer, writing teacher
Period	1992–present (book publications)
Genre	Children's literature
Website
www.martineleavitt.com

Biography

Leavitt was born in 1953 in Canada. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree, first class honours, from the University of Calgary and a Master of Fine Arts from Vermont College.[1] She has seven children and lives with her husband in Alberta, Canada.

Leavitt has published ten novels for young adults, most recently Calvin, which won the Governor General's Literary Award of Canada. My Book of Life by Angel was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and winner of the Canadian Library Association Young Adult Book of the Year. Other titles by Leavitt include Keturah and Lord Death, a finalist for the National Book Award, Tom Finder, winner of the Mr. Christie Award, and Heck Superhero, a finalist for the Governor General's Award. Her novels have been published in Japan, Korea, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and the Netherlands.

She is a member of the faculty at Vermont College of Fine Arts.

Selected works

Novels

• The Dragon's Tapestry (1992)
• Prism Moon (1993)
• The Taker's Key (1998)
• The Dollmage (2001)
• Tom Finder (2003)
• Heck Superhero (2004)
• Keturah and Lord Death (2006)
• My Book of Life by Angel (2012)
• Blue Mountain (2014)
• Calvin (2015)

Awards

• Calvin received the 2016 Governor General's Literary Award in the Young People's Literature (Text) category.[2][3]
• Calvin won the Whitney Awards General Youth Fiction category for 2015.[4]
• My Book of Life by Angel won the Canadian Library Association Young Adult Book Award in 2013.[5][6]
• My Book of Life by Angel was a Junior Library Guild selection in 2013.[7]
• My Book of Life by Angel a Booklist Best Book of the Year in 2013.[8]
• My Book of Life by Angel was named a Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) Best Book of the Year in 2013.[9]
• My Book of Life by Angel was named a Quill and Quire book of the year in 2013.[10]
• My Book of Life by Angel was a Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist in 2012.[11]
• My Book of Life by Angel was listed as a Horn Book fanfare book in 2012.[12]
• Keturah and Lord Death was awarded the White Pine Award in 2008.
• Heck Superhero's Italian translation Bella la mia vita da Supereroe (Salani Editore) was a Premio Paolo Ungari UNICEF finalist in 2008.[13][14]
• Keturah and Lord Death was awarded a blue ribbon from The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books.[15]
• Keturah and Lord Death was a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age selection in 2007.[16]
• Keturah and Lord Death was a finalist for the National Book Award in 2006.[17]
• Keturah and Lord Death was selected a Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Books in 2006.[18]
• Keturah and Lord Death was a Booklist Editors' Choice (ALA) in 2006.[19]
• Keturah and Lord Death was winner of ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Bronze Award in 2006.[20]
• Keturah and Lord Death was a Junior Library Guild Premier Selection in 2006.[21]
• Heck Superhero was selected as a Best Books for Young Adults (ALA) in 2005.[22][23]
• Heck Superhero was a finalist for the 2004 Governor General's Awards.[24]
• Heck Superhero was a Kirkus Reviews Editor's Choice in 2004.[23][25]
• Tom Finder won a Benjamin Franklin Award in 2004.[26]
• Tom Finder won the Mr. Christie Award in 2003.[27]
• The Dollmage was an ALA Best Book for Young Adults in 2003.[28]
• The Taker's Key received the Association for Mormon Letters Award for young adult literature in 1998.
• The Dragon's Tapestry received the Association for Mormon Letters Award for young adult literature in 1993.

References

1. "Martine Leavitt". CANSCAIP Members. Canadian Society of Children's Authors, Illustrators, and Performers (canscaip.org). Archived 2009-07-15. Retrieved 2015-07-31.
2. "Calvin". ggbooks.ca. Canada Council for the Arts. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
3. "2016 GGBooks winners announced | The Canada Council for the Arts". canadacouncil.ca. Canada Council for the Arts. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
4. "2015 Winners". whitneyawards.com. Whitney Awards organization. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
5. "Canadian Library Association Announces 2013 CLA Young Adult Book Award Winner and Honour Books". Cla.ca. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 8, 2015. Retrieved August 11, 2015.
6. "My Book of Life by Angel wins 2013 CLA Young Adult Book Award". April 15, 2013. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
7. "Junior Library Guild". Retrieved August 4, 2015.
8. "Best Fiction for Young Adults: 2013 - Booklist Online". Retrieved August 4, 2015.
9. "CCBC Choices 2013" (PDF). Ccbc.education.wisc.edu. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 13, 2014. Retrieved August 11, 2015.
10. Archived November 9, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
11. "Book Prizes – Los Angeles Times Festival of Books» 2012 Los Angeles Times Book Prizes Winners & Finalists". Archived from the original on August 2, 2015. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
12. "Horn Book Fanfare 2012". The Horn Book. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
13. "Festival del Film di Roma e Pari Opportunità/3". Pariopportunita.gov.it. Archived from the original on November 10, 2013. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
14. "Cinecittà News". News.cinecitta.com. Archived from the original on January 19, 2013. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
15. "BCCB-2007 Blue Ribbons". Bccb.lis.illinois.edu. January 1, 2008. Archived from the original on March 22, 2013. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
16. Archived April 29, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
17. "Martine Leavitt, 2006 YPL NBA Finalist, The National Book Foundation". www.nationalbook.org. National Book Foundation. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
18. Martine Leavitt. "Keturah and Lord Death". namelos. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
19. Booklist Editors' Choice: Books for Youth, 2006. Booklist Online. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
20. "2006 Winners in Young Adult Fiction (Children's) – Book of the Year Awards". Botya.forewordreviews.com. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
21. (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20081115120029/http://www.rpls.ws/RPLSPM/PDF/jrlibraryguild.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 15, 2008. Retrieved October 5, 2012. Missing or empty |title= (help)
22. "Best Books for Young Adults 2005 | Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA)". Ala.org. July 30, 2007. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
23. "About Red Deer Press". Reddeerpress.com. Archived from the original on November 13, 2012. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
24. "Governor General's Literary Awards: Children's Literature – Canadian Books & Authors". Canadianauthors.net. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
25. Mason, Simon. "Heck Superhero by Martine Leavitt | Kirkus Book Reviews". Kirkusreviews.com. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
26. "IBPA, the Independent Book Publishers Association". Ibpa-online.org. April 19, 1943. Archived from the original on August 26, 2012. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
27. "Mr. Christie's Book Award | Canadian Children's Book Centre". Bookcentre.ca. May 28, 2008. Archived from the original on January 1, 2015. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
28. "YALSA – For Members Only 2003 Best Books for Young Adults Annotated List | Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA)". Ala.org. July 30, 2007. Retrieved October 6, 2012.

Interviews

• Smith, Cynthia Leitich. "Author Interview: Martine Leavitt on My Book of Life by Angel." Sept. 6, 2012.
• Ellis, Ann Dee. "Vermont College Week." Throwing Up Words. Feb. 5, 2010.
• "An Interview with Two Published Writers." Inkless. March 2009.
• "Questions to Martine Leavitt about her novel Tom Finder." Connecting Education.

External links

• Official website
• Martine Leavitt at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
• Martine Leavitt at Library of Congress Authorities, with 6 catalogue records
• Mormon Literature Database entry