{{Short description|Canadian children's writer (1922–2002)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2013}} {{Infobox writer <!-- for more information see :Template:Infobox writer/doc --> | name = Bernice Thurman Hunter | image = | caption = | birth_date = {{birth date|1922|11|03}} | birth_place = Toronto, Ontario | death_date = {{death date and age|2002|05|29|1922|11|03}} | death_place = Toronto, Ontario | occupation = Author | genre = Children's Literature }} '''Bernice Thurman Hunter''', {{Post-nominals|country=CAN|CM}} (November 3, 1922 – May 29, 2002) was a Canadian children's author.
==Life and career== Born in Toronto, Hunter spent her adult years as an Eaton's employee, and did not publish her first book, ''That Scatterbrain Booky'' (1981), until she was a grandmother. Her stories are recalled fondly by her fans for showing an accurate and enjoyable portrayal of Toronto through the Depression and War years. She maintained a connection with her roots, and frequently returned to the areas she wrote about to give public readings of her works.
Hunter experienced a multitude of health challenges in her later years, however she continued writing. In 2001, she was made a Member of the Order of Canada. While the honour was awarded posthumously, she was informed of the award shortly before her death.
Her first series of books has been adapted into a film called "Booky Makes Her Mark".{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}
==Selected works== {{Library resources box|by=yes|viaf=26212545}} * ''That Scatterbrain Booky'' (1981) * ''With Love from Booky'' (1983) * ''A Place for Margaret'' (1984) * ''As Ever, Booky'' (1985) * ''Margaret in the Middle'' (1986) * ''Lamplighter'' (1987) * ''Margaret on Her Way'' (1988) * ''The Railroader'' (1990) * ''The Firefighter'' (1991) * ''Hawk and Stretch'' (1993) * ''Amy's Promise'' (1995) * ''Janey's Choice'' (1996) * ''Two Much Alike'' (1997) * ''It Takes Two'' (1999) * ''The Girls They Left Behind'' (2000) Published posthumously; Red Maple Award for Fiction shortlist 2007<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.fitzhenry.ca/detail.aspx?ID=9306|title= The Girls They Left Behind|accessdate= 2009-01-19|publisher= Fitzhenry & Whiteside|url-status= dead|archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20071017174708/http://www.fitzhenry.ca/detail.aspx?ID=9306|archivedate= October 17, 2007|df= mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title= The Girls They Left Behind|last= Hunter|first= Bernice Thurman|year= 2005|publisher= Fitzhenry & Whiteside|location= Markham, ON|isbn= 978-1-55041-927-6|oclc= 57063391|url-access= registration|url= https://archive.org/details/girlstheyleftbeh0000hunt}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.accessola.org/web/Documents/OLA/Forest/Archives/2019/03-Red-Maple-Archive-2019.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=July 16, 2020 |archive-date=July 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200716193657/http://www.accessola.org/web/Documents/OLA/Forest/Archives/2019/03-Red-Maple-Archive-2019.pdf |url-status=usurped }}</ref>
==Other== An award held by Swansea Public School for writing was named after Hunter.
==Notes== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20070930055555/http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=J1ARTJ0020171 Bernice Thurman Hunter] at The Canadian Encyclopedia (Youth Encyclopedia) {{Portal |Children's literature}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunter, Bernice}} Category:1922 births Category:2002 deaths Category:Canadian children's writers Category:Members of the Order of Canada Category:Novelists from Toronto Category:Eaton's Category:20th-century Canadian novelists Category:20th-century Canadian women novelists {{Canada-writer-stub}}