★ Timothy and the Dragon’s Gate

When we first meet him, Timothy Freshwater is a fairly unpleasant character. “Too smart for his own good” and perpetually bored, he’s quick with the backtalk and flip remarks, dismissive of anyone who isn’t as ... Read More »

February 2, 2009 | Filed under: Children and YA Fiction

The Ego Boom: Why the World Really Does Revolve Around You

By Steve Maich and Lianne George

Member of Generation X or Y: get ready for some bad news. You may see yourself as community-minded, the sort of person who’d organize neighbourhood block parties and do volunteer work if you had the ... Read More »

January 26, 2009 | Filed under: Science, Technology & Environment

Lenny Bruce Is Dead

By Jonathan Goldstein

The elegiac tone of Jonathan Goldstein’s first novel, Lenny Bruce Is Dead, doesn’t have much to do with the death of the iconoclastic, detatched comic of the title. Rather, Josh, who lives in Montreal, is ... Read More »

January 22, 2009 | Filed under: Children and YA Non-fiction, Fiction: Novels

Focus on Flies

By Norma Dixon

“Flies are more than just mooches who spread disease,” declares the jacket copy for Focus on Flies by Vancouver’s Norma Dixon. Any child who has been exposed to enough nature shows and animal books knows ... Read More »

January 21, 2009

Stanley’s Beauty Contest

By Linda Bailey; Bill Slavin, illus.

Browse the kids’ section at your local bookstore and you might conclude that picture books are entirely populated by animals. Human children do occasionally appear, but the bestselling ones tend to feature mice, squirrels, and ... Read More »

January 20, 2009 | Filed under: Picture Books

Bradley McGogg, the Very Fine Frog

By Tim Beiser; Rachel Berman, illus.

January 20, 2009 | Filed under: Picture Books

Have You Ever Seen a Duck in a Raincoat?

By Etta Kaner; Jeff Szuc, illus.

Is it a science book or a picture book? That’s the question that comes to mind when reading the newest offering from teacher-turned-writer Etta Kaner. At first glance, the book presents itself as a picture ... Read More »

January 20, 2009

You Are Weird: Your Body’s Peculiar Parts and Funny Functions

By Diane Swanson; Kathy Boake, illus.

Don’t let the wacky title or madcap illustrations fool you: veteran science writer Diane Swanson takes on a serious task in her new book, You Are Weird. Most kids are well aware that the human ... Read More »

January 20, 2009

Black and White

By Eric Walters

Eric Walters’ Black and White is a thoughtful book undermined by a serious flaw. The novel is about two middle school suburban kids. Thomas, 13, is in Grade 8. Denyse, 12, is in Grade 7. ... Read More »

January 20, 2009 | Filed under: Children and YA Fiction

Snakes and Ladders

By Shaun Smith

Q&Q contributing editor Shaun Smith’s first YA novel is very aptly titled, as it is a dark coming-of-age story that involves its fair share of both real and figurative snakes and ladders. It is 1971, ... Read More »

January 20, 2009 | Filed under: Book news

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