Robin Stevenson

Robin Stevenson is a Canadian author of thirty books for kids and teens. Her writing has been translated into several languages, and published in more than a dozen countries. Robin's books regularly receive starred reviews, have won the Silver Birch Award, the Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize and a Stonewall Book Award, and have been finalists for the Governor General's Awards, the Lambda Literary Award, and others. She writes both fiction and non-fiction, for toddlers through teens.[1]

Robin Stevenson
OccupationAuthor
NationalityCanadian
Alma materMcMaster University
GenreChildren's and young adult's fiction and nonfiction
Notable awardsSheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize (2020)
Website
robinstevenson.com

Robin Stevenson was born in England and immigrated to Canada as a child. She grew up in Ontario and studied at McMaster University in Hamilton[2] before completing a master's degree in social work at Wilfrid Laurier University in Kitchener. Robin worked as a social worker and counselor for 10 years[3] and in 2022, she received Wilfrid Laurier university's alumna of the Year award.[4]

Stevenson writes well-researched nonfiction about history and activism, including LGBT issues[5] and abortion rights,[6] and about historical and contemporary figures known for their contributions to the world in areas such as social justice, leadership, innovation, and athletics.[7] She also writes picture books, including Pride Puppy,[8] and middle grade novels, such as Record Breaker and The Summer We Saved the Bees. She has written a number of contemporary young adult novels,[9] the most recent of which, When You Get the Chance, was co-written with Nova Scotia based author Tom Ryan.[10] School Library Journal gave it a positive review: “Readers will appreciate the tender depiction of growing apart and breakups, and the concept of nonmonogamous relationships is also explored without stigma…. A solidly entertaining trip through Canada’s queer history, and one family’s difficult secrets. Recommended for fans of lightly adventurous realistic fiction.” [11] [12] [13]

Stevenson identifies as queer.[14]

Awards and honors

Stevenson's In the Woods is a Junior Library Guild book.[15]

In 2013, the Bank Street College of Education included Hummingbird Heart on their list of the best books of the year for kids aged fourteen and older.[16]

In 2017, Pride was included on the annual USBBY Outstanding International Books List.[17]

In 2019, School Library Journal included My Body My Choice on their list of the best nonfiction children's books of the year.[18] Kirkus gave the book a starred review and said, "Well-researched and visually appealing, this is a boon for those seeking clear, comprehensive information from the perspective of the reproductive rights movement."[19]

In 2020, the Bank Street College of Education[20] and the Cooperative Children's Book Center[21] named Pride Colors one of the best children's books of the year. The same year, Booklist included My Body, My Choice on their "Top 10 Health & Wellness for Youth" list.[22]

Awards for Stevenson's writing
Year Title Award Result Ref.
2009 A Thousand Shades of Blue Governor General's Award for English-language children's literature Finalist [23]
Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize Finalist
2010 Inferno Rainbow Project Book List Selection [24]
Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize Finalist
2014 Record Breaker Silver Birch Award Winner [25][26]
Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize Finalist [27]
2017 Pride Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize Finalist [28]
Stonewall Book Award Honor [29][30]
2018 Blood on the Beach John Spray Mystery Award Finalist [31]
2020 Pride Colors Lambda Literary Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature Finalist [32][33]
My Body, My Choice Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize Winner [34]
Rise: A Feminist Book Project Selection [35]

Content Challenges

In 2019, Stevenson was scheduled to visit Longfellow Elementary School in Wheaton, Illinois to discuss her book Kid Activists.[36] However, the day before the event, she was informed the presentation was cancelled because a parent was concerned about whether she would discuss Harvey Milk, a gay rights activist, who appears on the book's cover.[36][37] Shortly after, representative Terra Costa Howard rescheduled the event at a local high school.[36] Responding to the event, Stevenson stated, "I think one parent should not be able to have the power to prevent probably six or seven classes from hearing the talk,” and that “when the reason given for the concern is so clearly rooted in homophobia we should not validate that. By doing so [the school] perpetuates a really harmful message. Certainly a parent is free to take their own child out of a particular topic if they want to, but they should not have the power to make that decision for the school.”[36]

In 2022, Freedom to Read named Stevenson their "champion of free expression," given that many of her books—both fiction and nonfiction—have been the target of challenges due to their content.[13]

