# Susin Nielsen

Susin Nielsen (born 1964) is a Canadian author for children, adolescents and young adults. She received the 2012 Governor General's Award for English-language children's literature and the 2013 Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children Award for her young adult novel The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen, which deals with the aftermath of a school shooting.
In 2019, she received the Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People.

## Personal life

Nielsen was raised in London and Chatham-Kent, Ontario.
She is married to Goran Fernlund and has one child: Oscar.

## Career

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?, and Braceface. 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.
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's Red Maple Award for Fiction.

## Awards and honors

In 2019, Nielsen was honored with the Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People, which honors writers and illustrators whose body of work has been "inspirational to Canadian youth."
Two of Nielsen's books are Junior Library Guild selections: No Fixed Address (2018) and Tremendous Things (2021).
In 2015, The Globe and Mail, Kirkus Reviews, Quill & Quire, and The Telegraph included We Are All Made of Molecules on their list of the best young adult novels of the year.
Awards for Nielsen's writing :
| Year | Title | Award | Result |
| 2008 | Word Nerd | INDIES Award for Juvenile Fiction | Silver |
| 2010 | Word Nerd | Forest of Reading Red Maple Award | Winner |
| 2010 | Word Nerd | Manitoba Young Readers’ Choice Award | Winner |
| 2010 | Dear George Clooney, Please Marry My Mom | INDIES Award for Juvenile Fiction | Winner |
| 2011 | Dear George Clooney, Please Marry My Mom | Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize | Finalist |
| 2011 | Dear George Clooney, Please Marry My Mom | Snow Willow Award | Winner |
| 2012 | Dear George Clooney, Please Marry My Mom | Manitoba Young Readers’ Choice Award | Winner |
| 2012 | Dear George Clooney, Please Marry My Mom | Rocky Mountain Book Award | Winner |
| 2012 | The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen | Governor General's Award for English-language children's literature | Winner |
| 2013 | The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen | Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children Award | Winner |
| 2013 | The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen | Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Award | Winner |
| 2013 | The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen | Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize | Finalist |
| 2014 | The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen | Forest of Reading Red Maple Award | Winner |
| 2015 | We Are All Made of Molecules | Governor General's Award for English-language children's literature | Finalist |
| 2016 | We Are All Made of Molecules | Carnegie Medal | Longlist |
| 2016 | We Are All Made of Molecules | Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Award | Winner |
| 2016 | We Are All Made of Molecules | Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize | Finalist |
| 2018 | Optimists Die First | Carnegie Medal | Nominee |
| 2018 | Optimists Die First | Federation of Children's Book Groups' Children's Book Award | Finalist |
| 2019 | No Fixed Address | IODE Violet Downey Book Award | Winner |
| 2019 | No Fixed Address | Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize | Winner |
| 2020 | No Fixed Address | Carnegie Medal | Longlist |
| 2020 | No Fixed Address | Forest of Reading Red Maple Award | Winner |
| 2020 | Princess Puffybottom . . . and Darryl | Sheila Barry Best Canadian Picturebook of the Year Award | Shortlist |
| 2022 | Tremendous Things | Carnegie Medal | Nominee |
| 2022 | Tremendous Things | Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Award | Shortlist |