New Releases for Winter & Spring 2013

Ring out those bells!
Swing those clackers!
Blow those foofuzzlers!
Clap those knackers!

2013 is almost here!

And Canadian authors, illustrators and publishers have been busily writing, illustrating, printing, designing and marketing for a new season of #youngCanLit.  Below I've compiled a list of upcoming books that readers might want to add to their calendars, just to begin the anticipation.  Lots of great picture books, fiction, young adult and non-fiction titles to which we can look forward.

Setting the clocks now for ...

Picture Books

• Cat Comes Too by Hazel Hutchins, illustrated by Gosia Mosz (Annick)  
• Dog Comes Too by Hazel Hutchins, illustrated by Gosia Mosz (Annick)  
• Gabby by Joyce Grant, illustrated by Jan Dolby (Fitzhenry & Whiteside)  
• Little Jack Horner Live from the Corner by Helaine Becker (Scholastic Canada)  
• My Friend Henry by Phillipe Beha (Scholastic Canada)  
• What the Snakes Wrote by Hazel Hutchins, illustrated by Tina Holdcroft (Annick)  
• When I Was Eight by Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton, illustrated by Gabrielle Grimard (Annick)

Fiction

• The Cats of Tanglewood Forest by Charles de Lint, illustrated by Charles Vess (Little, Brown / Hachette)
• Hideout by Gordon Korman (Scholastic Canada) --> sequel to Showdown
• The Hunt for the Panther by Rachelle Delaney, Gerald Guerlais (Puffin Canada)--> The Ship of Lost Souls #3 
• If the Shoe Fits by Sarah Mlynowski (Scholastic Canada) --> Whatever After #2
• The Metro Dogs of Moscow by Rachelle Delaney (Puffin Canada)
• Storm the Fortress, The Siege of Quebec, William Jenkins, New France, 1759 by Maxine Trottier (Scholastic Canada) --> I Am Canada series

Young Adult

• Blood Prophecy by Alyxandra Harvey (Bloomsbury US) --> The Drake Chronicles #6  
• The Gypsy King by Maureen Fergus (Razorbill)
• Old Man by David A. Poulsen (Dundurn)
• Power Play by Eric Walters (HarperCollins)  
• War Brothers: The Graphic Novel by Sharon E. McKay and Daniel Lafrance (Annick)

Non-Fiction

• The Arab World Thought of it: Inventions, Innovations and Amazing Facts by Saima Hussain (Annick)
• Bones Never Lie: How Forensics Helps Solve History's Mysteries by Elizabeth MacLeod (Annick)
• Follow Your Money: Who Gets It, Who Spends It, Where Does It Go? by Kevin Sylvester and Michael Hlinka (Annick) 
• Native Americans: A Visual Exploration by S. Paleja and Kevin Loring (Annick)
• Saving Lives & Changing Hearts: Animal Sanctuaries and Rescue Centres by Rob Laidlaw (Fitzhenry & Whiteside)
• Showtime: Meet the People Behind the Scenes by Kevin Sylvester (Annick)
• Ten Plants That Shook the World by Gillian Richardson and Kim Rosen (Annick)

Picture Books

• Seeing Red by Robert Munsch (Scholastic Canada) 
• Welcome, Baby by Barbara Reid (Scholastic Canada)  
• The Magnificent Tree by Nick Bland (Scholastic Canada)

Fiction

• Athlete vs. Mathlete by W. C. Mack (Scholastic Canada) 
• Cursed by the Sea God by Patrick Bowman (Ronsdale Press) --> Odyssey of a Slave, Book II; sequel to Torn from Troy 
• Days That End in Y by Vikki VanSickle (Scholastic Canada) --> sequel to Words that Start with B and Love is a Four-Letter Word
• Hannah & the Salish Sea by Carol Anne Shaw (Ronsdale Press) - -> sequel to Hannah and the Spindle Whorl
• Pieces of the Past: The Holocaust Diary of Rose Rabinowitz, Winnipeg, Manitoba, 1948 by Carol Matas (Scholastic Canada) --> Dear Canada series
• Prince Puggly of Spud and the Kingdom of Spiff by Robert Paul Weston (Puffin Canada) 
• Real Mermaids Don't Need High Heels by Hélène Boudreau (Sourcebooks/Jabberwocky) --> Real Mermaids series #3
• Shadow Girl by Patricia Morrison (Tundra)
• Still at War by Jean Booker (Scholastic Canada)
• A Taste of Heaven by Meg Tilley (Puffin Canada) 