The same year, the Greenville County, South Carolina resolved to remove children's books with LGBT+ content from public libraries.[38] Although Stevenson's Pride Puppy was not presently held in the county's library system, it was explicitly named in the list of books to be excluded from the library system.[38]

Publications

Picture books
  • Ghost’s Journey: A Refugee Story (2019)
  • Pride Colors (2019)
  • Pride Puppy, illustrated by Julie McLaughlin (2021)

Children's nonfiction books
  • My Body My Choice: The Fight for Abortion Rights (2019)
  • Pride: The Celebration and the Struggle (2020)

Kid Legends series
  • Kid Activists: True Tales of Childhood from Champions of Change, illustrated by Allison Steinfeld (2019)
  • Kid Innovators: True Tales of Childhood from Inventors and Trailblazers, illustrated by Allison Steinfeld (2021)
  • Kid Trailblazers: True Tales of Childhood from Changemakers and Leaders, illustrated by Allison Steinfeld (2022)

Early chapter books
  • Ben’s Robot, illustrated by David Parkins (2010)
  • Ben the Inventor, illustrated by David Parkins (2011)

Middle grade books
  • Impossible Things (2008)
  • Liars and Fools (2010)
  • Attitude (2013)
  • Record Breaker (2013)
  • The Summer We Saved the Bees (2015)

Young adult books
  • Out of Order (2007)
  • Big Guy (2008)
  • Dead in the Water (2008)
  • A Thousand Shades of Blue (2008)
  • In the Woods (2009)
  • Inferno (2009)
  • Escape Velocity (2011)
  • Outback (2011)
  • Damage (2013)
  • The World Without Us (2015)
  • Under Threat (2016)
  • Blood on the Beach, with Sarah N. Harvey (2017)
  • Hummingbird Heart (2019)
  • When You Get the Chance, with Tom Ryan (2021)

