Rebecca Joan Anderson is a Canadian author of fantasy and science fiction for children and teens, including the '' Faery Rebels'' and ''Ultraviolet'' series. Anderson currently lives in

Stratford, Ontario Stratford is a city on the Avon River (Ontario), Avon River within Perth County, Ontario, Perth County in southwestern Ontario, Canada, with a 2021 Canadian census, 2021 population of 33,232 in a land area of . Stratford is the County seat, s ...

Biography

Anderson was born in

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

in 1970, and went to school in

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

. Anderson has three older brothers and is the daughter of a preacher. As a child, she would read many books to help her cope with bullying at her school. Her father introduced her to science fiction and fantasy, while her brothers introduced her to comic books. In June 2015, her father was 90; his health was declining due to Alzheimers. She is involved in her church as a pianist and a Bible study teacher. Anderson includes issues of Christian faith in some of her books, though ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' states that she "generally handles her material without preaching." She is married and has 3 children.

Critical responses

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

'' says that Anderson is "an assured storyteller with a knack for creating memorable characters." Anderson has been praised for both series, with ''Knife'' (the first book in the Faery Rebels series) winning the Concorde Book Award in 2011 and nominated for a Carnegie Medal in 2009. In 2011, she was nominated for a

Nebula Award The Nebula Awards annually recognize the best works of science fiction or fantasy published in the United States. The awards are organized and awarded by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA), a nonprofit association of pr ...

for ''Ultraviolet''. ''Ultraviolet'' was shortlisted for the

Andre Norton Award The Andre Norton Nebula Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction (formerly the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy) is an annual award presented by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) to the ...

in 2012. She has been reviewed in ''CM: Canadian Review of Materials'' and ''Canadian Children's Book News''. ''

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is ...

'' has called ''Ultraviolet,'' a story about a young adult synesthete, "a natural grabber for teens." In 2010 the

Canadian Library Association The Canadian Library Association (CLA) was a national, predominantly English-language association which represented 57,000 library workers across Canada. It also spoke for the interests of the 21 million Canadians who are members of libraries. C ...

gave ''Spell Hunter'' the Honor Book designation.

Selected works

Faery Rebels Series

* ''Knife'', Orchard (London, England), 2008, published as ''Spell Hunter'', HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2009. Republished 2015 as "Knife" by Enclave Publishing / Third Day Books LLC (Phoenix, AZ) * ''Rebel'', Orchard (London, England), 2009, published as ''Wayfarer'', HarperTeen (New York, NY), 2010. Republished 2015 as "Rebel" by Enclave Publishing / Third Day Books LLC (Phoenix, AZ) * ''Arrow'', Orchard (London, England), 2011, . First US publication 2016 (same title) by Enclave Publishing / Third Day Books LLC (Phoenix, AZ)

Flight and Flame Trilogy

* ''Swift,'' Orchard (London, England), 2012, First US publication by Enclave Publishing 2020 * ''Nomad'', Orchard (London, England), 2014, First US publication by Enclave Publishing 2021 * ''Torch'', Enclave Publishing (Phoenix, AZ), 2021,

Ultraviolet Series

* ''Ultraviolet'', Carolrhoda Books, 2013, * ''Quicksilver'', Carolrhoda Books, 2013,

Uncommon Magic Series

* ''A Pocket Full of Murder'', Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2015, * ''A Little Taste of Poison'', Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2016,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, R. J. Canadian fantasy writers Canadian women novelists Canadian children's writers People from Stratford, Ontario Year of birth missing (living people) Canadian science fiction writers Canadian women science fiction and fantasy writers Living people 21st-century Canadian novelists 21st-century Canadian women writers