Deborah Ellis
Encyclopedia
Cochrane, Ontario
Cochrane is a town in northern Ontario, Canada. It is located east of Kapuskasing, northeast of Timmins, south of Moosonee, and north of Iroquois Falls. It is about a one-hour drive from Timmins, the major city of the region. It is the seat of Cochrane District...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, she had to move several times in her childhood due to her parents' work. Ellis decided to start writing when she was 11-12 years old. When she grew up, her work and writing was mainly done by traveling and talking to others that have problems and documenting down the main things. She started to write her first book, The Breadwinner some time later.
Ellis is an active anti-war activist. She traveled to Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
in 1997 to interview women in refugee camps; from these interviews she wrote the four part series which includes The Breadwinner
Breadwinner (book)
The Breadwinner is a children's novel by Deborah Ellis, first published in 2001. As of April 2008, the English-language edition of the book has had a run of 20 editions...
, a book about a girl named Parvana; Parvana's Journey, its sequel; Mud City, about a girl named Shauzia, Parvana's best friend; and an adult book, Women of the Afghan War. While The Breadwinner was inspired by an interview with a mother in a refugee camp, the subsequent books in the trilogy were more imaginative explorations of how children would survive.
In 1999, her young adult novel Looking for X, which follows a young girl in her day to day life in a poor area of Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario, was published, and received the Governor General's Literary Award.
Ellis also wrote a book with Eric Walters
Eric Walters
Eric Robert Walters is a Canadian author of children's literature. His novels have been enthusiastically received by children and young adults and critically acclaimed by teachers, reviewers and parents.-Background:...
about the plotted terrorist attacks in Canada. The book is called Bifocal, highlighting two boys and their sides to the story about what happened. Bifocal is a book about racism and rooting terrorists in Canada.
One of her best known works is The Heaven Shop
The Heaven Shop
The Heaven Shop is a novel by Canadian author Deborah Ellis about HIV/AIDS orphans. The story is set in Malawi, and the novel was written to dispel myths about HIV/AIDS and celebrate the courage of child sufferers in Malawi...
which tells of a family of orphans in Malawi, who are struggling with sudden displacement as a result of HIV/AIDS impact. The novel was written to dispel myths about HIV/AIDS and celebrate the courage of child sufferers.
In 2006, Ellis was named to the Order of Ontario.
In 2008, Ellis published Lunch with Lenin and Other Stories, a collection of short stories that explores the lives of children who have been affected directly, or indirectly, by drugs. The stories are set against backdrops as diverse as the remote north and small town America to Moscow's Red Square and an opium farm in Afghanistan.
Ellis is the recipient of the Governor General’s Award, the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award, the Vicky Metcalf Award for a body of work, an ALA Notable, and the Children’s Africana Book Award Honor Book for Older Readers.
Considered one of the most popular young adult writers today, Ellis is also a philanthropist, donating almost all of her royalties on her books to such organizations as "Women for Women in Afghanistan" and UNICEF.
Later on, she wrote one of her most recent bestsellers, I Am A Taxi. I Am A Taxi talks about a boy named Diego whose family was framed unfairly for making cocaine. An accident caused Diego's family to owe the prison so much money, that the boy was so guilty he ran to get a job. He ended up in a cocoa pit, and the story follows his adventure from there.
The sequel, Sacred Leaf, talks about Diego's time with the Ricardo's (a family who helped Diego) and a giant cocoa leaf protest.
Works
The Breadwinner (2001)Parvana's Journey
Mud City
Women of the Afghan War
Looking for X (1999)
Bifocal (with Eric Walters)
The Heaven Shop
The Heaven Shop
The Heaven Shop is a novel by Canadian author Deborah Ellis about HIV/AIDS orphans. The story is set in Malawi, and the novel was written to dispel myths about HIV/AIDS and celebrate the courage of child sufferers in Malawi...
Off To War
Children of War
A Company of Fools
I Am A Taxi
Sacred Leaf
Lunch with Lenin and Other Short Stories
True Blue (2011)
Each Little Bird That Sings
No Ordinary Day