LARRY VERSTRAETE

Larry Verstraete grew up in Winnipeg not far from where he still lives. His boyhood was filled with hours spent reading, searching for treasure, embarking on large-scale construction projects with friends, and occasionally writing a story or two. Becoming a serious writer, however, was a remote ambition at the time, placed near the end of a long list headed by cowboy, firefighter, and superhero.

In high school, science took over as a major interest. Larry attended university, obtained degrees in science and education, and became a teacher, first in the public school system, then later at the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Education. Well into his teaching career, he rediscovered his earlier writing ambitions after chancing upon a magazine ad for a writing course while waiting for a haircut in a barber shop. The course led to Larry’s first published book, The Serendipity Effect, a collection of stories about fruitful mishaps, blunders and coincidences in science.

Since then Larry has published other books for young people, several on the subject of science. In addition, he has written for science textbooks, educational journals, and writers’ manuals. When not writing, Larry conducts sessions in science and writing for youngsters, teachers, and parents around the country, and indulges in his hobbies – travel, stained glass, and woodworking.

Forthcoming

At the Edge
Scholastic Canada

Published

Lost Treasures: True Stories of Discovery
Scholastic Canada, 2006

• McNally Robinson Book for Young People Award, 2007
• Nominated, Hackmatack Children’s Choice Award, 2007-08

Survivors: True Death-Defying Escapes
Scholastic Canada, 2003

• Red Cedar Award (non-fiction), 2006
• Our Choice, Canadian Children’s Book Centre, 2005
• Silver Birch Award (non-fiction), 2004

Extreme Science
Scholastic Canada, 2000

• ResourceLinks Magazine – Best of the Year 2000
• Our Choice, Canadian Children’s Book Centre, 2000

Accidental Discoveries: From Laughing Gas to Dynamite
(Previously published as The Serendipity Effect)
Scholastic Canada, 1999

• Finalist, Norma Fleck Award for Non-Fiction, 1999
• CBC Radio Recommended Reading List

Whose Bright Idea Was It? – True Stories of Invention
Scholastic Canada, 1998

• Selected, Canadian Toy Testing Council, 25 Great Books, 2001
• Finalist, Silver Birch Award (non-fiction), 1998
• Our Choice, Canadian Children's Book Centre, 1998
• Nominated, Red Cedar Book Award (non-fiction), 1999-2000
• Emergency Librarian: Top Outstanding Books for 1997

Mysteries of Time
Scholastic Canada, 1992

• Our Choice, Canadian Children’s Book Centre, 1993