BOOK REVIEWS

Julie and the Mango Tree

Julie and the Mango Tree, Sadé Smith’s second picture book, tells the story of a young Jamaican girl who learns that her favourite treat is more enjoyable when shared. As her Papa isn’t there to ... Read More »

August 16, 2023 | Filed under: Kids’ Books, Picture Books

Focus. Click. Wind.

By Amanda West Lewis

Focus. Click. Wind. These are the actions 11th grader Billie Taylor performs when taking photographs. She is a teenager trying to make sense of a tumultuous world: the book opens in April 1968, in New ... Read More »

August 14, 2023 | Filed under: Children and YA Fiction, Kids’ Books

★ Avalanche

By Jessica Westhead

White people’s anxieties, anger, fear, and self-doubt regarding race and racism are placed centre stage in Avalanche, the provocative and illuminating new collection of short fiction by Toronto-based Jessica Westhead, the author of two books ... Read More »

August 9, 2023 | Filed under: Fiction: Short, Reviews

★ The Skull

By Jon Klassen

The best children’s stories – the best stories, period – often start in ways that feel familiar, even hackneyed, only to go places you could not have predicted. Think of celebrated author-illustrator Jon Klassen’s picture ... Read More »

August 9, 2023 | Filed under: Kids’ Books, Picture Books

Pictou town

By Teresa MacKenzie

Combining a children’s picture book, a souvenir of local history, and an architectural tribute is an ambitious undertaking, but Pictou town, written and illustrated by Teresa MacKenzie, rises to the challenge. MacKenzie’s lively illustrations and ... Read More »

August 7, 2023 | Filed under: Kids’ Books, Picture Books

★ Not That Kind of Place

By Michael Melgaard

Based on a brief description, a reader might think they know what to expect from Not That Kind of Place, the stunning debut novel by Toronto-based writer Michael Melgaard. The background is simple, but harrowing: ... Read More »

August 2, 2023 | Filed under: Fiction: Novels, Reviews

What a Desi Girl Wants

By Sabina Khan

When her estranged father decides to remarry and invites her to the wedding in India, Mehar Rabbani sees it as her chance to mend family ties. But can this American teenager reconnect with the Indian ... Read More »

August 2, 2023 | Filed under: Children and YA Fiction, Kids’ Books

When Rubin Plays

By Gracey Zhang

“In a small town by a big forest, there was a little orchestra ...” Gracey Zhang’s whimsical narration, paired with vibrant and colourful artwork, sets the stage for this funny and uplifting tale of music, ... Read More »

July 31, 2023 | Filed under: Kids’ Books, Picture Books

Gin, Turpentine, Pennyroyal, Rue

By Christine Higdon

Near the end of Christine Higdon’s evocative and provocative novel Gin, Turpentine, Pennyroyal, Rue, Isla McKenzie wonders how different things will be for the next generation, who “could live through the twentieth century, and even ... Read More »

July 26, 2023 | Filed under: Fiction: Novels, Reviews

Where the Water Takes Us

By Alan Barillaro

A summer with your doting grandparents and tons of independence at a beautiful lake might appeal to some 11-year-olds, but for Ava Amato, the protagonist of Where the Water Takes Us, it’s a crushing sentence. ... Read More »

July 26, 2023 | Filed under: Children and YA Fiction, Kids’ Books

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