Welcome to Susan Hughes' Website
Thanks for dropping by!
I have some wonderful news to share! My book, CASE CLOSED? NINE MYSTERIES UNLOCKED BY MODERN SCIENCE (Kids Can Press), illustrated by Michael Wandelmaier, has won the 2011 Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children's Non-fiction. It was so thrilling to learn the news at the gala on October 4.
This is what the jury said: "A perfect combination of science, story and history, compellingly presented by Susan Hughes who shows with absorbing detail how modern science can shed new light on some of mankind's most beguiling mysteries ... [will] intrigue the curious child as well as adults."
I managed to make it up onto the stage and accept the award from Jim Fleck and his grand-daughter. (Have a look at the photo. See? I can hardly believe it!)
Luckily, I'd prepared an acceptance speech or I would have been speechless! :)
Carly Popenko
When North American kids picture a school, odds are they see rows of desks, stacks of textbooks, and linoleum hallways. They probably don’t picture caves, boats, or train platforms — but there are schools in caves, and on boats and on train platforms. There are green schools, mobile schools, and even treehouse schools. There’s a whole world of unusual schools out there!
But the most amazing thing about these schools isn’t their location or what they look like. It’s that they provide a place for students who face some of the toughest environmental and cultural challenges, and live some of the most unique lifestyles, to learn. Education is not readily available for kids everywhere, and many communities are strapped for the resources that would make it easier for kids to go to school. In short, it’s not always easy getting kids off to class — but people around the world are finding creative ways to do it.
In Off to Class, readers will travel to India, Burkina Faso, and Brazil; to Russia, China, Uganda, and a dozen other countries, to visit some of these incredible schools, and, through personal interviews conducted by author Susan Hughes, meet the students who attend them too. And their stories aren’t just inspiring; they’ll also get you to think about school and the world in a whole new way.
OFF TO CLASS: INCREDIBLE AND UNUSUAL SCHOOLS AROUND THE WORLD has just been published by Owlkids Press. I am so proud of it! Open the pages and you'll hear the voices of kids around the world, telling you about their dreams for an education. You'll see gorgeous colour photos that invite you into the children's worlds. You'll be amazed at the schools they attend and inspired by the dedicated people who helped create them.
OFF TO CLASS received a starred review in September's Quill and Quire:
"Off to Class is an easy-to-read yet detailed book that should, at the very least, be in every
school library, if not every classroom and home."
You can order a copy of the book online at Owl Kids or pick it up at your local book store.
Here's the flap copy from the book. It will give you a good idea of what my book explores:
Vanished ... An ancient Arabian city is consumed by the desert. A Russian princess escapes burial in her murdered family's mass grave. A British airplane disappears just minutes before its scheduled landing in Santiago, Chile.
Join today's scientists, archeologists and historians as they peer into nine unsolved mysteries from the past.
Read the historical file. Find out who has vanished and the reasons they may have disappeared. Immerse yourself in a different time and place.
Meet the investigators. These determined men and women from around the world showcase an impressive mix of scientific backgrounds. Learn about archeology, anthropology, glaciology, dendrochronology, and more.
Study the tools and techniques important to each case. Researchers use a variety of search methods, some time-tested, others totally innovative. What is revealed when they CAT scan a mummy or tow a sonar device across the Mediterranean seabed?
Armed with the latest technology, can these modern detectives finally declare ... Case Closed?
Case Closed?: Nine Mysteries Unlocked by Modern Science, my non-fiction book for children ages 8 and up, has just been nominated for the 2012 Silver Birch Award, an Ontario Library Association award which is given out in May. Children across the province vote on their favourite non-fiction book from a list of ten great selections! Stay tuned to find out the winner!
Case Closed? has also been nominated for one of the 2012 Hackmatack Children's Choice Book Awards, which are judged by children throughout Canada's Atlantic provinces. Stay tuned to find out the winners!
Barbara McMillan's review in CM Magazine, Nov 26, 2010, gave 4 out of 4 stars to Case Closed?:
"I highly recommend Case Closed? Nine Mysteries Unlocked by Modern Science. In the 88 pages of the book, Susan Hughes and Michael Wandelmaier have captured what drives scientists, archeologists, forensic anthropologists, and history buffs to undertake the work that they do. The nine cases will certainly capture the imagination of readers who like mysteries and the variety of ways in which mysteries can be solved using the processes of science and technological tools, both ancient and modern."
Here's a spread from a chapter of the book that tries to uncover the secrets behind the disappearance of the Pharoah Hatshepsut:
You can order Case Closed? online at Kids Can or pick it up at any local book store.
I'm very excited that my new YA novel Virginia is now in print and is getting some great reviews. Here's a recommendation from Athena's YA Book Review blog:
I truly enjoyed reading this book for its unique perspective on angels, love, cult violence, faith, doubt, life, death...and all this through the alternating lens of two teen girls.
You can order it online here at Kids Can Press.
Please enjoy exploring my website and finding out about all the books I've written.
If you're a teacher and you're looking for some of the books I've written for Scholastic Education's Literacy Place for the Early Years (K-3) and Moving Up with Literacy Place (4-6) programs, please go to their website here.
If you want to get in touch, you can find out how at Contact Me.