The Red Maple Award is an award in the Ontario Library Association (OLA) Forest of Reading Awards. The Red Maple Award celebrates fiction (since 1998) and non-fiction (every other year since 2005) Canadian books for grades 7–8 (ages 12–14) every year. Out of ten nominated books in each category students must read a minimum of five to vote for their favourite. The winner is chosen by the most popular book in all participating libraries, schools, groups, etc.
Five years after the original Silver Birch Award was created an award for grades 7–9, the Red Maple Award was created. In 2005 a non-fiction subcategory of the Red Maple Award was created. It runs on all odd-numbered years.
So far, there have been 22 awards in fiction and 8 in non fiction.[1] [2]
Only seven authors have won the award more than once: Eric Walters (2001, 2007 Fiction, 2008, 2015 Fiction) with four, Susin Neilsen (2010, 2014, 2020) and Kenneth Oppel (2005 Fiction, 2006, 2012) with three each, and Gayle Friesen (1999, 2003), Wesley King (2013 Fiction, 2019 Fiction), Norah McClintock (2004, 2009 Fiction), and Andreas Schroeder (2005 Non-fiction, 2007 non-fiction) with two each. Friesen was the first to win the award twice, while Walters was the first to win three and four times.
Kenneth Oppel was the first to win back to back in 2005 and 2006, followed by Eric Walters in 2007 and 2008. Andreas Schroeder was the first to win back to back in non-fiction in 2005 and 2007.
Carol Matas was the first fiction winner, while Andreas Schroeder was the first non-fiction winner.
| 1998 | After the War | Winner | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stranger at Bay | Finalist | ||
| A Light in the Dunes | Finalist | ||
| No Fixed Address | Finalist | ||
| What's Tuesday? | Finalist | ||
| Uncle Ronald | Finalist | ||
| Back of Beyond | Finalist | ||
| Promise Song | Finalist | ||
| Moonkid and Prometheus | Finalist | ||
| Finalist | |||
| 1999 | Janey's Girl | Winner | |
| Zack | Finalist | ||
| Angels Turn Their Backs | Finalist | ||
| Mercy's Birds | Finalist | ||
| Sins of the Father | Finalist | ||
| Make or Break Spring | Finalist | ||
| Awake and Dreaming | Finalist | ||
| War of the Eagles | Finalist | ||
| Brad's Universe | Finalist | ||
| Stephen Fair | Finalist |
| 2000 | What They Don't Know | Winner | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finalist | |||
| Finalist | |||
| Touch of the Clown | Finalist | ||
| Dahling, If You Luv Me Would You Please Smile | Finalist | ||
| Password: Murder | Finalist | ||
| Daughter | Finalist | ||
| Alone At Ninety Foot | Finalist | ||
| Sunwing | Finalist | ||
| Finalist | |||
| 2001 | Rebound | Winner | |
| Finalist | |||
| Men of Stone | Finalist | ||
| Raspberry House Blues | Finalist | ||
| Storm Warning | Finalist | ||
| Finalist | |||
| Over the Edge | Finalist | ||
| Charlie Wilcox | Finalist | ||
| Finalist | |||
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| 2002 | Clara's War | Winner | |
| Stones | Finalist | ||
| Whisperings of Magic | Finalist | ||
| Whose Side Are You On? | Finalist | ||
| Finalist | |||
| Bone Beds of the Badlands | Finalist | ||
| Dust | Finalist | ||
| Across the Steel River | Finalist | ||
| By the Standing Stone | Finalist | ||
| Bully Boys | Finalist | ||
| 2003 | Losing Forever | Winner | |
| Finalist | |||
| Irish Chain | Finalist | ||
| Flood | Finalist | ||
| Finalist | |||
| Firewing | Finalist | ||
| Out of the Ashes: A Shelby Belgarden Mystery | Finalist | ||
| City of the Dead | Finalist | ||
| Saving Jasey | Finalist | ||
| Fractures | Finalist | ||
| 2004 | Hit and Run | Winner | |
