Forest of Reading®: Festival of Trees coming soon

If it's April, then young readers are voting for their favourite books in the Ontario Library Association's Forest of Reading® award programs. And those votes will be tallied and awards announced at the Festival of Trees. These award ceremonies were always a big event at Toronto's Harbourfront, though over the pandemic, award ceremonies were conducted online. For the first time in several years, young readers will have the opportunity to attend in-person events which include workshops by authors and/or illustrators, get their books autographed by authors, and cheer in person when the award winners are announced. The Festival of Trees will be held from Tuesday May 16 through Thursday May 18, 2023. If you're still not convinced to attend (tickets available here), check out the full schedule of events below.

 

TUESDAY, MAY 16, 2023

SILVER BIRCH EXPRESS

 

AWARD CEREMONY 10:30-11:30 AM

 

WORKSHOPS

 

11:45 AM-12:15 PM Eric Walters: Bear in the Family

  

12:15-12:45 PM  Shenaaz Nanji: Alina in a Pinch

 

12:45-1:15 PM Alma Fullerton: Flipping Forward Twisting Backward

 

AUTHORS AUTOGRAPHING

 

11:45 AM-12:45 PM

    Alma Fullerton: Flipping Forward Twisting Backward
    Greer Stothers: Kaleidoscope of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Life: Their colors and patterns explained

    Rachel Poliquin: The Strangest Thing in the Sea: And Other Curious Creatures of the Deep

 

1:00-2:00 PM

    Shenaaz Nanji: Alina in a Pinch
    Eric Walters: Bear in the Family
    Juliana Armstrong: This is What I’ve Been Told / Mii yi gaa-bi-wiindmaagooyaan

    Kallie George (tentative): Crimson Twill: Witch in the City
  

 

 

SILVER BIRCH FICTION

 

AWARD CEREMONY 12:00-1:00 PM

 

WORKSHOPS

 

10:15-10:45 AM Colleen Nelson: The Undercover Book List

10:15-10:45 AM J. Torres and David Namisato: Stealing Home

 

10:30-11:00 AM  Wesley King: Butt Sandwich & Tree

11:15-11:45 AM Catherine Egan: Sneaks

 

11:15-11:45 AM Meagan Mahoney: Meranda and the Legend of the Lake

1:15-1:45 PM David A. Robertson: The Stone Child (The Misewa Saga, Bk 3)

 

 

AUTHORS AUTOGRAPHING

 

10:00-11:00 AM

    Rosena Fung: Living with Viola
    Meagan Mahoney: Meranda and the Legend of the Lake

    Catherine Egan: Sneaks

    David A. Robertson: The Stone Child (The Misewa Saga, Bk 3)

 

1:00-2:00 PM

    Wesley King: Butt Sandwich & Tree

    Colleen Nelson: The Undercover Book List
    J. Torres and David Namisato: Stealing Home  

 

 

BLUE SPRUCE

 

DIGITAL AWARD CEREMONY 1:30-2:00 PM EST

 

 

 •   •   •   •   •   •   •

 

 WEDNESDAY, MAY 17, 2023

 

RED MAPLE

 

AWARD CEREMONY 10:30-11:30 AM

 

WORKSHOPS

 

11:45 AM-12:15 PM  Teresa Toten: Eight Days

12:15-12:45 PM Meaghan McIsaac: The Bear House

12:15-12:45 PM Chad Lucas: Let the Monster Out

 

12:45-1:15 PM Kevin Sands: Children of the Fox (Thieves of Shadow, Bk 1)

1:15-1:45 PM Paul Coccia and Eric Walters: On the Line

 

1:15-1:45 PM Lori Weber: The Ribbon Leaf

 

 

AUTHORS AUTOGRAPHING

 

11:45 AM-12:45 PM

    Kevin Sands:  Children of the Fox (Thieves of Shadow, Bk 1)
    Paul Coccia and Eric Walters: On the Line

    Lori Weber: The Ribbon Leaf

    Joanne Levy: Sorry for Your Loss

    Kathy Kacer: Under the Iron Bridge 

 

1:00-2:00 PM

    Leisl Adams: Batter Royale
    Meaghan McIsaac: The Bear House

    Teresa Toten: Eight Days

    Chad Lucas: Let the Monster Out

 

WHITE PINE

AWARD CEREMONY 12:00-1:00 PM

WORKSHOPS

10:15-10:45 AM Christy Goerzen: River Mermaid

 

10:15-10:45 AM H. N. Khan: Wrong Side of the Court

 

10:30-11:00 AM Kate McLaughlin: Daughter

11:15-11:45 AM Nicola Davison: Decoding Dot Grey

 

