2027 Forest of Reading® nominees: Blue Spruce, Silver Birch Express, Silver Birch Fiction

Here is the first grouping of 2027 nominees from the nine Forest of Reading® awards of the Ontario Library Association:

• Blue Spruce: picture books for JK to Grade 2
  
• Silver Birch Express: fiction and non-fiction for Grades 3 and 4
  
• Silver Birch Fiction: fiction for Grades 3 to 6
  

BLUE SPRUCE™

 

Call Me Gray
Written by Andrew Larsen and Bells Larsen
Illustrated by Talullah Fontaine
Kids Can Press
Reviewed here  

Camping Is a Terrible Idea
Written by Kirsten Pendreigh
Illustrated by Tiffany Everett
Sleeping Bear Press

Dear Classroom 1B
Written by Lynn Leitch
Illustrated by Christine Battuz
North Winds Press (Scholastic Canada)

Fly in the Chai
Written by Zenia Wadhwani
Illustrated by Chaaya Prabhat
Tundra Books

Love, Panda
Written by Elaine Su
Illustrated by Charlene Chua
Scholastic Canada
Reviewed here

My Neighborhood
Written by Delano Brown
Illustrated by Briana Mukodiri Uchendu
Random House Studio

One Can
Written by Lana Button and Eric Walters
Illustrated by Isabelle Malenfant
Groundwood Books
Reviewed her

Rez Kid
Written by Andrea Landry
Illustrated by Isabella Fassler
Kids Can Press
Reviewed here

Sarabeth’s Garage
Written by Melanie Florence
Illustrated by Nadia Alam
Tundra Books
Reviewed here

This Is How We Talk: A Celebration of Disability and Connection
Written by Jessica Slice and Caroline Cupp
Illustrated by Kayla Harren
Dial Books

SILVER BIRCH EXPRESS

Bompa’s Intertidal Adventure
Written by David Suzuki and Sarika Cullis-Suzuki with Tanya Lloyd Kyi
Illustrated by Qin Yeng

Greystone Kids

Charlie the Matachewan Moose
Written by Shawna Lee Corbould
Illustrated by Jessica Somers

Strong Nations

The Curious Life of Cecilia Payne: Discovering the Stuff of Stars
Written by Laura Alary
Illustrated by Yas Imamura

Eerdmans Books for Young Readers

Diary of a Dino Ghost: Unlikely Friends
Written and illustrated by Monica Arnaldo

Scholastic Canada

Fiddlehead Forest
Written and illustrated by Jana Curll
Greystone Kids

The Great Puptective: The Big Mousetake (The Great Puptective, Book 3)
Written and illustrated by Alina Tysoe

Simon and Schuster

Salma Keeps Her Word
Written by Danny Ramadan
Illustrated by Anna Bron

Annick Press

Star Sailor, the Story of Words
Written by Sara Cassidy
Illustrated by Julie McLaughlin

Orca Book Publishers

Reviewed here

This Book Stinks
Written by Danielle St. Ong and Jeff Szpirglas
Illustrated by Alyssa Waterbury

Orca Book Publishers

This Skirt Won’t Work! How Women Athletes Changed Their Clothes and Changed the Game
Written by Jennifer Cooper
Illustrated by Eva Byrne

Sourcebooks Explore

SILVER BIRCH FICTION

Beast Ballerz (Beast Ballerz, Book 1)
Written by Wesley King
Illustrated by Steve Wolfhard

Tundra Books

The Bloodstone Thief
Written by Sabina Khan

Scholastic Canada

 

Briarwood
Written  by Natalie Hyde

DCB Young Readers

Reviewed here

 

The Ghosts of Bitterfly Bay
Written by Mary Averling

G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers 

 

Hitting the Target

Written by Lorna Schultz Nicholson

Scholastic Canada

 

Kaboom!: Blast Off
Written by Jay Odjick

Illustrated by KC Oster

Scholastic Canada

Reviewed here

 

My Sister the Werebeast
Written and illustrated by Alina Tysoe
First Second Books

Remember Me, Daphne
Written by Celia Krampien
Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Time Surfers
Written by Kevin Sylvester

HarperCollins

Touching Grass
Written by Kristy Jackson
Illustrated by Rhael McGregor

HarperCollins Canada

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Nominees for the other programs can be linked from below:

Yellow Cedar

Red Maple

White Pine

Le prix Peuplier

Le prix Mézèle

Le prix Tamarac

 

2027 Forest of Reading® nominees announced

Yesterday, the Ontario Library Association's Forest of Reading® announced the 2027 nominated titles for its book award programs for school-aged readers. For months, teachers and librarians on selection committees have been reading submitted books by Canadian creators to compile these exceptional lists from which young readers will choose winners next spring.  

The lists of all nominated books are available on the Forest of Reading® website, and schools, parents, everyone can register to be part of the program. (The program even extends beyond Ontario and Canada's borders.) Young readers from JK through high school have the opportunity to read and vote on their favourite books in these nine different categories:

• Blue Spruce: JK–Grade 2, picture books
• Silver Birch Express: Grades 3–4, fiction and non-fiction
• Silver Birch Fiction: Grades 3–6, fiction
• Yellow Cedar: Grades 4–8, non-fiction
• Red Maple: Grades 7–8, fiction
• White Pine: Grades 9–12, fiction
• Le prix Peuplier: French-language picture books, less text, simpler subject matters, perfect for read-alouds
• Le prix Mélèze: shorter French-language chapter books with maximum 100 pages or more mature picture books, larger text with pictures, simpler vocabulary and verb tenses
• Le prix Tamarac: French-language chapter books from 100 to 250 pages, smaller text with little or no illustrations, more complicated verb tenses and vocabulary

Because there are ninety nominated titles, I will break up the posts listing them in three groupings, all which can be accessed from this page. 

