In this final instalment of the spring preview, Q&Q presents young adult novels and nonfiction titles.

Q&Q’s spring preview covers books published between Jan. 1 and June 30, 2024. All information (titles, publication dates) was supplied by publishers.

 

YOUNG ADULT:

Tender Beasts
Liselle Sambury
Margaret K. McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster, Feb.

Liselle Sambury – author of Blood Like Magic and Blood Like Fate – returns with a psychological thriller that follows Sunny Behre as she tries to clear her brother’s name of a gruesome murder. When more bodies are discovered and dark secrets revealed, Sunny must make a choice that could cost her everything. –Inderjit Deogun

Who We Are in Real Life
Victoria Koops
Groundwood Books, Feb.

Two teen Dungeons & Dragons aficionados fall for each other in Victoria Koops’s queer slice-of-life debut. The players face battles and fight homophobia in the tabletop gaming realm and in real life. –Linda Ludke

Song of the Six Realms
Judy I. Lin
Feiwel & Friends/Raincoast Books, April

Judy I. Lin (A Magic Steeped in Poison) returns with a standalone dark, gothic-fantasy novel. When Xue, a musician and indentured orphan, performs for an enigmatic duke, she is swept away to the Celestial Realm and becomes entangled in magic, danger, and romance. –LL

 

Where Was Goodbye?
Janice Lynn Mather
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, April

A high-school senior struggles with confusion, regret, and grief after her brother dies by suicide. Karmen’s search for answers and closure is at the heart of Vancouver-based Governor General’s Award–finalist Janice Lynn Mather’s latest novel. –LL

Pretty Furious
E.K. Johnston
Dutton Books for Young Readers/Penguin Random House Canada, April

Five high school friends have had enough of the abuse, bullying, and gaslighting their community of Eganston, Ontario, can offer. This year, they’re turning the tables to get their sweet revenge. In this companion to Exit, Pursued by a Bear, E.K. Johnston brings readers a thrilling, contemporary feminist story that they won’t soon forget. –ID

And Then There Was Us
Kern Carter
Tundra Books/PRHC, April

Toronto author, filmmaker, and professor Kern Carter’s sophomore YA novel examines grief and forgiveness. The sudden death of her estranged mother forces 18-year-old Coi to re-evaluate their tumultuous relationship and reconnect with the maternal side of her family. –LL

The ANNEthology
Judith Graves, ed.
Acorn Press, June

To mark the 150th anniversary of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s birth, 10 young-adult fiction writers take her character Anne Shirley on new adventures in this anthology celebrating the nation’s beloved red-haired orphan. From futuristic settings to racial diversity, there’s an adventure for every Anne of Green Gables fan. –ID

A Crane Among Wolves
June Hur
Feiwel & Friends/Raincoast Books, May

When Iseul’s older sister, Suyeon, becomes the king’s latest prey, Iseul leaves her cloistered life and travels through forbidden territory to rescue her. But Iseul quickly learns the king’s rule is absolute and forms an alliance with Daehyun, the king’s half-brother. It’s a risky move that may prove fatal. –ID

 

 

NONFICTION:

The Kids Book of Black History in Canada
Rosemary Sadlier and Arden Taylor 
Kids Can Press, June

The beloved guide of Black history in Canada, The Kids Book of Black Canadian History, has been redesigned and updated for a new generation of readers. It features sidebars with facts and quotations, as well as six pages of back matter with profiles of Black figures in the arts, sciences, sports, politics, and beyond. –ID 

Always Beginning: The Big Bang, the Universe and You
Candace Savage and Rachel Wada, ill.
Greystone Kids, April

Presenting science-based information on the origins of the universe, this lyrical STEM picture book helps readers fathom the immensity of our galaxy and our place in it. Rachel Wada contributes the awe-inspiring textured artwork. –LL

Club Microbe
Elise Gravel
Drawn & Quarterly, April

Elise Gravel is back! In her latest picture book, the prolific Québécoise author-illustrator teaches readers that germs not only live around us, but also live inside us. With her signature cartoon style, Gravel brings the world of micro-organisms to life in what is sure to be a welcome addition to her growing collection of science offerings. –ID

Meet Clara Hughes
Elizabeth MacLeod and Mike Deas, ill. 
Scholastic Canada, Jan.

The latest instalment in the Scholastic Canada Biography series focuses on Clara Hughes – the only person in the world to win multiple medals at both the Summer Olympics and the Winter Olympics – and her work as a mental health advocate. Meet Clara Hughes shows readers how she learned to take care of herself and, in doing so, inspires others to do the same. –ID

A Planet Is a Poem
Amanda West Lewis and Oliver Averill, ill.
Kids Can Press, May

From sonnet, sestina, and syllabic cinquain, to concrete, acrostic, and hip hop, 14 original poems by Amanda West Lewis explore the rhythms and science of the solar system. Fold-out flaps on each page illuminate facts about the planets and the poetic forms employed. –LL