Susin Nielsen is a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
author for children, adolescent and young adults. She received a
Governor General's Award
The Governor General's Awards are a collection of annual awards presented by the Governor General of Canada, recognizing distinction in numerous academic, artistic, and social fields.
The first award was conceived and inaugurated in 1937 by the ...
and the 2013
for her young adult novel ''
The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen'', which deals with the aftermath of a
school shooting
A school shooting is an attack at an educational institution, such as a primary school, secondary school, high school or university, involving the use of firearms. Many school shootings are also categorized as mass shootings due to multiple ...
.
Career
Susin Nielsen began her writing career with the
Degrassi franchise, writing scripts for the television shows as well as books for the series. Nielsen also played Louella Hawkins the Janitor in Degrassi Junior High. Following her work with ''Degrassi'', Nielsen wrote for many other Canadian television series such as ''
Heartland'', ''
What About Mimi?
''What About Mimi?'' is a Canadian animated television series. The show was produced by Decode Entertainment and Studio B Productions
Studio B Productions (later DHX Media Vancouver) was a Canadian animation studio founded by Blair Peters and ...
'', and ''
Braceface
''Braceface'' is an animated television series that aired on Teletoon in Canada and the Fox Family Channel in the U.S. The series was produced by Nelvana and Jade Animation, the show features actress Alicia Silverstone from the movie '' Clueless ...
''.
While working on these shows she produced three children's picture books: ''Hank and Fergus'', ''Mormor Moves In'', and ''The Magic Beads''.
Her first independent novel, ''Word Nerd'', deals with bullying, a theme she returns to in ''The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen''. Her books often describe the effect of broken families on children.
Nielsen's 2015 book, ''We Are All Made of Molecules'', about two step siblings trying to form a bond with each other, was shortlisted for the
Governor General's Award
The Governor General's Awards are a collection of annual awards presented by the Governor General of Canada, recognizing distinction in numerous academic, artistic, and social fields.
The first award was conceived and inaugurated in 1937 by the ...
.
Nielsen's books have been translated into Dutch, French, Portuguese, Italian, German and Polish (In the Polish language, not all of them have been translated).
Nielsen's 2021 book, ''Tremendous Things'', was nominated for the 2022
Ontario Library Association
The Ontario Library Association (OLA) was established in 1900 and is the oldest continually operating library association in Canada. With 5,000 members, OLA is also the largest library association in Canada and among the 10 largest library associ ...
's
Red Maple Award for Fiction
Awards
For ''Word Nerd''
:2010
Ontario Library Association
The Ontario Library Association (OLA) was established in 1900 and is the oldest continually operating library association in Canada. With 5,000 members, OLA is also the largest library association in Canada and among the 10 largest library associ ...
's
Red Maple Award for Fiction
For ''The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen''
:
Canadian Council for the Arts Governor General's Literature Awards
:
2013
:
Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Award
The Ontario Arts Foundation is a non-governmental not for profit organization established in 1991 under the Ontario Corporations Act to encourage and facilitate private giving to the arts in Ontario, Canada. The group is distinct from the Onta ...
2013
:2014 Ontario Library Association's Red Maple Award for Fiction
Bibliography
*''Mormor Moves In'' (2004)
*''Hank and Fergus'' (2005)
*''The Magic Beads'' (2007)
*''Word Nerd'' (2008)
*''Dear George Clooney: Please Marry My Mom'' (2010) – also published as ''My Messed-Up Life''
*''
The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen'' (2012)
*''We Are All Made of Molecules'' (2015)
*''Optimists Die First'' (2017)
*''No Fixed Address'' (2018)
*''Tremendous Things'' (2021)
References
External links
"Susan Nielsen: The Queen of Tragicomedy" by Cheri Hansen ''
Quill & Quire
''Quill & Quire'' is a Canadian magazine about the book and publishing industry. The magazine was launched in 1935 and has an average circulation of 5,000 copies per issue, with a publisher-claimed readership of 25,000. ''Quill & Quire'' reviews ...
'', March 2015
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nielsen, Susin
Living people
Canadian women novelists
Canadian television writers
Governor General's Award-winning children's writers
21st-century Canadian novelists
21st-century Canadian women writers
Canadian women television writers
Year of birth missing (living people)
Canadian television producers
21st-century Canadian screenwriters
Canadian women television producers