Karen Bass (born 1962) is a Canadian writer of young adult fiction. Her 2014 novel Graffiti Knight won the Canadian Library Association Young Adult Book Award and Geoffrey Bilson Award. Her 2015 novel Uncertain Soldier also won the Geoffrey Bilson Award.
Biography Bass was born in 1962 in High Prairie, Alberta, and grew up on a farm. After attending the University of Alberta, she received a degree in psychology from the University of Victoria. In 2012, she was the writer-in-residence for the Peace region in Alberta.
Later, Bass managed a library in northwest Alberta for sixteen years before committing to writing full-time. In 2017, Bass moved to Hamilton, Ontario with her husband. Although she focuses on writing full-time, she also volunteers at the Hamilton Public Library. She is a member of the Canadian Society of Children's Authors Illustrators & Performers, Writers' Union of Canada, and Writers Guild of Alberta.
Awards and honours Three of Bass's novels are Junior Library Guild books: The Hill (2016), Two Times a Traitor (2017), and Blood Donor (2021).
In 2015, Bank Street College of Education included Graffiti Knight on their list of the best books for children ages fourteen and up. In 2017, the novel was included on CBC Books' "100 young adult books that make you proud to be Canadian" list in the thirtieth position. +Awards for Bass's writingYearTitleAwardResult2008Run Like Jäger INDIES Award for Young Adult Fiction (Children's)Honorable mention2009Summer of FireINDIES Award for Young Adult Fiction (Children's)Finalist2011Drummer GirlINDIES Award for Young Adult Fiction (Children's)Bronze2012Moonbeam Children's Book Award for YA GeneralBronze2014Grafitti KnightCanadian Library Association Young Adult Book Award WinnerGeoffrey Bilson AwardWinnerR. Ross Annett Award for Children's Literature WinnerStellar Book AwardNominee2016Uncertain SoldierForest of Reading Red Maple AwardFinalistGeoffrey Bilson AwardWinnerIODE Violet Downey Book Award ShortlistGrafitti KnightPacific Northwest Library Association Young Reader's Choice AwardNominee2017Forest of Reading Red Maple AwardFinalistSnow Willow AwardWinnerSunburst Award for Young Adult FictionLonglist2018Rocky Mountain Book AwardNominee2022Blood DonorCrime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence for Best Juvenile or YA Crime BookShortlist
Publications
Run Like Jäger (2008) Summer of Fire (2009) Drummer Girl (2011) Graffiti Knight (2013) Uncertain Soldier (2015) The Hill (2016) Two Times a Traitor (2017) Blood Donor (2021)
References
External links CBC interview with Chris dela Torre