11:15-11:45 AM Jen Ferguson: The Summer of Bitter and Sweet

 

AUTHORS AUTOGRAPHING

1:00-2:00 PM
    Kate McLaughlin: Daughter

    Nicola Davison: Decoding Dot Grey

    Christy Goerzen: River Mermaid

    Jen Ferguson: The Summer of Bitter and Sweet

    Louisa Onomé: Twice as Perfect

    H. N. Khan: Wrong Side of the Court 

 

 

YELLOW CEDAR

 

Digital Award Ceremony  1:30-2:00 PM EST

 

 •   •   •   •   •   •   •

THURSDAY, MAY 18, 2023

LE PRIX MÉLÈZE

 

AWARD CEREMONY 10:30-11:30 AM

 

WORKSHOPS

 

11:45 AM-12:15 PM Andrée-Anne Gratton: L'enfant qui jouait du piano dans sa tête
 

11:45 AM-12:15 PM Marie-Andrée Arsenault: La Guerre des pupitres

  

12:15-12:45 PM  Patrick Blanchette: Aube du monde des rêves 01 Le réacteur onirique
 

12:15-12:45 PM Carole Tremblay: La chose dans l'étang

 

12:45-1:15 PM  Jocelyn Boisvert: La ligue des (pas si) champions
 

12:45-1:15 PM Pierre Chastenay: Une visite guidée du système solaire

 

 

AUTHORS AUTOGRAPHING

 

11:45 AM-12:45 PM
    Jocelyn Boisvert: La ligue des (pas si) champions
    Pierre Chastenay: Une visite guidée du système solaire

 

1:00-2:00 PM

    Patrick Blanchette: Aube du monde des rêves 01 Le réacteur onirique
    Carole Tremblay: La chose dans l'étang
    Andrée-Anne Gratton: L'enfant qui jouait du piano dans sa tête
    Marie-Andrée Arsenault: La Guerre des pupitres

 

 

LE PRIX TAMARAC

 

AWARD CEREMONY 12:00-1:00 PM

 

WORKSHOPS

 

10:15-10:45 AM Annie Bacon: Chroniques post-apocalyptiques d'un garçon perdu

 

10:15-10:45 AM Dïana Bélice: L'escouade du bonheur

 

10:30-11:00 AM Isabelle Roy: Brûlé 01 Premier degré

 

10:30-11:00 AM Marie-Hélène Jarry: Les carnets de novembre

 

11:15-11:45 AM Simon Lafrance: Carnet de bord d'un (aspirant) chef de meute

 

11:15-11:45 AM Alexandre Côté-Fournier: Quincaillerie Miville

 

1:15-1:45 PM  Suzanne Aubry: Le Septième étage et demi

 

 

AUTHORS AUTOGRAPHING

 

10:45-11:45 AM

    Isabelle Roy: Brûlé 01 Premier degré
    Marie-Hélène Jarry: Les carnets de novembre
    Suzanne Aubry: Le Septième étage et demi
    Paul Tom: Seuls
    Gabrielle Boulianne-Tremblay: La voix de la nature

 

1:00-2:00 PM

    Simon Lafrance: Carnet de bord d'un (aspirant) chef de meute
    Annie Bacon: Chroniques post-apocalyptiques d'un garçon perdu
    Dïana Bélice: L'escouade du bonheur
    Alexandre Côté-Fournier: Quincaillerie Miville 

 

 

LE PRIX PEUPLIER

 

Digital Award Ceremony: 1:30-2:00 PM EST 

 

 •   •   •   •   •   •   •

         

Links to purchase tickets for these Festival of Trees (including General Admission tickets without award ceremonies but all other events) as well as those that are only available as Digital Ceremonies (Blue Spruce, Yellow Cedar and Le prix Peuplier) are available at https://forestofreading.com/festival/.

The Secrets We Keep: Book launch (Toronto)

Deb Loughead

author of 

numerous young adult CanLit

will be launching her newest title

The Secrets We Keep

by Deb Loughead

Dundurn

978-1-459737297

184 pp.

Ages 12-15

December 2016

on

Wednesday December 14th, 2016

7:00 p.m.

at

Harbourfront Centre

Lakeside Terrace

The book is described as follows, on Dundurn's website:

First she blamed herself. Now she doesn’t know who to trust. 

When Kit disappeared at a party and was found drowned in the quarry the next day, Clem knew who to point the finger at: herself. She was the last person to see him alive, the last person who could have helped. If she had just kept a closer eye on him instead of her crush, Jake, maybe Kit would still be here. She knows she made a mistake, and wishes she could just forget about it — but Clem’s friend Ellie says she’ll expose Clem’s secret if she doesn’t play along with Ellie’s lies. 

