Budge Wilson

Budge Marjorie Wilson (née Archibald; May 2, 1927 – March 19, 2021) was a Canadian writer. She was noted for her work in children's literature.

Wilson started her career in writing in her fifties. Her first book was published in 1984, when she was 56. In total she wrote more than thirty books, mostly children's books, won several awards, and was a recipient of the Order of Canada and the Order of Nova Scotia.

Early life Wilson was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on May 2, 1927. Her father, Maynard Brown Archibald, was a judge; her mother was Helen MacGregor Archibald. Wilson studied philosophy and psychology at Dalhousie University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 1949. She then undertook postgraduate studies at the University of Toronto from 1949 to 1951. She obtained a Diploma of Education in 1953, as well as a certificate in physical education. that won first prize in the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's Literary Competition for Adult Short Story in 1991. It won the Canadian Library Association Young Adult Book Award and the City of Dartmouth Book Award for Fiction that same year, that include: 23 Canadian Children's Book Centre "Our Choice" selections, a Marianna Dempster Award, two Ann Connor Brimer Awards, a Canadian Authors Association Lilla Stirling Award, a National IODE (Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire) Violet Downey Award, an Atlantic Independent Booksellers Award, and an IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People) Honour Award. She was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 2004, and received the Order of Nova Scotia in 2011. One year later, Wilson received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.

Wilson received honorary degrees from Dalhousie University (2010) and Mount Saint Vincent University (2012).

Personal life Wilson married Alan Wilson in 1953. They met while studying at Dalhousie together. He was the founding chair of the Departments of History and Canadian Studies at Trent University. They had two children.

(IODE Violet Downey Book Award, 2009).