Levy keeps young readers engaged with scientific facts spread throughout the book, like when Arden explains that you can tell the difference between the two types of African Grey parrots through their feather colour and size. The story itself is streamlined, and the fast-paced plot never feels like it drags on … More Bird Brain by Joanne Levy
It was a pleasure reading Duel by Jessixa Bagley. Once I started, I couldn’t put this story down. The dialogue is incredibly believable, and exactly how middle-schoolers tend to speak. This book perfectly captures how hard it is to be a young teen navigating the world and reminded me of my own time in middle school. From tricky friendships and conflict with parents to healing after loss, the issues that arise in Duel are tackled very well. … More Duel by Jessixa Bagley, illus. Aaron Bagley
Shapiro and Kaufman’s love of language shines through in the prose, with lots of alliteration and assonance on each page that rolls off the tongue as you read aloud. The main characters are delightfully verbose – precocious Pam Pam insists that Weasel’s “evidence is faulty”, while Weasel is convinced that “a dog living on its own must be quite a dog.” And, I stand by the fact that not enough picture books feature words such as “indubitably” and “sophisticated”! … More Roy is Not a Dog by Esmé Shapiro and Daniel Newell Kaufman
Catfish Rolling is not here to provide us with all the answers, but to remind us that there are multiple ways to exist and understand reality. Temporality is such a captivating and sometimes frightening subject, and I was completely invested in Sora and her father’s obsession with figuring out how the zones work. Ultimately though, the message of Catfish Rolling is that trying to control time instead of simply trying to understand it has dire consequences. … More Catfish Rolling by Clara Kumagai
From the first chapter, The Revenge Game piques the interest of readers through its nonlinear storytelling. The leading question as readers make their way through the novel becomes: “How did this happen?” This book has a strong voice—comical, feminist, and curious—leading the reader through a series of clues to piece together. … More The Revenge Game by Jordyn Taylor
What truly stands out is the inclusiveness of the book as a host of under-represented communities find a place in the story. Moulton truly provides a rich tapestry of gender, sexuality, race, religion and culture without tokenizing or stereotyping these characters. Deeper questions about familial bonds, the historical Othering of marginalized groups, and the difficulty of ‘doing the right thing’ are also addressed, making it a more rewarding and layered experience. … More Don’t Want to Be Your Monster by Deke Moulton
Ferguson is certainly not dishing up a thin crusted one topping type of story here. Instead, she feeds us a deep dish, multi-layered experience, writing books that are fresh, yet resonate. Winner of the Governor General’s Award for her debut novel, The Summer of Bitter and Sweet, Ferguson should also win an award for inducing food cravings in readers. … More Those Pink Mountain Nights by Jen Ferguson
Barnett’s narrative explores this simple premise with several such creative possibilities that are silly, clever, and brilliantly funny all at once. The story unfolds as the readers follow Santa down the chimney, and into the house as he leaves presents under the tree and gobbles up a plate of cookies, possibly with his special night vision abilities. … More How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney? by Mac Barnett, illus. Jon Klassen
With such an engaging and energetic topic, the underlying message of acceptance and community is integrated so perfectly by Cummins. We see how this young child enjoys playing with everyone at the pool, and, of course, how their supportive mother frequently checks in to remind them to put on sunscreen and eat lunch. … More Our Pool by Lucy Ruth Cummins
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
YOUNG ADULTING 