Melanie Florence is a Canadian author of Cree and Scottish heritage.
Florence lives in Toronto, Ontario, but several of her books are informed by the experiences of her grandfather, who attended one of Canada's infamous residential schools. She writes both fiction and non-fiction for children and young adult audiences. Her books are about historical and contemporary issues affecting indigenous people.
In 2016, Florence was awarded the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award for her picture book, Missing Nimâmâ. The book tells the story of a young, indigenous mother, a missing woman, watching from afar as her daughter grows up. The prize is one of the largest in Canadian children's literature.
Works Jordin Tootoo: The Highs and Lows in the Journey of the First Inuit to Play in the NHL (Lorimer, 2011, ) Righting Canada's Wrongs: Residential Schools (Lorimer, 2015, ) Missing Nimâmâ (illustrated by Francois Thisdale, Clockwise, 2015, ) One Night (Lorimer, 2016, ) The Missing (Lorimer, 2016, ) Rez Runaway (Lorimer, 2016, ) He Who Dreams (Orca, 2017, ) Stolen Words (illustrated by Gabrielle Grimard, Second Story, 2017, ) The One About the Blackbird (illustrated by Matt James, Tundra Books, 2025, ) Sarabeth's Garage (illustrated by Nadia Alam, Tundra Books, 2026, )
Awards 2012: American Indian Youth Literature Award (for Jordin Tootoo) 2015: Second Story Press's Aboriginal Writing Contest (for Stolen Words) 2016: TD Canadian Children's Literature Award (for Missing Nimâmâ) 2017: Forest of Reading Golden Oak Award (for Missing Nimâmâ) 2018: Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Award (for Stolen Words)
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