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Beverley Brenna

Author, Teacher, Editor

 

Member profile details

First Name
Beverley
Last Name
Brenna
Province or Territory
Saskatchewan
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Professional information

Bio
Beverley Brenna is a Saskatchewan author who has fourteen traditionally published titles for young people and two scholarly books on Canadian children's literature. She is also a freelance editor, and has been the Children's Editor at Red Deer Press since 2021.

Bev's work often deals with diverse characters, including characters with exceptionalities. The Moon Children (Red Deer Press) is a middle-grade novel that explores the friendship between Billly, a boy with a Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), and Natasha, a Romanian orphan who has developed selective mutism. Wild Orchid, and its stand-alone sequels Waiting for No One and The White Bicycle (Red Deer Press) are three young adult novels told through the first-person perspective of Taylor Jane Simon, a teen with Asperger's Syndrome.

One of Bev's most recent titles is Sapphire the Great and the Meaning of Life (Pajama Press), a middle-grade story told from the perspectives of nine-year-old Jeannie and her existentialist pet hamster Sapphire. New in 2020 were The Girl with the Cat, a picture book based on a true story, illustrated by Brooke Kerrigan, and another middle-grade title, set in rural Saskatchewan, dealing with loss and grief: Because of that Crow.

Universal themes of acceptance and belonging are hallmarks of Bev's work, and this derives from her experiences as a classroom teacher, a special education teacher, and an educational consultant working with diverse students . In addition, she uses humour to engage and entertain while addressing serious subject matter. Bev is a professor emerita at the University of Saskatchewan. Her research interests include children's literature, reading comprehension, and special education. And she loves cycling, swimming, cross-country skiing, and the prairies! She is also a landscape artist, and had three solo painting exhibitions in 2024.

More information about Bev's work can be found at : www.beverleybrenna.com.
Available For
Keynote speeches and other presentations to adults and/or children.
School Visits
Bev has twice participated in TD Canada Book Tours (Prince Edward Island and Quebec), as well as an author tour in Whitehorse, and enjoys learning from school and community audiences! She has presented author readings and children's storytelling sessions across Saskatchewan and in various other locations in Canada, the United States, and England.
Publications
Contemporary Canadian Picture Books: A Critical Review for Educators, Librarians, Families, Researchers & Writers
Brill Publishing (2021)

The Girl with the Cat
Red Deer Press (2020)

Because of that Crow
Red Deer Press (2020)

Sapphire the Great and the Meaning of Life
Pajama Press (2019)

Fox Magic
Red Deer Press (2017)

Stories for Every Classroom: Canadian Fiction Portraying Characters with Disabilities
Canadian Scholars' Press (2015)

The Bug House Family Restaurant
Red Deer Press, 2013

The White Bicycle
Red Deer Press, 2012

Falling for Henry
Red Deer Press, 2011

Waiting for No One
Red Deer Press, 2010

Something To Hang On To
Thistledown Press, 2009

The Moon Children
Red Deer Press, 2007

Wild Orchid
Red Deer Press, 2005

The Keeper of the Trees
Ronsdale Press, 1999

Spider Summer
Nelson Canada, 1998

Children's Fiction
Daddy Longlegs at Birch Lane
Soundprints Press, 1996
Performances and Exhibitions
A monologue from Bev's short play, adapted from Wild Orchid, was performed in Winnipeg in 2018.
Awards
Winner of a Saskatchewan Book Award, 2022
Winner of the Biannual Joan Betty Stuchner Funniest Children's Book Award, 2021
Included on CBC's 100 Young Adult Books That Make You Proud to Be
Canadian, 2015
Shortlisted for the Governor General's Award, 2013
Printz Honor Award, 2013
Dolly Gray Award, 2012
Other representative awards and honours: starred selections, Canadian Children's Book Centre; shortlistings for Ontario's tree awards; Skipping Stones Honor Award 2019; Dale D. Johnson Outstanding Article Award, International Literacy Association, 2013
Other Memberships
SCWBI; Writers Union of Canada; ACTRA; CARFAC