{{Short description|Canadian author (born 1957)}} {{for|the Australian journalist|Eric Walters (newsreader)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2014}} {{Infobox person | name = Eric Walters | honorific_suffix = {{Post-nominals|country=CAN|CM}} | image = Eric Walters - Eden Mills Writers Festival - 2016 (DanH-0627) (cropped).jpg | alt = Eric Walters at the Eden Mills Writers' Festival in 2016 | caption = Walters at the Eden Mills Writers' Festival in 2016 | birth_name = Eric Robert Walters | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|mf=yes|1957|03|03}} | birth_place = Toronto, Ontario, Canada | death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|df=yes|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} or {{Death-date and age|df=yes|death date†|birth date†}} --> | death_place = | other_names = | occupation = Writer | known_for = ''The Rule Of Three'', ''Camp X'', ''Shattered'', ''Bifocal'' }} '''Eric Robert Walters''', {{Post-nominals|country=CAN|CM}} (born March 3, 1957) is a Canadian author of young adult fiction and picture books.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Eric Walters |url=https://www.orcabook.com/ContributorInfo?ContribId=514 |access-date=2026-01-16 |website=Orca Book Publishers}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Medley |first1=Mark |date=2014-01-31 |title=Eric Walters: The hardest-working writer in Canada |url=https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/books/eric-walters-the-hardest-working-writer-in-canada |access-date=6 April 2019 |website=National Post}}</ref> He has written over 130 books.<ref name=":0" />
==Background== Walters was an elementary school teacher at Vista Heights Public School in Streetsville, Mississauga. In 1993, he was teaching a grade 5 class in which many of the students were reluctant readers and writers. To encourage them, Walters wrote his first novel, ''Stand Your Ground''. The novel was set in the school and featured the names of many of his students. He has since written more than 70 novels for young adults.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Gardner |first=Suzanne |date=2012-03-11 |title=Eric Walters |url=https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/eric-walters |access-date=2026-01-16 |website=The Canadian Encyclopedia |language=en}}</ref> He is a three-time winner of both the Ontario Library Association Silver Birch Award and Red Maple Award. His books have been translated and published in several other countries.<ref name=":1" />
==Personal life== Eric Walters was born and raised in Toronto and resides in Guelph, Ontario, with his wife Anita. They have three adult children, Christina, Nicholas and Julia.<ref name="Additional Background">{{cite web |title=About |url=https://www.ericwalters.net/about/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140118100520/https://www.ericwalters.net/about/ |archive-date=2014-01-18 |access-date= |website=Eric Walters}}</ref>
In April 2010, Walters walked across the Sahara before writing ''Just Deserts''. With his son, he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro for ''Between Heaven and Earth''. He played with tigers before writing ''Tiger by the Tail''.<ref name="Additional Background" />
Walters and his wife founded the Creation of Hope, an organization providing care for orphans in the Mbooni district of Kenya.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home |url=http://creationofhope.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111110200643/http://creationofhope.com/ |archive-date=2011-11-10 |access-date= |website=Creation of Hope}}</ref>
==Awards== Walters's works have won or been nominated for the following awards:
