YoungCanLit Who's Who: Illustrators H-Q, List II

Here's list # 2 for this second round of youngCanLit illustrators:

Kellen Hatanka

Jacqueline Hudon-Verrelli

Matt James

Brooke Kerrigan

Dayal Kaur Khalsa

Jon Klassen

Julie Kraulis

Eliska Liska

Mike Lowery

J. Lum

Elly Mackay

Patsy MacKinnon

Isabelle Malenfant

Cyndi Marko

Luc Melanson

Nicholas Oldland

Paola Opal

Pierre Pratt

Check yesterday's listing for Illustrators A-G, List II.

YoungCanLit Who's Who: Illustrators A-G, List II

Here is the first of three new posts of youngCanLit illustrators whom I'd like to celebrate and promote.


Andrea Torrey Balsara

Kate Beaton

Josée Bisaillon

  

Mike Boldt

Claudia Dávila

Geneviève Després

Julie Flett

Alma Fullerton

Celia Godkin

Elise Gravel

Gabrielle Grimard

Per-Henrik Gürth

____________________________________________

Look for the following lists in the next couple of days:

YoungCanLit Who's Who: Illustrators H-Q, List II

• Kellen Hatanka
• Jacqueline Hudon-Verrelli
• Matt James
• Brooke Kerrigan
• Dayal Kaur Khalsa
• Jon Klassen
• Julie Kraulis
• Eliska Liska
• Mike Lowery
• J. Lum
• Elly Mackay
• Patsy MacKinnon
• Isabelle Malenfant
• Cyndi Marko
• Luc Melanson
• Nicholas Oldland
• Paola Opal
• Pierre Pratt

YoungCanLit Who's Who: Illustrators R-Z, List II

• Erica Salcedo
• Roslyn Schwartz
• Sampar
• Alan Silverberg
• Sleepless Kao
• Lisa Smith
• Sydney Smith
• Caroline Stellings
• Todd Stewart
• Jillian Tamaki
• Christine Tripp
• Anne Villeneuve
• Frank Viva
• Ange Zhang
• Amei Zhao

More youngCanLit illustrators to celebrate

Several years ago I prepared three lists of 50+ Canadian illustrators whose artwork featured prominently in young CanLit.  But now I've got so many more to add this Who's Who of Canadian illustrators. So let me remedy those omissions with a new series of illustrator profiles.

Here are the names of those illustrators I previously listed, including the links so that you can reexamine their work.

Illustrators A-G

Isabelle Arsenault
Andrea Beck
Philippe Béha
Rebecca Bender
Renné Benoit
Rachel Berman
Sean Cassidy
Brenda Clark
Gary Clement
Geneviève Côté
Mike Deas
Brian Deines
Suzanne Del Rizzo
Jan Dolby
Marianne Dubuc
Wallace Edwards
Eugenie Fernandes
Marie-Louise Gay
Georgia Graham
Dean Griffiths



Illustrators H-Q

Ted Harrison
Linda Hendry
Stéphane Jorisch
Vladyana Krykorka
Kim LaFave
Marie LaFrance
Hilary Leung
Qin Leng
George Littlechild
Michael Martchenko
Esperança Melo
Julie Morstad
Cynthia Nugent
Ruth Ohi
David Parkins
Karen Patkau
Dušan Petričić
Stéphane Poulin




Illustrators R-Z

Karen Reczuch
Barbara Reid
Debbie Ridpath Ohi
Bill Slavin
Ashley Spires
Bruno St. Aubin
Patricia Storms
Kevin Sylvester
Jeremy Tankard
François Thisdale
Chris Tougas
Vlasta Van Kampen
Ian Wallace
Mélanie Watt
Dave Whamond
Janet Wilson
Yayo
Cybèle Young




In the next 3 posts, let me introduce you to another 45 that will round out our youngCanLit illustrators list to a lovely 100 plus! Some of these are very new to illustration while others are well-known and definitely belong in a listing of the best of youngCanLit illustrators. Prepare to be amazed!