Young Adult

• An Infidel in Paradise by S.J. Laidlaw (Tundra)
• Millions for a Song by Andre Vanasse and Susan Ouriou (Red Deer Press)  
• Nix Minus One by Jill MacLean (Pajama Press) 
• Shards and Ashes co-edited by Kelley Armstrong and Melissa Mar (HarperCollins)

Non-Fiction

• Where do You Look? by Marthe Jocelyn and Nell Jocelyn (Tundra)

Picture Books

• Circles of Round by Signe Sturup and Winnie Ma (Simply Read Books) 
• The Day My Mom Came to Kindergarten by Maureen Fergus and Mike Lowery (Kids Can Press)
• Franklin and the Gecko Games by Harry Endrulat (Kids Can Press) - -> a whole series of new Franklin books 
• I Dare You Not to Yawn by Hélène Boudreau and Serge Bloch (Candlewick)
• In Lucia's Neighborhood by Pat Shewchuk and Marek Colek (Kids Can Press) 
• Mister Dash and the Cupcake Calamity by Monica Kulling (Tundra) --> sequel to Merci Mister Dash!
• Willow Finds a Way by Lana Button, illustrated by Tania Howells (Kids Can Press) - - > sequel to Willow's Whispers

Fiction

• The Beggar King by Michelle Barker (Thistledown Press)
• Cat Found by Ingrid Lee (Scholastic Canada) 
• Danny Who Fell in a Hole by Cary Fagan (Groundwood) 
• FaceSpace by Adrian Chamberlain (Orca)
• Jasper John Dooley: Left Behind by Caroline Adderson and Ben Clanton (Kids Can Press)
• A Narrow Escape by Jessica Scott Kerrin (Kids Can Press)
• The New Normal by Ashley Little (Orca)
• The Phantom's Gold by Eric Murphy (Cormorant)
• Record Breaker by Robin Stevenson (Orca)
• Vanish by Karen Spafford-Fitz (Orca)
• Zomboy: A Novel by Richard Scrimger (HarperCollins Canada)

Young Adult  

• The Color of Silence by Liane Shaw (Second Story Press) 
• Every Never After by Lesley Livingston (Razorbill) 
• Living With the Hawk by Robert Currie (Thistledown)  
• Not a Chance by Michelle Mulder (Orca)  
• Quicksilver by R. J. Anderson (Lerner Publishing Group) 
• The Silent Summer of Kyle McGinley by Jan Andrews (Great Plains Teen Fiction) 
• Truths I Learned from Sam by Kristen Butcher (Dundurn)

Non-Fiction

• Beyond the Moongate: True Stories of 1920s China by Elizabeth Quan (Tundra)
• Games of Survival: Traditional Inuit Games for Elementary Students by Johnny Issaluk and Ed Maruyama (Inhabit Media)
• The Last Train: A Holocaust Story by Rona Arato (Owlkids)
• Roll On: Rick Hansen Wheels Around the World by Ainslie Manson, illustrated by Ron Lightburn  (D & M Publishers, Greystone Books)

Picture Books 

• Scaredy Squirrel Goes Camping by Melanie Watt (Kids Can Press)
• Hoogie in the Middle by Stephanie McLellan and Dean Griffiths (Pajama Press)
• In the Tree House by Andrew Larsen and Dušan Petričić (Kids Can Press)
• Little You by Richard Van Camp and Julie Flett (Orca)
• A Long Way Away by Frank Viva (HarperCollins)
• Mr. Flux by Kyo Maclear and Matte Stephens (Kids Can Press)
• Nana's Summer Surprise by Heather Hartt-Sussman (Tundra)
• Oy, Feh, So? by Cary Fagan (Groundwood)
• What's Going on at the Time Tonight? by Gerald Mercer (Nimbus)
• Wild Berries by Julie Flett (Simply Read Books)

