10 Facts About Deborah Ellis

Deborah Ellis's themes are often concerned with the sufferings of persecuted children in the Third World.

Deborah Ellis started writing when she was 11 or 12 years old.

Deborah Ellis has held many jobs advocating for the peace movement and the anti-war movement.

Deborah Ellis travelled to Pakistan in 1997 to interview refugees at an Afghan refugee camp.

Deborah Ellis ends up in the coca "pits" where the leaves of the plant are made into coca paste, and the story follows his adventures from there.

In 2007, with Eric Walters, Deborah Ellis wrote Bifocal, a novel about racism and terrorists in Canada.

In 2008, Deborah Ellis published Lunch with Lenin and Other Stories, a collection of short stories that explores the lives of children who have been affected, directly or indirectly, by drugs.

Deborah Ellis is the recipient of the Governor General's Award, the Jane Addams Children's Book Award, the Vicky Metcalf Award for a body of work, an ALA Notable, and the Children's Africana Book Award Honor Book for Older Readers.

In December 2016, Deborah Ellis was named a Member of the Order of Canada.

Deborah Ellis is a philanthropist, donating almost all of her royalties on her books to such organizations as "Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan" and UNICEF.