At Young Adulting, we know many writers are almost guaranteed to have been (and continue to be!) avid readers. As a child of immigrants, my parents never picked books for me: I bought or borrowed whatever was on the front shelf at the library and the mall and got used to reading stories that weren’t about characters that looked like me or lived in the places I was from. As I grew older and starting writing, however, I was finally able to start unravelling the joy in reading local stories. So if you’re looking for independent books that tell home-grown, weird, serious, strange, and joyful stories to pass on to a reader in your life, why not consider some of our favourites from Canadian Indie presses this 2024 season?
Our Pick: Children’s Books
The Animal People Choose a Leader by Richard Wagamese, illus. by Bridget George (Strong Nations Publishing)
Richard Wagamese’s emotional story centers a group of animals who seek to figure out who their new leader should be through a physical race. Through stunning, full-page illustrations by artist Bridget George, the story poetically introduces readers to the belief that not all strength is physical, and that sometimes we can be surprised by the power of empathy and humility.
Our Pick: Middle Grade Fiction
The Genius Hour Project, by Leanne Shirtliffe (Thistledown Press)
Frazzy is navigating the seemingly unending bore of middle school at 11-years-old when she is tasked by her hopeful teacher with taking on a Genius Hour Project. As if a bully, a best friend, and a cute boy aren’t already enough to deal with, now Frazzy’s got to figure out who she is, what her project really means, and how all of her life–including her troubles at home–are a part of who she wants to be.
Our Pick: Young Adult Fiction
Crash Landing by Li Charmaine Anne (Annick Press)
Set in Vancouver, this coming-of-age story centers Jay Wong as she desperately longs to land a kickflip and falls into a friendship with newcomer to the neighbourhood, Ash. Jay and Ash both attend a public highschool surrounded with students who–like them–are dominantly Asian, from Jay’s Korean friends to her own Chinese Cantonese background. But pushing outside of the tropes that many Asian readers will feel familiar with is an underlying yearning to be different, break rules, and find new ways to define ourselves–whether it be through burgeoning understandings of queerness and proprietary, or challenges to our inherited ideas of who gets to be thought of as good.
Our Pick: Graphic Novel
Little Moons by Jen Storm, illus. by Ryan Howe, Nicholej Villiger, and Alice RL (HighWater Press)
For readers of graphic novels who might be looking for more mature and serious themes, Little Moons tells the story of thirteen-year-old Reanna, whose older sister Chelsea goes missing. The art offers a depth to the complex impacts of grief and mourning in a way that allows readers to experience an intimacy with the story without shielding them from truthful depictions of loss.
Our Pick: Graphic Series
The Reckoner Rises series is back with its third instalment: God Flare, by David A. Robertson, illus. By Scott B. Henderson and Andrew Thomas (HighWater Press)
For readers who yearn for a whole week of late nights turning pages, the three books of the Reckoner Rises series will introduce them to a world with Indigenous superheroes, personal battles, raw and real emotional overtures, and thoughtful visual art to guide us through it all.
Nisha Patel is a Poet Laureate Emeritus of the City of Edmonton and a Canadian Poetry Slam Champion. A queer and disabled artist, Nisha focuses on poetry, children’s literatures, and comics. Her sophomore collection of poetry, A Fate Worse Than Death, engages in the quality of life and treatment of patients surrounding disability, and is out now with Arsenal Pulp Press. You can find her at nishapatel.ca
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