Surviving the City

By Tasha Spillett and Natasha Donovan (ill.)

Three new graphic novels tell difficult stories of survival, highlighting the struggles many teens face in battling discrimination, racism, and political violence. In each book, home is shown to be of critical importance, while at ... Read More »

February 7, 2019 | Filed under: Children and YA Fiction, Kids’ Books

The Homecoming

By Andrew Pyper

Family bonds are among the strongest and most enduring in the human experience. Blood relations, certainly – mother, father, siblings – but also those among chosen families that consist of spouses and adopted children or ... Read More »

February 7, 2019 | Filed under: Fiction: Novels, Reviews

The Migration

By Helen Marshall

February 7, 2019 | Filed under: Fiction: Novels, Reviews

When You’re Scared

By Andrée Poulin and Véronique Joffre (ill.)

In 2012, a library of the best “silent books” was created on the Italian island of Lampedusa for refugee children from the Middle East and Africa. Without seeing its holdings list, one would think it ... Read More »

February 4, 2019 | Filed under: Kids’ Books, Picture Books

The Invisible Garden

By Valérie Picard and Marianne Ferrer (ill.)

February 4, 2019 | Filed under: Kids’ Books, Picture Books

Friends

By Geraldo Valério

February 4, 2019 | Filed under: Kids’ Books, Picture Books

Small Game Hunting at the Local Coward Gun Club

By Megan Gail Coles

In her debut novel, Newfoundland playwright and author Megan Gail Coles uses a trendy St. John’s restaurant (complete with local celebrity chef) called the Hazel as the connection that binds a cast of depressed, desperate, ... Read More »

February 4, 2019 | Filed under: Fiction: Novels, Reviews

★ This One Looks Like a Boy:  My Gender Journey to Life as a Man

By Lorimer Shenher

Ten years ago, I read a book called Almost Perfect. The young-adult novel by Brian Katcher won some awards and was held up as a powerful, nuanced portrayal of a young trans person. But the ... Read More »

January 31, 2019 | Filed under: Memoir & Biography, Reviews

★ Be My Love

By Kit Pearson

It’s 1951, and society has started to settle back into its usual rhythms after the upheaval of the war. For 14-year-old Maisie, though, everything is in flux. Her father, who served as a chaplain in ... Read More »

January 31, 2019 | Filed under: Children and YA Fiction, Kids’ Books