Illustrators A-G, List II
Andrea Torrey Balsara
Kate Beaton

Josée Bisaillon    

Mike Boldt

Claudia Dávila

Geneviève Després

Julie Flett

Alma Fullerton

Celia Godkin

Elise Gravel

Gabrielle Grimard

Per-Henrik Gürth

Illustrators H-Q, List II
Kellen Hatanka
Jacqueline Hudon-Verrelli
Matt James
Brooke Kerrigan
Dayal Kaur Khalsa
Jon Klassen
Julie Kraulis
Eliska Liska
Mike Lowery
J. Lum
Elly Mackay
Patsy MacKinnon
Isabelle Malenfant
Cyndi Marko
Luc Melanson
Nicholas Oldland
Paola Opal
Pierre Pratt

Illustrators R-Z, List II
Erica Salcedo

Roslyn Schwartz

Sampar

Alan Silberberg

Sleepless Kao

Lisa Smith

Sydney Smith

Caroline Stellings
Todd Stewart
Jillian Tamaki
Christine Tripp
Anne Villeneuve
Frank Viva
Ange Zhang
Amei Zhao

As always, any omissions or mistakes are solely my own and never meant to exclude or offend.  I have far too much respect for these talented artists to do anything but admire and promote.

Rivals in the City (The Agency, Book #4)

by Y. S. Lee

Candlewick Press

978-0-7636-5914-1

293 pp.

Ages 12+

March, 2015

Since wowwing readers with her first book, A Spy in the House (Candlewick, 2010), in the Mary Quinn Victorian mystery series, Y. S. Lee has gripped readers with the authenticity of her social and cultural landscapes, the complexity of her plotting, and the intricacies of relationships between her characters.  The stories provide a glimpse into life in Victorian England, though not always a pleasant one, while tantalizing readers with convoluted mysteries that have former homeless thief turned spy Mary Quinn and her love interest and fellow investigator, engineer James Easton, looking over their shoulders constantly.

In Rivals in the City, Mary Quinn and James Easton have set up their own enterprise, Quinn and Easton, though Mary's former Agency employers, Miss Anne Treleaven and Mrs. Felicity Frame, now estranged, connect with the young couple separately to enlist their help with regards to the first investigation Mary ever pursued (The Spy in the House, Candlewick, 2010).  Seems the shipping magnate Mr. Henry Thorold, accused of insurance fraud and piracy, is now dying in Newgate prison, and everyone is anticipating the return of his wife, Mrs. Maria Thorold, who had attempted to murder James while fleeing accusations of being the true perpetrator of the piracy and countless deaths of Lasgars.  Thorold's daughter, Angelica, too is scheduled to return to her father's bedside from her studies in Austria.

While everyone is watching for the appearance of the devious and dangerous Mrs. Thorold, Mary and James are distracted somewhat from their discussions of marriage–a wholly beneficial state for Victorian men but not so for women of the day–by matters demanding their personal attention.  James and the family firm of Easton Engineering have been contracted to build a series of new underground vaults for the Bank of England's storehouses of gold, and Mary is becoming acquainted with a young Chinese boxer who holds the secrets to her father's past.  Can the two continue on their path to matrimony without being steered off course by the interests of The Agency's former matrons or by those who purport to have their interests at heart?  Can the truth of Thorold's crimes be revealed without further danger from the elusive and deadly Mrs. Thorold?

Y. S. Lee plunges the reader into the grimy underworld of criminal activity of 1860s London while tempering it with the loveliness of a first and true romance, all of it revolving around the unique Mary Quinn.  Y. S. Lee’s protagonist has grown into a strong young woman, still hampered by her past of shame and loneliness, but enjoying the benefits of her accomplishments, including independence.  Perhaps she has such a bountiful future because she does not deny her past.

