FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Victoria (October 10, 2012) – Two Greater Victoria authors were recognized for their literary achievements at the 2012 Victoria Book Prize Awards Gala. Caitlyn Vernon, author of Nowhere Else on Earth: Standing Tall for the Great Bear Rainforest (Orca Book Publishers) was named winner of the 5th annual Bolen Books Children’s Book Prize. The winner of the 9th annual City of Victoria Butler Book Prize was awarded to Madeline Sonik for her book, Afflictions and Departures (Anvil Press).

Lorna MacDonald, President of the Victoria Book Prize Society, was delighted with the sell-out crowd. “We are pleased to support our region’s writers and produce an event where members of the public can enjoy meeting and hearing from our talented authors.”

Nowhere Else on Earth: Standing Tall for the Great Bear Rainforest guides young readers through a forest of information on the unique ecosystem of the Great Bear Rainforest of British Columbia’s central coast. Full of breathtaking photographs, personal stories and suggestions for ways to preserve this unique ecosystem, Nowhere Else on Earth is a timely and inspiring reminder that we need to stand up for our wild places before they disappear.

Jurors for the Bolen Books Children’s Book Prize were librarian, Phyllis Dalton; writer, Maggie de Vries and bookseller, Adina Hildebrandt. The jurors described Nowhere Else on Earth as “awe-inspiring, entertaining, educational and motivational.”

Caitlyn Vernon grew up on British Columbia’s Pacific Coast and now calls Victoria home. Vernon has a background in biology and environmental studies and is currently a campaigner with Sierra Club BC. In September Nowhere Else on Earth was awarded the Lane Anderson annual Canadian science-writing prize for young-readers.

The two other finalists for the Bolen Book Children’s Book Prize were Pamela Porter for I’ll Be Watching (Groundwood Books) and Kit Pearson for The Whole Truth (HarperCollins). Held at the Magnolia Hotel and Spa and the Victoria Marriott Inner Harbour, the gala was emceed by Jo-Ann Roberts, host of CBC’s All Points West, and featured a reading by Janet Marie Rogers, Poet Laureate for the City of Victoria.

Founded in 2004, the City of Victoria Butler Book Prize is a partnership between the City of Victoria and Brian Butler of Butler Brothers Supplies. The Bolen Books Children’s Book Prize was founded in 2008 and is funded by Bolen Books.

The Victoria Book Prize Society establishes the policy and criteria for the prizes, appoints the juries and administers the competitions.

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For more information, please contact:

Lorna MacDonald, President
Victoria Book Prize Society
Tel: 250-382-1058 | victoriabookprizes@shaw.ca
www.victoriabookprizes.ca