Halifax Explosion, Holocaust in Hackmatack winners

Kathy Kacer received the English nonfiction award for her book ‘Hiding Edith’, while the French-language fiction award went to Denis Boucher for ‘Le monstre du Lac Baker’. Melvin Gallant received the award in French non-fiction for his book ‘Ti-Jean-le-Rusé’.

The awards were announced Friday in Moncton.

‘No Safe Harbour’ is the diary of Charlotte Blackburn, a fictional 12-year-old girl living in Halifax during the First World War. It begins as the story of Charlotte’s everyday hopes, fears and experiences but becomes a chronicle of life after the real-life tragedy of the Halifax Explosion. Julie Lawson is an award-winning author who lives in Victoria, B.C.

As a young Jewish child in the Second World War, Edith Gelbard had to leave her family and hide with other persecuted children in a school in Moissac, France. ‘Hiding Edith’ is a true story of the triumph of good in a time of evil. Book author Kacer is the child of Holocaust survivors, and her books have received many awards and rave reviews as educational, insightful and involving works.

The Hackmatack Award ceremony was the culmination of this year’s award week, during which 17 of the nominated Canadian authors visited participating schools and libraries in the Atlantic Provinces.

Hackmatack nominee Hadley Dyer, author of ‘Johnny Kellock Died Today’, visited libraries in Digby and Weymouth.

To see nominated books for next year’s Hackmatack Awards, visit the website www.hackmatack.ca