Bestselling Young Adult Author Mentors Toronto High School

SCARBOROUGH, Ontario (May 28, 2018) – On Wednesday May 23^rd, bestselling author Victoria Aveyard visited Cedarbrae Collegiate Institute as part of the wildly successful Speak Up! high school mentorship program initiated by the RBC Foundation and First Book Canada. Over 65 grade 9 students benefited Aveyard speaking about her path after high school and her career as a writer.

“This was a great experience with First Book Canada. I am happy that there is a program such as this in place that connects authors with schools so that these students have the opportunity to speak with authors in their own natural environment. I never had that sort of opportunity when I was in school and I wish that I had,” said Victoria Aveyard.

Each student received a copy of the final book in Aveyard’s bestselling Red Queen series, War Storm. This program emphasizes post-secondary school success through a combination of financial literacy and enriched reading skills. This program is generously supported by the RBC Foundation.

“This is the final Speak Up! event for this school year and we could not be happier to close out the series with the hugely popular author Victoria Aveyard,” said Tom Best, Executive Director of First Book Canada. “Victoria’s unique story is an inspirational one for teens interested in a career in the arts and this event gives students a rare opportunity to understand the working process of a writer of world renown.”

Victoria Aveyard is an author and screenwriter, born and raised in a small town in Western Massachusetts. She pursued a degree in Writing for Film & Television at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. After graduating college in 2012, Victoria moved home from Los Angeles and began writing the manuscript that would become Red Queen. She has since published four #1 New York Times bestselling books, two New York Times bestselling novellas, and continues pursuing her writing career while living full-time in Los Angeles, California. The Red Queen series is currently being translated into 37 languages and counting. You can visit Victoria online at www.victoriaaveyard.com.

About First Book Canada

By making new, high quality books and educational resources available on an ongoing basis, First Book Canada is transforming the lives of children and elevating the quality of education in the country. Since 2009, First Book Canada has distributed over 6 million new books to hundreds of thousands of children in need across Canada. For more information, or to register for books, visit us at firstbookcanada.org and follow our latest news on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Media Contact:

Tom Best, Executive Director, First Book Canada
tbest@firstbook.org
866.732.3669 ext. 0130

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