With more people at home this summer and turning to local outdoor spaces, now is a great time to get into bugs! Whether you live in a city or the country, bugs are easy to find and are ceaselessly fascinating! Here is a selection of kids' books about bugs, including nonfiction, graphic novels, true stories, … Continue reading As Seen on CTV: Kids’ Books about Bugs
Last week I got to talk to one of my favourite people, Ann Foster, about middle grade fiction. When not working at the Saskatoon Public Library recco-ing kids and teen books, she is writing about fashion in TV over at You Know You Love Fashion (currently chronicling the enviable wardrobe of Phryne Fisher) and spearheading a … Continue reading Middle Grade Gift Suggestions 2016
This has already been a staggeringly good year for middle grade (don't call it a comeback), with personal favourites such as Raymie Nightingale, The Wild Robot, Look Out for the Fitzgerald Trouts, and Pax garnering all sorts of buzz and attention. Here is a sampling of the new kids on the block this fall: Ghosts … Continue reading Middle Grade Monday: Fall 2016 Preview
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 fiction isn't always gentle or fantastical. Sometimes it can be downright moody, icky, and gross. Thank goodness. Puberty is rarely gentle or magical, so why should fiction tackling the subject be?In Something Wiki, we get a peek inside the mind and body of tween Jo Waller. Each chapter opens with a wikipedia entry that … Continue reading Middle Grade Monday: Something Wiki
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
At this point Jane, The Fox & Me has collected so many accolades that I am just one more voice in the choir. The story of a girl who feels bullied and so retreats into the world of Jane Eyre only to be enchanted by a fox appeals to me in all possible ways. I … Continue reading Melancholic Perfection: Jane, The Fox and Me Review
I can't remember when I learned what the word gay meant. I remember people snickering when Maria sings "I feel pretty and witty and gay!" in West Side Story and not getting the joke. I remember how "that's so gay" was used as an insult in middle school and I repeated it, not fully understanding … Continue reading YA is Too Late: Gay Characters in Middle Grade Fiction
I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. It's been getting flawless reviews, but to be honest I've just about had my fill of contemporary YA romances starring quirky, intelligent misfits. But what sold me on this book was the unique take on teenage obsession and the truly painful depiction … Continue reading Love in a Dangerous Time: Eleanor & Park Review
Phoebe Stone is a master of contemporary voice. Despite a tragically misleading cover*, The Romeo and Juliet Code was (and remains) a favourite book of mine. She has done it again in the funny and cathartic The Boy on Cinnamon Street, the second of two MG books I've read recently dealing with grief. Warning, this review contains spoilers! Louise … Continue reading Hope, Grief & A Pizza Boy: The Boy on Cinnamon Street Review