{| class="wikitable" |- ! Book !! Award(s) |- | ''Stars'' || * Silver Birch Award, 1997<ref>{{Cite web |title=OLA: Silver Birch Award: 1997 |url=https://www.canadianauthors.net/awards/ola/silver_birch_award/silver_birch_1997/ |access-date=2026-01-16 |website=Canadian Books & Authors}}</ref> * Blue Heron Book Award, 1997<ref>{{Cite web |title=Research Guides: Forest of Reading®, K to 6 Programs: Silver Birch Fiction Nominees, 1997 |url=https://guides.library.queensu.ca/pj-forest/sbfiction/1997 |access-date=2026-01-16 |publisher=Queens University Library Research Guides}}</ref> * Children's Choice Award, Canadian Children's Book Centre<ref>{{Cite book |last=Walters |first=Eric |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zM8OAAAACAAJ |title=Stars |date=1996 |publisher=Stoddart |isbn=978-0-7736-7447-9 |language=en}}</ref> |- | ''Trapped in Ice'' || * Silver Birch Award, 1997<ref>{{Cite web |title=1990s Canadian Literary Awards |url=https://www.canadianauthors.net/awards/years/1990s/ |access-date=2026-01-16 |website=Canadian Books & Authors}}</ref> * CBC Choice Award, 1997{{citation needed|date=August 2022}} * Ruth Schwartz Award nomination, 1997{{citation needed|date=August 2022}} |- | ''War of the Eagles'' || * Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Awards - Children’s Picture Book, 1999<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=War of the Eagles |url=https://www.orcabook.com/War-of-the-Eagles |access-date=2026-01-16 |website=Orca Book Publishers}}</ref> * Canadian Children's Book Centre Our Choice commendation, 1998<ref name=":2" /> * Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children Award Honour Book commendation, 1998<ref name=":2" /> |- | ''Diamonds in the Rough''|| * CBC Choice Award, 1998{{citation needed|date=August 2022}} * Red Cedar Award nomination, 1998{{citation needed|date=August 2022}} |- | ''The Hydrofoil Mystery'' || * Canadian Library Association Honour Book designation, 1998{{citation needed|date=August 2022}} |- | ''Caged EagIes'' || * Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children shortlist, 2001<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Caged Eagles |url=https://www.orcabook.com/Caged-Eagles |access-date=2026-01-16 |website=Orca Book Publishers}}</ref> * UNESCO Prize for Children's and Young People's Literature in the Service of Tolerance nomination, 2003<ref name=":3" /> |- | ''Rebound'' || * Red Maple Award, 2002<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Research Guides: Forest of Reading®, 7 to 12 Programs: Red Maple Winners & Nominees, 1998-2026 |url=https://guides.library.queensu.ca/is-forest/red-maple |access-date=2026-01-16 |website=Queens University Library Research Guides |language=en}}</ref> * Snow Willow Award, 2002<ref>{{Cite web |title=2002 |url=https://willowawards.ca/previous-years/2002/ |access-date=2026-01-16 |website=Willow Awards}}</ref> |- | ''The Bully Boys'' || * CBC Choice Award, 2002{{citation needed|date=August 2022}} * Red Maple Award shortlist, 2002<ref>{{Cite web |title=OLA: Red Maple Award: 2002 |url=https://www.canadianauthors.net/awards/ola/red_maple_award/red_maple_2002/ |access-date=2026-01-16 |website=Canadian Books & Authors}}</ref> |- | ''Camp X'' || * Silver Birch Award, 2003<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |title=Camp X by Eric Walters |url=https://www.canadianauthors.net/w/walters_eric/camp_x.php |website=Canadian Books & Authors}}</ref> * Arthur Ellis Award - Juvenile shortlist, 2003<ref name=":5" /> |- | ''Run'' || *Torgi Award, 2004<ref>{{Cite web |last=Berry |first=David |date=2020-02-11 |title=Run |url=https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/run |access-date=2026-01-16 |website=The Canadian Encyclopedia |language=en}}</ref> |- | ''We All Fall Down'' || *Red Maple Winner, 2006<ref name=":4" /> |- | ''Shattered'' || *White Pine Winner, 2006<ref>{{Cite web |last=Berry |first=David |date=2020-02-21 |title=Shattered |url=https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/shattered |access-date=2026-01-16 |website=The Canadian Encyclopedia |language=en}}</ref> |- | ''Safe as Houses'' || *Red Maple Winner, 2007<ref name=":4" /> |- | ''The Pole'' || * National Outdoor Book Award (Children's Category), 2008<ref>{{Cite web |title=National Outdoor Book Award |url=https://nvcl.bibliocommons.com/awards/show/89083_national_outdoor_book_award?distinction_year=2008&distinction_category=Children%27s |access-date=2026-01-16 |website=North Vancouver City Library |language=en-CA}}</ref> |- | ''The King of Jam Sandwiches'' || * Governor General's Award for English-language children's literature, 2020<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-06-01 |title=THE KING OF JAM SANDWICHES by Eric Walters Wins the 2020 Governor General's Award for Young People's Literature! |url=https://transatlanticagency.com/2021/06/01/the-king-of-jam-sandwiches-by-eric-walters-wins-the-2020-governor-generals-award-for-young-peoples-literature/ |access-date=2026-01-16 |website=Transatlantic Agency |language=en-US}}</ref> |}