Fiction 

• The Awesome, Almost 100% True Adventures of Matt and Craz by Alan Silberberg (Simon & Schuster Canada) 
• Brovko's Amazing Journey by Larry Warwaruk (Coteau)  
• Evangeline for Young Readers by Hélène Boudreau (Nimbus)   
• The Further Adventures of Jack Lime by James Leck (Kids Can Press) 
• It's Not About the Ball! by Veronika Martenova Charles (Tundra) 
• It's Not About the Beanstalk! by Veronika Martenova Charles (Tundra) 
• It's Not About the Diamonds! by Veronika Martenova Charles (Tundra) 
• It's Not About the Straw! by Veronika Martenova Charles (Tundra) 
• It's Not About the Tiny Girl! by Veronika Martenova Charles (Tundra)
• Lauren Yanofsky Hates the Holocaust by Leanne Lieberman (Orca)  
• Molly's Promise by Sylvia Olsen (Orca)
• Poser by Alison Hughes (Orca) 
• The Sinking of the Wiley Bean by Margaret J. McMaster (Mansbridge Dunn) --> Book 5 of the Babysitter Out of Control! series  
• Stolen by John Wilson (Orca)  
• Taking the Reins by Dayle Gaetz (Coteau)
• Touch by Kim Firmston (Lorimer)

Young Adult

• Allegra by Shelley Hrdlitschka (Orca)
• Below by Jason Chabot (HarperCollins Canada)--> Broken Sky Chronicles Volume 1
• Break Point by Kate Jaimet (Orca)
• Caching In by Kristin Butcher (Orca)
• Damage by Robin Stevenson (Orca)
• Deadly by Sarah N. Harvey (Orca)
• The Fall by Colleen Nelson (Great Plains Teen Fiction)
• Hurricane Heat by Steven Barwin (Orca)
• Night Terrors by Sean Rodman (Orca)
• The Rising by Kelley Armstrong (Doubleday Canada) --> Darkness Rising trilogy Book 3
• Tagged by Eric Walters (Orca)
• Whatever Doesn't Kill You by Elizabeth Wennick (Orca)
• When We Were Good by Suzanne Sutherland (Three O'Clock Press)

Non-Fiction 

• And the Winner Is ... Amazing Animal Athletes by Etta Kaner and David Anderson (Kids Can Press)
• Down To Earth: How Kids Help Feed the World by Nikki Tate (Orca)
• Pedal It!: How Bicycles are Changing the World by Michelle Mulder (Orca)
• Planet Ark: Preserving Earth’s Biodiversity by Adrienne Mason and Margot Thompson (Kids Can Press)
• Pterosaur Trouble by Daniel Loxton and Jim WW Smith (Kids Can Press)
• What is the Pink Triangle? by Ken Setterington (Second Story Press)
• When Children Play: The Story of Right to Play by Gina McMurchy-Barber (Fitzhenry & Whiteside)
• Weird Zone: Sports by Maria Birmingham (Owlkids)

Picture Books

• The Best Gifts by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch and Elly McKay (Fitzhenry & Whiteside)
• The Best Thing about Kindergarten by Jennifer Lloyd and Qin Leng (Simply Read Books)
• Checkers and Dot at the Beach by J. Torres (Tundra)
• Checkers and Dot on the Farm by J. Torres (Tundra)
• Community Soup by Alma Fullerton (Pajama Press)
• Dream Boats by Dan Bar-el and Kirsti Anne Wakelin (Simply Read Books)
• The First Flute by David Bouchard and Don Oelze (Red Deer Press)
• How To by Julie Morstad (Simply Read Books)
• Murilla Gorilla, Jungle Detective by Jennifer Lloyd and Jacqui Lee (Simply Read Books)
• Nala's Magical Mitsiaq by Jennifer Noah and Qin Leng (Inhabit Media)
• Skink on the Brink by Lisa Dalrymple and Suzanne Del Rizzo (Fitzhenry & Whiteside)

