The following list showcases books about Canadian women who broke barriers, stories of women's accomplishments that history has tried to erase, and new Canadian literary voices to be excited about. I hope names like Jill Heinerth, Manon Rhéaume, Viola Desmond, Buffy Sainte-Marie, and Shanice Nicole become as recognizable as Chris Hadfield, Wayne Gretzky, Rosa Parks … Continue reading As Seen on CTV: 10 Kids’ Books for International Women’s Day
With kids out of class and parents suddenly finding themselves juggling working from home and managing their kids' education, now is a good time for comfort reading. Remember that you are not your child's teacher, the most important thing you can do for your kids is establish routine, provide comfort, and keep them entertained. With … Continue reading CTV Your Morning: Quarantine Reads for Kids
I read a LOT of fab YA this year, some of which I won't go into here but you should definitely pick up (A Torch Against the Night! Empire of Storms! The Sun is Also a Star!). This list is by no means exhaustive, but here are some YA titles that made me think, slipped … Continue reading What I Read in 2016: YA
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
I was flattered when Fierce Ink Press approached me to write a piece for their Fierce Shorts program. Featuring powerful work by Jo Treggiari, Susin Nielsen and Alice Kuipers, the Fierce Shorts program is a response to the It Gets Better movement in which YA authors write a short, digital piece about an experience they … Continue reading New Digital Short: AMY ABBOT IS HAVING A PARTY
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
The lovely Suman Seewat told me I needed to read this book and as usual, she was right. Any book that is comped to the movie Fargo has my immediate attention. One has to wonder if that fantastic cover from HarperTeen is a nod to the cross-stitching in the Fargo movie poster: In any case, … Continue reading Finally! A Book for DROP DEAD GORGEOUS Fans: No one Else Can Have You Review
Those of you who have heard me say 'I don't really read much sci-fi or fantasy' probably have a hard time believing me given the number of speculative books I've reviewed recently. The truth is I LOVE a well told fantasy or sci-fi novel, I'm just EXTREMELY picky about what I read. The Fifth Wave … Continue reading The Passage for Kids: The Fifth Wave Review
Downton Abbey fans you need to be reading this series! The FitzOzbornes in Exile is the second in an unique YA trilogy about a group of young royals from a fictional island nation off the coast of France in the 1930s and early 1940s. Told in diary form from the perspective of sensitive and observant Princess … Continue reading Meet the FitzOsbornes, The Crawleys of YA: FitzOzbornes in Exile Review
My third book, the final in the Clarissa and Benji series, Days That End in Y is available in three weeks! I can barely contain my excitement. I've already received my author copies from Scholastic Canada, look how pretty: Doesn't the blue make you think of summer? Doesn't Clarissa look just ever-so slightly more mature and … Continue reading Waiting on Wednesday: Days That End in Y
