News & updates

Vikki VanSickle Vikki VanSickle

Get Published Webinar-Nov 16, 2024

I’ll be teaming up with kidlit superstars Naseem Hrab and Jack Wong to share notes and tips on how to get a picture book published. Get great advice and support the Canadian Children’s Book Centre at the same time! Info and tickets here.

Read More
Vikki VanSickle Vikki VanSickle

Come see me at the National Arts Centre on Nov 11

I am thrilled to be returning to the stage at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa in DEAR CANADA: LETTERS FROM THE SECOND WORLD WAR. I was honoured to be involved as dramaturg and a performer in Miranda Mulholland’s moving, diverse and enriching commemoration of WWII, presented as a radio play, featuring music and letters written by actual Canadians during WWII. You have two chances to catch this show on November 11th. Details here.

Read More
Vikki VanSickle Vikki VanSickle

Packaging Your Imagination 2024

I will be presenting a workshop all about navigating tough topics for middle grade readers at this year’s Packaging Your Imagination Conference on October 26th. There are fantastic speakers, networking opportunities and options attend in-person and virtually. Details and tickets are available here.

Read More
Vikki VanSickle Vikki VanSickle

News Round-up June 2024

Hello! Here are a few things to look out for this summer/early fall.

SUMMER 2024

Woodstock Public Library Writing Contests for Kids

I will be returning as the author judge of the Woodstock Public Library writing contests this summer.

For the 6-12 year old category click here

For the teen category click here

Creature Feature Story Time & Event- Type Books Junction, Toronto, ON

Join me at on Sunday, July 14th at 11am at Type Books Junction for a special reading and related activities for IF I HAD A GRYPHON and ANONYMOUSE. Fun for kids ages 3+

FALL 2024

THE LIGHTNING CIRCLE at Telling Tales Festival- Burlington, ON

I’ll be recreating an afternoon in arts and crafts from my favourite summer camp on Saturday, September 21st at one of my fave book festivals in Canada. Watch this space for updates.

Packaging Your Imagination Conference- Toronto, ON

I have long admired this fantastic writing conference held by CANSCAIP and am thrilled to be holding a workshop on craft on Saturday, October 26th. More details to come here.

Read More
Vikki VanSickle Vikki VanSickle

March Break 2023 Events

On Friday, March 17th I’ll be at Indigo Square One for 2 book events. At 1pm I’ll be doing an If I Had a Gryphon storytime and signing, followed by a Meet & Greet (think of it as a live AMA) for P.S. Tell No One at 2pm. Come say hi, bring your kids, and get a book signed! Who knows, I may even be wearing St. Patrick’s Day green!

Read More
Middle Grade, Canadian, Contemporary Fiction Vikki VanSickle Middle Grade, Canadian, Contemporary Fiction Vikki VanSickle

P.S. Tell No One on CTV Your Morning

I dropped by CTV Your Morning to talk all about my brand new book, P.S. Tell No One. Inspired by the books of Judy Blume, many summers working as a camp counselor, and years of conversations about periods, puberty, and all things middle school, I poured my heart and soul into this book. I hope readers will be entertained, reassured, and inspired to pass it on!

Read More
Vikki VanSickle Vikki VanSickle

Dear Canada: Letters From the Second World War

I am thrilled to be working again alongside brilliant artist and advocate Miranda Mulholland on a second Remembrance Day theatre piece, Dear Canada: Letters from The Second World War, premiering at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa on November 11th. An earlier commemoration, Letters From The Great War: A Commemoration of the First World War, debuted live at Soulpepper Theatre in November of 2018 and was adapted for streaming for the NAC in 2020.

