Eric Robert Walters, (born March 3, 1957) is a Canadian author of young adult fiction and picture books. As of 2020, Eric Walters has written over 100 books. Background Walters was an elementary school teacher at Vista Heights Public School in Streetsville, Ontario. In 1993, he was teaching a grade 5 class in which many of the students were reluctant readers and writers. To encourage them, Walters wrote his first novel, Stand Your Ground. The novel was set in the school and included features from the community and the names of many of his students. He has since written more than 70 novels for young adults. He is a three-time winner of both the Ontario Library Association Silver Birch and Red Maple Awards – voted on by over 100,000 students throughout the province of Ontario. His books have been translated and published in many countries. Personal life Eric Walters was born and raised in Toronto and resides in Guelph, Ontario, with his wife Anita. They have three adult children, Christina, Nick and Julia. Walters tries to experience the subjects he plans to write about. In April 2010 he walked across the Sahara Desert before writing Just Deserts. With his son, he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro for Between Heaven and Earth. He played with tigers before writing Tiger by the Tail. In addition, Walters founded the Creation of Hope, an organization providing care for orphans in the Mbooni district of Kenya. Presently more than 400 orphans are being provided with services that include food, school fees, uniforms, tools, beds, livestock, and the construction of two children's residences in the town of Kikima. Awards Walters's works have won or been nominated for the following awards: Published works Fiction Stand Your Ground (Fitzhenry & Whiteside 1994) Stars (Fitzhenry & Whiteside 1996) Trapped in Ice (Penguin 1997) War of the Eagles (Orca 1998) Diamonds in the Rough (Fitzhenry & Whiteside 1998) The Hydrofoil Mystery (Penguin 1999) Caged Eagles (Orca 2000) Rebound (Stoddart 2000) The Bully Boys (Penguin 2000) Northern Exposures (HarperCollins 2001) Camp X (Penguin 2002) Ricky (HarperCollins 2002) Tiger Town (Dundurn 2003) Run (Penguin 2003) Overdrive (Orca 2004) Grind (Orca 2004) Death by Exposure (Dundurn 2004) Underdog (Orca 2004) I've Got An Idea (HarperCollins 2004) The True Story of Santa Claus (2005) Juice (Orca 2005) Elixir (Penguin 2005) Triple Threat (Orca 2005) Stuffed (Orca 2006) Laggan Lard Butts (Orca 2006) We All Fall Down