Part of the series, "Great Canadians," Writers contains six page biographies of a half dozen well known Canadian contemporary writers and an introduction to 13 others. The longer biographies are: Margaret Atwood, Farley Mowat, Alice Munro, Robert Munsch, Mordecai Richler, and Carol Shields. Information about these individuals is presented in a variety of ways including information boxes, photos with captions, quick notes and lists. As with other books in the series, the information provides insights into the personalities and interests of the person and uses headings such as "Early years," "Developing skills," and "Accomplishments." The presentation focuses on the authors' writing careers, makes only brief references to their personal life and mentions but a few of their books. Students in grades 5 to 9 interested in author studies will find this book useful and can access the details by making use of a table of contents, index, glossary and list of suggested reading. No mention is made of websites. As this is the first book on Canadian authors directed at this audience age in recent years, it will be a welcome addition to libraries needing books containing current photos and popular background information about Canadian authors.

Recommended.