Jennifer Deirdre Jane Lanthier (born February 29, 1964Something About the Author, Volume 204, December 2009, Gale Centage Publishing, p. 72.) is a Canadian children's author and journalist. Since August 2016 she has been director, U of T News at the University of Toronto.
Early life Lanthier was born in Toronto, Ontario to father Jim Lanthier and mother Jane McDougall,The Globe and Mail, June 9, 2006, Obituaries: Jane Frances Lanthier. and spent her early years in Toronto,Kingston Whig-Standard (The Ticket), April 14, 2007, Brock Harrison, "Unraveling the Mystery of the Martello Tower", p.12. St. Catharines and Sudbury, Ontario. She attended secondary school first at Loyalist Collegiate Institute in Kingston, Ontario and then at North Toronto Collegiate Institute.North Toronto Post, February 1, 2013, Rosie D'souza, "Telling Toronto's Stories", p.52.
Lanthier studied Political Science and History at University College, University of Toronto, graduating with her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1985. While at U of T she was a council member of the college student government, The University College Literary and Athletic Society ("the Lit"), and a contributor to student newspapers The Gargoyle and The Newspaper. She then studied Journalism at Ryerson University in Toronto where she served as Editor of the Ryerson School of Journalism's student newspaper, The Ryersonian, and interned at the Ottawa Citizen before joining the newswire service United Press International.The Canadian Children's Book Centre website, Author Directory, http://www.bookcentre.ca/directory/jennifer_lanthier
She has also worked for The Financial Post (now The National Post) covering first LabourRyerson Review of Journalism, Summer 1996, Sarah Burns, "Why Did the Journalist Cross the Road?, http://www.rrj.ca/m3709/ . and then Biotechnology. She has been a speechwriter for the Premier of Ontario and a freelance writer for magazines such as Canadian House & Home and Canadian Living.
Writing Lanthier's first book, a middle grade novel called The Mystery of the Martello Tower, was published by HarperCollins Canada in 2007 and nominated for a Snow Willow Award.Saskatchewan Young Readers' Choice - The Willow Awards, Inc. Website http://www.willowawards.ca/nominated-books/2008/snow-willow/ A revised version aimed at younger, American readers was published by Laura Geringer Books (also an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers) in 2008. Martello has been included in numerous competitive reading programs in Canadian and American schools including the British Columbia School District 22 (Vernon) Battle of the Books 2008, the Durham Region (Oshawa, Ontario) Public Libraries Battle of the Books 2009, 2011 & 2013 and the New Mexico Battle of the Books 2009/2010. These motivational reading programs involve teams of children from numerous schools reading books from lists compiled each year by teachers and librarians and answering questions about their content in quiz show-style competitions.
In 2008, HarperCollins Canada published the sequel, The Legend of the Lost Jewels, and the Ontario Library Association's Canadian Materials Committee named it to that year's "Best Bets - Fiction Books for Kids" list.Best Bets 2008, Ontario Library Association Home Page, http://www.accessola.org/ Jewels has been featured in school reading competitions including Woozles' (Halifax, Nova Scotia) Battle of the Books 2009 and the Durham Region Public Libraries Battle of the Books 2010.
Both The Mystery of the Martello Tower and The Legend of the Lost Jewels follow the adventures of heroine Hazel Frump and her younger brother Ned. Lanthier has said the books’ settings, "Ile du Loup" and "Frontenac", were directly inspired by Wolfe Island, Ontario and nearby Kingston. The Martello tower of the first book's title was based on Cathcart Tower on Cedar Island, just south of Fort Henry National Historic Site.
Volunteering with PEN Canada, the Canadian arm of International PEN, Lanthier met the exiled journalist Jiang Weiping, who had spent six years in a Chinese prison for a series of investigative articles he wrote exposing the corruption of the government official, Bo Xilai.The Stamp Collector: A Review and Interview, February 10, 2013, Josanne La Valley, PEN American Center Home Page, http://www.pen.org/interview/stamp-collector-review-and-interview That encounter led Lanthier to write her first picture book, The Stamp Collector, published by Fitzhenry & Whiteside in September 2012, with illustrations by Quebec illustrator François Thisdale.PEN in the Community, PEN Canada Home Page, http://pencanada.ca/news/connecting-and-sharing-stories-in-the-community/ Authors' Booking Service, Author Profile, http://authorsbooking.com/2043/authors/Jennifer_Lanthier.html
A 1,300-word prose poem, The Stamp Collector is a picture book about two boys – one who grows up to become a writer and one who grows up to become a prison guard – and the power of friendship and stories. An afterword explains the concept of freedom of expression and the work done by PEN and other charities on behalf of writers and journalists at risk in countries around the world. A portion of all proceeds from the book goes to PEN Canada.The Stamp Collector Gives Proceeds to PEN, August 27, 2012, Kasey Coholan, PEN Canada Home Page, http://pencanada.ca/news/the-stamp-collector-gives-proceeds-to-pen/
In July 2012 Lanthier was selected to participate as a touring author with the TD Canadian Children's Book Week 2013 (May 4–16, 2013).The Canadian Children's Book Centre website, http://www.bookcentre.ca/news/tour_roster_announced_td_book_week_2013 Organized by the Canadian Children's Book Centre, the TD Canadian Children's Book Week is a major national literary festival celebrating Canadian children's books and the importance of reading. Selected authors and illustrators participate in events and activities held in hundreds of schools, public libraries, bookstores and community centres across the country in all provinces and territories.
