# Iain Lawrence

Iain Lawrence (born 1955) is a Canadian author for children and young adults. In 2007 he won a Governor General's Literary Award in Children's Literature for Gemini Summer,and in 2011, he was presented with the Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People.

## Biography

Lawrence was born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, in 1955. He has lived on Gabriola Island since 2000. Lawrence attended Langara College in Vancouver studying journalism. After school he worked for the Prince Rupert Daily News and other newspapers in northern British Columbia. In his free time he wrote a number of unpublished children's fiction books, and was able to publish two non-fiction books about sailing, his hobby. A Chicago agent encouraged him to concentrate on children's fiction so he reworked one of his earlier books, The Wrecker, and sold it to Random House in 1994. Since then he has published many more books, in 2007 Random House reported he had sold more than one million books in North America.

## List of books

| Month and year | Series | Title |
| January 2005 | | Far-Away Places: 50 Anchorages on the Northwest Coast |
| May 1998 | The High Seas trilogy | The Wreckers |
| May 1999 | The High Seas trilogy | The Smugglers |
| October 2000 | | Ghost Boy |
| August 2001 | The High Seas trilogy | The Buccaneers |
| October 2001 | | Lord of the Nutcracker Men |
| September 2002 | | The Lightkeeper's Daughter |
| June 2004 | | B for Buster |
| April 2005 | The Curse of the Jolly Stone trilogy | The Convicts |
| November 2005 | The Curse of the Jolly Stone trilogy | The Cannibals |
| October 2006 | | Gemini Summer |
| November 2007 | The Curse of the Jolly Stone trilogy | The Castaways |
| July 2008 | | The Seance |
| November 2009 | | The Giant-Slayer |
| November 2011 | | The Winter Pony |
| January 2016 | | The Skeleton Tree |
| March 2021 | | Deadman's Castle |
| August 2022 | | Fire on Headless Mountain |

### Gemini Summer

The book was reviewed in Publishers Weekly, Quill and Quire, Kirkus Reviews, CM Magazine, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, The Horn Book Magazine, School Library Journal, Booklist, Library Media Connection, Resource Links, and Books in Canada.

## Awards and honours

Nine of Lawrence's books are Junior Library Guild selections: The Wreckers (1998), Lord of the Nutcracker Men (2001), B for Buster (2004), The Convicts (2005), The Cannibals (2006), The Castaways (2008), The Séance (2008), The Skeleton Tree (2016), and Deadman's Castle (2021).
In 2007, the Bank Street College of Education included Gemini Summer on their list of the best children's books of the year.
In 2011, Lawrence received the Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People, an award presented to Canadian authors whose "body of work ... demonstrates the highest literary standards."
Awards for Lawrence's writing :
| Year | Title | Award | Result |
| 1999 | The Wreckers | ALA Best Books for Young Adults | Selection |
| 1999 | The Wreckers | Geoffrey Bilson Award | Winner |
| 1999 | The Wreckers | Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers | Selection |
| 2000 | The Smugglers | ALA Best Books for Young Adults | Selection |
| 2001 | Ghost Boy | ALA Best Books for Young Adults | Selection |
| 2003 | The Lightkeeper's Daughter | ALA Best Books for Young Adults | Selection |
| 2005 | B for Buster | ALA Best Books for Young Adults | Top 14 |
| 2006 | The Convicts | Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize | Finalist |
| 2007 | Gemini Summer | Governor General's Award for English-Language Children's Literature | Winner |
| 2007 | Gemini Summer | Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award | Winner |
| 2007 | Gemini Summer | Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize | Finalist |
| 2009 | The Seance | Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize | Finalist |
| 2010 | The Giant-Slayer | ALSC Notable Children's Books | Selection |
| 2011 | The Giant-Slayer | Chocolate Lily Young Readers’ Choice Award | Winner |
| 2017 | The Skeleton Tree | Canadian Children's Book Centre Awards: Fan's Choice Award | Winner |
| 2017 | The Skeleton Tree | Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize | Winner |
| 2017 | The Skeleton Tree | TD Canadian Children's Literature Award | Finalist |

## Publications

* The Skeleton Tree (2016)
* The Giant-Slayer (2009)
* The Seance (July 2008)
* Gemini Summer (October 2006)
* B for Boi (June 2004)
* The Lightkeeper's Daughter (September 2002)
* Lord of the Nutcracker Men (October 2001)
* Ghost Boy (October 2000)

### The Curse of the Jolly Stone trilogy

* The Convicts (April 2004)
* The Cannibals (November 2005)
* The Castaways (November 2007)

### The Wreckers series

* The Wreckers (May 1998)
* The Smugglers (May 1999)
* The Buccaneers (August 2001)

### Non-fiction

* Far-Away Places: 50 Anchorages on the Northwest Coast (April 1995)