Alan Cumyn is the author of wide-ranging and often wildly different literary novels for children, young adults and adults. A two-time winner of the Ottawa Book Award, he has also had work shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award, the Giller Prize, and the Trillium Award. He is emeritus faculty at Vermont College of Fine Arts and a past Chair of The Writers’ Union of Canada. In 2016 he received the Writers’ Trust of Canada’s Vicky Metcalf Award for body of work for young people.
Kirkus Best Books // Junior Library Guild Official Selection
Far from a mere survival tale, this is a psychological thriller for sophisticated middle-grade readers… This gripping, suspenseful read with compelling characters and a spellbinding setting lures readers into the deep-cold night even as they long for a life-affirming sunrise. –Kirkus starred review
Cumyn reaffirms the human mess that is the life many children know, and the allies in all forms that are their saving grace. A heart thaw through and through.” – Rita Williams-Garcia, author of Clayton Byrd Goes Underground
More on North to Benjamin // The Writing of North to Benjamin
Alan Cumyn travelled north to Dawson thanks to the Canadian Children’s Book Centre and the Writers’ Trust of Canada. As well, he gratefully acknowledges funding from these other sources for a number of his novels over the years:
