Kevin Major's impact on Canadian children's literature has frequently been compared to that of Judy Blume in the United States, both being among the first to present honest, realistic accounts of the problems of the modern adolescent. Not surprisingly, Major's frank approach to the juvenile novel has created a great deal of controversy. School boards in both Newfoundland and Ontario, for example, have steadfastly refused to put his novels on the list of books approved for classroom study and in a celebrated incident in 1982, the chairman of the Rainy River Library Board in Ontario canceled a reading by Major because of the crude language of his novels. Such condemnations, though, are few; most critics of children's literature clearly regard Major as one of Canada's most promising talents.

Major was born on 12 September 1949 in Stephenville, Newfoundland, the youngest of the seven children of Edward Major, a fisherman, and his...