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Philippa Dowding

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578 books | 4,891 friends

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Philippa Dowding

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Philippa Dowding is an author, poet, and composer/musician based in Toronto. She is the winner of the Governor General's Literary Award, Young People's Literature, Text, and the Ruth & Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award, for her book FIREFLY.

Philippa was a writer early in life, and began writing poetry and short stories at age nine. She studied English Language & Literature at Western University in London, Ontario, and completed an M.A. in English at The University of Toronto. Soon after graduating, she began her professional writing life as a copywriter in the magazine and newspaper industry, where she won many industry awards.

When she had a family, she began telling bedtime stories to her children. One story, about a lost gargoyle liv
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Philippa Dowding Hi Brayden! Thanks for asking that great question, no one has ever asked that before so I'll have to think about my answer. I guess in terms of nomina…moreHi Brayden! Thanks for asking that great question, no one has ever asked that before so I'll have to think about my answer. I guess in terms of nominations and awards, The Gargoyle at the Gates (my third book), was probably the most popular. But my fourth book, The Strange Gift of Gwendolyn Golden, has the most reviews and want-to-read or currently-reading interest on Goodreads, so it seems to be pretty popular too. So they are pretty closely tied, I think. Hope this answers your question! Philippa(less)
Philippa Dowding Hi Bobbi! Thanks for asking my first question on here. I love gargoyles, too, but the idea for the stories came from a visit to an antique store here …moreHi Bobbi! Thanks for asking my first question on here. I love gargoyles, too, but the idea for the stories came from a visit to an antique store here in Toronto. One night I was visiting a relative on Queen St east, and my children and I walked into an antique store. The back stairs were glowing, and when I walked over to look, I saw a gargoyle with a candle on each step. I looked away, when I looked back it really looked like each gargoyle had moved, just a little. That night I told my children a bedtime story about a gargoyle that had followed us home. After several weeks of telling more and more bedtime stories about the gargoyle, my daughter (who was 9 at the time), said, "that's good Mum, you should write that down." I realized, hey, she's right! It's a good character. So that's how I started writing about gargoyles, and I love them more every time I write a new book about them. Thanks for asking! Philippa(less)
Average rating: 3.95 · 1,177 ratings · 290 reviews · 21 distinct worksSimilar authors
Firefly

3.99 avg rating — 265 ratings — published 2021 — 3 editions
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The Strange Gift of Gwendol...

3.63 avg rating — 243 ratings — published 2014 — 5 editions
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Oculum (The Children of Ocu...

3.92 avg rating — 174 ratings2 editions
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The Gargoyle at the Gates

4.22 avg rating — 78 ratings — published 2012 — 6 editions
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Myles and the Monster Outsi...

4.10 avg rating — 62 ratings — published 2015 — 4 editions
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The Gargoyle Overhead (Lost...

3.91 avg rating — 58 ratings — published 2010 — 7 editions
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Carter and the Curious Maze...

3.91 avg rating — 56 ratings — published 2016 — 4 editions
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The Gargoyle in My Yard (Lo...

3.98 avg rating — 54 ratings — published 2009 — 10 editions
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Jake and the Giant Hand (We...

4.09 avg rating — 46 ratings — published 2014 — 7 editions
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Everton Miles Is Stranger T...

4.05 avg rating — 41 ratings3 editions
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More books by Philippa Dowding…

The BOOK TRAILER for The Love Song of Mr. Byrd

The Love Song of Mr. Byrd by Philippa Dowding The Love Song of Mr. Byrd is now out in the world! Welcome new book!

This story in ten short chapters follows Bat and Mr. Byrd one summer as they learn about the delicate nature of friendship. It's my publisher's first chapter book and mine too, aimed for readers ages 6 -9, although it makes a thoughtful, gentle read-aloud for all ages. Thank you to my publisher, DCB Young Readers, for bringin Read more of this blog post »
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Rogue Protocol
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by Martha Wells (Goodreads Author)
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La frantumaglia
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Philippa Dowding is now following Monica Kulling's reviews
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The Outsmarters by Deborah Ellis
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Birch and Jay by Allister Thompson
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We're 150+ years in the future and humans have destroyed everything, including the climate and social infrastructure. The remnants of humanity are living in enclaves in small towns, tiny hamlets, or have become solo nomads hiding in the woods. Then, ...more
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Best of All Worlds by Kenneth Oppel
Best of All Worlds
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The Love Song of Mr. Byrd by Philippa Dowding
"Two unlikely friends meet on a branch and become old friends. An uncomplicated anthem to friendship is a welcome change to the all of the external conflict in our lives. The perfect book to read out loud. (Maybe to a to a grand child or yourself). "
The Love Song of Mr. Byrd by Philippa Dowding
"THE LOVE SONG OF MR. BYRD, Philippa Dowding’s newest book for children, illustrates the theme of developing friendship in gentle and poetic prose. Dowding’s previous DCB offering, FIREFLY, won the Governor General’s Literary Award in 2021, so it’s no" Read more of this review »
The Love Song of Mr. Byrd by Philippa Dowding
"Upon opening the first page, l became immersed in the magical tale of “The love song of Mr. Byrd”! Lines like “at twilight, the in between time, anything can happen. At twilight, magic is anywhere.” I was totally captivated by the beautiful lyrical w" Read more of this review »
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Best of All Worlds by Kenneth Oppel
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Encampment by Maggie Helwig
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"Alive until sunrise."

This beautiful memoir was suggested to me a few weeks ago by a smart bookseller at Flying Books on College Street. It's not often that I find memoir and social commentary so gripping that I can't put it down. Wise, in-depth, and
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David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
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“If I had my life to live over again, I would focus on the getting and eating of ice cream.”
Bob Odenkirk, A Load of Hooey

“I have spent a good many years since―too many, I think―being ashamed about what I write. I think I was forty before I realized that almost every writer of fiction or poetry who has ever published a line has been accused by someone of wasting his or her God-given talent. If you write (or paint or dance or sculpt or sing, I suppose), someone will try to make you feel lousy about it, that's all.”
Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

“I've been all over the world and I've never seen a statue of a critic.”
Leonard Bernstein

“Genius is more often found in a cracked pot than in a whole one.”
E.B. White

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Kristin Butcher Hi Philippa,
Hope all is well in your world. I haven't fallen off the face of the earth; just left the social network. (It's been a year and a half already.) It wasn't a a healthy fit for me. New book coming out next spring. In the meantime, I'm honing my painting skills. Who knows? Perhaps I can become an illustrator. To catch up on my activity or to get in touch, please visit me at my website: www.kristinbutcher.com


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