This was her London: brutal, coarse, dangerous.  It was part of her history.  It had molded her character.  But she would not allow it to shape her destiny. (pg. 67)

And that future includes the gracious James Easton whose wits and engineering prowess are only shadowed by his thoughtfulness and insight.

She’d changed him more than he’d ever dreamed possible.  He was no longer entirely at home with his peers, thanks to her.  If he lost her now, what on earth would become of him? (pg. 80)

You can see how these two incredible characters create a story on their own, irrespective of a grand mystery wrapped up in the criminal activity involving the British Museum and the Bank of England.  There’s much to delve into in Rivals in the City: the history, the mystery, the atmosphere, and the romance.

And while Y. S. Lee is 4 for 4 in The Agency series, sadly there will be no Book #5.  Y. S. Lee has written that, “The publication of Rivals also marks the end of the Agency quartet – the last Mary Quinn adventure, the last time I write dialogue between Mary and James, and probably my last romp through London, 1858-1860.” (Retrieved today from a post dated March 10th, 2015 at http://yslee.com/tag/the-agency/) So, enjoy this finale for Mary Quinn, as I did, but look forward to other novels by her true birth mother, Y. S. Lee.

New youngCanLit Releases for Fall 2015

I always get excited about the new books set for release in the fall. Whether it's the elixir to counteract the beginning of the school year or the anticipation of hoards of books that will be available for reading on cool or even cold days, the announcements of the upcoming releases for fall get me very excited.  And there's so much to which we can look forward in the way of picture books, fiction, young adult and non-fiction youngCanLit.  There's sequels and continued series, and new books from favourite authors and illustrators, and curious new titles from unknown contributors to youngCanLit.  On the whole, I think we've got a great fall of new books set for release.  Enjoy the anticipation, and then enjoy the books.  I know I will!

Please note that I have done my best to include as many titles by Canadian authors and illustrators as possible, having perused various catalogues and conducted many advanced searches.  My apologies to those I have missed and those whose release dates have been inadvertently logged incorrectly. Please feel free to leave a comment so that I might correct my omissions and errors.  Thank you.

Picture Books

All Year Round by Emilie Leduc, translated by Shelley Tanaka (Groundwood)
Alpha by Isabelle Arsenault (Candlewick)
The Bambino and Me by Zachary Hyman, illus. by Zachary Pullen (Tundra)
Buddy and Earl by Maureen Fergus, illus. by Carey Sookocheff (Groundwood)
Bug in a Vacuum by Mélanie Watt (Tundra)
Down Here by Valerie Sherrard, illus. by Isabelle Malenfant (Fitzhenry & Whiteside)
Feel the Wind by Rhea Dufresne, illus. by Guillaume Perreault (Annick)
The Good Little Book by Kyo Maclear, illus. by Marion Arbona (Tundra)
Grant and Tilley Go Walking by Monica Kulling, illus. by Sydney Smith (Groundwood)≫>artist Grant Wood
Hear the Sea by Rhea Dufresne, illus. by Mylene Henry (Annick)
InvisiBill by Maureen Fergus, illus. by Dušan Petričić (Tundra)
Kyle Goes Alone by Jan Thornhill, illus. by Ashley Barron (Owlkids)
Look at the Sky by Rhea Dufresne, illus. by Jacinthe Chevalier (Annick)
Making the Moose Out of Life by Nicholas Oldland (Kids Can Press)
Mr. Postmouse’s Rounds by Marianne Dubuc (Kids Can Press)
Mud Puppy by Robert Munsch, illus. by Dušan Petričić (Annick)
The Night Children by Sarah Tsiang, illus. by Delphone Bodet (Annick)
So Many Babies by Lorna Crozier, illus. by Laura Watson (Orca)
Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox by Danielle Daniel (Groundwood)
The Specific Ocean by Kyo Maclear, illus. by Katty Maurey (Kids Can Press)
Stanley at School by Linda Bailey, illus. by Bill Slavin (Kids Can Press)>>>sixth and newest title about Stanley as in Stanley's Party, Stanley at Sea and Stanley's Little Sister among others
The Yoga Game in the Garden by Kathy Belliveau, illus. by Denise Holmes (Simply Read)


