Writer Carol Matas was born in Canada in 1949. Matas was an actress and currently teaches writing. Matas is best known for her historical adventures. These often feature young people caught up in the world's problems. "Daniel's Story," about a young Jewish boy in Nazi Germany, was short-listed for the 1993 Governor General's Award and the 1994 Ruth Schwartz Award and won the Silver Birch Award. Lisa won the Geoffrey Bilson Award and was a New York Times Book Review Notable of 1989.