HEATHER SMITH is originally from Newfoundland, and now lives in Waterloo, Ontario, with her husband and three children. Her east coast roots inspire much of her writing. Her first novel, Baygirl, received a starred review from Quill & Quire, named to the Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Books of the Year, and was a 2015 White Pine Honour Book.
A Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Book of 2017 One of the Globe and Mail's 100 Best Books of 2017 One of Bank Street's Best Children's Books of The Year (2017) One of Toronto Public Library's Great Reads for Youth 2018 One of CCBC'S Best Books for Kids & Teens (2018) Selection - OLA Forest Teen Committee's 2018 Summer Reading List One of CanLit for Little Canadians' must-read Canadian YA books There's an abundance of humour both subtle and overt, and a shattering of stereotypes and tropes. . . . This is a book that grabs readers by the heart and the head. --Starred Review, Quill & Quire Although Bun is 14, she possesses the endearing naivete and honesty of a child, but her first-person narration isn't sappy or immature. . . . Bun O'Keefe will settle comfortably at home in readers' hearts. --Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews Heather Smith's second novel burns with nostalgia, wonder and sadness... a quietly profound, starkly Canadian account of being unwanted by family and society. --Globe and Mail Teens will truly dive into Bun's mind and her surroundings through her understanding of the world... A nuanced, well-done novel about tough topics that deserves a place in most collections. --School Library Journal Smith's strength is her attention to setting details and character development. . . . Recommended. --CM: Canadian Review of Materials