YOUNG ADULT

A Pretty Implausible Premise 
Karen Rivers
Algonquin Young Readers/Hachette Book Group, September 

For Hattie and Presley, it was love at first sight. With so much in common – both are grieving, haunted by ghosts and lost dreams – their bond seems implausible. And it’s tested when the trauma they each hold refuses to stay in the past.

 

Iz the Apocalypse 
Susan Currie
Common Deer Press, October

A spark is reawakened in 14-year-old Iz Beaufort when she hears school music group Manifesto perform. As a foster child, there’s no way she can get into the prestigious Métier School. So, she fakes her way in, and to stay in, she must juggle keeping her secret while facing new challenges.

Focus. Click. Wind. 
Amanda West Lewis
Groundwood Books, August 

Just as the Vietnam War has ignited a new urgency in aspiring photojournalist 17-year-old Billie Taylor, she’s forced by her mother to move from New York City to Toronto. There, Billie discovers like-minded people in a radical group at Rochdale College. But everything comes to a head when she learns that Agent Orange, a chemical used in the war, is being produced in a small town north of the city. 

Hopeless in Hope 
Wanda John-Kehewin 
HighWater Press, September 

Her mother’s drinking has left Eva feeling alone. Her only comfort comes from her cat, her nohkum (grandmother), and her writing. When nohkum is hospitalized, Eva and her brother are sent to live with foster families. Eva is furious at her mother until her nohkum gives Eva her mother’s diary and she learns the truth.  

Nightbreaker 
Coco Ma
Viking Books for Young Readers/Penguin Random House Canada, September 

Deadly creatures, a thirst for vengeance, and a cutthroat tournament are the backdrop of Coco Ma’s first book in the Nightbreaker series, an urban fantasy about post-apocalyptic heroine Rei Reynolds as she fights to join the ranks of Manhattan’s legendary Deathling hunters.

Woke Up Like This 
Amy Lea
Amazon/Brilliance Publishing/Firefly Books, October 

When 17-year-old Charlotte and her nemesis, Renner, wake up in bed now 30 years old and engaged, they quickly realize they’ve been dropped into adulthood. Together they discover all that’s changed in the elapsed time and learn that the journey is as important, if not more, than the destination.

Goddess Crown 
Shade Lapite
Candlewick Press/Penguin Random House Canada, September 

A failed assassination attempt forces Kalothia, who has grown up in the forested East, to flee to the king’s court in the West. Though beautiful, the kingdom of Galla is filled with dangers that Kalothia must navigate if she wants to find her own way in the world. This Afro-fantasy is the first book in a new series by Shade Lapite.

Those Pink Mountain Nights 
Jen Ferguson
Heartdrum/HarperCollins Publishers, September 

In her sophomore novel, Jen Ferguson, Governor General’s Literary Award–winning author of The Summer of Bitter and Sweet, has written a remarkable story that follows Berlin, Cameron, and Jessie as they confront the ways in which they’ve each been hurt during a weekend at Pink Mountain Pizza. 

The Revenge Game 
Jordyn Taylor
Delacorte Press/Penguin Random House Canada, November 

Alyson, a hopeless romantic, believes she’s found the real thing with Brenton. That is, until she learns about the King’s Cup, a competition the boys started to see who has the most sexual prowess. To reclaim their power, the girls start the Queen’s Cup. As things heat up on both sides, Alyson’s relationship begins to fall apart.

The Space between Here & Now
Sarah Suk
Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins Publishers, October 

Aimee Roh has a condition that causes her to time travel to a particular moment in her life when she smells something linked to that memory. When her latest disappearance takes her to a memory of her estranged mom that doesn’t match the version she’s been told, Aimee travels to Korea to unravel the mystery behind her memories, her mom, and her life. 

Suliewey: The Sequel to My Indian 
Mi’sel Joe and Sheila O’Neill
Breakwater Books, September 

Written by Mi’kmaq authors Mi’sel Joe and Sheila O’Neill, this sequel to My Indian reclaims settler narrative and finds Sylvester, who has parted ways with William Cormack, setting off on his own in search of the winter camp of the last remaining Beothuk.

 

Catfish Rolling 
Clara Kumagai
Penguin Teen Canada/Penguin Random House Canada, October 

In her debut novel, Clara Kumagai introduces readers to Sora, who lives near a zone of cracked time caused by a catfish under Japan. Feeling alone after her best friend leaves for university, Sora begins conducting her own research into these aberrations of time. But it’s the disappearance of her father that propels Sora to venture into the abandoned time zones to find him.

Curious Tides 
Pascale Lacelle 
Margaret K. McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster, October 

Determined to gain control of her powers, Emory, a student at Aldryn College for Lunar Magics, enlists the help of Baz, who’s well versed in dark magic. This isn’t her only quest: she’s also searching for answers about what happened in the Dovermere cave that left her classmates dead while she survived.

Dragging Mason County 
Curtis Campbell
Annick Press, October 

Curtis Campbell examines self-acceptance in his new queer young adult novel, in which main character Peter Thompkin decides to help his best friend Alan (a.k.a. Aggie Culture) plan Mason County’s debut Drag Extravaganza to prove he’s not a self-hating gay, even as the event faces growing community backlash.

 

NONFICTION

The Antiracist Kitchen: 21 Stories (and Recipes) 
Nadia L. Hohn, ed.; Roza Nozari, ill.
Orca Book Publishers, September 

Edited by Nadia L. Hohn, author of the Malaika series, this anthology features 21 stories (and recipes) on food, culture, and resistance from racialized authors. The Antiracist Kitchen is a celebration of how a shared meal can bring us together.

Do You Know My Name?: Pride and Persistence: Stories of Queer Activism 
Mary Fairhurst Breen
Second Story Press, October  

In Pride and Persistence: Stories of Queer Activism, the fourth edition in the Do You Know My Name? series, readers will learn about the heroic individuals – Susan Ursel, Itzayana Gutiérrez Arillo, and others – who have stood up for the queer community around the world.

A Flock of Seagulls, A Chorus of Frogs: A First West Coast Book
Lucky Budd and Roy Henry Vickers, ill.
Harbour Publishing, November 

With rhyming text and bright colours, A Flock of Seagulls, A Chorus of Frogs, the newest title in the First West Coast Book series, makes it fun to learn the names for groups of animals of the West Coast. Renowned carver, painter, printmaker, and storyteller Roy Henry Vickers provides the illustrations.

Rise Up and Sing!: Power, Protest, and Activism in Music 
Andrea Warner and Louise Reimer, ill.
Greystone Kids, October 

Divided into sections on musicians of today, artists from past generations, and playlists for social justice, Rise Up and Sing! tells readers about the work of artists in eight areas of activism, from Indigenous rights to gender equality and more, showcasing the awesome power of a song to change the world.

Animal Eyes: How Creatures See and How Their Eyes Have Adapted to Their World
Françoise Vulpé
Firefly Books, September 

With informative text and stunning photographs, Animal Eyes introduces readers to the eyes of the animal kingdom. The incredible adaptations that have helped animals survive and thrive – seeing ultraviolet wavelengths or rotating their eyes independently – is sure to fascinate budding scientists.