Karen Bass (writer)

Last updated
Karen Bass
Born1962 (age 6162)
High Prairie, Alberta, Canada
NationalityCanadian
Alma mater University of Victoria
Notable awards
Website
karenbass.ca

Karen Bass (born 1962 in High Prairie, Alberta) [1] is a Canadian writer of young adult fiction. Her 2017 novel Grafitti Knight won the Canadian Library Association Young Adult Book Award [2] and Geoffrey Bilson Award. [3] Her 2015 novel Uncertain Soldier also won the Geoffrey Bilson Award. [4]

Contents

Biography

Bass was born in 1962 in High Prairie, Alberta and grew up on a farm. [1] After attending the University of Alberta, she received a degree in psychology from the University of Victoria. [5] In 2012, she was the writer-in-residence for the Peace region in Alberta. [6]

Later, Bass managed a library in northwest Alberta for sixteen years before committing to writing full-time. [1] In 2017, Bass moved to Hamilton, Ontario with her husband. Although she focuses on writing full-time, she also volunteers at the Hamilton Public Library. [1] She is a member of the Canadian Society of Children's Authors Illustrators & Performers, Writers' Union of Canada, [5] and Writers Guild of Alberta. [1]

Awards and honours

Three of Bass's novels are Junior Library Guild books: The Hill (2016), [7] Two Times a Traitor (2017), [8] and Blood Donor (2021). [9]

In 2015, Bank Street College of Education included Graffiti Knight on their list of the best books for children ages fourteen and up. [10] In 2017, the novel was included on CBC Books' "100 young adult books that make you proud to be Canadian" list in the thirtieth position. [11]

Awards for Bass's writing
YearTitleAwardResultRef.
2008Run Like JägerINDIES Award for Young Adult Fiction (Children's)Honorable mention [12]
2009Summer of FireINDIES Award for Young Adult Fiction (Children's)Finalist [13]
2011Drummer GirlINDIES Award for Young Adult Fiction (Children's)Bronze [14]
2012Moonbeam Children's Book Award for YA GeneralBronze
2014Grafitti Knight Canadian Library Association Young Adult Book Award Winner [15] [2]
Geoffrey Bilson Award Winner [16] [17] [3]
R. Ross Annett Award for Children's LiteratureWinner [18]
Stellar Book AwardNominee
2016Uncertain Soldier Forest of Reading Red Maple Award Finalist [19] [20]
Geoffrey Bilson Award Winner [21] [22] [4]
IODE Violet Downey Book AwardShortlist [23]
Grafitti KnightPacific Northwest Library Association Young Reader's Choice AwardNominee
2017The Hill Forest of Reading Red Maple Award Finalist [19] [20]
Snow Willow AwardWinner
Sunburst Award for Young Adult FictionLonglist [24] [25] [26]
2018Rocky Mountain Book AwardNominee
2022Blood Donor Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence for Best Juvenile or YA Crime BookShortlist [27] [28]

Publications

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "About". Karen Bass. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  2. 1 2 "2014 Canadian Library Association Young Adult Book Award Recipient: Karen Bass". Canadian Children's Book Centre . Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  3. 1 2 Robertson, Becky (2014-11-07). "Canadian Children's Literature Award winners announced". Quill and Quire . Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  4. 1 2 Cerny, Dory (2016-11-18). "Florence, Thisdale win TD Canadian Children's Literature Award". Quill and Quire . Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  5. 1 2 "Karen Bass". The Writers' Union of Canada . Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  6. "Writer-in-Residence: Karen Bass" (PDF). Peace Library System News & Notes. 24 (1): 1. Spring 2012. ISSN   1190-8890.
  7. "The Hill by Karen Bass". Junior Library Guild . Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  8. "Two Times a Traitor by Karen Bass". Junior Library Guild . Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  9. "Blood Donor by Karen Bass". Junior Library Guild . Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  10. "Best Children's Books of the Year, Fourteen and Older, 2015 Edition" (PDF). Bank Street College of Education . Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  11. "100 young adult books that make you proud to be Canadian". CBC Books . 2017-12-04. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  12. ""Run Like Jager" is a 2008 Foreword INDIES Winner". Foreword Reviews. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  13. ""Summer of Fire" is a 2009 Foreword INDIES Finalist". Foreword Reviews. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  14. ""Drummer Girl" is a 2011 Foreword INDIES Winner". Foreword Reviews. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  15. "Canadian Library Association Young Adult Book Award Archives". Canadian Children's Book Centre . Archived from the original on 2022-12-08. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  16. "2014 Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People Recipient: Karen Bass". Canadian Children's Book Centre . Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  17. Williams, Leigh Anne (2014-11-07). "Annick Book Wins Big Canadian Children's Lit Award". Publishers Weekly . Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  18. "2014 R. Ross Annett Award for Children's Literature Recipient: Karen Bass". Canadian Children's Book Centre . Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  19. 1 2 "Research Guides: Forest of Reading®, 7 to 12 Programs: Red Maple Winners & Nominees, 1998–2023". Queen's University Library. Archived from the original on 16 May 2023. Retrieved 2023-05-25.
  20. 1 2 Ontario Library Association. "Red Maple Award™ Winners and Nominees 1998–2021" (PDF). Forest of Reading. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 May 2023. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  21. "Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People". Canadian Children's Book Centre. Archived from the original on 2022-12-09. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
  22. Kahrizi, Camilia (2016-11-18). "Winners Announced for the 2016 Canadian Children's Book Centre Awards". Canadian Children's Book Centre . Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  23. Robertson, Becky (2016-03-31). "Allan Stratton, Frieda Wishinsky make 2016 IODE Violet Downey Book Award shortlist". Quill and Quire . Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  24. "2017 Sunburst Award Longlist!". The Sunburst Award Society . Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  25. "2017 Sunburst Awards Longlist". Locus Online . 2017-05-30. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  26. Robertson, Becky (2017-05-29). "Ami McKay, Sylvain Neuvel among 2017 Sunburst Awards longlisters". Quill and Quire . Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  27. "2022 Shortlists". Crime Writers of Canada . Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  28. Berki, Attila (2022-04-21). "2022 Crime Writers of Canada Awards shortlists announced". Quill and Quire . Retrieved 2023-05-26.