Dear Canada: Letters from the Second World War is “an artistic Remembrance Day commemoration presented as a radio play with music and foley using real letters from Canadians during the Second World War.” The show includes letters between lovers, parent and child, friends, and more. Each one firmly places the audience in the thick of the moment, whether it’s landing on the beach on D-Day, having a surprise drink with the King of England, surviving the horrific conditions of labour camps abroad and displacement camps here in Canada, translating the so-called Cree code or attending a dance with Irving Berlin in attendance. The letters are full of pathos and humanity, interspersed with live music, both contemporary and of the era. When I was a student, Remembrance Day was always a big deal, and as an adult, I’ve never quite found a substitute for the assembly and how it affected me. Dear Canada: Letters from The Second World War fills that need for me, and I hope it does for others, as well.

This time around I am thrilled that in addition to acting as dramaturg, I will be joining the cast, consisting of the very talented Julian Taylor, Patricia O’Callaghan, Jamie Drake, Tak Arikushi, and of course, Miranda Mulholland. We would love to see you in Ottawa on November 11th. Stay tuned for potential streaming details!

Get your tickets here.

Read More
Middle Grade, Canadian, Period Positive Vikki VanSickle Middle Grade, Canadian, Period Positive Vikki VanSickle

P.S. Tell No One Coming Feb 2023

It all begins with an idea.

Behold the show-stopping cover of my next middle grade novel, P.S. TELL NO ONE coming from Scholastic Canada in February 2023. All of my books are close to my heart, but this one is super special to me. For years I’ve referred to this as “my period book,” and while I dare you to find a middle grade novel with more talk of period products and menstrual blood, at its core, P.S. TELL NO ONE is a book about connection and conversation, and how both things are the antidote to shame.

When I was in grade six, my friends are I were part of a pass-around diary. Instead of passing notes, we wrote down our thoughts, feelings, worries, and plans and discussed them at great length in a series of journals. In their pages, we could say things that were too hard to say aloud. In P.S. Tell No One I wanted to recreate that safe space. In Twix, Hoops, MP and Sunny, I hear echoes of myself, my friends, and the kids in my life.

This book is designed to look and read like a diary. It features brilliant design choices from Yvonne Lam and amazing spot art from Holly Allerellie. Trust me, you’ve never seen a cuter rendition of the female reproductive system. Just look at this full cover. That Lisa Frank colour palette, the pad (with wings!), the energy and spirit of the girls in the polaroid…it’s perfect and I couldn’t love it more. The background also happens to be very similar in colour to the frames of the glasses I wore in middle school. What can I say? In the 90s we lived for teal!

Cover design by Yvonne Lam, cover art by Holly Allerellie

When kids have questions, especially sensitive ones, they often turn to books. Followers of this blog know that I have long been mystified (and miffed) and the absence of periods in middle grade fiction. I keep an updated list of middle grade books with periods in them here. The gold standard, Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret, is great, but it’s 52 years old. My hope is that P.S. Tell No One will be a raft for a new generation of kids who find themselves treading in the rocky waters of puberty. Full of humour, nitty-gritty facts, and real talk, P.S. Tell No One is the kind of book kids will pass on to each other and say, “You HAVE to read this!”

There are lots of fun things in the works for P.S. Tell No One, so stay tuned for giveaways, events, and fun goodies. In the meantime, you can pre-order:



Read More
Vikki VanSickle Vikki VanSickle

Take the #AnonymouseChallenge

It’s starting to look and feel like spring! If your family is looking to spend more time outside, why not take the #AnonymouseChallenge? Here’s how it works:

  1. Go for a discovery walk and take note of anything you see of interest. It might be a mural, a sign, a note on the sidewalk, a garden statue, or something else entirely.

  2. Create something for your own community. Draw a picture or write a message using sidewalk chalk, hang something in a window or tie something to a tree branch, paint a rock or find something to display in your yard, balcony, or garden.

  3. Share a picture of your discovery or creation online using the hashtag #AnonymouseChallenge. Tundra Books will be re-sharing and collecting the entries on Pinterest here.

The following indies are holding an #AnonymouseChallenge contest, culminating on Canadian Independent Bookstore Day on April 24th. Email your #AnonymouseChallenge submission to your local bookstore OR be sure to tag them online to be entered to win!

Participating Bookstores

Read More