Martha Attema
Martha Attema spent her first 32 years in Friesland, the Netherlands, before moving to Ontario in 1981. She currently lives in Corbeil with her husband and is a mother of three. martha received her kindergarten teaching diploma in the Netherlands in 1969, and has continued to educate herself ever since. In 1994 she became an accredited Drama Specialist, through the Faculty of Education at Nipissing University in North Bay. During the 1980s she earned both a B.A. and a B.Ed. from Laurentian University. Martha currently is employed as a grade one teacher of language arts, music and drama.
Martha's first book, A Time to Choose, is a historical novel based on the Dutch resistance to Nazi occupation of the Netherlands during World War II. It won the 1996 Blue Heron Award and was short-listed for the Arthur Ellis Award - Crime Writers of Canada, and the Geoffrey Bilson Historical Fiction Award. A Time to Choose has also been nominated for the Young Adult Library Services Association's Best Books for Young Adults 1997 list.
Martha has always enjoyed collecting folktales, legends and books about the history of Friesland, her native province. She is a confident public speaker and would be happy to appear at any promotional events during the summer months.
Reviews
Light In the Dunes
Martha Attema
Light In the Dunes is a thriller that makes the reader very glad to be safe at home. The story of Rixt is the legend of a witch who lures sailors to their doom. Rikst de Bruin (yes, named the same with different spelling) lives on Ameland, an island off the coast of the Netherlands. When she and her friend find a body on the beach, she tries to tell the authorities, but the body has disappeared and no one believes her. Of course, being fourteen, Rikst must try to discover who the body was, what three mysterious strangers are doing on the beach, and what secret her mother is hiding from her. And why is she named after a witch? Fast-moving and interesting, this adventure will captivate readers. 1997, Orca, Ages 11 to 14, $6.95. Reviewer: Judy Silverman
ISBN: 1-55143-085-1
Added 1999
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