Violet Downey Book Award 2012: National Chapter of Canada IODE

The National Chapter of Canada IODE (Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire), a women's charitable organization, has been offering Violet Downey Book Award since 1985.  This award of $3000 is offered annually for the best English language book for children up to age 13 containing at least 500 words of text published in Canada in the previous year and selected from submitted books. 

The short-listed books for the 2012 Violet Downey Book Award were announced in March.  The five finalists were:

 

Dragon Seer’s Gift 

by Janet McNaughton, St. John’s, NL

Published by Harper Collins Canada

Howl 

by Karen Hood-Caddy, Bracebridge, ON

Published by Dundurn Press

That Fatal Night

by Sarah Ellis, Vancouver, BC

Published by Scholastic Canada

 

This Dark Endeavour

by Kenneth Oppel, Toronto, ON

Published by HarperCollins

 

Timber Wolf

by Caroline Pignat, Kanata, ON

Published by Red Deer Press

On May 26, 2012, the winner of the National Chapter of Canada IODE Violet Downey Book Award for 2012 was announced at IODE Canada’s 112th National Annual Corporate Meeting in Mississauga.  

The winner of the
2012 Violet Downey Book Award is

Janet McNaughton

for

Dragon Seer's Gift

HarperCollins Canada
978-1-44340-677-2
282 pp.
Ages 10+
2011 

In 21st century Newfoundland, the lone dragon in existence, Hermit, who has waited 112 years for a dragon keeper, is recovered by Gwyn Rae (12) and his sister, Maddie (14), whose ancestors were dragon keepers.  The children keep Hermit a secret while they attempt to break an evil Viking seer's curse that keeps the dragons hidden. 

   *  Congratulations to Janet McNaughton  *