Monique Polak

It’s a good thing Monique Polak has a lot of energy, because she likes to do a lot of stuff. In addition to teaching English and Humanities at Marianopolis College in Montreal, Monique is an active freelance journalist whose work appears frequently in The Montreal Gazette and in Canwest newspapers across the country. Several of her feature stories have also been published in Maclean's Magazine. 

But what Monique likes to do most of all is write fiction for young adults. She is the author of 11 novels: Flip Turn (James Lorimer, 2004), No More Pranks (Orca, 2004); On the Game (James Lorimer, 2005); Home Invasion (Orca, 2005); All In (James Lorimer, 2006); Finding Elmo (Orca, 2007);  Scarred (James Lorimer, 2007); 121 Express (Orca, 2008); What World Is Left (Orca, 2008); The Middle of Everywhere (Orca, 2009) and Junkyard Dog (Orca, 2009).

photographed by Monique Dykstra

Monique's latest books are The Middle of Everywhere (Orca) and Junkyard Dog (Orca). The Middle of Everywhere is set in Nunavik, in Quebec's far north, a region Monique visited in 2007. She returned there in December to celebrate the book's release. 

Monique's historical novel, What World Is Left (Orca, 2008), is based on her mother's experience in a Nazi concentration camp. The American Library Association's publication, Booklist, gave What World Is Left a starred review, describing it as "heartbreaking" and "an important addition to the Holocaust curriculum." Booklist also included What World Is Left on its 2008 Editor's Choice list. The book was also named a 2009 TriState Book of Note and included on Resource Links' Best Books for 2008. 

To watch the CTV interview with Monique and her mom, visit the CTV website .Or click here to listen to an audio clip of Monique discussing and reading from What World Is Left.

Flip Turn, On the Game, All In, Finding Elmo, and Scarred were all selected by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre for its Our Choice lists. Home Invasion was named a Popular Paperback by the American Library Association. All In was nominated for an Arthur Ellis crime-writing prize. Resource Links included Scarred on its Best Books for 2007 list.

Monique lives in Montreal, where many of her stories are set. In addition to writing and teaching, she enjoys cooking, jogging and puttering around her house. She is married to a newspaperman and has one grown daughter.