| Parvana's Journey | Finalist | ||
| Finalist | |||
| In Spite of Killer Bees | Finalist | ||
| Finalist | |||
| and James Heneghan | Waiting for Sarah | Finalist | |
| Charlie Wilcox's Great War | Finalist | ||
| An Earthly Knight | Finalist | ||
| On Wings of a Dragon | Finalist | ||
| Run | Finalist | ||
| 2005 | Airborn | Winner | |
| Finalist | |||
| Stitches | Finalist | ||
| Peacekeepers | Finalist | ||
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| Dead and Gone | Finalist | ||
| Finalist | |||
| Nobody's Child | Finalist | ||
| Sister to the Wolf | Finalist | ||
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| 2006 | Skybreaker | Winner | |
| After Sylvia | Finalist | ||
| Gravesavers | Finalist | ||
| Sower Of Tales | Finalist | ||
| Blood Brothers | Finalist | ||
| Mercury Man | Finalist | ||
| Lost Goat Lane | Finalist | ||
| Convicts | Finalist | ||
| Greenies | Finalist | ||
| From Charlie's Point of View | Finalist | ||
| 2007 | We All Fall Down | Winner | |
| Johnny Kellock Died Today | Finalist | ||
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| Born to Rock | Finalist | ||
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| Not a Trace Series: A Chloe and Levesque Mystery | Finalist | ||
| Finalist | |||
| Megiddo's Shadow | Finalist | ||
| Red Goodwin | Finalist | ||
| 2008 | Safe as Houses | Winner | |
| Finalist | |||
| Stolen Away | Finalist | ||
| Pirate's Passage | Finalist | ||
| Skinnybones and the Wrinkle Queen | Finalist | ||
| Gemini Summer | Finalist | ||
| Darkwing | Finalist | ||
| Sarah's Legacy | Finalist | ||
| Endymion Spring | Finalist | ||
| Where Soldiers Lie | Finalist | ||
| 2009 | Out of the Cold | Winner | |
| Way Lies North | Finalist | ||
| Perilous Passage | Finalist | ||
| Elijah of Buxton | Finalist | ||
| Payback | Finalist | ||
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| Frost | Finalist | ||
| Finalist | |||
| Egghead | Finalist | ||
| Not Fair, Clare | Finalist |
| 2010 | Word Nerd | Winner | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finalist | |||
| Lunch with Lenin and Other Stories | Finalist | ||
| After | Finalist | ||
| War Brothers | Finalist | ||
| Starclimber | Finalist | ||
| Greener Grass | Finalist | ||
| Submarine Outlaw | Finalist | ||
| Leaving Fletchville | Finalist | ||
| Night Runner | Finalist | ||
| 2011 | Not Suitable for Family Viewing | Winner | |
| Finalist | |||
| Only in the Movies | Finalist | ||
| Ghost Ride | Finalist | ||
| My Name is Henry Bibb | Finalist | ||
| Nieve | Finalist | ||
| Haunted | Finalist | ||
| POP | Finalist | ||
| Finalist | |||
| Wounded | Finalist | ||
| 2012 | Half Brother | Winner | |
| Fanatics | Finalist | ||
| Torn from Troy | Finalist | ||
| No Safe Place | Finalist | ||
| Haunting Violet | Finalist | ||
| Home Truths | Finalist | ||
| and Rafal Gerszak | Thunder Over Kandahar | Finalist | |
| Dear George Clooney Please Marry My Mom | Finalist | ||
| Fly Boy | Finalist | ||
| Dust City | Finalist | ||
| 2013 | Winner | ||
| crush. candy. corpse. | Finalist | ||
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| This Dark Endeavour | Finalist | ||
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| Testify | Finalist | ||
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| End of Days | Finalist | ||
| First Descent | Finalist | ||
| 2014 | Winner | ||
| and M. A. Marr | Loki's Wolves: The Blackwell Pages | Finalist | |
| Devil's Pass | Finalist | ||
| Oak Island Revenge | Finalist | ||
| My Name is Parvana | Finalist | ||
| Small Medium at Large | Finalist | ||
| Such Wicked Intent | Finalist | ||
