CANSCAIP Members

Sylvia McNicoll

Author

2646 Cavendish Drive
Burlington, Ontario
L7P 3V7
Phone: 905-335-9401
Fax: 905-335-9568
Email: sylvia.mcnicoll@cogeco.ca
Web: www.sylviamcnicoll.com

Born: September 30, 1954. Ajax, Ontario
Husband: Bob McNicoll; Three children: Jennifer, Craig, Robin

Biography

Sylvia McNicoll was born in Ontario but grew up in Montreal, Quebec. She graduated from Concordia with a BA specialization in English, minor in economics while working daytime in corporate finance. She began her writing career when she stayed at home to raise her three children and took Paul Kropp's Writing for Children Course at Sheridan College, the project for which turned out to be her first published novel Blueberries and Whipped Cream (Gage Jeanpac 1988)

Winner of the 1996 Silver Birch Children's Choice Award and the 1997 Manitoba Young Reader's Choice for Bringing Up Beauty, Sylvia McNicoll will have 20 books published by Hallowe'en of 1999, 11 in the last year. She's written short stories, first chapter, middle school, reluctant reader and young adult novels, series fiction under a pseudonym, developmental work for the National Film Board as well as an adult non-fiction "Coles Notes". Sylvia enjoys being active: swimming, (she loves waterslides), crosscountry skiing, cycling and inline skating. But as far as career goals, the only thing Sylvia thinks is as much fun as writing and reading is telling stories about her stories to young people. A judo move, snail costumes, whipped cream faces--you never know what she might do in her interactive writing process performances.

Published Works

Slam Dunk Robot, Scholatic Literacy Place 2007
Beauty Returns, Fitzhenry Whiteside, 2006
A Different Kind of Beauty, Fitzhenry & Whiteside 2003
Caught in a Lie - Scholastic Canada, Fall 2000
Bringing up Beauty - Stoddart 1999
Walking a Thin Line - Scholastic 1997
The Big Race - Scholastic 1996
Project Disaster - Scholastic 1990
Double Dribble - Scholastic 1999 Literacy Place
Smoky and the Gorilla - Scholastic 1999 Literacy Place
Facing the Enemy - ITP Nelson 1992
More Than Money - ITP Nelson 1990
The Tiger Catcher's Kid - ITP Nelson 1989
Jump Start - Maxwell Macmillan 1989
Blueberries and Whipped Cream - Gage 1988
Mom and Dad's Guide to Martial Arts Chapters Ltd. 1999

Short Stories and Articles

Short story "Another Family Project" in Owl Magazine, Hibou, and Scholastic Magazine May 1993, May 1994, January 1999
Short story "Triumph of the Mind" in Personal Best, Nelson Canada and Nelson Australia, 1993, 1994
Articles and Reviews in The Toronto Star, Hamilton Spectator, Burlington Post, The Teaching Librarian, The Writers' Union Newsletter.

As Geena Dare for Orchard Publishing, London, England

Dan Clowning Around 1998
Matt Hearbreak Hero 1998
Lauren Dating Dreams 1999
Abbi Secret Stranger 1999
Jenna Standing Tall 1999
Dan Double Drama 1999

Spellbound (Special Halloween Sleepover) ghostwriting for Sharon Siamon Hodder, London, England, October 1999.

Awards

Explora-Toy Award for Best Children's Novel 2001 for Caught in a Lie
Starred Our Choice for Walking a Thin Line 1998
Manitoba Young Reader's Association Award Bringing Up Beauty, 1997
Silver Birch Bringing Up Beauty, 1997

Other Memberships

The Writers Union of Canada
The Canadian Children's Book Centre

Available For

Author visits, presentations, worshops, family literacy and teacher professional development seminars.


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