Willpower by Marty Chan
January 16, 2024
In this middle-grade novel, real world issues such as poverty and bullying are explored in a kid-friendly manner. … More Willpower by Marty Chan
Category: Diverse Reads
Spell Bound by F. T. Lukens
January 4, 2024
The world of Spell Bound is incredibly immersive, creating distinct environments that drew me in. Lukens’ also captures the often awkward, new, and exciting adolescent experience of budding relationships and crushes through Sun and Rook’s endearing ‘grumpy and sunshine’ dynamic. … More Spell Bound by F. T. Lukens
Their Vicious Games by Joelle Wellington
November 30, 2023
At the centre of the story, Adina is a fascinating character that doesn’t demand you to like her, but to understand her motivations. Still, it’s impossible not to admire how her stubbornness in holding onto her dreams translates into loyalty toward others and upholding her own dignity. … More Their Vicious Games by Joelle Wellington
Bad Medicine by Christopher Twin
November 16, 2023
This graphic novel is not only a brilliant addition to the horror genre, but a sincere attempt to capture the complexities of modern Indigenous life. … More Bad Medicine by Christopher Twin
The Song That Called Them Home by David A. Robertson, illus. by Maya McKibbin
November 2, 2023
The pages are layered with colours that contrast with each other and stand out in a beautiful way, drawing the eye immediately across the pages. I was captivated by the illustrations of the Memekwesewak, who are drawn as little white creatures with pink mischievous faces and intricate designs circling their bodies. … More The Song That Called Them Home by David A. Robertson, illus. by Maya McKibbin
Last Violent Call by Chloe Gong
August 17, 2023
Have you ever watched Romeo and Juliet and waited the entire play hoping that the ending would be different this time? After the crippling heartbreak, faked deaths, real deaths, and gang wars of the Shakespeare retelling These Violent Delights come two novellas with the happily-ever-after both characters and readers deserve. … More Last Violent Call by Chloe Gong
The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen
July 27, 2023
Told alongside three carefully illustrated fairy tales, The Magic Fish is a profound reflection on the ways our stories—both those we’ve lived, and those we’ve read—are integral to our identities, and how we can use them as avenues of connection and compassion, even in the most difficult times. … More The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen
Forget Me Not by Alyson Derrick
July 20, 2023
For all of the hurt and frustration in Alyson Derrick’s solo debut, there is at least twice as much love. A suspenseful teeter between tragedy and romance, Forget Me Not weaves the two into a captivating ode to memory, teenage love, and queerness. … More Forget Me Not by Alyson Derrick
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
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
YOUNG ADULTING 