BOOK REVIEWS

The Grover School Pledge

Sixth-grader Arlaina is excited to be taking care of her cousin Patrice’s bunny, now that Patrice and her family are moving to New York. On the other hand, Arlaina’s elderly teacher Mr. Matthews has been ... Read More »

July 24, 2023 | Filed under: Children and YA Fiction, Kids’ Books

Brown Boy

By Omer Aziz

In his memoir Brown Boy, journalist, lawyer, and recent Radcliffe Fellow Omer Aziz delivers a compelling account about growing up in Canada, struggling to find his way in life as the son of Pakistani immigrants, ... Read More »

July 19, 2023 | Filed under: Memoir & Biography, Reviews

★ Cardboard City

By Katarina Jovanovic

Belgrade-born Katarina Jovanovic offers an endearing fictional story about a place that once existed in her hometown. Cardboard City follows Romani teenagers Nikola and his older sister Saida as they dream of escaping the informal ... Read More »

July 19, 2023 | Filed under: Children and YA Fiction, Kids’ Books

Granny Left Me a Rocket Ship

By Heather Smith and Ashley Barron (ill.)

Granny Left Me a Rocket Ship, by TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award–winning author Heather Smith, is a picture book gem that sensitively explores a child’s journey through loss. With clear poetic economy, the young narrator ... Read More »

July 17, 2023 | Filed under: Kids’ Books, Picture Books

★ Lump

By Nathan Whitlock

Cat, a middle-class wife and mother, has largely accepted the typical expectations both roles entail. Just shy of 39 and largely dissatisfied, Cat dutifully soldiers on, trying to rebuild a lost career, enduring the indignities ... Read More »

July 12, 2023 | Filed under: Fiction: Novels, Reviews

Vee in Between

By Valerie Kaiyang Wood and Angela Poon (ill.)

Vee in Between, by Valerie Kaiyang Wood and illustrated by Angela Poon, is an enchanting tale that delves into the joys and hardships of cross-cultural adoption. With emotional storytelling and vibrant illustrations, this picture book ... Read More »

July 12, 2023 | Filed under: Kids’ Books, Picture Books

I Want to Build a Seahouse

By Whitney Moran and Josée Bisaillon (ill.)

When a United States agency recently announced it was selling off lighthouses that had fallen into disuse, the New York Times interviewed a woman who had bought a lighthouse years ago and felt it wise ... Read More »

July 10, 2023 | Filed under: Kids’ Books, Picture Books

★ What Comes Echoing Back

By Leo McKay Jr.

The kids aren’t alright in What Comes Echoing Back, the long-gestating third novel of Nova Scotia’s Leo McKay Jr., the author of the Giller Prize–shortlisted Twenty-Six. On the cusp of adult responsibilities and quandaries, they’re ... Read More »

July 5, 2023 | Filed under: Fiction: Novels, Reviews

Lore Isle

By Jiin Kim

Peter, the protagonist of Lore Isle, the debut middle grade novel from Newfoundland writer Jiin Kim, does not have an easy life. He and his mother, who suffers from anxiety and the persistent delusion that ... Read More »

July 5, 2023 | Filed under: Children and YA Fiction, Kids’ Books