Fiction

• The Great Garage Sale by Marilyn Helmer and Mike Deas (Orca)
• Justine McKeen, Eat Your Beets by Sigmund Brouwer and Dave Whamond (Orca)
• Loki's Wolves by Kelley Armstrong and Melissa Mar  (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
• Objects in Mirror by Tudor Robins (Red Deer Press)
• Power of Harmony by Jan Coates (Red Deer Press)

Young Adult

• Burning from the Inside by Christine Walde (Dancing Cat Books)
• Dying to Go Viral by Sylvia McNicoll (Fitzhenry & Whiteside)
• Just Beneath My Skin by Darren Greer (Dancing Cat Books)
• The Lake and the Library by S. M. Beiko (ECW Press)
• The Throne by Beth Goobie (Red Deer Press)

Non-Fiction

• Righting Canada's Wrongs: The Komagata Maru and Canada's Anti-Indian Immigration Policies in the Twentieth Century by Pamela Hickman and Gola Taraschi-Carr (Lorimer)

Picture Books

• King Pig by Nick Bland (Scholastic Canada)

Fiction

• Summer Days, Starry Nights by Vikki VanSickle (Scholastic Canada)

Young Adult

• Deadly Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock (Katherine Tegen Books)--> sequel to Hemlock

Picture Books

• Noni is Nervous by Heather Hartt-Sussmann (Tundra Books)
• Emily and the Mighty Om by Sarah Lolley and Sleepless Kao (Simply Read Books)

Fiction

• Beautiful Goodbye by Nancy Runstedler (Dundurn)
• Smokescreen by Nancy Hartry (Tundra Books)

Young Adult

• Undercurrent by Paul Blackwell (Doubleday Canada)

   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~  

nota bene

I know that:

1. I will add any titles that I missed in this listing;
2. I will be amending this list over the next couple of months as release dates change;
3. the titles listed for release in June and July are seriously incomplete; a mid-2013 post of new releases for the summer and fall of 2013 will update these lists. 

Until that time,

look for these books in your local bookstores in 2013.

Happy New Year!

   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~ 

Gift Days

by Kari-Lynn Winters

Illustrated by Stephen Taylor

Fitzhenry & Whiteside

978-1-55455-192-7

32 pp.

Ages 7+

2012

On the heels of a holiday season which many treat as gift days, Kari-Lynn Winters' newest picture book, Gift Days, from Fitzhenry & Whiteside exemplifies the true nature of a gift.  It is not a present given on a statutory holiday or to commemorate the anniversary of one's birth.  It is a heartfelt sharing of something that is and will be cherished, freely and without expectation of reciprocity.

Gift Days takes the reader to Uganda where a young Nassali is expected, since the death of her mother, to prepare the meals, fetch the water and firewood, and look after her younger sisters, the weeding and the washing.  The expectation for Matovu, her older brother or baabawe, is to attend school and learn lots.  But Nassali dreams of learning to read and write and going to school.

"Maama always said an education is the path to a better life."

Knowing that "Maama would have wanted it this way", Matovu begins to complete Nassali's chores one morning a week so that they can spend time practising reading and writing.  These special days become her Gift Days.

By emphasizing Nassali's desire to read and write and become educated, rather than the custom that she take on the household responsibilities upon her mother's death from HIV/AIDS, Kari-Lynn Winters takes Gift Days from the hardship of a young girl's life in Uganda to the story of a young person determined to find the means to succeed, albeit with constraints.  Kari-Lynn Winters notes in her afterword that, although Article 28 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child declares that every child has the right to a good quality education, many do not have access to it by virtue of geography, economics, health and traditional responsibilities.  Gift Days provides the hope that an education is within the realm of possibilities for everyone and anyone, even if that education is not provided in a traditional school setting.  Artist Stephen Taylor's rich illustrations evoke both the warmth and starkness of Nassali's life but his final illustration of an adult Nassali, so simple and encouraging, takes the story to a reassuring and bright resolution, just as her future appears to be.

