From our friends at the Ontario Library Association:
Winner of 2013 Forest of Reading Evergreen™ Award announced:
Canadian readers choose the best in Canadian fiction and non-fiction
After weeks of voting, Ontarians have decided: Terry Fallis’ riveting account of the world of international public relations has won the Forest of Reading’s 2013 Evergreen™ Award.
“There were so many wonderful books shortlisted this year and I’m honoured that Up and Down was in their company,” says Fallis, author of the winning novel, Up and Down. “I think the real satisfaction for all of the shortlisted authors is the knowledge that so many readers headed to their local library and borrowed our books. That’s really what it’s all about.”
Through book clubs and other forums, over 60 Ontario libraries participated in this year’s Evergreen Award reading program. The reading program is designed for adults and comprised of the best titles in Canadian fiction and non-fiction. It is one of eight programs that form the Ontario Library Association’s (OLA) Forest of Reading®, Canada’s largest recreational reading program of its kind.
“We’re thrilled that Fallis’ Up and Down will now be joining the ranks of previous Evergreen Award winners, who include Emma Donoghue, Jessica Grant and Steven Galloway,” says Catherine Coles, Chair, Evergreen Award Steering & Selection Committee.
Titles nominated for the Evergreen Award are chosen by a committee of library professionals; announced every January; and tallied during Ontario Public Library Week (Oct. 21-26). Fallis, who has previously won the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal, will be presented with the Evergreen Award at OLA’s annual Super Conference on Jan. 31, 2014.
About Up and Down:
Up and Down tells the story of David Steward, who is thrown into the world of international public relations after leaving a job on Parliament Hill. Before he even has time to find the washroom, David is assigned a major project: devise a campaign to revitalize North America's interest in the space program. The pressure is on, and David finds himself suggesting the most out-of-this-world idea imaginable: a Citizen Astronaut lottery that would send one Canadian and one American to the International Space Station. David is vaulted into an odyssey of his own as he navigates the corporate politics of a big PR agency; wades through the murky but always hilarious waters of Canada-U.S. relations; and tries to hold onto his new job while still doing the right thing.
About the Ontario Library Association:
The Ontario Library Association (OLA) is a centre of excellence for the library and information sector, with nearly 5,000 members who work in public, school, academic and special libraries. OLA enables members to advocate for the right of individuals to have free and equitable access to information. Our members research, develop and participate in educational programs designed to provide exemplary library services. Signature OLA events include the annual Super Conference and the Forest of Reading® program.
Read more about all the nominated books and authors in Open Book Ontario's Evergreen Award Blog.
