Eric Walters, a former elementary-school teacher, began writing as a way to encourage his students to become more enthusiastic about literature. His many works include Camp X, Royal Ransom, and Run. His novels have won numerous awards including the Silver Birch, Blue Heron, Red Maple, Snow Willow and Ruth Schwartz awards and have received honours from the Canadian Library Association Book of the Year and UNESCO's international award for Literature in Service of Tolerance. He lives in Mississauga, Ontario.