Shannon Messenger’s Keeper of the Lost Cities is the epitome of the middle-grade fantasy series my younger self sought. Messenger offers a diverse and complex world and fills it with main characters who deal with familiar young adult issues alongside saving the world. … More Keeper of the Lost Cities: Stellarlune by Shannon Messenger
A million dollars is a lot of money. It can buy ludicrous vacations, endless designer clothes, the newest technological gadgets, and even mansions in faraway places. However, along with the incredible opportunities money creates, it also has the potential to feed greed and jealousy. And this greed can have massive consequences. … More Big Winner by Sylvia Taekema
Although this book covers some heavy themes, Walters combines humor, heart, and devastation, adding so much depth into Robbie and Harmony’s characters. … More The King of Jam Sandwiches by Eric Walters
Cheese sandwiches, Crocs, and PlayStation. These are eleven-year-old Green Bennett’s favourite things. Green is excellent at math, reads a lot of books such as The Hardy Boys, and is happy with who he is. Oh, and he has autism spectrum disorder, also known as Asperger’s Syndrome, but that is his least defining quality of all. However, when Coach Nelson’s necklace holding his late wife’s ring goes missing, Green is the first person everyone suspects because he’s different. His older brother, Cedar, is the thirteen-year-old star player on the basketball team and the only one who believes Green’s innocence. … More Butt Sandwich and Tree by Wesley King
Every adult knows the awe and wonder make-believe stories instilled in us as young children. We all imagined ourselves riding a unicorn or fighting a dragon or dancing with fairies. But what if these magical beings turned out to be real? And you were the only one who could help save them? This is exactly what happens to Marjan Dastani in Kiyash Monsef’s book, Once There Was. In this epic debut, readers follow Marjan as she begins to discover a secret world of mythical creatures– and all the dangers that come with it. … More Once There Was by Kiyash Monsef
As the third and final book in the Secrets of the Sands trilogy, The Oracle of Avaris is full of adventure, humour, romance, mythology, history, and fascinating characters! … More The Oracle of Avaris by Alisha Sevigny
At some point or another, every kid wishes for exciting adventures, real magic, and a trusty animal sidekick. Janelle McCurdy’s The Lightcasters encompasses all those childhood dreams but with a twist. The umbra—hybrid animals made of shadows and magic—come to life in McCurdy’s prose with a unique reimagining of the bond between humans and animals. The novel begins with 12-year-old Mia’s first-day training to be an umbra tamer, a first day which quickly turns dangerous as Mia’s city falls under attack and most of its people are captured. Thrown into an adventure outside the city walls, Mia must learn to tame umbra in the field with only her wits and Jada—an older girl and taming mentor—to guide her. It’s up to Mia, Jada, her best friend TJ, her little brother Lucas, and her newly bonded umbra to brave all kinds of new dangers in the name of saving their world. … More The Lightcasters by Janelle McCurdy
Emmitt’s world comes crashing down the day his twin sister Minnie is officially declared brain-dead following a devastating accident. His family is on the brink of falling apart, and the thread holding them together has snapped. With nothing to lose, Emmitt sets out to make a film starring all the fortunate recipients that received an organ from his 16-year-old twin — a film that he hopes will piece his family back together and mend his mother’s shattered heart. … More Heart Sister by Michael F. Stewart
What if you weren’t at all who you thought you were?
Iris Hollow and her two sisters Vivi and Grey went missing mysteriously ten years ago. When they returned home one month later, their dark hair turned white, their eyes went black, and strange, magical things started happening around them. No one knows what happened to them during the month they were gone, and neither do the three girls. One day, Grey disappears again, leaving her sisters a cryptic note. Iris and Vivi set out in search of her, but the clues reveal that Grey and their parents have been keeping a much more dark and ominous secret from them. … More House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland
A buried treasure has the potential to refresh a town’s understanding of its own history. In Below the Surface, thirteen-year-old, curly-haired Theo is on summer break uncovering Cedarbrook’s most puzzling mysteries. The river under Sawyer’s Bridge is Theo’s favourite place in the town, but the bridge is said to be haunted by the ghost of an old traveller. He isn’t convinced, and instead visits regularly to search for treasure. That is, until he finds a pocket watch linked to the ghost, and the rumours begin to feel more possible. … More Below the Surface by Allison Finley
YOUNG ADULTING 