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Marsha Skrypuch
is the author of many books for children and young adults.
She has written more novels about Armenian immigrants
than any other author in the English-speaking world, yet
she is not Armenian. "I write about people who must
give up everything that is dear to them and travel to
a new country. To me, these people are heroic," she
says.
As a child, Marsha tricked her teachers
into thinking she knew how to read. It all caught up with
her in grade four, when she failed the provincial reading
exam. Adding insult to injury, she was made to repeat
the year. As the tallest and oldest kid in the class,
she didn't want to be seen learning to read with skinny
little books. She was too proud to ask for help, so she
taught herself how to read by taking out the fattest book
in the children's section of the Brantford Public Library:
Oliver Twist. She kept on renewing it for a whole
year. Reading that book was a turning point in Marsha’s
life. She decided that she loved reading, and wanted to
write too.
Marsha loves speaking with students of all
ages, especially those who are struggling academically
or who feel "different."
Website: http://www.calla.com
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