THE NATIONAL CHAPTER OF CANADA IODE

IODE VIOLET DOWNEY BOOK AWARD WINNER 2007

June 2007

Shattered WINS IODE BOOK AWARD

Shattered is the winner of The National Chapter of Canada IODE Violet Downey Book Award for Canadian children’s books published in 2006. The $3,000 prize was awarded to author Eric Walters, the critically acclaimed award-winning author of numerous books on 01 June 2007.

In Shattered, the realities of both urban homelessness and the Rwandan genocide are introduced to Ian, a young teen who must complete his volunteer service hours to pass his social studies course. Choosing to work at “The Club” sounds like fun, until he arrives at what turns out to be a soup kitchen for the homeless in an unsafe part of the city. After a near-mugging, from which he’s saved by a fierce, pipe-wielding homeless man, Ian figures this will probably be as depressing and scary an assignment as he’s ever had to complete. When the man who saved him shows up at the soup kitchen, looking far less fierce and known to all as “Sarge,” Ian begins to get to know him. Jacques was a soldier in the Canadian Armed Forces and his last tour of duty was as a peacekeeper stationed in Rwanda, an African nation Ian knows little about. Ian begins to learn truths not only about Rwanda, but about the world, for which he is not at all prepared. He also becomes committed to being a volunteer!

With a Foreword by General Romeo Dallaire, the Force Commander for the United Nations Mission to Rwanda, Shattered is an important book, one that asks what one person can do to make a difference.

Runners-up for the award included A Very Fine Line by Julie Johnston and Hamish X and the Cheese Pirates by Sean Cullen.

IODE is a Canadian women’s charitable organization which promotes projects in the areas of literacy, education, social service and citizenship. To see a list of past IODE Violet Downey Book Award winners, visit www.iode.ca