In October 2012 Indigo Books and Music, Canada's largest book retailer, announced it had selected The Stamp Collector as a "Heather's Pick". The designation, named for the firm's founder and C.E.O. Heather Reisman, bestows featured placement in hundreds of stores nationwide including Indigo, Chapters and Coles.
In January 2013 the United States Board on Books for Young People named The Stamp Collector to its USBBY 2013 Outstanding International Books Honor List.School Library Journal, February 2013, Maria Salvadore, "The Literary Equation: USBBY's Outstanding International Books connect kids worldwide" The USBBY is the U.S. national section of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY). The following month the Ontario Library Association's Canadian Materials Committee named it to the OLA's 2012 "Best Bets" list.Canadian Children's Book Centre website, February 6, 2013, OLA 2012 Best bets Also in February 2013, The Stamp Collector was selected for the Notable Books for a Global Society Award 2013 by the Children's Literature and Reading Special Interest Group, a nonprofit organization chartered by the International Reading Association (IRA).
In March 2013 The Ezra Jack Keats Foundation awarded Lanthier its New Writer Honor for The Stamp Collector. The Ezra Jack Keats Foundation is a non-profit organization founded by the late Keats and dedicated to enhancing the love of reading and learning in all children.The Stamp Collector selected as 2013 Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award Honor Book, March 5, 2013, The Canadian Children's Book Centre website, http://www.bookcentre.ca/news/the_stamp_collector_selected_2013_ezra_jack_keats_new_writer_award_honor_book
In April 2013 The Stamp Collector won The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators' Crystal Kite Award - Americas Division.Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators website, April 30, 2013, "2013 Crystal Kite Award Winners " The Crystal Kite Awards are chosen by other children's book writers and illustrators, making them the only peer-given awards in publishing for young readers. Each member of The SCBWI is allowed to vote for their favorite book from a nominated author in their region that was published in the previous calendar year.
In September 2013 The Stamp Collector was named a finalist for both the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award and the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award. Both awards are administered by The Canadian Children's Book Centre.Canadian Children's Book Centre website, September 6, 2013, "http://www.bookcentre.ca/news/finalists_ccbc_awards_2013"
Lanthier's second picture book, Hurry Up, Henry was published September, 2016 by Puffin Books Canada, an imprint of Penguin Random House.Fall 2016 Children's Sneak Preview, Jan. 16, 2016, Shannon Maughan, Publishers Weekly,"http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/69225-fall-2016-sneak-previews.html" The book is illustrated by award-winning Quebec illustrator Isabelle Malenfant. In January 2017 the United States Board on Books for Young People named Hurry up, Henry to its USBBY 2017 Outstanding International Books Honor List.School Library Journal, January 30, 2017, Holly Johnson, 'Outstanding International Books: Presenting the 2017 USBBY Selections' ""
Lanthier's third picture book, By the time you read this, was published in 2017 by Clockwise Press. It was illustrated by Patricia Storms.Clockwise Press website, July 30, 2019, "http://clockwisepress.com/our-books"
Professional associations and personal life
Lanthier is currently Communications Chair on the Board of Directors of PEN Canada,PEN Canada Website, Oct. 2014 , http://pencanada.ca/about/board-members/ and has served as a judge for Canada's National Newspaper Awards.National Newspaper Awards Website, Oct., 2014 http://www.nna-ccj.ca/judges-2013/ She is also a member of CANSCAIP (The Canadian Society of Children's Authors, Illustrators and Performers), Authors Guild, The Canadian Children's Book Centre (CCBC), The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and The Writers' Union of Canada.
Lanthier married investment fund manager Stephen Rogers June 30, 1987. They have three children. They reside in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
She is an avid runnerUniversity of Toronto News, July 20, 2010, "The Writing Life" and has a black belt (1st Dan) in Taekwondo.
Awards and honours
USBBY Outstanding International Books List, 2017 for Hurry up, Henry Poet Laureate - 2014 Quebec Peter Gzowski PGI Dinner for LiteracyRae, Gwoski, Lanthier: Highlights for national PGI Literacy Gala at TBL, The Sherbrooke Record, Sept. 22, 2014 Winner - 2014 Golden Oak Award, OLA Forest of Reading, Ontario Library Association, for The Stamp Collector IBBY Honour List 2014 for The Stamp Collector, International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY)IBBY website, February 19, 2014 Winner - 2014 Great Books Award, Canadian Toy Testing Council (CTTC), for The Stamp CollectorCanadian Toy Testing Council website, November 5, 2013 Finalist - 2013 TD Canadian Children's Literature Award, Canadian Children's Book Centre (CCBC), for The Stamp Collector Finalist - 2013 Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award, Canadian Children's Book Centre (CCBC), for The Stamp Collector Nominee - 2014 Silver Birch Express Award, OLA Forest of Reading, Ontario Library Association, for The Stamp CollectorOLA Website, October 15, 2013, https://www.accessola.org/OLAWEB/Forest_of_Reading/Current_Program_Year.aspx Winner - Huguenot Society of Canada Award, Ontario Historical Society, for The Stamp Collector2012 Honours and Awards Recipients Announced, Press Release, Ontario Historical Society website, July 4, 2013 "http://www.ontariohistoricalsociety.ca/user_files/users/56/Media/ohs_honours_and_awards_press_release_2012-13.pdf "