Category: Age

The Hidden World of Gnomes by Lauren Soloy

August 3, 2023

Have you ever seen a gnome? Perhaps you have noticed the squishing of mud, the rustling of leaves, or the faint humming of something familiar that you cannot quite recall. If you look closely enough, you might find there is a whole other world right under your nose. Maybe those slight disturbances are Minoletta on an adventurous day out, or Abel Potter tinkering with a new nut conveyor belt, his fellow accomplice Billy Buttons by his side. According to the Hidden World of Gnomes, the level of activity of the gnomes is largely dependent on the cycle of the moon. If you are wandering in the daytime, you might find some busy, working gnomes during the Bursting Moon, or some partying gnomes during the Frog Moon. These are only a few examples in a tremendously rich world filled with gnomes. … More The Hidden World of Gnomes by Lauren Soloy

Butt Sandwich and Tree by Wesley King

July 13, 2023

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

Once There Was by Kiyash Monsef

July 6, 2023

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

The Lightcasters by Janelle McCurdy

June 29, 2023

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

he called me kid by Tita M. Kyrtsakas

June 22, 2023

The way I picture the relationship between 22-year-old Turner and 18-year-old Clementine can be explained via citrus: Turner is a rather pompous orange, while Clementine is, well, a clementine. Despite being a smaller fruit, a clementine is not inferior to its larger citrus counterpart. However, an impressionable clementine might be convinced that it should marvel at the orange’s pretense of maturity and knowledge – claims leaning on the simple fact that it is bigger. To solidify this dynamic, the pompous orange might even call the  clementine “kid.” … More he called me kid by Tita M. Kyrtsakas