Jake seems to have his own difficult secrets, and when he and Clem start to talk, they make a plan to help themselves move on. But when an unexpected discovery at the quarry makes everyone question what they thought they knew, Clem and Jake decide it’s up to them to uncover the truth.

Retrieved from https://www.dundurn.com/books/Secrets-We-Keep on November 29, 2016. 

Exciting news: 2014 Forest of Reading winners announced!

The Ontario Library Association's Forest of Reading's book awards have been an important part of my school library program and my personal volunteer experiences for many years, so I am always proud to post the results of this wonderful reading program.

It's impossible to congratulate all those who made this reading program and the Festival of Trees such a success but here are some of the amazing people who play important roles in its success:

• the readers;
• the selection committees who read so many books to choose the best for the shortlists;
• the steering committees that organize and put on the fabulous Festival of Trees;
• the OLA staff, with Meredith Tutching at the helm;
• the authors and illustrators who provide enviable youngCanLit;
• the publishers who publish youngCanLit and promote it; and
• the winners and honourees in each reading program.

Here are this year's readers' choice winners for each reading program:

Blue Spruce

WINNER

Oddrey
by Dave Whamond
Owlkids

Reviewed here

 

Silver Birch EXPRESS

   WINNER

The Secret of the Village Fool

by Rebecca Upjohn
Illustrated by Renné Benoit
Second Story Press


Reviewed here
 

Silver Birch FICTION

 WINNER

Recordbreaker

by Robin Stevenson
Orca Book Publishers

Reviewed here

Silver Birch NON-FICTION

WINNER

One Step at a Time: A Vietnamese Child Finds Her Way

by Marsha Skrypuch

Pajama Press 


Reviewed here

 

Le prix Peuplier

            Lauréat               

Une mouche, un chat et une patate 

by Céline Malépart
Simon & Schuster BFYR/Simon & Schuster

Le Prix Tamarac

                   Lauréat

Une fille à l’école des gars

by Maryse Peyskens

Dominique et Compagnie

Le Prix Tamarac EXPRESS

                   Lauréat

Attention, j’arrive ! (BiBop) 

by Raymond Parent
Boomerang

Red Maple Fiction

WINNER

The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen
by Susin Nielsen
Tundra Books

Reviewed here

White Pine FICTION

WINNER

Live to Tell
by Lisa Harrington
Dancing Cat Books

White Pine NON-FICTION

WINNER

The Secret of the Blue Trunk
by Lise Dion 
Translated by Liedewij Hawke
Dundurn

                                                                                                             

Thrilling news for all authors, illustrators and publishers!

Enjoyed all the more for being selected 

by young Canadian readers!

Congratulations to everyone!

The full list of winners and honour books is posted at CanLit for LittleCanadians Awards here or on the news release from OLA .

YoungIFOA: International Festival of Authors (Toronto)

International Festival of Authors is held annually at Toronto's Harbourfront and always includes events for children and young adults. YoungIFOA programs provides them with the opportunities to meet authors, ask questions, listen to readings and get their books autographed. There are even bookplate-making workshops.

Here are the four YoungIFOA events for 2013, with a few images to remind readers of the authors' books:

Saturday, October 26, 2013
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Author:     Gordon Korman
Target audience:  Grades 4-6
Cost: $18

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

10:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Authors:     Lesley Livingston and Evan Munday 
Moderator:  author Vikki VanSickle
Target audience:  Grades 7-8
Cost: $14






Wednesday, October 30, 2013
10:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Authors: Charles de Lint and Elizabeth Wennick
Moderator: author Kevin Sylvester
Target Audience: young adults
Cost: $14

Friday, November 1, 2013

10:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Authors:   Frank Viva and Eric Walters
Moderator: Vikki VanSickle
Target audience:  K - Gr. 3+
Cost: $14























Details are available at the IFOA website here

2013 Forest of Reading winners announced at Festival of Trees

Of course, the winners of the Ontario Library Association's Forest of Reading's book awards are listed on my CanLit for LittleCanadians: Awards page, but the news is too big not to share it on my main page.  It's just too fantastic!

After two glorious days of great weather, words and winning, young readers in Ontario learned the results of their reading and voting for the Forest of Reading award programs, a readers' choice award.  On May 15 and May 16, at the Festival of Trees event at Toronto's Harbourfront, young readers celebrated their reading accomplishments, shared the joy of reading great youngCanLit, played games for books, met numerous authors and illustrators, and enthusiastically learned their selections for the favourite books in each program. And authors, illustrators and publishers enjoyed the well-deserved and uproarious cheers and recognition from fans of fantastic youngCanLit.