Fiction

After Dark by James Leck (Kids Can Press)
Dark Terror by John Wilson (Doubleday)
Dead Man’s Boot by Eric Murphy (Dancing Cat Books)
The Dragonfly Effect by Gordon Korman (Scholastic)>>The Hypnotists, Book 3


Young Adult

Are You Seeing Me? by Darren Groth (Orca Book Publishers)
Asp of Ascension by B. R. Myers (Fierce Ink Press)>>A Nefertari Hughes Mystery, Book 1
Nowhere Wild by Joe Beernink (HarperCollins)
Red by Alyxandra Harvey (Createspace)
Trouble is a Friend of Mine by Stephanie Tromly (Kathy Dawson Books)


Non-Fiction

10 Ships that Rocked the World by Gillian Richardson and Kim Rosen (Annick)
DNA Detective by Tanya Lloyd Kyi and Lil Crump (Annick)
Give Me Wings: How a Choir of Former Slaves Took on the World by Kathy Lowinger (Annick)

Picture Books

Apples and Butterflies by Shauntay Grant, illus. by Tamara Thiebaux-Heikalo (Nimbus)
Awesome is Everywhere by Neil Pasricha (Puffin)
Brady Brady Superstar Hockey Collection by Mary Shaw, illus. by Chuck Temple (Scholastic Canada)
Dojo Daytrip by Chris Tougas (Owlkids)>>>sequel to Dojo Daycare
Explosion Newsie by Jacquelie Halsey, illus. by Loretta Migani (Lorimer)
Fifteen Dollars and Thirty-Five Cents: A story about choices by Kathryn Cole, illus. by Qin Leng (Second Story Press)>>>new title in I'm a Great Little Kid series
Gabby: Wonder Girl by Joyce Grant, illus. by Jan Dolby (Fitzhenry & Whiteside) >> sequel to Gabby and Gabby Drama Queen
Gerbil, Uncurled by Alison Hughes, illus. by Suzanne Del Rizzo (Fitzhenry & Whiteside)
I Love you, One to Ten by Caroline Adderson, illus. by Christina Leist (Groundwood)
The Little Knight Who Battled Monsters by Gilles Tibo, illus. by Geneviève Després (Scholastic Canada)
Loula and Mister the Monster by Anne Villeneuve (Kids Can Press)>>>another Loula book after Blue-Spruce nominee Loula is Leaving for Africa, and Loula and the Sister Recipe
Missing Nimama by Melanie Florence, illus. by Francois Thisdale (Clockwise Press)
Once Upon a Line by Wallace Edwards (Pajama Press)
P’ésk’a and the First Salmon Ceremony by Scot Ritchie (Groundwood)
Ready, Set, Go! by Robert Munsch, illus. by Michael Marchenko (Scholastic Canada)
Sing a Song of Bedtime by Barbara Reid (Scholastic Canada)
Snap! by Hazel Hutchins, illus. by Dušan Petričić (Annick)
Some Things I’ve Lost by Cybèle Young (Groundwood)
Starring Shapes! by Tania Howells (Kids Can Press)
West Coast Wild by Deborah Hodge, illus. by Karen Reczuch (Groundwood)


