listed in British Columbia Children's Writers

Norma Charles

Ph: (604) 222-1541

normacharles@telus.net

1844 Acadia Road
Vancouver, British Columbia
Canada, V6T 1R3

Norma Charles was born in Ste. Boniface, Manitoba. As a young child, she moved with her family to Maillardville, British Columbia where she attended school, then UBC where in 1961, she graduated with a Bachelor of Education.

She taught high school for five years, then ‘retired’ to be home with her four children, two boys and two girls. It was at this time that she began to write and she published several short stories and articles as well as two picture books, including the best seller, SEE YOU LATER, ALLIGATOR. (Scholastic)

When her youngest child was in primary school she returned to teaching and studying, and became a teacher/librarian in Vancouver, a position which she held for many years, and has recently left to enable her to write full time.

She has taught Creative Writing at UBC in the Continuing Education Department, as well as doing many workshops and readings in schools and libraries including a Book Week tour in New Brunswick in 2000, and another in Ontario in 2002, sponsored by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre.

Besides picture books, she has had ten novels for children published including RUNAWAY, (Coteau) 1999, SOPHIE SEA TO SEA, (Beach Holme) which won the British Columbia Year 2000 Book Award and THE ACCOMPLICE, (Raincoast) which was nominated for the Sheila Egoff award in 2002. Her latest books include CRISS CROSS, DOUBLE CROSS (Beach Holme). It is a sequel to SOPHIE SEA TO SEA and continues Sophie alias Star Girl’s adventures. Another novel was released in 2002, FUZZY WUZZY with Hodgepog, and ALL THE WAY TO MEXICO, a hilarious tale about a newly blended family’s honeymoon car trip to Mexico, has just been released by Raincoast.

Norma loves doing author visits with children in schools and libraries where she shares her stories and sheds some light on the whole mystery of how books are actually made, right from the initial germ of an idea to the finished product.

She is a member of CANSCAIP (Canadian Society of Children’s Authors, Illustrators and Performers), The Writers Union of Canada and is on the Membership committee, a member of CWILL BC (Children’s Writers and Illustrators of BC) and is the treasurer, and is on the board of the BC Book Prizes. She is also a member of the Canadian Children’s Book Centre.

Books by Norma Charles

SEE YOU LATER, ALLIGATOR, Scholastic, Toronto, 1991, ISBN 0-590-73670-1
A BIENTOT CROCO! Scholastic, Toronto, 1991, ISBN 0-590-73671-X
AMANDA GROWS UP, Scholastic, Toronto, 1978, Out of print
NO PLACE FOR A HORSE, General, Toronto, 1988, ISBN 0-7172-2296-9
UN PONEY EMBARRASSANT, Les Edition Heritage, St. Lambert, 1989, ISBN 2-7625-5268-0
APRIL FOOL HEROES, Nelson, Toronto, 1989, ISBN 0-17-602588-X
DARLENE’S SHADOW, General, Toronto, 1991, ISBN 0-7736-7295-8
DOLPHIN ALERT! Nelson, Toronto, 1998, ISBN 0-17-607441-4
RUNAWAY, Coteau, Regina, 1999, ISBN 1-55050-143-7
SOPHIE SEA TO SEA, Beach Holme, Vancouver, 1999, ISBN 0-88878-404-X
THE ACCOMPLICE, Raincoast Books, Vancouver, 2001, ISBN 1-55192-430-7M
CRISS CROSS, DOUBLE CROSS, Beach Holme, Vancouver, 2002, ISBN 0-88878-431-7
FUZZY WUZZY, Hodgepog, Vancouver, 2002, ISBN 0-9730831-2-3
ALL THE WAY TO MEXICO, Raincoast, Vancouver, 2003, ISBN 1-55192-598-2

This fall Norma will be travelling by car from Vancouver, across the United States to the east coast and Florida, and is available for readings along the way. The plan for the trip is to leave mid September, drive east through BC, then south-east through the States. So the route will be something like,

Sept. 15 Leave Vancouver, Sept. 16/17 Nelson, BC
Sept. 18-21 Montana, Wyoming. (Or down the west coast to Oregon/California if there are readings then. )
Sept. 22-30 Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Georgia,
Oct. 1-15 Florida (This is where we'll be the longest time. Norma will be staying at her cousin's place)
Oct. 15 - 21 Calgary Writers Fest (flying to Calgary from Florida on Oct. 15th)
Oct. 21-26 Fly Back in Vancouver
Oct. 28-31 Fly Back to Florida
Nov. 10 The Carolinas
Nov. 11-14 Texas
Nov. 15 New Mexico
Nov. 20- Dec. 15 California, Oregon and home to Vancouver

Meanwhile, Norma plans to bring along her computer and can be in touch via email.