Every time I start a year in review list I am overwhelmed by the number of amazing books out there. I always intend to pick one or two books per category but it is much, much too difficult. What follows is a mere sliver of the fabulous books I read and loved this year, which… Continue reading My Favourite Books of 2015
Category: American contemporary
Middle Grade Monday: The Thing About Jellyfish
Multiple people, including author Carrie Mac, Danielle at Bookish Notions and Michelle from Mabel's Fables told me that this would be a book I would love. They were correct. This National Book Award nominated title falls under one of my favourite categories, Poignant Coming of Age Story, and is particularly adept at detailing not only… Continue reading Middle Grade Monday: The Thing About Jellyfish
Middle Grade Monday: Halloween Edition
Anne Shirley isn't the only one who loves October. I love everything that this, the most gilded of months, has lots to offer: brilliant foliage, black cat decorations as far as the eye can see, post-season baseball* and of course, a glut of spooky stories. Here are three new middle grade novels you should add… Continue reading Middle Grade Monday: Halloween Edition
Some Book: George
All over the country there are debates about whether the needs of transgender children are being met in our school systems. I'm thinking particularly of this recent case in Edmonton, in which the mother of a seven year old transgender girl is fighting for her daughter's right to use the girls' washroom. The Catholic school… Continue reading Some Book: George
Middle Grade Monday: The Doldrums
I dare you to look through this book without a) gasping b) petting the cover and c) calling over your friends or colleagues so they can also gasp and pet the cover. Of course it is the untenable thing-the story-that counts, but when the package is this deluxe, it certainly doesn't hurt. Luckily Nicholas Gannon's… Continue reading Middle Grade Monday: The Doldrums
Middle Grade Monday: Sunny Side Up
With that bright blue cover, bouncy font and beach-y theme, Sunny Side Up looks like a typical summer read. But looks can be deceiving. Sunny Side Up is a moving story about coming to terms with difficult secrets disguised as a typical summer read. So-called 'typical' elements include a summer spent away from home, steamy days spent… Continue reading Middle Grade Monday: Sunny Side Up
Middle Grade Monday: Goodbye Stranger
A Rebecca Stead book is always unexpected and always a delight. I very much enjoyed her Northern fantasy First Light and remember hand-selling the heck out of it to die-hard City of Ember fans in my bookseller days. Then I read When You Reach Me and was struck by how timeless it felt, despite being… Continue reading Middle Grade Monday: Goodbye Stranger
Middle Grade Monday: The Fourteenth Goldfish
This is one of those deceiving middle grade novels that seems straight forward and charming but is so deeply layered that the minute you try to examine it you are left with the conclusion that Jenni Holm is a genius and mere mortals should not try to dissect her work. Ellie does not know what… Continue reading Middle Grade Monday: The Fourteenth Goldfish
Manhattan and Macarons: The Summer Invitation Review
This lovely confection of a book feels a bit like a contemporary fairytale, or at the very least a glimpse at what Eloise's life might have been like as a teenager. Valentine (pronounced Valen-teen) and Franny are invited to spend the summer in their eccentric and wealthy aunt's Greenwich Village apartment with sculptress and chaperone-of-many-secrets,… Continue reading Manhattan and Macarons: The Summer Invitation Review
Skate Like a Girl: Roller Girl Review
There is a surge in middle grade graphic novels featuring female protagonists that I am totally into. Some of these books are memoirs ( Smile, Sisters, and El Deafo) and others are fiction (Drama, Chiggers, or This One Summer). Fiction or non-fiction, they are all fabulous, and now there is a new kid on the block… Continue reading Skate Like a Girl: Roller Girl Review
Vikki VanSickle 