Martha Brooks is an award-winning, Canadian writer of plays, novels, and short fiction. Her young adult novel True Confessions of a Heartless Girl won the Governor General's Award for English language children's literature

Governor General's Award for English language children's literature

This is a list of recipients of the Governor General's Award for children's literature. An award for juvenile literature existed from 1949 to 1958, and the current award was created in 1987.-Juvenile fiction:*1949: R.S. Lambert, Franklin of the Arctic...

 in 2002.

Winnipeg

Winnipeg

Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...

-based Brooks was born and raised on the grounds of the Manitoba Sanatorium

Sanatorium

A sanatorium is a medical facility for long-term illness, most typically associated with treatment of tuberculosis before antibiotics...

 in Ninette, Manitoba, where her father was a thoracic surgeon and her mother a nurse.

Brooks is also a jazz singer and her album Change of Heart won the Prairie Music Award for outstanding jazz album in 2002.

Her books have received numerous awards including the Governor General's Award, the Vicky Metcalf Award

Vicky Metcalf Award

The Vicky Metcalf Award is awarded to a writer whose body of work has been "inspirational to Canadian youth." It is one of the top awards for Canadian children's writers. The award was named after Vicky Metcalf...

, Mr.Christie Book Award, the Ruth Schwartz Award, the Canadian Library Association

Canadian Library Association

The Canadian Library Association is a national, predominantly English-language association which represents 57,000 library workers across the country. It also speaks for the interests of the 21 million Canadians who are members of libraries...

 Young Adult Book Award, and the McNally Robinson Book for Young People Award

McNally Robinson Book for Young People Award

The McNally Robinson Book for Young People Award is associated with Brave New Words: The Manitoba Writing and Publishing Awards and was first sponsored by McNally Robinson Booksellers in 1997 and since then has been given in two categories: Young Adult and Children. It is presented to the two...

.