Deborah

Hopkinson

Award Winning Children’s Author

Nonfiction & Historical Fiction

Travels from: Portland, OR

“Hopkinson is particularly adept at directing attention to the stories behind the heroic stories.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Deborah Hopkinson is the award-winning author of more than 70 books for young readers including picture books, historical fiction, and nonfiction. Deborah’s nonfiction includes Titanic, Voices from the Disaster, which received a YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction honor and a Robert F. Sibert Honor, Courage & Defiance, Stories of Spies, Saboteurs, and Survivors in WWII Denmark, winner of the OCTE Oregon Spirit Award, and Shutting out the Sky, Life in the Tenements of New York 1880-1924, which received an NCTE Orbis Pictus honor.

Deborah’s historical fiction title, The Great Trouble, A Mystery of London, the Blue Death, and a Boy Called Eel, also won an OCTE Oregon Spirit Award and was a finalist for the Oregon Book award. Her Golden Books include best-selling biographies of Betty White and Dolly Parton.

A native of Massachusetts, Deborah received a B.A. in English from the University of Massachusetts and an M.A. in Asian Studies from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. For many years she worked in academic fundraising for institutions including Whitman College and Oregon State University. She lives with her family and many pets near Portland, Oregon and has two grown children and one grandson.

Deborah's Featured Titles

General Audiences

Unsung Heroes and Heroines of World War II: Deborah has written more than a half dozen books about World War II, including historical fiction as well as nonfiction about the Kindertransport, resistance to the Holocaust, Danish underground fighters, and the Bataan Death March. In this talk she shares the stories of some of the remarkable people whose stories deserve to be more widely known.

Adult Writers Workshops

Workshops for adult writers include talks and interactive workshops on the following topics. Deborah is also available for manuscript critiques as part of the event.

Writing Page-Turning Nonfiction
Research Tip for Writers
Creating Picture Books
Finding the Right Genre for Your Idea

Librarian & Educator Conferences

Be a Detective! Helping Young Readers Think Like Historians: Deborah likes to encourage students to ask questions, to investigate, to examine primary sources, and to explore the hidden stories in history. Because history isn’t just dates and names to be memorized. Instead, it’s a frustrating process, full of arguments, unknowns, and detective work. And these historical thinking skills are exactly what students need in order to become informed and digitally literate citizens in the 21^st century.

Real-World Writing Activities for Students & Young Activists: In this interactive session, Deborah will share tips on using her books to design real-world writing activities for students using her nature and environmentally-focused books such as Follow the Moon Home and Butterflies Belong Here, both winners of the Green Earth Book Award.

Integrating Nonfiction into the Classroom: Inspiring Inquiry in Young Readers: Have questions about how to integrate more nonfiction into the classroom? Wondering how to explain to students the difference between informational fiction and “true nonfiction?” In this interactive session, Deborah will provide examples of her nonfiction tiles, which include Golden Book biographies, to picture books, to award-winning long form nonfiction.

School Visits & Family Nights

Deborah loves to speak with students about reading and writing, environmental action, and history. Sessions feature choral reading for younger students and a focus on critical inquiry skills for older elementary and middle school students.

K-2 What Makes a Writer? (30-35 min) Readers make writers! Deborah explores where ideas come from with an emphasis on reading and practice. The session includes choral reading of picture books such as Girl Wonder and the Adventures of Trim series.

2-3 Imagine the Past (40-45 min) Students learn about nonfiction, historical fiction, and research. Featured books include nonfiction, historical fiction such as The Great Trouble and The Plot to Kill a Queen, which features a cameo by Shakespeare and includes a one-act play free for students to perform.

5-8 Be a History Detective (45-50 min) Deborah encourages upper elementary and middle school students to be history detectives and tell their own stories. The session dives deep into nonfiction and historical fiction including The Great Trouble, The Plot to Kill a Queen, and How I Became a Spy.

6-8 Tell Your Story! (45-50 min) Deborah’s long form WWII nonfiction books include We Had to Be Brave, We Must Not Forget, D-Day, and Race Against Death. These books rely on oral histories and unpublished narratives and Deborah encourages students to tell their own stories.

Family Nights Sharing a love of books is a family affair! Deborah creates an interactive literary experience including choral reading, tips for parents, and a special writing or drawing activity for all ages—including how to draw Trim, the plucky feline hero of The Adventures of Trim.

Writing Activities and Stand-Alone Writing Workshops

All sessions can include writing or drawing activities. The activities below are also available as stand-alone sessions of approximately 45 minutes each.

