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William Bell

1945 – 2016

Canadian children's writer

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About William Bell

Lived 1945 – 2016 (aged 70). William Bell was a Canadian children's writer and writer.

William Edwin Bell (27 October 194530 July 2016) was a Canadian author of young adult fiction, born in Toronto, Ontario. He lived in Orillia, Ontario.

Personal life and education Bell was born in Toronto on 27 October 1945 to William B. and Irene (nee Spowart) Bell. He attended New Toronto Secondary School, which inspired his novel Crabbe. In 1969, he received a Master of Arts in literature from the University of Toronto, and in 1984, he received a Master of Education in education curriculum and administration from the university's Ontario Institute for Studies in Education.

Career

Teaching Bell taught in a variety of settings. He was a high school teacher at several schools in Simcoe County and the head of the English department at Orillia District Collegiate & Vocational Institute. In the early 1980s, he taught English in China at the Harbin University of Science and Technology and the Foreign Affairs College.

Bell wrote many books, including three set near his home in Orillia, Ontario (Five Days of the Ghost, Stones and Fanatics), two in Barrie (Death Wind, The Cripples' Club), one in Toronto (Julian) and one in Fergus (Zack).

Bell's work has been widely published outside of Canada. His books have been translated into Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Polish, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch and Japanese.

Awards and honors

Books Crabbe - 1986 Metal Head - 1987 The Cripples' Club - 1988 (reissued in 1993 as Absolutely Invincible) Death Wind - 1989 Five Days of the Ghost - 1989 Forbidden City - 1990 No Signature - 1992 Speak to the Earth - 1994 The Golden Disk - 1995 (a picture book) River My Friend - 1996 (a picture book) Zack - 1998 Stones - 2001 Alma - 2003 Throwaway Daughter – 2003 (written with his wife Ting-Xing Ye) Just Some Stuff I Wrote - 2005 The Blue Helmet - 2006 Only in the Movies - 2010 Fanatics - 2011 Julian - 2014

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Awards
Canadian Library Association Young Adult Book Award
Also known as
William E. Bell, William Edwin Bell (per LAC), William Edwin Bell

People in William Bell's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped William Bell's

Frequently asked questions

Who was William Bell?

Canadian children's writer (1945–2016)

When was William Bell born?

William Bell was born on 27 October 1945 in Toronto.

When did William Bell die?

William Bell died on 30 July 2016 in Orillia.

What was William Bell's occupation?

William Bell was a children's writer and writer.

What nationality was William Bell?

William Bell was Canadian.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: William Bell

· Wikidata: Q3568581

· DBpedia: William Bell (author)

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). William Bell. https://biography.guide/william-bell-children-s-writer/

MLA: "William Bell." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/william-bell-children-s-writer/.

Chicago: "William Bell." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/william-bell-children-s-writer/.

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