BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
The Sleeping Porch
by Ian Wallace
Ian Wallace, the veteran Canadian-born children’s author and illustrator, begins his latest picture book in an unidentified American town. (Wallace now lives in Brookline, Massachusetts,...
Desperate Glory: The Story of WWI
by John Wilson
Not long ago, a teacher of 10- to 12-year-olds who was at her wits’ end asked me: “Do you know of any history books for...
The Pole
by Eric Walters
Eric Walters returns with gusto to one of his favourite literary landscapes, the far North – this time as far north as it is possible...
Break on Through
by Jill Murray
Montreal writer Jill Murray’s debut novel is the kind of book that will be loved by parents bemoaning the generally sorry state of YA lit...
Chanda’s Wars
by Allan Stratton
In the aftermath of her mother’s death from AIDS, Chanda Kabelo struggles to raise her younger siblings, Lily and Soly. She’s plagued by recurring nightmares...
Tuk and the Whale
by Raquel Rivera; Mary Jane Gerber, illus.
Raquel Rivera’s third book is an entertaining blend of fact and fiction that transports readers to the Eastern Arctic of the early 1600s to witness...
Daughter of War
by Marsha Skrypuch
In Daughter of War, author Marsha Skrypuch returns to her exploration of the Armenian Genocide, which was the basis for her critically acclaimed 2005 novel,...
Would You
by Marthe Jocelyn
At the outset of Marthe Jocelyn’s latest novel for teen readers, her 15-year-old protagonist poses a question: “Would you rather know what’s going to happen?...
Bonechiller
by Graham McNamee
Vancouver author Graham McNamee has written mysteries and edgy modern teen novels. Bonechiller is both of those, and also a genuinely scary horror story. Danny...
To Stand and Fight Together: Richard Pierpoint and the Coloured Corps of Upper Canada
by Steve Pitt
Many Canadians – no matter what their age – are pretty fuzzy about the details of the War of 1812, beyond knowing that it’s a...
Brave Deeds: How One Family Saved Many from the Nazis
by Ann Alma
The Dutch experience of the Second World War remains, for many children, synonymous with Anne Frank and her diary. In Brave Deeds, B.C. writer Ann...
Naomi’s Tree
by Joy Kogawa; Ruth Ohi, illus.
Novelist and poet Joy Kogawa has added another volume to her oeuvre about the experiences of Japanese Canadians during the Second World War. Naomi’s Tree...
Up Home
by Shauntay Grant; Susan Tooke, illus.
A real community, complete with vividly drawn portraits of real residents, comes to life in Shauntay Grant and Susan Tooke’s Up Home, a tender portrayal...
Thing-Thing
by Cary Fagan; Nicolas Debon, illus.
Thing-Thing is about a homely toy that just wants to be loved, but his tale is told and illustrated in an unsentimental, funny, and contemporary...
The Curse of Akkad: Climate Upheavals That Rocked Human History
by Peter Christie
The day of the purpose-built children’s information book is over. Facts about dinosaurs? How to care for your guinea pig or draw cartoons? School projects...