References
  1. Staff Writer. "Member Directory Robin Stevenson BIO". The Writers Union of Canada. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  2. McMaster University Web Editors. "McMaster University Alumni Page". McMaster University. McMaster University. Retrieved 24 July 2023. {{cite web}}: |last1= has generic name (help)
  3. North By Northwest Editors. "Robin Stevenson's new teen novel explores youth suicide". CBC News. CBC News. Retrieved 24 July 2023. {{cite web}}: |last1= has generic name (help)
  4. Alumni Relations Editors. "Awards of Excellence 2022". Laurier Alumni. Retrieved 24 July 2023. {{cite web}}: |last1= has generic name (help)
  5. MacGregor, Amanda. "Book Review: Pride: The Celebration and the Struggle". School Library Journal. School Library Journal. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  6. Kirkus Staff Writer (22 Jan 2019). "Review: MY BODY MY CHOICE THE FIGHT FOR ABORTION RIGHTS". Kirkus (1 March 2019). Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  7. Penguin Random House Editors. "Kid Legends Series Found in Children's Middle Grade Books". Penguin Random House. Penguin Random House. Retrieved 25 July 2023. {{cite web}}: |last1= has generic name (help)
  8. Kirkus Staff Reviewer. "Book Reviews: Pride Puppy". Kirkus Reviews. Kirkus. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  9. CBC Books. "Here are the 2021 Silver Birch Express Award finalists: 10 great Canadian books for readers in Grades 3-4". CBC News. CBC News. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  10. MacGregor, Amanda. "Joy, Connection and Community: Finding Pride in Books During a Pandemic, a conversation between Robin Stevenson and Tom Ryan". Teen Librarian Toolbox. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  11. School Library Journal Edtiors. "When You Get the Chance Book Overview". Hachette Book Group. Hachette Book Group. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  12. Kirkus Staff Reviewer. "Book Review KID TRAILBLAZERS TRUE TALES OF CHILDHOOD FROM CHANGE MAKERS AND LEADERS". Kirkus Reviews. Kirkus. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  13. Bittner, Robert. "Author Robin Stevenson Resists Organized Challenges to Books About Sexual Minorities". Freedom to Read. Archived from the original on 2023-05-19. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
  14. Hunter, Emma (2019-06-04). "Get Ready for Pride Month with Robin Stevenson". Canadian Children's Book Centre. Archived from the original on 2022-11-27. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
  15. "In the Woods by Robin Stevenson". Junior Library Guild. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
  16. "Best Children's Books of the Year, Fourteen and Older, 2013 Edition" (PDF). Bank Street College of Education. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-04-08. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
  17. Cerny, Dory (2017-01-25). "Canadians have strong showing on USBBY Outstanding International Books list". Quill and Quire. Archived from the original on 2021-04-17. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
  18. DesHarnais, Miriam; Grange, Heidi; Helwick, Kacy; Lovsin, Elizabeth; Willoughby, Vanessa (2019-11-18). "Best Nonfiction 2019 | SLJ Best Books". School Library Journal. Archived from the original on 2023-02-12. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
  19. Kirkus Staff Reviewer. "Book Review MY BODY MY CHOICE THE FIGHT FOR ABORTION RIGHTS". Kirkus Reviews. Kirkus. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  20. "Best Children's Books of the Year, UNDER FIVE, 2020 EDITION" (PDF). Bank Street College of Education. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-03-20. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
  21. Horning, Kathleen T.; Lindgren, Merri V.; Schliesman, Megan; Tyner, Madeline. "CCBC Choices 2020" (PDF). Cooperative Children’s Book Center. University of Wisconsin–Madison. p. 37. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
  22. Khuri, Ronny (2020-02-15). "Top 10 Health & Wellness for Youth: 2020". Booklist. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
  23. "A Roster of Canadian Houses". Publishers Weekly. November 9, 2009. Archived from the original on 2022-10-13. Retrieved 2022-10-13.
  24. "2010 rainbow project booklist | Awards & Grants". American Library Association. 2011-01-11. Archived from the original on 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
  25. "2014 Silver Birch Award Recipient: Robin Stevenson". Canadian Children's Book Centre. Archived from the original on 2022-12-07. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
  26. Carter, Sue (2014-05-16). "Forest of Reading announces winners". Quill and Quire. Archived from the original on 2022-07-04. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
  27. Baldassi, Julie (2014-03-12). "B.C. Book Prizes nominees announced". Quill and Quire. Archived from the original on 2022-05-07. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
  28. Robertson, Becky (2017-03-07). "Deborah Campbell, Mohamed Fahmy, Anosh Irani among B.C. Book Prize finalists". Quill and Quire. Archived from the original on 2020-09-19. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
  29. Amundsen, John L. (2017-01-24). "2017 Stonewall Book Awards Announced". American Library Association. Archived from the original on 2022-11-26. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
  30. Robertson, Becky (2017-01-25). "Ivan Coyote and Robin Stevenson receive ALA honours". Quill and Quire. Archived from the original on 2022-08-08. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
  31. Deziel, Shanda (2018-09-06). "Wendy Orr, Cherie Demaline, and Monique Gray Smith among CCBC Award finalists". Quill and Quire. Archived from the original on 2018-09-21. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
  32. Hart, Michelle (2020-03-10). "Here are the Finalists For the 2020 Lambda Literary Awards". Oprah Daily. Archived from the original on 2022-02-15. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
  33. Yee, Katie (2020-03-10). "Here are the finalists for the 2020 Lambda Literary Awards!". Literary Hub. Archived from the original on 2020-04-01. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  34. "2020 Winners & Finalists". BC and Yukon Book Prizes. October 1, 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-10-01. Retrieved 2021-10-01.
  35. "2020 Rise: A Feminist Book Project List". American Library Association. 2020-02-21. Archived from the original on 2023-03-23. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
  36. Deziel, Shanda (2019-11-07). "Kidlit author Robin Stevenson uninvited to Illinois school after parent complains about LGBTQ+ content". Quill and Quire. Archived from the original on 2022-10-05. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
  37. "Author uninvited over LGBTQ content in Wheaton will now speak in Glen Ellyn". Daily Herald. 2019-11-18. Archived from the original on 2022-01-20. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
  38. Gregory, Jamie (2022-09-28). "Threatening Email Sent to Virginia Beach School Staff Over Books in Collection | Censorship Roundup". School Library Journal. Archived from the original on 2022-12-02. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
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