Bernice Thurman Hunter, (November 3, 1922 – May 29, 2002) was a Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 child

Child

Biologically, a child is generally a human between the stages of birth and puberty. Some vernacular definitions of a child include the fetus, as being an unborn child. The legal definition of "child" generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger than the age of majority...

ren's author

Author

An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...

.

Born in Toronto, Ontario, Hunter spent her adult years as an Eaton's

Eaton's

The T. Eaton Co. Limited was once Canada's largest department store retailer. It was founded in 1869 in Toronto by Timothy Eaton, an Irish immigrant. Eaton's grew to become a retail and social institution in Canada, with stores across the country, buying offices across the globe, and a catalogue...

 employee, and did not publish her first book, That Scatterbrain Booky (1981), until she was a grandmother. Her stories are recalled fondly by her fans for showing an accurate and enjoyable portrayal of Toronto through the Depression and War years. She maintained a connection with her roots, and frequently returned to the areas she wrote about to give public readings of her works.

Hunter experienced a multitude of health challenges in her later years, however she continued writing. In 2001, she was made a Member of the Order of Canada

Order of Canada

The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...

. While the honour was awarded posthumously, she was informed of the award shortly before her death.

Her first series of books has been adapted into a film called "Booky Makes Her Mark

Booky Makes Her Mark

Booky Makes Her Mark is a made-for-TV movie that is based on the books by Bernice Thurman Hunter. This uplifting family film also features beloved Canadian actors Megan Follows , Roberta Maxwell and Lally Cadeau...

".

Selected works

• That Scatterbrain Booky (1981)
• With Love from Booky (1983)
• A Place for Margaret (1984)
• As Ever, Booky (1985)
• Margaret in the Middle (1986)
• Lamplighter (1987)
• Margaret on Her Way (1988)
• The Railroader (1990)
• The Firefighter (1991)
• Hawk and Stretch (1993)
• Amy's Promise (1995)
• Janey's Choice (1996)
• Two Much Alike (1997)
• It Takes Two (1999)
• The Girls They Left Behind (2000) Published posthumously; Red Maple Award shortlist 2001

External links

• Bernice Thurman Hunter at The Canadian Encyclopedia
  The Canadian Encyclopedia
  The Canadian Encyclopedia is a source of information on Canada. It is available online, at no cost. The Canadian Encyclopedia is available in both English and French and includes some 14,000 articles in each language on a wide variety of subjects including history, popular culture, events, people,...