Breakaway

by Maureen Ulrich
Coteau Books
978-1-550-505122
394 pp.
Ages 13+
2012

As hard as it is to believe, there are some people who have never embraced hockey as a Canadian life focus.  I am one such person.  My family never watched hockey when I was young.  I had no brothers or cousins nearby whose hockey passions I could follow.  And although I had friends who watched hockey, girls were not playing hockey when I was growing up.  I never even went to my first hockey game until I was in my 20's.  So reading and reviewing a book called Breakaway with a cover predicting a story suffused with hockey would not be a compelling read for me.  Or so I thought.

Breakaway is far more than the hockey story suggested in the title and cover art.  Breakaway tells the story of seventeen-year-old Jessie McIntyre of Estevan, Saskatchewan.  Jessie and some of her former teammates have recreated themselves into a new Triple A team called the Estevan McGillicky Oilers.  Being part of a new league and being a senior preparing for university, hopeful of being scouted for the university hockey team and getting a scholarship, Jessie finds herself at the crossroads of many new pathways.

She's still trying to get over a very short relationship from two years ago with Mark Taylor, now a University of Calgary hockey player, headed for the World Juniors.  And she needs to decide what she wants of her friendly relationship with Evan Gedak who plays basketball at U. of C. But there's Liam McCarthur, also a senior, who is obviously taking an interest in Jessie who doesn't know how to deal with him except with animosity and embarrassment.

Her Oilers team is having to turn away some former teammates and recruit new players and coaches, and Jessie, as elected captain, has to help everyone come together as a team, even when some players make poor decisions that threaten the team's very existence.  Moreover, as Jessie attempts to go forward in her new team, her circle of friends and acquaintances seems to be in more flux, with enemies becoming friends and friends becoming strangers or worse.

And at home, Jessie's eleven-year-old sister, Courtney, has decided to give up on figure skating and go out for hockey, latching onto new friends and trying on the uniform of a rebellious and temperamental teen and dragging Jessie into the midst of her drama.

Breakaway by Maureen Ulrich is the third novel in her Jessie Mac series which opened with Power Plays (Coteau, 2007) and Face Off (Coteau, 2010), and I'm sure that readers of these earlier volumes and those that know anything about hockey would find nothing untoward about the vernacular hockey-speak.  On the other hand, I had great difficulties navigating the colloquial terms for leagues and hockey plays.  As silly a suggestion as this is, a glossary would have helped me a great deal.  Luckily, Maureen Ulrich's dialogue is a useful tool for deciphering many terms and propelling the story from the arena to a world in which I am more familiar with its language.

Fortunately Breakaway is more than a hockey story.  It's a story of growing up and making decisions about staying in your comfort zone or challenging yourself with new opportunities.  It's about listening to the little voice that tries to help you recognize the reality of situations and the extent of your fears and desires.  Breakaway demonstrates that, if you go beyond playing the game of life and instead direct it to work for you (not letting fate be a scapegoat), you're more likely to be happy with the outcome, even if you don't always win.

World Literacy Canada contest: Write for a Better World

World Literacy Canada is an organization that aims to promote global citizenship and help eliminate poverty ("turning the page on poverty").  Each year, they promote a writing contest for Canadian children to increase awareness of global issues.  Last year's contest was based on the themes in Deborah Ellis' book No Ordinary Day.  This year, World Literacy Canada's contest, renamed Write for a Better World, is based on a challenge from youngCanLit author, Eric Walters.

Here are the contest basics:

What: Eric Walters' challenges students to complete the following story starter in no more than 400 words:

I felt like I had been shot out of a cannon.  Who were these people? Where in the world was I? Before I could even get my bearings I was almost run over by . . .