Fiction

Alex vs. the Four-headed Gargantuan by Laura Peetoom (Lorimer)
The Beautiful Game by David Skuy (Lorimer)
Blood Oath by Don Cummer (Scholastic Canada)>>>sequel to Brothers at War
Brothers in Arms: The Siege of Louisbourg, Sébastien deL'Espérance, New France, 1758 by Don Aker (Scholastic Canada)>>>I Am Canada book
The Dirty Trick by L. M. Falcone, illus. by Kim Smith (Kids Can Press)>>>The Ghost and Max Monroe, Case #3
Hannah and the Wild Woods by Carol Anne Shaw (Ronsdale) >>> sequel to Hannah and the Spindle Whorl, and Hannah and Salish Sea
Head Hunter by Eric Howling (Lorimer)
Hope’s Journey by Jean Rae Baxter (Ronsdale)
Jasper John Dooley: Lost and Found by Caroline Adderson, illus. by Mike Shiell (Kids Can Press)
Kah-Lan, the Adventurous Sea Otter by Karen Autio, illus. by Sheena Lott (Sono Nis Press)
Loyalist to a Fault by Evan Munday (ECW Press)>>Dead Kid Detective Agency #3

MiNrs by Kevin Sylvester (Simon & Schuster Canada)

Myles and the Monster Outside: Weird Stories Gone Wrong by Philippa Dowding (Dundurn)
The Nest by Kenneth Oppel, illus. by Jon Klassen (HarperCollins)
A Pocket Full of Murder by R. J. Anderson (Simon & Schuster Canada)>>>Book 1 of Uncommon Magic
Ripple Effect by Sylvia Taekema (Orca)
Scenes from the Epic Life of a Total Genius by Stacey Matson (Scholastic Canada)
Seven Dead Pirates by Linda Bailey (Tundra)


Seven Secrets (Orca Book Publishers)
• A Big Dose of Lucky by Marthe Jocelyn 
• Innocent by Eric Walters 
• My Life Before Me by Norah McClintock 
• Shattered Glass by Teresa Toten 
• Small Bones by Vicki Grant 
• Stones on a Grave by Kathy Kacer 
• The Unquiet Past by Kelley Armstrong 


Speechless by Jennifer Mook-Sang (Scholastic Canada)
The Summer We Saved the Bees by Robin Stevenson (Orca)
Survival: Avalanche! by Frieda Wishinsky (Scholastic Canada)
A Time for Giving: Ten Tales of Christmas by Jean Little et al.,  (Scholastic Canada)>>>Dear Canada book
Touch of Gold by Vivien Gorham (Nimbus)
Ugly Kicks by Kelsey Blair (Lorimer)


Young Adult

Above by Jason Chabot (HarperCollins Canada)>> sequel to Below of Broken Sky Chronicles
Aptitude by Natalie Corbett Sampson (Fierce Ink Press)
Cave Beneath the Sea by Edward Willett (Coteau) >> The Shards of Excalibur, Book 4
Crack Coach by Steven Sandor (Lorimer)
Creep Con by Kim Firmston (Lorimer)
Delicate by C. K. Kelly Martin (Dancing Cat Books)
Diego’s Crossing by Robert Hough (Annick)
Girl on the Run by B. R. Myers (Nimbus)
Gone Wild by Jodi Lundgren (Lorimer)
In The Swish by Dawn Green (Red Deer Press)
Julian by William Bell (Doubleday)
Keepers of The Vault: Fire and Glass by Marty Chan (Clockwise Press)
Leading Lines by Chantel Guertin (ECW Press)>>A Pippa Greene Novel
One Night by Melanie Florence (Lorimer)>>>Lorimer Sidestreets
Regenesis by Eric Walters (Doubleday)>>sequel to End of Days
The Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow (Simon & Schuster Canada)
Shimmy by Kari Jones (Orca)>> Orca Limelights
Transferral by Kate Blair (Dancing Cat Books)

Non-Fiction

The Art of the Possible: An Everyday Guide to Politics by Edward Keenan, illus. by Julie McLaughlin (Owlkids)
Branded a Baby Killer: The Story of Tammy Marquardt by Jasmine D”Costa (Lorimer)>> Real Justice series
Child Soldier: When Boys and Girls Are Used in War by Michel Chikwanine and Jessica Dee Humphreys, illus. by Claudia Dávila (Kids Can Press)
Maple Leafs A-Z by Mike Leonetti, illus. by Greg Banning (Scholastic Canada)
Oak Island and the Search for Buried Treasure by Joann Hamilton-Barry (Nimbus)
Righting Canada’s Wrongs: Residential School by Melanie Florence (Lorimer)