Follow the Moon Home – This informational fiction picture book models a community action project. Young writers learn how to craft a simple letter seeking support for a fictional project on helping sea turtles–or a project of their choice.

A Letter to My Teacher – This is one of the most enjoyable writing activities for spring, around Teacher Appreciation Week. Students craft a thank you letter to a teacher or another person in their life who has made a difference.

The Story of a Story – Students often wonder about writer’s block. This is a fun book about one young writer’s solution. This picture book has a writing activity with prompts included in the back matter.

Titanic: Voices from the Disaster – In this workshop for upper elementary and middle school students, student writers follow the journey of one family on the fateful ship. Students learn about the family then imagine themselves in the place of a widow writing about the tragedy.

“I received multiple compliments from teachers about how great Deborah was with the presentations and how highly engaged the students were for the entirety of the sessions. Students in our district loved that Deborah was presenting about non-fiction and historical fiction, which are both big favorites with our readers. I will be adding more of Deborah’s books to my book order this year for sure!” — Wharton Borough Public Schools, 2024

“Having Deborah Hopkinson visit our school was amazing. I’ve never seen our students so engaged and interested. I’ve heard from several kids and families how much they enjoyed the visit. Deborah really has a magical way with a large group of kids, she keeps them interested and the pace moving. It was a fantastic experience. Thank you so much.” — B. Jamsgard, Portland, Oregon

“Deborah Hopkinson combines wonderful storytelling with a deep enthusiasm for history. Very few authors are as versatile as Ms. Hopkinson. Whether it’s fiction or nonfiction, picture books or chapter books, she is a talented and engaging author who crafts memorable visits for all age levels.” — L. Grayson, Charleston, S.C.

“Ms. Hopkinson provided a rich learning opportunity for our students! Her visit was the perfect culmination to our nonfiction and historical fiction writing units. Combining colorful slides and clever storytelling, Ms. Hopkinson led students on an ‘author’s journey’ through the writing process, from concept to publication. Our students were thrilled to be able to question a published author, and Ms. Hopkinson provided an engaging Q&A session at the end of her presentation.” — K. Volpe, Sayville, New York

“We were most impressed at your inquiring spirit, which helps us reinforce a major shift in how we teach social studies….Your discussion of your own process of researching and writing and your embodiment of that inquiring spirit is such a powerful model for us.” — GeorgiaDOE Social Studies Team Press

“This inventive collaboration between a beloved author and a Caldecott Medal-winning illustrator rises above the sea of retellings with its empowering themes and postive LGBTQIA+ representation.” — School Library Journal, starred review, Cinderella and a Mouse Called Fred

“This is for readers who are growing confident and are getting ready to launch into transitional chapter books. While the story is about a cat in the distant past, Trim has small adventures any child will recognize: he works at making friends, he has trouble figuring out where he fits in, and he climbs so high he’s too scared to climb down.” — Horn Book, The Adventures of Trim

“Nonfiction at its best.” — Kirkus Reviews, starred review, Shutting out the Sky

“In lively, image-rich language, Delicious tells of rafting the baby trees across a perilous river…Nancy Carpenter’s bright illustrations capture the exuberant spirit and the humor.” — New York Times, Apples to Oregon

Deadliest Nonfiction Study Guide

Deborah’s Critique Services

Deborah’s Events

Deborah’s Nonfiction Reading: Tips for Kids (and You)

Deborah’s Summer Reading Tips

Honors, Awards & Recognition

National Awards
ALA/ALSC Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal Honor
Bank Street College of Education Cook Prize Honor
Boston Globe/Horn Book Honor Book
Green Earth Book Award
Growing Good Kids Award
ILA Social Justice Literature Award
Jane Addams Peace Association Children’s Book Award
NCTE Orbis Pictus Award Honor
NCSS Carter G. Woodson Award Honor
NCTE Charlotte Huck Award for Outstanding Fiction Recommended
Parents’ Choice Silver Honor Award
SCBWI Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Text
SCBWI Golden Kite Award Nonfiction Text for Older Readers Finalist
Sidney Taylor Book Award Notable
Sigurd F. Olsen Nature Writing Award
Time of Wonder Children’s Book Award
YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Finalist

State Awards
Cardinal Cup Series of Note, VA
Comstock Book Award, MN
Eloise Jarvis McGraw Children’s Literature Award, Oregon
Leslie Bradshaw Award for Young Adult Literature Award, Oregon
OCTE Oregon Spirit Award
Paterson Prize for Books for Young People Honor, NJ