Write about a place and culture that is new to you. What is different about it and what is surprisingly the same?

Stories will be evaluated on:

• Focus: Does the writing focus on travelling to a new place and learning something about the culture there?
• Creativity: How unique is the writer’s approach to the topic?
• Main Character: Is the main character well-written and focus on being a global citizen? 
• Clarity and organization: How is the story organized? Is there a clear beginning, middle and ending?
• Conventions: Does the writer use correct spelling and grammar?

Who:  For Canadian students in Grades 5 to 8


Deadline: Entries must be received by April 5, 2013

Prizes: 

• First Place: 
• $500 + an eReader
• plus the prizes for the Top Ten (as stated below)

• Top Ten: 
• $50 + a full set of  Seven: The Series, signed by Eric Walters 
• a world map and atlas
• World Literacy Canada swag
• publication in a collectible magazine and online 

Details about the contest and submitting entries can be accessed at the World Literacy Canada contest website here.

How to Survive Absolutely Anything

by Helaine Becker

Fitzhenry & Whiteside

978-1-55455-188-0

200 pp.

Ages 8-12

2012

Bonnie and Jen, two 14-year-olds in Grade 9, have the right idea.  Having "lived through" the middle grades (a.k.a. junior high or intermediate grades), they are willing to share what they've learned with any young person who writes to them at their blog, "How to Survive Absolutely Anything, with Bonnie and Jen".

The girls have a wealth of experiences, as their profiles acknowledge.  With a father who left and remarried and now is raising a second young family, and with a mother who remarried a man with older children of his own, Bonnie knows all about blended families.  In fact, she's having a hard time dealing with her step-brother, Carter, who seems to always be in her business.  Jen, on the other hand, only has her baby sister, Julia, who was born just after the accidental death of their father.  Mom Colette (who wants to be known as Tina) works as a nurse and has had (does have?) a drinking problem and recklessly puts Jen in a position of responsibility far too often.

Through their blog postings, profiles, Bonnie's journal and chapter heading survival skills, the reader learns how very different the girls' takes are on situations, and the fusion of their opinions and advice generally leads to some wise and heartfelt responses to their readers' queries.

If you're not going to like waking up with yourself after you've done something, you better not do it.  Because whatever good feeling you get out of doing the bad thing (staying longer at the fun party, getting to be with that girl, bringing home the A on the test you cheated on) doesn't last as long as the rotten feeling that comes along with it.  (pg. 80)

But, when Bonnie goes online alone (something the girls had promised not to do), she responses to Crushed's concern about having strong feelings for his step-sister, negating his feelings when she believes that he is her own step-brother Carter.  Eventually Bonnie realizes how many "gynormous errors" she has made in so many aspects of her life, from the blog to boys, to her family and her friends, and that she can still use a little (a lot?) of advice about the choices she makes.

Helaine Becker thanks fellow youngCanLit author Marsha Skrypuch for encouraging her to write this book, just as I would like to thank Helaine Becker.  Writing an appropriate yet meaningful middle-grade fiction is not always easy, but How to Survive Absolutely Anything fills that need beautifully.  Without treating the readers as young children or as young adults, Helaine Becker gives them a voice that explores their concerns and foibles, without pushing them into the realm of true young adult fiction.  There are many young people in the middle grades who just aren't ready to embrace the edgier fiction of YA, with its more mature subjects such as sexuality.  They may be in their early teens but they're only starting to notice the opposite sex.  While some of their peers may be living the lives of mature teens, comfortable in their own skins, making decisions and choices akin to adults (though not always well, just like us), there are middle grade readers who want to read about how others begin navigating into their teen years before they take their own first steps.  How to Survive Absolutely Anything provides a light but credible account of young girls who think they have experienced and survived all the predicaments of the middle-graders only to find that a whole new set of annoyances and dilemmas lurk on the horizon.

"You can trust me on this one --or find out the hard way.  It's your call" (pg. 80)