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Larry Verstraete

Goodreads Author

Born

in Winnipeg, Canada

Website

http://www.larryverstraete.com/

Genre

Children's, Nonfiction

Influences

Erik Larson, Jon Krakauer, Robert Massie, Katherine Paterson, Seymour ...more

Member Since

October 2014

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At nine years old, there were subtle signs that Larry Verstraete might be a writer some day. While thumbing through a toy catalog just before Christmas, he found, and then later received, the perfect gift - a small toy printing press. The summer after, Larry and a friend started an ambitious publishing project, aiming to become as he puts it, ‘rich and famous’ with the printing press.

Their goal was to publish and sell a newsletter filled with stories gathered around the neighborhood. For a week, the two would-be reporters spied on neighbors, filling notepads with facts and observations. But when they started setting the stories into type on the printing press, the project floundered. The work was too boring, too tedious, and they abandoned At nine years old, there were subtle signs that Larry Verstraete might be a writer some day. While thumbing through a toy catalog just before Christmas, he found, and then later received, the perfect gift - a small toy printing press. The summer after, Larry and a friend started an ambitious publishing project, aiming to become as he puts it, ‘rich and famous’ with the printing press.

Their goal was to publish and sell a newsletter filled with stories gathered around the neighborhood. For a week, the two would-be reporters spied on neighbors, filling notepads with facts and observations. But when they started setting the stories into type on the printing press, the project floundered. The work was too boring, too tedious, and they abandoned dreams of fame and wealth in favor of more enjoyable summer pastimes like swimming and biking.

That was Larry’s earliest foray into writing, and although that venture was a gob-smacking failure, the drive to write simmered below the surface for years. One day, older now with a science degree under his belt and a teaching career already well in hand, fate intervened. While waiting for a haircut in a salon, a magazine ad for a correspondence writing course caught his eye, rekindling his desire to write and be published. He clipped out the ad, enrolled in the course and as the saying goes ‘the rest is history’.

One of his first course assignments was to write a non-fiction article for children. He quickly latched on to a topic that fascinated him – accidental discoveries in science. By the end of the course, he’d written about 25 short stories, each telling about a breakthrough in science that owed much to a mistake, mishap, coincidence or spectacular blunder. That became his first Scholastic book – The Serendipity Effect (later re-issued under the title Accidental Discoveries: From Laughing Gas to Dynamite).

Since then, Larry has published 13 non-fiction books and 1 middle grade novel. The roots of his writing lie deep in his own personal experiences and his interests in science, history and true adventure. For Larry, ideas usually begin with an intriguing story, event or fact, something that triggers his curiosity. He and his wife are devoted travelers, and each trip offers fresh opportunities to discover new writing material. Becoming lost on a mountain hike in Colorado, for example, sparked the idea for Survivors:True Death-Defying Escapes, and visiting the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona – the place where Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto – eventually became C is for Compare in his book S is for Scientists: A Discovery Alphabet.

Some key accomplishments of Larry’s career include:
•Two-time recipient of Ontario’s Silver Birch Award for Non-fiction (Survivors: True Death-Defying Escapes; At the Edge: Daring Acts in Desperate Times)
•Two-time recipient of the McNally Robinson Book of the Year for Young People Award (Lost Treasures: True Stories of Discovery; S is for Scientists: A Discovery Alphabet)
•Awarded B.C.’s Red Cedar Award (Survivors: True Death-Defying Escapes)
•Nominated for the Norma Fleck Award (Accidental Discoveries: From Laughing Gas to Dynamite)
•Nominated for the New York Reading Association Charlotte Award & Alberta’s Rocky Mountain Award (Surviving the Hindenburg)
•Among other distinctions: Honor winner, 2014 Story Telling World Resource Awards (Surviving the Hindenburg); Runner-up, 2012 USA Best Book Awards, Children's Picture Book (Surviving the Hindenburg); Outstanding Science Trade Book of 2011 by the National Science Teachers Association and Children’s Book Council (S is for Scientists: A Discovery Alphabet); Selected, 2001 Canadian Toy Testing Council, 25 Great Books, (Whose Bright Idea Was It?)

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Average rating: 3.98 · 368 ratings · 81 reviews · 23 distinct works • Similar authors

	Surviving the Hindenburg 3.94 avg rating — 79 ratings — published 2012 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	At the Edge: Daring Acts in Desperate Times 3.91 avg rating — 66 ratings — published 2009 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Coop The Great 4.33 avg rating — 46 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Case Files: 40 Murders and Mysteries Solved by Science 3.83 avg rating — 36 ratings — published 2011	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	S Is for Scientists: A Discovery Alphabet by Larry Verstraete (Goodreads Author), David Geister (Illustrator) 4.39 avg rating — 31 ratings — published 2010 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Whose Bright Idea Was It?: True Stories Of Invention 3.76 avg rating — 21 ratings — published 1997 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Missing in Paradise 3.55 avg rating — 22 ratings — published 2014 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Survivors!: True Death-Defying Escapes 3.93 avg rating — 14 ratings — published 2003	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Accidental Discoveries: From Laughing Gas To Dynamite 3.93 avg rating — 14 ratings — published 1999	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	'Dinosaurs' of the Deep: Discover Prehistoric Marine Life by Larry Verstraete (Goodreads Author), Julius Csotonyi (Illustrations) 4.11 avg rating — 9 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Controversial – The Lindbergh Kidnapping and Murder