It's impossible to name all those who made this reading program and the Festival of Trees such a success but I will try.  And, though I've said it before, I'll say it again and again and again,
congratulations to:
• the readers on their amazing selections from exemplary lists of Canadian literature for young people;
• the countless volunteers and OLA staff (Meredith Tutching directing at the helm) who ensure that Ontario young people read the best titles and who help bring the Festival of Trees to fruition (pun intended);
• the authors and illustrators honoured with Forest of Reading nominations;
• the authors and illustrators who enjoyed the undeniable adoration of thousands of reading fans;
• the publishers who are recognizing the importance of publishing and promoting children's and YA literature in Canada; and
• the winners and honourees in each reading program. 

Here are the winners and honour books for each reading program:

Blue Spruce

WINNER

Kate and Pippin: An Unlikely Love Story
by Martin Springett
Illustrated by Isobel Springett
Puffin Canada/Pengiun Group

HONOUR BOOKS

Splinters

by Kevin Sylvester
Tundra Books

 

 
 
Don't Laugh at Giraffe
by Rebecca Bender
Pajama Press

  

Silver Birch EXPRESS

   WINNER

Margaret and the Moth Tree

by Brit Trogen & Kari Trogen
Kids Can Press

HONOUR BOOKS

Dalen & Gole: Scandal in Port Angus
by Mike Deas
Orca
  

Harry Houdini: The Legend of the World's Greatest Escape Artist
by Janice Weaver
Illustrated by Chris Lane
Abrams Books for Young Readers/ABRAMS

Silver Birch FICTION

 WINNER

Making Bombs For Hitler

by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch

Scholastic Canada

HONOUR BOOKS

Missing
by Becky Citra
Orca Book Publisher

 
A Tinfoil Sky
by Cyndi Sand-Eveland
Tundra Books

Silver Birch NON-FICTION

WINNER

No Shelter Here: Making the World a Kinder Place for Dogs

by Rob Laidlaw

Pajama Press

HONOUR BOOKS

50 Underwear Questions: A Bare-All History
by Tanya Lloyd Kyi
Illustrated by Ross Kinnaird
Annick Press 

Case Files: 40 Murders and Mysteries Solved by Science
by Larry Verstraete
Scholastic Canada

 

Le prix Peuplier

            Lauréat               

Le zoo de Yayaho
par Geneviève Lemieux
Illustré par Bruno St-Aubin
Bayard Canada Livres inc.

                              HONOUR BOOKS                                        

Salto: L'ultime défi
par Pierre Labrie
Illustré par Tristan Demers
Boomerang éditeur jeunesse inc.

 

Prince Olivier et le dragon
par Caroline Merola
Les éditions Imagine

Le Prix Tamarac

                   Lauréat

Le mystère des jumelles Barnes
par Carole Tremblay
Bayard Canada Livres 

HONOUR BOOKS

Hackerboy
par Julie Champagne
Bayard Canada Livres 

Biodôme: Dans le sens du poil
par Frédéric Antoine
Illustré par Yohann Morin
Boomerang éditeur jeunesse

Le Prix Tamarac EXPRESS

                   Lauréat

Billy Stuart: 1. Les Zintrépides
par Alain M. Bergeron
Illustré par Sampar
Éditions Michel Quintin

HONOUR BOOKS

Du soccer extrême
par François Gravel
Illustré par Philippe Germain
Les éditions FouLire inc.

Ziiip Sur Terre!

par Johanne Mercier

Illustré par Gabrielle Grimard

Les éditions FouLire inc.

Red Maple Fiction

WINNER

 

The Vindico
by Wesley King
G.P. Putnam's Sons/Penguin Group

HONOUR BOOKS

This Dark Endeavour
by Kenneth Oppel
HarperCollins

The Vampire Stalker
by Allison Van Diepen
Point/Scholastic

Red Maple Non-Fiction

WINNER

Real Justice: Fourteen And Sentenced To Death
by Bill Swan
James Lorimer & Company

HONOUR BOOKs

Last Airlift: A Vietnamese Orphan's Rescue from War
by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch

Pajama Press

Running To Extremes: Ray Zahab's Amazing Ultramarathon Journey
by Steve Pitt with Ray Zahab
Puffin Canada/Penguin Group

White Pine FICTION

WINNER

Dark Inside
by Jeyn Roberts
Simon & Schuster BFYR/Simon & Schuster

HONOUR BOOKS

All Good Children
by Catherine Austen
Orca Book Publishers

Witchlanders
by Lena Coakley
Atheneum Books For Young Readers/Simon & Schuster

                                                                                                                

Thrilling news for all authors, illustrators and publishers!

Enjoyed all the more for being selected 

by young Canadian readers!

Congratulations to everyone!