Quill and Quire

BOOK REVIEWS

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Dear George Clooney, Please Marry My Mom

By Susin Nielsen

Most readers want fiction that is populated by likeable characters, but in the right hands, an unlikable character can add a bracing note of dissonance to a story. Sarah N. Harvey’s Death Benefits features Arthur ... Read More »

November 17, 2010 | Filed under: Children and YA Fiction

The Little Blue Doggy

By Lionel Daunais; Marie Lafrance, illus.

This stuffed little doggy has a very hard time of it. He is a “loosely-knit” dog with a red rag tail, and when his unsympathetic parents go on an afternoon’s outing, they leave him locked ... Read More »

November 17, 2010 | Filed under: Picture Books

Grandma’s Gloves

By Cecil Castellucci; Julia Denos, illus.

The young girl who narrates Grandma’s Gloves enjoys spending time with her grandmother, an avid gardener. Together they water the flowers and tend the garden, then drink tea and eat cookies or homemade doughnuts. Her ... Read More »

November 17, 2010 | Filed under: Picture Books

★ The Queen’s Secret

By Frieda Wishinsky; Loufane, illus.

“In every picture, in every land, the queen always held a purse in her hand.” So begins prolific Toronto author Frieda Wishinsky’s latest offering for young readers. Just what is in that purse? wonders Kay, ... Read More »

November 17, 2010 | Filed under: Picture Books

Splinters

By Kevin Sylvester

Author and illustrator (as well as CBC broadcaster) Kevin Sylvester makes his picture book debut with Splinters, a modern-day Cinderella story about a young girl who just wants to play hockey. Cindy Winters loves the ... Read More »

November 17, 2010 | Filed under: Picture Books

Where Are You, Bear? A Canadian Alphabet Adventure

By Frieda Wishinsky; Sean L. Moore, illus

Sophie is excited to visit her Grandma in Vancouver. But when it comes time to leave home in Newfoundland, she can’t find her best friend Bear. Bear watches her departure sadly from the window and ... Read More »

November 17, 2010 | Filed under: Picture Books

Spork

By Kyo Maclear; Isabelle Arsenault, illus.

Sporks, those laughable combinations of spoon and fork, have been around for a long time, although they have never quite made it into the mainstream of cutlery. In Kyo Maclear’s first picture book, the spork ... Read More »

November 17, 2010 | Filed under: Picture Books

★ Who Wants Pizza? The Kids’ Guide to the History, Science and Culture of Food

By Jan Thornhill

There has arguably never been a more important time for children to learn about food. In North America, kids face epidemics of obesity and diabetes due to the overconsumption of junk food. In the Third ... Read More »

November 17, 2010

Wayfarer

By R.J. Anderson

R.J. Anderson of Stratford, Ontario, won praise for her 2009 novel, Faery Rebels: Spell Hunter, which introduced readers to the faery world of the Oak. In Wayfarer, the next book in the series, trouble looms ... Read More »

November 17, 2010

After the Fire

Prolific B.C.-based author Becky Citra has produced yet another winning novel for young readers that is engaging, interesting, and full of true to life situations. It’s been two years since a house fire left pre-teen ... Read More »

November 17, 2010

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