==Published works== ===Fiction=== * ''Stand Your Ground'' (Fitzhenry & Whiteside 1994) * ''Stars'' (Fitzhenry & Whiteside 1996) * ''Trapped in Ice'' (Penguin 1997) * ''War of the Eagles'' (Orca 1998) * ''Diamonds in the Rough'' (Fitzhenry & Whiteside 1998) * ''The Hydrofoil Mystery'' (Penguin 1999) * ''Caged Eagles'' (Orca 2000) * ''Rebound'' (Stoddart 2000) * ''The Bully Boys'' (Penguin 2000) * ''Northern Exposures'' (HarperCollins 2001) * ''Camp X'' (Penguin 2002) * ''Ricky'' (HarperCollins 2002) * ''Tiger Town'' (Dundurn 2003) * ''Run'' (Penguin 2003) * ''Overdrive'' (Orca 2004) * ''Grind'' (Orca 2004) * ''Death by Exposure'' (Dundurn 2004) * ''Underdog'' (Orca 2004) * ''I've Got An Idea'' (HarperCollins 2004) * ''The True Story of Santa Claus'' (2005) * ''Juice'' (Orca 2005) * ''Elixir'' (Penguin 2005) * ''Triple Threat'' (Orca 2005) * ''Stuffed'' (Orca 2006) * ''Laggan Lard Butts'' (Orca 2006) * ''We All Fall Down'' (Doubleday 2006) * ''Shattered'' (Penguin 2006) * ''House Party'' (Orca 2007) * ''Bifocal'' (Fitzhenry & Whiteside 2007) * ''Safe as Houses'' (Doubleday 2007) * ''Tiger Trap'' (Dundurn 2007) * ''Sketches'' (Penguin 2007) * ''Boot Camp'' (Orca 2007) * ''The Falls'' (Penguin 2008) * ''In A Flash'' (Orca 2008) * ''When Elephants Fight'' (Orca, 2008) * ''Voyageur'' (Penguin, 2008) * ''The Pole'' (Penguin 2008) * ''Splat!'' (Orca 2008) * ''Alexandria of Africa'' (Doubleday 2008) * ''Special Edward'' (Orca, 2009) * ''Black & White'' (Penguin, 2009) * ''Tell Me Why'' (Doubleday, 2009) * ''Wounded'' (Penguin, 2009) * ''United We Stand'' (Doubleday, 2009) * ''Shell Shocked'' (Penguin, 2009) * ''Wave'' (Doubleday, 2009) * ''Beverly Hills Maasai'' (Doubleday, 2010) * ''Branded'' (Orca, 2010) * ''Trouble in Paradise'' (Penguin, 2010) * ''Home Team'' (Orca, 2010) * ''Fly Boy'' (Penguin, 2010) * ''Shaken'' (Doubleday, January 2011) * ''Catboy'' (Orca, September 2011) * ''Just Deserts'' (Penguin, September 2011) * ''Between Heaven and Earth'' (2012) * ''The Matato Ride'' (Spring 2012) * ''The Taming'' (Spring 2012) with Teresa Toten * ''End of Days'' (Doubleday, September 2012) * ''Power Play'' (Spring 2013) * ''Tagged'' (Fall 2013) * ''My Name is Blessing'' (Fall 2013) * ''The Rule of Three'' (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, January 2014) * ''Walking Home'' (Doubleday, 2014) * ''Saving Sammy'' (Orca 2014) * ''The Power of Three'' (Razorbill 2014) * ''Sleeper'' (Orca 2014) * ''Hope Springs'' (Tundra, September 2014) * ''Regenesis'' (Doubleday Canada 2015) * ''The Fight of Power'' (Razorbill 2015) * ''The Will to Survive'' (Razorbill 2016) * ''90 Days of Different'' (Orca 2017) * ''Always With You'' (Nimbus Publishing, 2019) * ''The Boy Who Moved Christmas'' (Nimbus Publishing, 2020) * ''Don't Stand So Close to Me'' (Orca 2020) * ''The King of Jam Sandwiches'' (Orca 2020) * ''Bear in the Family'' (Orca 2022)
===Non-fiction=== * ''Improve Your Child's Spelling 1'' (1991) (with Norm Rippon) * ''Improve Your Child's Spelling 2'' (1993) (with Norm Rippon) * ''When Elephants Fight'' (2008) (with Adrian Bradbury) * ''Tell Me Why'' (2009) * ''From the Heart of Africa: a Book of Wisdom'' (2018)
==References== {{reflist|25em}}
==External links== {{Portal|Children and Young Adult Literature}} {{commons category|Eric Walters}} * {{ISFDB name|161855}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20080917033511/http://www.umanitoba.ca/cm/profiles/walters.html ''Canadian Review of Materials'' profile of Walters by Dave Jenkinson] * [https://hopestory.ca Creation of Hope / Hope Story official website] * {{LCAuth|n99001188|Eric Walters|47|ue}}
{{Governor General's English children's literature|state=collapsed}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walters, Eric}} Category:1957 births Category:Canadian writers of young adult literature Category:Canadian science fiction writers Category:Novelists from Toronto Category:Living people Category:Canadian male novelists Category:Governor General's Award–winning children's writers Category:21st-century Canadian male writers Category:Forest of Reading Award winners