Deborah Ellis (born August 7, 1960) is a Canadian fiction writer and activist. Her themes are often concerned with the sufferings of persecuted children in the Third World.
Early life Born in Cochrane Ontario, Ellis and her family moved several times during her childhood due to her parents. Ellis started writing when she was 11 or 12 years old.Profile of Deborah Ellis , University of Manitoba. Accessed October 6, 2012
Career Much of her work as a writer has been inspired by her travels and conversations with people from around the world and their stories (like the Breadwinner where she went to Afghanistan to meet refugees) . She has held many jobs advocating for the peace movement and the anti-war movement.
She travelled to Pakistan in 1997 to interview refugees at an Afghan refugee camp.Meet Deborah Ellis, Children'sLit.org. Accessed October 8, 2012 From these interviews, she wrote The Breadwinner series, which includes The Breadwinner (2001), a book about a girl named Parvana;The Breadwinner Trilogy by Deborah Ellis – review, The Guardian. Accessed October 7, 2012The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis , The Literate Mother. Accessed October 7, 2012 Parvana's Journey (2002), its sequel;Review of Parvana's Journey , CM Magazine, University of Manitoba. Accessed October 7, 2012 Mud City (2003), about Shauzia, Parvana's best friend;Review of Mud City , CM Magazine, University of Manitoba. Accessed October 7, 2012. and My Name is Parvana (2011), the fourth book in the series. While The Breadwinner was inspired by an interview with a mother and a girl who disguised herself as a boy in a refugee camp,About the authors, Skokie Public Library, Skokie, Illinois. Accessed October 8, 2012 the subsequent books in the series were more imaginative explorations of how children would survive.
In 1999, her novel Looking for X was published. It follows a young girl in her day-to-day life in a poor area of TorontoReview of Looking for X , CM Magazine, University of Manitoba. Accessed October 7, 2012 and it received the Governor General's Award for English-language children's literature in 2000.Governor General's Literature Awards: List of winners page 24. Accessed October 6, 2012
One of her best-known works is the 2004 book The Heaven Shop, which tells of a family of orphans in Malawi who are struggling with sudden displacement as a result of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The novel was written to dispel myths about HIV/AIDS and celebrate the courage of child sufferers.Review of The Heaven Shop by CM magazine of the University of Manitoba Accessed October 6, 2012
In 2006, she wrote the best-seller I Am a Taxi, which tells the story of a Bolivian boy named Diego whose family was accused of smuggling coca paste, which is used to produce cocaine. After an accident causes Diego's family to owe money to the prison in which they are incarcerated, the boy must earn them money. He ends up in the coca "pits" where the leaves of the plant are made into coca paste, and the story follows his adventures from there.I am a Taxi by Deborah Ellis openbooktoronto.com. Accessed October 7, 2012Review of I Am a Taxi by the Canada's Magazine of Book News and Reviews, Quill & Quire. Accessed October 7, 2012 The sequel, Sacred Leaf, is about Diego's time with the Ricardos (a family who helped Diego) and a giant coca-leaf protest.Sacred Leaf: The Cocalero Novels , review on papertigers.org. Accessed October 7, 2012
In 2007, with Eric Walters, Ellis wrote Bifocal, a novel about racism and terrorists in Canada.Review of Bifocal , CM Magazine, University of Manitoba. Accessed October 7, 2012
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 of Canada, the Red Square in Moscow, and an opium farm in Afghanistan.Review of Lunch with Lenin and Other Stories , CM Magazine, University of Manitoba. Accessed October 7, 2012Review of Lunch with Lenin and Other Stories by the Canada's Magazine of Book News and Reviews, Quill & Quire. Accessed October 7, 2012
In 2014, she published Moon at Nine, a YA novel based on the true story of two teenage girls who were arrested and thrown in prison in Iran, a country where homosexuality is punishable by death.
The fifth book in Ellis's Breadwinner series, One More Mountain, was published by Groundwood books in 2022. It takes up Parvana's story as the Americans are leaving Afghanistan and the Taliban are regaining control in Kabul.
Honour In 2006, Ellis was named to the Order of Ontario.Order of Ontario appointments announced 2006 Accessed October 7, 2012
Ellis is the recipient of the Governor General's Award, the Jane Addams Children's Book Award,Previous book award winners , Jane Addams Peace Association, pp. 6–7. Accessed October 7, 2012. the Vicky Metcalf Award for a body of work,Prize History, Vicky Metcalf Award for Children's Literature. Accessed October 7, 2012 an ALA Notable,2006 Notable Children's Books, Association for Library Service to Children. American Library Association. Accessed October 7, 2012 and the Children's Africana Book Award Honor Book for Older Readers.Past Winners, Older Readers , Children's Africana Book Awards. Accessed October 7, 2012
In December 2016, Ellis was named a Member of the Order of Canada."Order of Canada's newest appointees include Paralympian, Supreme Court judge and astrophysicist". CBC News, December 30, 2016.
Personal life Ellis is a philanthropist, donating almost all of her royalties on her books to such organizations as "Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan" and UNICEF.Article on Quill & Quire Accessed on October 6, 2012
Selected bibliography These are some of the works of Deborah Ellis:Page about Deborah Ellis' works Accessed October 6, 2012
The Breadwinner Quintet The Breadwinner (2001) Parvana's Journey (2002) Mud City (2003) My Name is Parvana (2011) One More Mountain (2022)
Other Works Looking for X (1999) Women of the Afghan War (2000) A Company of Fools (2002) The Heaven Shop (2004) I Am a Taxi (2006) Click (with David Almond, Eoin Colfer, Roddy Doyle, Nick Hornby, Margo Lanagan, Gregory Maguire, Ruth Ozeki, Linda Sue Park, and Tim Wynne-Jones, 2007) Jakeman (2007) Bifocal (with Eric Walters, 2007) Sacred Leaf (2007) Lunch with Lenin|Lunch with Lenin and Other Stories (2008) Off to War (2008) We Want You to Know: Kids Talk About Bullying (2009) No Safe Place (2010) No Ordinary Day (2011) True Blue (2011) Looks Like Daylight: Stories of Indigenous Kids (2013) The Cat at The Wall (2014) Moon at Nine (2014) Sit (2017)
References
External links
The Power of One Voice Interview with Deborah Ellis, The Cooperative Children's Book Center Personal website One More Mountain an interview with Deborah Ellis. Just Imagine Story Centre