Sue Ann Alderson (born September 11, 1940 in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

), an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the " United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, ...

children's novelist. She earned a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

degree in English from

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best pu ...

in 1962 and a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. ...

in English literature from the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

in 1967. Alderson moved to Vancouver, British Columbia in 1967, where she taught at

Simon Fraser University Simon Fraser University (SFU) is a public research university in British Columbia, Canada, with three campuses, all in Greater Vancouver: Burnaby (main campus), Surrey, and Vancouver. The main Burnaby campus on Burnaby Mountain, located ...

. She also was a professor in the Creative Writing Department at the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

. Alderson writes for various ages and in different genres. Some common themes in her writing, however, are "the empowerment of children, the joys of animals and nature, the pleasure of cooperative projects and the value of individuality and imagination."

Awards and honors

Publications

A children's novelist, she has written 17 novels. Her most popular books is ''Ida and the Wool smugglers''; according to WorldCat, the book is held in 543 libraries. *1974 ''Bonnie McSmithers, You're Driving Me Dithers,'' illustrated by Fiona Garrick **translated into French by Fiona Garrick as ''Anne-Marie Maginol, tu me rends folle'' *1977 ''The Finding Princess'' *1977 ''The Adventures of Prince Paul'' *1977 ''Hurry Up, Bonnie'', illustrated by Fiona Garrick *1979 ''Bonnie McSmithers Is At It Again'', illustrated by Fiona Garrick *1983 ''The Not Impossible Summer'' *1983 ''Comet's Tale'' *1984 ''The Something in Thurlo Darby's House'' *1987 ''Ida and the Wool Smugglers'', illustrated by

Ann Blades Ann Blades (born November 16, 1947) is a Canadian illustrator, writer and educator. She was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. She earned a teaching certificate from the University of British Columbia in 1970. In 1974, she graduated in nursing ...

*1989 ''Maybe You Had to be There, by Duncan'' *1990 ''Chapter One'' *1992 ''Sure as Strawberries'', illustrated by

Karen Reczuch Karen may refer to: * Karen (name), a given name and surname * Karen (slang), a term and meme for a demanding woman displaying certain behaviors People * Karen people, an ethnic group in Myanmar and Thailand ** Karen languages or Karenic ...

*1993 ''A Ride for Martha'' *1995 ''Ten Mondays for Lots of Boxes'', illustrated by

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*1998 ''Pond Seasons'', illustrated by Ann Blades *1999 ''Wherever Bears Be'', illustrated by

Arden Johnson Arden may refer to: Places ;Australia *Arden, an area in North Melbourne, Victoria near the Arden Street Oval ;Canada * Arden, Ontario ;Denmark *Arden, Denmark, a town **Arden Municipality, a former municipality, including the town of Arden ;Un ...

*2007 ''The Eco Diary of Karin Singer'', illustrated by

Millie Ballance Millie is a feminine given name or diminutive form of various other given names, such as Emily, Millicent, Mildred, Camilla or sometimes Amelia. People with the given name Notable people with the given name include: * Millie Bailey (1918– ...

References

American children's writers Living people 1940 births Novelists from New York City Ohio State University College of Arts and Sciences alumni UC Berkeley College of Letters and Science alumni Academic staff of Simon Fraser University Academic staff of the University of British Columbia American expatriates in Canada {{Authority control