Eric Walters

Eric Walters is a critically acclaimed children's writer and one of the best selling authors in Canada. These novels have been enthusiastically received by children and young adults and critically acclaimed by teachers, reviewers and parents. Eric's novels have won many awards including ten separate children's choice awards. He is the only three time winner of the Ontario Library Association Silver Birch Award, and a three time winner of the Red Maple. Over 250 000 children in Ontario participate in both awards annually and Eric has been voted their favorite author far more than any other author in the program. He has received an award from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization for his novel "War of the Eagles."

While remaining one of the best selling children's authors in the country, Eric's novels are now available in places as far away as New Zealand and Australia and have been translated into French, Chinese, Dutch, Korean, German, Flemish, Swedish, Norwegian and Japanese.

Prior to entering teaching and writing Eric was a social worker (B.S.W., M.S.W., B.A. Hons. Psych). He worked in a variety of settings including child welfare, private practice, a mental health centre, and as a crisis worker in the emergency department at a local hospital. Originally he thought he might leave social work when he became a teacher, but he found he still enjoyed his job and remains part-time in the emergency department at Credit Valley Hospital in Mississauga, Ontario. In many of his books (STARS, Diamonds in The Rough, Visions), social workers are included as characters.

However, his career writing began in 1993 when Eric was teaching a Grade 5 class. His students were reluctant readers and writers and Eric began to write to encourage them to become more involved in literature. His first novel, Stand Your Ground was created for this class. It is set in the school where Eric was teaching, Vista Heights Public School, and some of the features of the community of Streetsville and many of the names of his students were incorporated into the story.

In addition to writing novels for adolescents Eric presents to school across North America. His presentation aim to inspire children to read and write, and blend drama, storytelling, audience participation and interaction. The presentations serve to get children excited not only about reading his novels, but to get excited about the literary process.

Eric Walters has brown hair and can often be heard exclaiming, "this Eric Walters here!" He also knows Jerome Wiliams and has writen books with him.

Works

• The Money Pit Mystery (Harpercollins)
• Caged Eagles (Orca)
• The Bully Boys (Penguin)
• Full Court Press (Orca)
• Diamonds in the Rough (Fitzhenry & Whiteside)
• Camp X (Penguin)
• Visions (Hapercollins)
• Three on Three (Orca)
• Stranded (Harpercollins)
• Trapped in Ice (Penguin)
• STARS (Fitzhenry & Whiteside)
• War of the Eagles (Orca)
• Stand your Ground (Fitzhenry & Whiteside)
• HydroFoil Mystery (starring Alexander Graham Bell)
• Black and White (Penguin)
• Run
• Camp 30 (Penguin)
• Camp X: Fool's Gold (Penguin)

Non-fiction

• Improve Your Child's Spelling 1 (1991) (with Norm Rippon)
• Improve Your Child's Spelling 2 (1993) (with Norm Rippon)

Novel Summaries

• Alexandria of Africa (Doubleday 2008)- For Alexandria Hyatt having a fabulous life is easy: she knows what she wants and how to get it. Being glamorous and rich is simply what she was born to be. While driving her expensive car, not paying attention, she rams into another driver having to drag herself into court to face a judge just seems like a major inconvenience. But before she knows it she's on a plane headed to Kenya where she has been ordered to work for an international charity. Over the course of her month in Africa she will face a reality she could never have imagined.
• Voyageur (Penguin 2008)-Brian, his mom, and his sister, Jennie, have left their Manhattan home for a canoe trip in Northern Quebec in order to scatter the ashes of Brian's father, whose most cherished memories were of his c

External links

• Eric Walters' Website
• Interview with Eric Walters
• Trailer created by a fan of Money Pit Mystery
• Trailer created by a fan of Safe as Houses