Karen Autio

Karen Autio is the author of a picture book about inclusion, disabilities, accessibility, and friendship (in English and French), a middle grade STEM novel called MAKING SEAKER (Crwth Press, 2021), two sea otter adventure chapter books called KAH-LAN THE ADVENTUROUS SEA OTTER (Sono Nis Press, 2015), illustrated by Sheena Lott, and KAH-LAN AND THE STINK-INK (Crwth Press, 2020), illustrated by Emma Pedersen, for ages 7 to 12, and GROWING UP IN WILD HORSE CANYON (Crwth Press, 2018), a narrative nonfiction picture book of Okanagan history illustrated by Loraine Kemp.

Karen is also the author of a trilogy of historical middle grade novels for ages 10 and up. The first book in her trilogy is called SECOND WATCH (Sono Nis Press, 2005) and was inspired by the tale of a silver spoon from her Finnish grandmother and the wreck of the Canadian Pacific steamship Empress of Ireland in 1914. The sequel, SAARA'S PASSAGE (Sono Nis Press, 2008), was inspired by the mystery surrounding her Finnish grandmother's battle with tuberculosis, and the letters she wrote to her infant daughter while quarantined with TB. Both of these books have been used in classrooms and shortlisted for the BC Chocolate Lily Award.

SABOTAGE is the final book in the historical fiction trilogy about the Finnish-Canadian Mäki family in early Thunder Bay, ON. German spies? Sabotage plots? Innocent people sent to internment camps? Believe it or not, this is northwestern Ontario in 1915. The danger hits close to home for battling siblings Saara and John Mäki. Can they work together to save their family?

SABOTAGE was shortlisted for the 2014 Arthur Ellis Award for Best Juvenile/YA Crime Book and the 2015 Manitoba Young Readers’ Choice Award, and it was listed in the Canadian Children's Book Centre's BEST BOOKS for KIDS & TEENS Spring 2014.

View Karen's author video/book trailer where she speaks about SABOTAGE:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ewhSR1kmBI

View Karen's author video where she introduces KAH-LAN AND THE STINK-INK:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBelbWwcWYU

KAH-LAN won the 2016 Word Award for Children's Novel.

Karen was a finalist for the 2017 Okanagan Arts Award for Literature.

View the book trailer for GROWING UP IN WILD HORSE CANYON:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rc4k4SeJZC4

Karen grew up in Nipigon, Ontario, and now lives in Kelowna, British Columbia. She is a graduate of the University of Waterloo and worked as a software developer for several years before pursuing her long held dream of writing for children. Karen is a member of the Children's Writers and Illustrators of British Columbia Society (CWILL), the Canadian Society of Children's Authors, Illustrators and Performers (CANSCAIP), and the Canadian Children's Book Centre.

To learn more about Karen Autio and her books, visit www.karenautio.com where you can subscribe to her author newsletter, or visit www.facebook.com/karenautioauthor.