In my proposal for what would eventually become Case Files: 40 Murders and Mysteries Solved by Science, I envisioned a book where “readers encounter perplexing cases, many solved with clues unmasked by scientists and considered closed, and still others baffling puzzles open to speculation.” To me, it was important to show that science is an […]

The post Controversial – The Lindbergh Kidnapping and

Larry is Currently Reading

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Music for Tigers

by Michelle Kadarusman (Goodreads Author)

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Black Water

by David Alexander Robertson (Goodreads Author)

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Jul 02, 2021 12:51PM

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Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel (Before You Waste Three Years Writing 327 Pages That Go Nowhere)

by Lisa Cron (Goodreads Author)

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Mar 06, 2021 04:32PM

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Larry Verstraete rated a book really liked it The Dig by John Preston	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I listened to the audio version of The Dig which was narrated by a team of readers portraying different characters from the book. There was a lot to appreciate in this somewhat fictionalized story of a famous archeological find in England – a well ro ...more
Oct 03, 2021 05:02PM · 1 like · like · see review
Larry Verstraete rated a book it was amazing Tainted Amber by Gabriele Goldstone (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I not only enjoyed this book but learned a great deal from it as well, in particular about Nazi indoctrination, the use of propaganda. and the resulting division created between factions of Germany’s population before the outbreak of the war. Gabriel ...more
Oct 03, 2021 05:02PM · 2 likes · like · see review
Larry Verstraete rated a book really liked it In Search of April Raintree by Beatrice Mosionier	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I chose this book in order to gain a better understanding of indigenous history, in particular the treatment given indigenous children placed in foster care and the resulting ramifications of such treatment. To those ends, the book served me well. Th ...more
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Larry Verstraete rated a book it was amazing Black Water by David Alexander Robertson (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Larry Verstraete rated a book it was amazing Lost on the Prairie by MaryLou Driedger (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
In Lost on the Prairie by MaryLou Driedger, readers follow young Peter Schmidt on his quest to reunite with his family after he becomes separated from them while moving from Kansas to Saskatchewan in the early 1900s. There is much to enjoy in this bo ...more
Jun 15, 2021 08:38PM · 2 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Lost on the Prairie by MaryLou Driedger. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Lost on the Prairie by MaryLou Driedger <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Larry Verstraete liked Hannah's review of Coop The Great: "Coop the Great was my last MYRCA book (10th) and I think it’s really good!!! I loved the writing. I didn’t like the bad words in it but I understand why Larry Verstraete put them in there. I can’t say much more because I think it will spoil it. It is" Read more of this review »
May 23, 2021 05:45PM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Coop The Great by Larry Verstraete. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Coop The Great by Larry Verstraete <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Larry Verstraete liked K-Moss's review of Coop The Great: "I couldn’t put this book down. I read it in three sittings. The action never ends. I usually don’t enjoy books written from the perspective of a dog but this one is somehow different. Although there are aspects of the storyline which are far fetched," Read more of this review »
May 23, 2021 05:44PM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Coop The Great by Larry Verstraete. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Coop The Great by Larry Verstraete <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Larry Verstraete rated a book it was amazing When Harry Met Minnie: A True Story of Love and Friendship by Martha Teichner (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I was captivated by the book's description, and having shared homes with a number of dogs over the years, I thought this might be the perfect book for me. It was. Rich with detail, laced together in a very personal way, I fell in love with the story ...more
May 23, 2021 04:02PM · 1 like · like · see review
Larry Verstraete rated a book really liked it Consider This: Moments in My Writing Life After Which Everything Was Different by Chuck Palahniuk (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
From the author of Fight Club and other works, this is a loose collection of writing tips and advice, much of it drawn from Palahniuk’s own experiences, some of it borrowed from the pages or experiences of other writers of fiction. The bits are held ...more
May 16, 2021 06:06PM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Consider This by Chuck Palahniuk. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Consider This by Chuck Palahniuk <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Larry Verstraete and 30 other people liked Ken's review of Consider This: Moments in My Writing Life After Which Everything Was Different: "I've only read one Palahniuk book (Fight Club) and this, like that, is one fast-moving vehicle, which you might not expect from a writing advice book. On that point, it scores high marks, especially the first half of the book, where advice, some of i" Read more of this review »
May 16, 2021 06:06PM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Consider This by Chuck Palahniuk. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Consider This by Chuck Palahniuk <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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