Don Trembath
Don Trembath was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba and moved to Alberta at the age of 14. He graduated from the University of Alberta in 1988, with a B.A. in English. Don now lives and works in Morinville with his wife and two children.
Don's first novel, The Tuesday Cafe, was inspired by six years of work at the Prospects Literary Association in Edmonton. It was nominated for both the YALSA Best Books for Young Adults 1997 list, and the YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers 1997 list. While working as a writing instructor and volunteer for the association, Don facilitated the writing of a series of photo-story books by his students. He also found the time to publish freelance feature articles in Canadian Living Magazine and Your Baby Magazine, and contribute a bi-weekly column in the Edmonton Journal.
The Tuesday Cafe is nominated for the Pacific Northwest Library Association's Young Readers' Choice Award and made the YALSA Popular paperbacks List for 1998. A Fly Named Alfred was a YALSA Quick Picks nominee and the winner of R Ross Annett Children's Literature Award. Don's third novel, A Beautiful Place on Yonge Street, was released in 1999 to excellent reviews included a starred review from Booklist magazine.
Don is a confident public speaker who is more than willing to give presentations and be interviewed.
Reviews
A Beautiful Place on Yonge Street
Don Trembath
The writer's camp for young people did more for Harper Winslow than cultivate his creative talent. It introduced him to his first love. Tall, dark-eyed, and artistic Sunny Taylor was a walking dream and Harper was hopelessly in love. He wanted to spend every minute with the sophisticated Sunny who opened his mind and heart to new experiences. Her casual, literary family was in sharp contrast to his own conventional one and he found himself spending more and more time at Sunny' apartment. For Harper it was a summer of long walks, talks, and sidewalk cafes. It was also a summer of dealing with his brother's impending divorce and his own emerging independence. Harper learned quickly how love's passion can turn to pathos when Sunny announced that she was spending a year in Toronto to pursue her art career. Tender scenes like the death of Sunny's aunt blend harmoniously with comedic touches like Harper's lack of finesse in the romance department. This engaging, first person narrative is the third installment from this Canadian author. How refreshing to view first love from the boy's perspective. 1999, Orca Publishers, Ages 14 to 16, $6.95. Reviewer: Beverley Fahey
ISBN: 1-55143-121-1
A Fly Named Alfred
Don Trembath
Continuing the story he started in The Tuesday Cafe, Trembath rejoins Harper Winslow in his struggle to find self-worth. With caring, but clueless parents and a reputation as a nobody at school, Harper wants to make something of himself. He starts by submitting an anonymous column to the school newspaper as Alfred the Fly. Everyone loves the column until he makes fun of a school celebrity. That celebrity sends fellow football player to find Alfred and Harper gets pulled into the search. Trembath's realistic and intriguing characters make up for his leading prose in this humorous tale of a teenager searching for his own voice. 1997, Orca, Ages 13 up, $6.95. Reviewer: Alexandria LaFaye
ISBN: 0-8120-6434-8
Lefty Carmichael Has a Fit
Don Trembath
Fifteen-year-old Lefty Carmichael is a pretty ordinary teenager. The only unusual thing about him is his name; he is probably the only right-handed person alive named "Lefty." Still, life isn't too bad. Until the seizures hit. Lefty doesn't remember them--but he's heard about them and doesn't like what he hears. His best friend Rueben is certain Lefty is dead when the first seizure happens. His tough-as-nails mom faints from the sight. His almost-girlfriend Penny doesn't want to be alone with him anymore. Lefty had better get used to it. He has been diagnosed with epilepsy, and the seizures will be a lifelong threat. Though the topic is a serious one, the book is humorous. Don Trembath has created a thoroughly memorable cast of characters, from Lefty and his folks to the neighborhood gossips and teens, in this interesting look at life and adversity. 1999, Orca, Ages 14 to 18, $6.95. Reviewer: Heidi Green
ISBN: 1-55143-166-1
The Tuesday Cafe
Don Trembath
Harper has a lot of problems. His parents are too wrapped up in their own lives to give him the time and respect he deserves. Harper sets a small fire in school to get attention. The attention he gets includes probation, a court order for community service, and he must write an essay on how he will turn his life around. To help him complete the essay, his mother enrolls him in a writing group called the Tuesday Cafe. With their assistance, and that of the school counselor and his parents, Harper discovers ways to change his life and fill the emptiness inside him. The innovative setting provides an intriguing and fresh look at a coming-of -age story. 1996, Orca, Ages 12 up, $6.95. Reviewer: Alexandria LaFaye
ISBN: 1-55143-074-6
Added 1999
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