caption children birth_place citizenship awards notableworks name birth_date period spouse genre image article_title birth_name occupation
pj haarsma in 2015 2 georgetown , ontario , canada dual citizen of canada and united states abc the softwire new voices in children 's literature award 2008 the on orbis 2 wormhole pirates on orbis 3 softwire series : virus on orbis 1 betrayal pj haarsma 5 june 1964 2006 to the present marisa grieco young-adult science fiction pj haarsma by gage skidmore.jpg pj haarsma
 philip-jon haarsma novelist
pj haarsma

philip-jon haarsma , more commonly known as pj haarsma , is a canadian born science fiction author best known for his creation of the `` rings of orbis '' universe , which encompasses `` the softwire '' series of books .
haarsma created a free , online role-playing game , also called the `` rings of orbis '' , set in the same universe .
both the book-series and the game target young , often reluctant readers in an attempt to encourage them by rewarding them for reading .
haarsma developed a school presentation program in which he discusses `` the softwire '' books , astronomy , and other science fiction and science fact topics .
he is also one of the co-founders of kids need to read , a united states internal revenue code 501 -lrb- c -rrb- -lrb- 3 -rrb- tax exempt public charity that purchases books to donate to underfunded schools and libraries .
