January 19, 2004 | Filed under: Children and YA Fiction
At age 16, Lucy Tyla is abandoned by her irresponsible mother, who chooses a new boyfriend over her daughter. Left on B.C.’s Sunshine Coast with the grandmother she has never met but immediately loves, Lucy ... Read More »
Marlie and Keely used to be friends, in the first part of Grade 8. But then Keely started hanging out with Loren (popular but mean) and dropped Marlie. Then Keely confided in Marlie that she ... Read More »
January 19, 2004 | Filed under: Children and YA Fiction
Dickon Fielding, an only child just out of Grade 2, has a whole lot going on in his world. He takes pills for ADHD (attention deficit hyperactive disorder). His dad has left the family. His ... Read More »
January 19, 2004 | Filed under: Children and YA Fiction
In light of sweeping new police powers approved by the Canadian government last fall, Spying 101 is a timely and valuable document of a shameful chapter in Canadian history. Many readers will be shocked to ... Read More »
January 19, 2004 | Filed under: Children and YA Non-fiction, History
The Stratford Festival is celebrating its 50th anniversary this summer, so books about its history are virtually guaranteed a good sale, even if they serve simply to decorate coffee tables as a sign of cultural ... Read More »
January 19, 2004 | Filed under: Children and YA Non-fiction, Politics & Current Affairs
In the mid-1990s, former Toronto mayor and left-wing political columnist John Sewell conducted an indefatigable (but ultimately unsuccessful) campaign against the amalgamation of the city’s municipal governments. He peppered his criticism of the province’s proposal ... Read More »
January 19, 2004 | Filed under: Art, Music & Pop Culture, Children and YA Non-fiction
In the mid 1960s the city of Halifax relocated the residents of a 100-year-old black community and razed Africville in the name of urban renewal. These churning events are explored for the first time for ... Read More »
January 15, 2004 | Filed under: Children and YA Fiction
There is not a whiff of underpants or cute-bunnykins anthropomorphism about One Some Many, the first picture-book collaboration between the husband-and-wife team of author-illustrator Marthe Jocelyn (Hannah’s Collections) and visual artist Tom Slaughter. Indeed, this ... Read More »
January 15, 2004 | Filed under: Children and YA Non-fiction, Picture Books
The newest collaboration between husband-and-wife team Thompson and Spicer is delightful. Their wacky twist on the nursery rhyme The Grand Old Duke of York comes with lyrics and music; that’s apt, since the music of ... Read More »
January 15, 2004 | Filed under: Children and YA Non-fiction, Picture Books
There’s nothing quite like meeting some new monsters when you’re feeling blah, so I approached this colourful volume with some anticipation. The artwork doesn’t disappoint. Particularly strong are pages that present a fresh beast framed ... Read More »
January 15, 2004 | Filed under: Picture Books