William Bell (author)

William Edwin Bell (27 October 1945 – 30 July 2016)[1] was a Canadian author of young adult fiction, born in Toronto, Ontario. He lived in Orillia, Ontario.[2]

William Bell
Born(1945-10-27)27 October 1945
Toronto, Ontario
Died30 July 2016(2016-07-30) (aged 70)
Orillia, Ontario
OccupationTeacher, Author
EducationUniversity of Toronto (M.A., 1969; M.Ed., 1984)
GenreChildren's Literature
Spouse
Children3

Personal life and education

Bell was born in Toronto on 27 October 1945 to William B. and Irene (nee Spowart) Bell.[3] He attended New Toronto Secondary School, which inspired his novel Crabbe. In 1969, he received a Master of Arts in literature from the University of Toronto, and in 1984, he received a Master of Education in education curriculum and administration from the university's Ontario Institute for Studies in Education.[1]

He married Susan Arnup and had three children: Dylan, Megan and Brendan.[1] Before his death, he lived with his wife, Chinese-Canadian author Ting-Xing Ye. He died in Orillia on 30 July 2016 at the age of 70.[4]

Career

Teaching

Bell taught in a variety of settings. He was a high school teacher at several schools in Simcoe County and the head of the English department at Orillia District Collegiate & Vocational Institute. In the early 1980s, he taught English in China at the Harbin University of Science and Technology and the Foreign Affairs College.[1] He also worked at the University of British Columbia and the Simcoe County Board of Education. He was frequently invited to give presentations at conferences and to speak to elementary and secondary school students on creative writing.

Writing

The inspiration to become a writer came to Bell when he heard a speech by John Metcalf, author of one of his favourite short stories. Bell said he likes to write for young people because they are "the best audience: they are loyal to the writers they like and they are enthusiastic readers".[5]

Bell wrote many books, including three set near his home in Orillia, Ontario (Five Days of the Ghost, Stones and Fanatics), two in Barrie (Death Wind, The Cripples' Club), one in Toronto (Julian) and one in Fergus (Zack).

Bell's work has been widely published outside of Canada. His books have been translated into Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Polish, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch and Japanese.

Awards and honors
Awards for Bell's writing
Year Title Award Result Ref.
1991 Forbidden City Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Award Winner [6][7]
1992 Five Days of the Ghost Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Award Winner [8][9]
1993 Forbidden City Belgium Prize for Excellence Winner
Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Award Nominee [10]
1995 No Signature Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Award Nominee [11]
1999 Zack Forest of Reading Red Maple Award Finalist [12][13]
Mr. Christie's Book Awards Winner [14][15]
2002 Stones Canadian Library Association Young Adult Book Award Winner [16]
Forest of Reading Red Maple Award Finalist [12][13]
2003 Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Award Honour [8]
2005 Throwaway Daughter Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Award Nominee [17]
2007 The Blue Helmet Canadian Library Association Young Adult Book Award Winner [18]
2008 Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Award Nominee [19]
2011 Only in the Movies Forest of Reading Red Maple Award Finalist [12][13]
2012 Fanatics Canadian Library Association Young Adult Book Award Shortlist [20]
Forest of Reading Red Maple Award Finalist [12][13][21]
2015 Julian John Spray Mystery Award Winner [22][23]
Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Award for Young Adult/Middle Reader Shortlist [24]

Books
  • Crabbe - 1986
  • Metal Head - 1987
  • The Cripples' Club - 1988 (reissued in 1993 as Absolutely Invincible)
  • Death Wind - 1989
  • Five Days of the Ghost - 1989
  • Forbidden City - 1990
  • No Signature - 1992
  • Speak to the Earth - 1994
  • The Golden Disk - 1995 (a picture book)
  • River My Friend - 1996 (a picture book)
  • Zack - 1998
  • Stones - 2001
  • Alma - 2003
  • Throwaway Daughter – 2003 (written with his wife Ting-Xing Ye)
  • Just Some Stuff I Wrote - 2005
  • The Blue Helmet - 2006
  • Only in the Movies - 2010
  • Fanatics - 2011
  • Julian - 2014

References
  1. "Bell, William 1945-". Encyclopedia.com. Archived from the original on 2022-10-07. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  2. "Orillia Hall of Fame" (PDF). City of Orillia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-11-02.
  3. Stoffman, Judy (2016-08-31). "Acclaimed novelist William Edwin Bell wrote of teen angst". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 2016-11-08. Retrieved 2016-12-07.
  4. Orillia, Frank Matys (2016-08-04). "Orillia author William Bell dead at 70". Simcoe. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  5. Niki B. "Stellar Award". Archived from the original on April 21, 2012. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
  6. "Ruth Schwartz Award". Library Thing. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
  7. "1991 Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award Recipient: William Bell". Canadian Children's Book Centre. Archived from the original on 2022-09-25. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  8. "Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Awards". Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Award. Archived from the original on 2016-08-14. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
  9. "1992 Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Award Recipient: William Bell". Canadian Children's Book Centre. Archived from the original on 2022-10-04. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  10. "1993". Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Award. Archived from the original on 2023-03-26. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  11. "1995". Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Award. Archived from the original on 2023-03-26. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  12. "Research Guides: Forest of Reading®, 7 to 12 Programs: Red Maple Winners & Nominees, 1998-2023". Queen's University Library. Archived from the original on 16 May 2023. Retrieved 2023-05-25.
  13. Ontario Library Association. "Red Maple Award™ Winners and Nominees 1998–2021" (PDF). Forest of Reading. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 May 2023. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  14. "Mr. Christie's Book Award". Library Thing. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
  15. "1998 Mr. Christie's Book Award Recipient: William Bell". Canadian Children's Book Centre. Archived from the original on 2023-02-05. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  16. "2002 Canadian Library Association Young Adult Canadian Book Award Recipient: William Bell". Canadian Children's Book Centre. Archived from the original on 2022-10-04. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  17. "2005". Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Award. Archived from the original on 2023-03-26. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  18. "2007 Canadian Library Association Young Adult Canadian Book Award Recipient: William Bell". Canadian Children's Book Centre. Archived from the original on 2023-02-06. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  19. "2008". Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Award. Archived from the original on 2023-02-01. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  20. Samson, Natalie (2012-03-07). "CLA announces 2012 book awards shortlists". Quill and Quire. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  21. Carter, Sue (2011-10-17). "Ontario Library Association announces Forest of Reading award shortlists". Quill and Quire. Archived from the original on 2023-03-18. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  22. "2015 John Spray Mystery Award Recipient: William Bell". Canadian Children's Book Centre. Archived from the original on 2023-03-24. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  23. Cerny, Dory (2015-11-19). "Jonathan Auxier wins big at CCBC Book Awards". Quill and Quire. Archived from the original on 2023-03-18. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  24. Cerny, Dory (2015-04-22). "2015 Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Awards shortlists announced". Quill and Quire. Archived from the original on 2022-12-03. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
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