Richard Scrimger (born 1957) is a Canadian writer who has published more than twenty books since 1996. He is best known for his children's and young adult literature, but has also written three novels for adults: Crosstown, Still Life With Children, and Mystical Rose.
He won the 10th Annual Mr. Christie's Book Award for The Nose From Jupiter (1998). His books have received dozens of award nominations and shortlistings, including multiple Silver Birch Award nominations (1999, 2000, 2001), Red Cedar Award nominations (2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2015, 2023), Red Maple Award nominations (2007, 2015, 2017, 2023), Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Award nominations (1999, 2016, 2025), Hackmatack nominations (2002, 2004), and Canadian Library Association Honour Books (2007, 2009). Several of his books have appeared on "Best of", "Top Ten", or "Notable" lists by organisations such as the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA, 1999, 2000), American Library Association (ALA Notable Books, 1999, 2000), Chicago Public Library ("Best of the Best", 2007), Pacific Northwest Readers' Choice Honor Book (2000), Quill & Quire Books of the Year (2001), and The Globe and Mail Notable Books (2001). His works have been translated into Dutch, French, German, Thai, Korean, Portuguese, Slovenian, Italian, and Polish.
Scrimger was born in Montreal, Quebec, and moved to Toronto at the age of two. He attended Edgewood Public School, Deer Park Public School, and North Toronto Collegiate Institute. He graduated with honours in History and English from the University of Toronto in 1979.
Before becoming a full-time writer, he worked as a waiter and maître d'. He began writing seriously after attending a short creative writing course at the Humber College School for Writers. His experiences with homeless people in downtown Toronto inspired his first novel, Crosstown (1996).
While attending the Humber program, Scrimger wrote a humorous story about a stay-at-home dad going shopping with his kids, which was published in The Globe and Mail and later expanded into Still Life With Children (1997).
Claire Mackay, a family friend and children's writer, invited him to contribute to her anthology Laughs. His story "Introducing Norbert" about an alien in a boy's nose was expanded into The Nose From Jupiter (1998), leading to the Norbert series.
The Way to Schenectady (1998) is loosely based on childhood trips, and its sequel Of Mice and Nutcrackers (2001) on his amateur theatrical career.
Mystical Rose (2000) explores a woman's dementia and life.
The Bun Bun picture books (2001–2003), illustrated by Gillian Johnson, are loosely based on his children's lives.
From Charlie's Point of View (2005) features a blind protagonist, originally a TV script expanded into a novel. (Note: some sources list 2007; the 2005 date is from early promotional material.)
His childhood in Scarborough inspired the setting for Into the Ravine (2007).
Me & Death: An Afterlife Adventure (2010) follows a teen's afterlife journey.
Scrimger lives in the Toronto area, has four adult children, and teaches creative writing at the Humber College School for Writers.
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