# Valerie Sherrard

Valerie Anne Sherrard (née Russell: born May 16, 1957) is a Canadian author of books for children and young adults including the novels The Glory Wind, Kate, Speechless and the Shelby Belgarden mystery series.

## Early life

Sherrard was born in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan to Bob and Pauline Russell and raised in various parts of Canada. She has two brothers, Danny and Andrew. When living in Lahr, West Germany, in the sixth-grade, her homeroom teacher, Alf Lower, inspired her to become a writer.

## Career

The Glory Wind won the 2011 Geoffrey Bilson Award, the Ann Connor Brimer Award and was shortlisted for other awards, including the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award, and the Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children Award.
Sherrard's novel in free verse, Counting Back from Nine, was nominated for a 2013 Governor General's Award in the Children's Text category.
Sherrard's picture books include There's a Cow Under my Bed that was illustrated by Canadian Illustrator David Jardine and Miss Wondergem's Dreadfully Dreadful Pie that was illustrated by Canadian Illustrator Wendy J. Whittingham.
Sherrard's 2007 historical novel, Three Million Acres of Flame, is about the 1825 Miramichi Fire, the largest recorded land fire in North American history.

## Personal life

Sherrard currently lives in Miramichi, New Brunswick, with her husband, Brent, who is also an author. Sherrard previously was the executive director of a group home for adolescents. While raising her own three children, Anthony, Rebecca (deceased) and Pamela, she was a foster parent to approximately seventy teenagers.

## Selected works
### Picture and chapter books

* There's a COW Under my Bed!, Tuckamore Books, 2008, Illustrated by David Jardine
* There's a GOLDFISH in My Shoe!, Tuckamore Books, 2009, Illustrated by David Jardine
* Miss Wondergem's Dreadfully Dreadful Pie, Tuckamore Books, 2011, Illustrated by Wendy J Whittingham
* Down Here, Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2015, Illustrated by Isabelle Malenfant
* Cooper Clark and the Dragon Lady, Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2019, Illustrated by David Jardine

### Middle grade and young adult novels

* Kate, Dundurn, 2003
* Sam's Light, Dundurn, 2004
* Sarah's Legacy, Dundurn, 2006
* Speechless, Dundurn, 2007
* Three Million Acres of Flame, Dundurn, 2007
* Watcher, Dundurn, 2009
* Tumbleweed Skies, Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2009
* The Glory Wind, Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2010
* Accomplice, Dundurn, 2011
* Testify, Dundurn, 2011
* Counting Back from Nine, Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2012
* Driftwood, Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2013
* Rain Shadow, Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2014
* Random Acts, PenguinRandomHouse Canada, 2015
* The Rise and Fall of Derek Cowell, DCB, 2020
* Birdspell, DCB, 2021
* A Bend in the Breeze, DCB, 2022
* Standing on Neptune, DCB, 2023

### The Shelby Belgarden Mysteries

* Out of the Ashes, Dundurn, 2002
* In Too Deep, Dundurn, 2003
* Chasing Shadows, Dundurn, 2004
* Hiding in Plain Sight, Dundurn, 2005
* Eyes of a Stalker, Dundurn, 2006
* Searching for Yesterday, Dundurn, 2008

### Non-fiction

* More than Words: Navigating the Complex World of Communication, DCB, 2023 With Natalie Hyde, Artwork by David Jardine