| Counting Back from Nine | Finalist | ||
| Jump Cut | Finalist | ||
| Between Heaven and Earth | Finalist | ||
| 2015 | Rule of Three | Winner | |
| Dead Man's Switch | Finalist | ||
| Finalist | |||
| Outside In | Finalist | ||
| Finalist | |||
| How to Outrun a Crocodile When Your Shoes Are Untied | Finalist | ||
| Finalist | |||
| Unspeakable | Finalist | ||
| Zomboy | Finalist | ||
| Summer Days, Starry Nights | Finalist | ||
| 2016 | Winner | ||
| Uncertain Soldier | Finalist | ||
| Finalist | |||
| Finalist | |||
| Prison Boy | Finalist | ||
| Fragile Bones: Harrison and Anna | Finalist | ||
| We Are All Made of Molecules | Finalist | ||
| Finalist | |||
| and David Wyman | Young Man with Camera: A Novel with Photographs | Finalist | |
| Walking Home | Finalist | ||
| 2017 | Shooter | Winner | |
| Finalist | |||
| Finalist | |||
| Born With: Erika and Gianni | Finalist | ||
| Lucky Jonah | Finalist | ||
| Flickers | Finalist | ||
| MiNRS | Finalist | ||
| Shattered Glass | Finalist | ||
| Trouble is a Friend of Mine | Finalist | ||
| Sea Change | Finalist | ||
| 2018 | Winner | ||
| Hawk | Finalist | ||
| and Jeff Lemire | Secret Path | Finalist | |
| Short for Chameleon | Finalist | ||
| Laura Monster Crusher | Finalist | ||
| Bent Not Broken: Madeline and Justin | Finalist | ||
| And Then the Sky Exploded | Finalist | ||
| Run | Finalist | ||
| Finalist | |||
| Summer's End | Finalist | ||
| 2019 | Winner | ||
| Finalist | |||
| Finalist | |||
| Skating Over Thin Ice | Finalist | ||
| Sadia | Finalist | ||
| Finalist | |||
| Finalist | |||
| Don't Tell the Enemy | Finalist | ||
| Fourth Dimension | Finalist | ||
| Tracker's Canyon | Finalist |
| 2020[5] | No Fixed Address | Winner | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crush | Finalist | ||
| In the Key of Nira Ghandi | Finalist | ||
| Finalist | |||
| and Byron Eggenschwiler | Operatic | Finalist | |
| Call of the Wraith | Finalist | ||
| and Natasha Donovan | Surviving the City | Finalist | |
| Finalist | |||
| Finalist | |||
| Stowaway | Finalist | ||
| 2021[6] | Bloom | Winner | |
| Finalist | |||
| , Nahanni Shingoose, and Neal Shannacappo | If I Go Missing | Finalist | |
| Safe Harbour | Finalist | ||
| Sara and the Search for Normal | Finalist | ||
| and Sharon E. McKay | Yara's Spring | Finalist | |
| Finalist | |||
| Dragon Assassin | Finalist | ||
| and Kathy Kacer | Broken Strings | Finalist | |
| Finalist | |||
| 2022[7] | [8] | Winner | |
| Firefly | Finalist | ||
| Finalist | |||
| Linked | Finalist | ||
| Sisters of the Wolf | Finalist | ||
| and Sasha Nanua | Sisters of the Snake | Finalist | |
| Tremendous Things | Finalist | ||
| Birdspell | Finalist | ||
| and Natasha Donovan | From the Roots Up | Finalist | |
| Under Amelia's Wing | Finalist | ||
| 2023[9] | Batter Royale | Finalist | |
| and Eric Walters | On the Line | Finalist | |
| Under the Iron Bridge | Finalist | ||
| Walking in Two Worlds | Finalist | ||
| Sorry for Your Loss | Finalist | ||
| Let the Monster Out | Finalist | ||
| Finalist | |||
| Children of the Fox | Finalist | ||
| Eight Days | Finalist | ||
| Finalist |
| 2005 | Scams! | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Thieves!: Ten Stories of Surprising Heists, Comical Capers and Daring Escapades | ||
| 2009 | Royal Murder | ||
| 2011 | Bite of the Mango | ||
| 2013 | Real Justice: Fourteen and Sentenced to Death | ||
| 2015 | |||
| 2017 | , Jessica Dee Humphreys, and Claudia Dávila | Child Soldier: When Boys and Girls Are Used in War | |
| 2019 | and Susan McClelland | Every Falling Star: The True Story of How I Survived and Escaped North Korea |