It is with deep sadness that we share with you that our dear friend Amy Mathers passed away on May 21, 2026. Amy was the driving force behind the Amy Mathers Teen Book Award. Born with a form of muscular dystrophy, Amy faced profound challenges, and much of her life was spent in hospitals. Books are what helped Amy through, helped her to face those challenges, and helped her to thrive in the midst of difficulties most of us would give up on.
Inspired by Terry Fox’s and Rick Hansen’s Canadian journeys, Amy decided to honour her passion for reading Canadian teen literature, while working around her physical limitations, by completing a Marathon of Books to raise funds for a much needed award celebrating Canadian teen fiction.
As Amy said at the time, “I realized that the two goals—the first of trying to fund a Canadian teen book award and the second of trying to show that even people with physical limitations could take part in something athletic in nature—came together quite seamlessly. I could participate in a Marathon of Books of my creation, and use the money fundraised by it to help the CCBC fund a Canadian teen fiction book award.”
The award Amy helped establish celebrates exceptional writing for teens, recognizing 11 winners and an additional 45 finalists to date. Because of her vision and passion, these books—and the creators and publishers behind them—continue to reach broader audiences and inspire countless teen readers.
A great friend to the CCBC, Amy volunteered at the Centre when we had an onsite library, raised money for her award, served on award juries, created a podcast to promote teen books, wrote reviews and articles in Book News, and championed Canadian authors at every opportunity. Her kindness, positive outlook, and sense of humour are an inspiration to us and to the book community as a whole.
The Amy Mathers Teen Book Award has become part of her enduring legacy—a remarkable gift to the Canadian children’s publishing industry and to generations of teen readers. Her family’s wish is that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to support the continuation of the award so that it may celebrate outstanding Canadian teen literature for many years to come.
We will miss you, Amy.
Our condolences go out to Amy's family and friends.