Michael Bedard

Michael Bedard (born June 26, 1949 Windsor, Ontario) is a Canadian novelist. He was born and raised in Ontario, Canada . He graduated from the University of Toronto in 1971 with a BA in philosophy and English. He began writing when his former high school teacher showed him works of Emily Dickinson and T.S Eliot and became a fan of poetry. Bedard currently lives in Toronto with his wife Martha and three kids.^[1]

A Darker Magic

Bedard’s first novel, A Darker Magic(1987), is about an old teacher (Miss Potts) who discovers a handbill for a magic show which reminds her of the death of a friend from her childhood which she blames on the magic show. With the help of a student (Emily), they are able to prevent the show from happening. Dale Gale calls Bedard’s first novel “rich in language and riveting in tone: it brims with a sense of foreboding that is sustained throughout”.^[2] Once again, Gale states that A Darker Magic is a “well-crafted eerie novel that demands to be read again.”^[3]

Redwork

Redwork (1990) has won numerous awards such as the Governor General's Literary Award , the Canadian Library Association Book of the Year Award for Children and the IODE Violet Downey Book Award. Although receiving many awards, his second novel was criticized by some. Margaret A. Chang claims that the novel “falls short of the high standard set by Margaret Mahy ’s Memory, the consummate tale of interaction between young and old.”^[4] Others have claimed that Bedard is “working on a new level” ^[5] and that “everything is described in detail and every point is made through dialogue.”^[6]

Honors/Awards

• Governor General's Literary Award, Canada, 1990
• Canadian Library Association Book of the Year Award for Children, 1991
• IODE Violet Downey Book Award, 1991
• National Chapter of Canada, and runner-up, 1991
• Young Adult Canadian award, 1991
• IODE Book Award (Toronto chapter), 1991 ^[7]

Works Cited

1. ^ A Bio on Michael Bedard, Jenkinson, Dave ; Emergency Librarian Nov/Dec91, Vol. 19 Issue 2, p66, 5p,
2. ^ Gale, David “A Darker Magic” School Library Journal; Sept87, Vol.34, Issue 1, pg.177, 1/9p
3. ^ Gale, David “A Darker Magic” School Library Journal; Sept87, Vol.34, Issue 1, pg.177, 1/9p
4. ^ Chang, Margaret A. “Redwork” School Library Journal; Oct90, Vol.36, Issue 10, pg.139,1/5p
5. ^ Jones, Patrick “Redwork” Voice of Youth Advocates, Dec87, pg242
6. ^ Jones, Patrick “Redwork” Voice of Youth Advocates, Dec87, pg242
7. ^ http://www.answers.com/topic/michael-bedard

Persondata
Name	Bedard, Michael
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Date of birth	June 26, 1949
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