Do check out how to register for this fabulous reading program. It's very, very reasonable, and all young readers attending public or private schools, as well as those who are home-schooled, are welcome. Just select the right program for your young readers.  

 

Congratulations to all nominees

and

Happy reading to Forest of Reading participants!

🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲

 

Blue Spruce Award™
(JK–Grade 2, English-language picture books)
2027 nominees posted here

 

Silver Birch Express Award^®
(Grades 3–4, English-language fiction and non-fiction)
2027 nominees posted here

 

Silver Birch Fiction Award^®
(Grades 3–6, English-language fiction)
2027 nominees posted here

 

 

Yellow Cedar Award
(Grades 4–8, English-language non-fiction)
2027 nominees posted here

   

 

Red Maple Award™
(Grades 7–8, English-language fiction)
2027 nominees posted here

 

White Pine Award™
(Grades 9–12, English-language fiction)
2027 nominees posted here

 

Le prix Peuplier
(French-language picture books, less text, simpler subject matters, perfect for read-alouds)
2027 nominees posted here

   

Le prix Mélèze
(shorter French-language chapter books maximum 100 pages or more mature picture books, larger text with pictures,  simpler vocabulary and verb tenses)
2027 nominees posted here
 

Le prix Tamarac
(French-language chapter books from 100 to 250 pages, smaller text with little or no illustrations, more complicated verb tenses and vocabulary)
2027 nominees posted here
 

 

 

 

Let the Forest begin! 

 

🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲

2026 Forest of Reading winners announced

 

Over the past week, the Ontario Library Association's Forest of Reading®, a readers' choice book award program, announced the winners either virtually or at its annual Festival of Trees at Harbourfront in Toronto.

Here are this year's winners and honour books for each reading program, as voted by young readers from JK to Grade 12.

 

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Winner

The Great Dinosaur Sleepover
Written by Linda Bailey
Illustrated by Joe Bluhm
Tundra Books

 

Honour Books:

Fox and the Mystery Letter
Written and illustrated by Alex G. Griffiths
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Weedflower
Written by Elizabeth Davaze
Illustrated by Marianne Ferrer
Owlkids Books  

 

 

Winner

The Great Puptective #2: Purranormal Activity
Written and illustrated by Alina Tysoe
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
 

Honour Books:

The League of Littles
Written by Casey Lyall
Illustrated by Sara Faber
Greenwillow Books

 

 

 

  

Plant Attack! The Fascinating Ways Flora Defends Itself
Written by Erin Silver
Illustrated by Julie McLaughlin
Orca Book Publishers

 

 

 

  

Winner

The Last Hope School for Magical Delinquents
Written by Nicki Pau Preto
Viking Books for Young Readers

  

Honour Books:

Death by Whoopee Cushion
Written by Vicki Grant
Tundra Books 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taxi Ghost
Written and illustrated by Sophie Escabasse
Random House Graphic  

Winner 

A Sick History of Medicine: A Warts-And-All Book Full of Fun Facts and Disgusting Discoveries
Written by Jelena Poleksic
Illustrated by Ella Kasperowicz
Neon Squid

Honour Books:

Spooky Lakes: 25 Strange and Mysterious Lakes That Dot Our Planet
Written and illustrated by Geo Rutherford
Abrams Books for Young Readers

 

 

 

 

Octopus Ocean: Geniuses of the Deep
Written by Mark Lieren-Young
Orca Book Publishers  

 

Winner

If We Tell You
Written by Nicola Dahlin
Kids Can Press

Honour Books:

Finding Harmony
Written by Eric Walters
Orca Book Publishers

 

 

 

 

 

The Factory
Written by Catherine Egan
Scholastic Canada 

Winner

For She is Wrath
Written by Emily Varga
Wednesday Books

Honour Books:

The History of Everything
Written and illustrated by Victoria Evans
HarperAlley  

  

 

 

 

 

 

A Drop in the Ocean
Written by Léa Taranto
Arsenal Pulp Press  

Winner/Lauréat

Les mal-aimés
Écrit et illustré par Magalie Élément 
Éditions Alaska 

 

 

Honour Books/Livres distingués:

Mon pire cauchemar, c’est lui, c’est elle

Écrit par Émilie Ouellette

Illustré par Mika

Éditions Alaska 

 

 

 

 

 

Comme toi et moi
Écrit par Priska Poirier
Illustré par Sabrina Gendron
Druide  

Winner/Lauréat

La bibliothèque enchantée 1: Le livre aspirateur
Écrit par Jocelyn Boisvert 
Illustré par Enzo
Éditions Michel Quintin

 

Honour Books/Livres distingués: 

Comment sauver des chevaux sauvages
Écrit par Andrée Poulin
Illustré par Caroline Lavergne
Bayard Jeunesse Canada 

Croki
Écrit et illustré par Jacques Goldstyn 
La Pastèque 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Winner/Lauréat

L’affaire Buddy Bussières
Écrit par François-Martine Bergeron-Mercier 

(François Gravel, Martine Latulippe, Alain Bergeron, Johanne Mercier)
Illustré par Mathilde Filippi
La courte échelle

Honour Books/Livres distingués:

L’Oracle
Écrit par Julie Champagne 
La courte échelle 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Quand ils sont venus
Écrit par Andrée Poulin
Illustré par Sophie Casson
Les Éditions de l'Isatis 


 
 

Congratulations to everyone!

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