Happy March, dear readers! The days are getting longer, spring definitely seems to be in the air, and we’ve got plenty of things for you to read and enjoy.
YAing Updates
We have some great new reviews up! If you haven’t read them yet, definitely head over and read our new reviews of This Book Betrays My Brother by Kasigo Lesego Molope and Shine by Jessica Jung.
Industry News
Linda Sue Park, beloved children’s author of numerous middle-grade novels and picture books, has created KiBooka, a website highlighting Korean American writers and illustrators in order to further promote Korean American and Korean diasporic voices in children’s literature. You can read more about Linda’s goals for the website here.
Dennis Lee, Canadian author of Alligator Pie and numerous other works, was awarded the Matt Cohen Award for 2020 from the Writers’ Trust of Canada. Danny Ramadan, author of Salma the Syrian Chef, won the Middle East Award 2020 for Best Picture Book! Also be sure to check out our review of Salma the Syrian Chef and our interview with Danny.
Events
You can now register for the Forest of Reading Festival, which will be virtual this year, from May 18-20, 2021. The Forest of Reading is Canada’s largest recreational reading program, offered through the Ontario Library Association to foster a love of reading in all age groups. The winners of the 2021 Forest of Reading Awards will be announced at the festival, and you can see the list of nominees here. The Canadian Children’s Book Centre also announced their list of authors, illustrators, and storytellers that will be participating in Canadian Children’s Book Week, which will be happening May 2-8, 2021.
Genre Feature: Hi-Lo and Dyslexia-Friendly Books from Orca Books!
Orca Book Publishers is a Canadian children’s publisher in Victoria, BC that offers books that are high-interest, low-reading level (hi-lo). They recently hosted a panel featuring authors on their experiences writing books for striving readers, and you can watch it on their YouTube channel, or here.
You can also check out our past interviews with authors Brooke Carter and Marty Chan, who were featured on the panel, as well as our review of Stranded by Jocelyn Stripley, a recent hi-lo publication from Orca Books. As part of their goal to make their books as accessible as possible, many of their titles are available in an ultra-readable format for readers with dyslexia and other reading challenges. Indigo has put together a list of Orca Dyslexia-friendly Kids’ books on their website.
As always, please do send us your news related to children’s and young adult literature at young.adulting@ubc.ca so we can feature them in future newsletters. Our newsletters are published on the 2nd and 4th Monday each month.
Take care, and happy reading,
The Young Adulting Editors
YOUNG ADULTING 