Speak a Word for Freedom: Women Speak Against Slavery by Janet Willen and Marjorie Gann (Tundra)

Stay Strong: A Musician’s Journey from Congo by Natalie Hyde (Clockwise Press)
Strange Light Afar: Tales of the Supernatural from Old Japan by Rui Umezawa (Groundwood)>> 8 Japanese folktales
The Way to School by Rosemary McCarney (Second Story Press)>>>proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to Plan International's Because I Am A Girl Fund
What’s the Buzz?: Keeping Bees in Flight by Merrie-Ellen Wilcox (Orca)>>Footprints

Picture Books

1, 2, 3 Cheers for the Toronto Maple Leafs! by Matt Napier, illus. by Melanie Rose (Tundra)>>>An Official Toronto Maple Leafs Book of Numbers
The (Almost) Everything Book by Julie Morstad (Simply Read Books)
Ben Says Goodbye by Sarah Ellis, illus. by Kim LaFave (Pajama Press)

A Boy Asked the Wind by Barbara Nickel, illus. by Gillian Newland (Red Deer Press)

Crocs at Work by Robert Heidbreder, illus. by Rae Maté (Tradewind)>>>sequel to Crocodiles Play and Crocodiles Say…

Fatima and the Clementine Thieves by Mireille Messier, illus. by Gabrielle Grimard (Red Deer Press)

Five Busy Beavers by Stella Partheniou Grasso, illus. by Christine Battuz (Scholastic Canada)
The Golden Touch by Glen Huser, illus. by Philippe Béha, music by Giannis Georgantelis (Tradewind)>> myth of King Midas
Hockey Hero by Zachary Hyman, illus. by Zachary Pullen (Tundra)
Mayann’s Train Ride by The Honourable Mayann Francis, illus. by Tamara Thiebaux-Heikalo (Nimbus)
Mouse Pet by Philip Roy, illus. by Andrea Torrey Balsara (Ronsdale)
Our First Caribou Hunt by Jennifer Noah, illus. by Chris Giroux (Inhabit Media)
The Thundermaker by Alan Syliboy (Nimbus)
Timo’s Garden by Victoria Allenby, illus. by Dean Griffiths (Pajama Press)
Today is the Day by Eric Walters, illus. by Eugenie Fernandes (Tundra)
When Santa was a Baby by Linda Bailey, illus. by Geneviève Godbout (Tundra)
If I Were a Zombie by Kate Inglis, illus. by Eric Orchard (Nimbus)
Where are You, Little Red Ball? by Patricia Coté, illus. by Yayo (Tradewind)


Fiction

44 Hours or Strike! by Anne Dublin (Second Story Press)
Bagels on Board by Joan Betty Stuchner, illus. by Dave Whamond (Orca)
Beyond the Laughing Sky by illus. by Julie Morstad (Puffin)
Gobbled by Ghorks by Robert Paul Weston (Razorbill)>> sequel to The Creature Department
Hockey Luck by Irene Punt, illus. by Gary O'Brien (Scholastic Canada)
Last Shot by David Skuy (Scholastic Canada)>> sequel to Rocket Blues
Operation Josh Taylor: Hannah Smart by Melody Fitzpatrick (Dundurn)
Sammy and the Headless Horseman by Rona Arato (Fitzhenry & Whiteside)
Sight Unseen by David Carroll (Scholastic Canada)
Through Flood and Fire by Anne Patton (Coteau) >> A Second Barr Colony Adventure, sequel to Full Steam to Canada
Upside Down Magic by Sarah Mlynowski and Lauren Myracle (Scholastic)
West Meadows Detectives: The Case of the Snack Snatcher by Liam O'Donnell and Aurélie Grand (Owlkids)


Young Adult

250 Hours by Colleen Nelson (Coteau)
Algonquin Spring by Rick Revell (Dundurn)>>>new An Algonquin Quest Novel
Bad Business by Diane Dakers (Orca Currents)
Betting Game by Heather M. O’Connor (Orca)>>Orca Sports
Burned by Natasha Deen (Orca) >> Retribution series
The Emperor of Any Place by Tim Wynne-Jones (Candlewick)
Exposed by Judith Graves (Orca) >Retribution series
A Flame in the Maze by Caitlin Sweet (ChiZine)>>> sequel to A Door in the Mountain
Foolproof by Diane Tullson (Orca)>>Orca Soundings
Frame and The Maguire by Joanna M. Weston (Tradewind)
Heartache and Other Natural Shocks by Glenda Leznoff (Tundra)
How to Outfox Your Friends When You Don't Have a Clue by Jess Keating (Sourcebooks Jabberwocky)>>>Book 3 in My Life is a Zoo series
An Inheritance of Ashes by Leah Bobet (Scholastic Canada)
The Masked Truth by Kelley Armstrong (Doubleday)
Queen of the Godforsaken by Mix Hart (Thistledown)
Raising the Stakes by Trudee Romanek (Orca)>>Orca Limelights
Saving Stevie by Eva Richardson (Red Deer Press)
Set Your Free by Jeff Rosee (Orca)
Size of a Fist by Tara Gereaux (Thistledown)
A Thousand Nights by E. K. Johnston (Disney-Hyperion)
Unleashed by Sigmund Brouwer (Orca)>>Retribution book
Young Man With Camera by Emil Sher, photographs by David Wyman (Scholastic)

Non-Fiction

Hidden Gold: A True Story of the Holocaust by Ella Burakowski (Second Story Press)
Koala Hospital by Suzi Eszterhas (Owlkids)>>first in new series nonfiction Wildlife Rescue series highlighting rescue centers for endangered species
The Quiz Book About Me... and You! by Helaine Becker (Scholastic Canada)
Where Do Babies Come from? Our First Talk about Birth by Dr. Jillian Roberts, illus. by Cindy Revell (Orca)>> first in new series called Just Enough
Would You Survive? by Helaine Becker (Scholastic Canada)

Picture Books
A Walk on the Shoreline by Rebecca Hainnu, illus. by Qin Leng (Inhabit Media)
Way Back Then by Neil Christopher, illus. by Germaine Arnaktauyok (Inhabit Media)
Wild Eggs: A tale of arctic egg hunting by Suzie Napayok, illus. by Jonathan Wright (Inhabit Media)
A Year of Borrowed Men by Michelle Barker, illus. by Renné Benoit (Pajama Press)


Fiction
The Adventures of Miss Petitfour by Anne Michaels (Tundra)
Beatrice More Moves On by Alison Hughes, illus. by Helen Flook (Orca Echoes)
A Bone to Pick by Gina McMurchy-Barber (Dundurn)>>>new A Peggy Henderson Adventure
Call of the Sea by Amanda Labonté (Fierce Ink Press)
Cold as Ice by Sarah Mlynowski (Scholastic Canada)>>>Whatever After series #6
The Enchanted Egg by Kallie George (HarperCollins Canada)>>>Book 2 in the Magical Animals Adoption Agency 
Survival: Shipwreck! by Frieda Wishinsky (Scholastic Canada)


Young Adult
At Ease by Jeff Ross (Orca>> Orca Limelights
Calvin by Martine Leavitt (Groundwood)
Li Jun and the Iron Road by Anne Tait, illus. by Paulette Bourgeois (Dundurn)
Light of Day by Allison van Diepen (HarperTeen)
A Sky Unbroken by Megan Crewe (Razorbill)>>Book 3 in Earth & Sky trilogy
Sleight of Hand by Natasha Deen (Orca)
Three Good Things by Lois Peterson (Orca)>>Orca Currents


Non-Fiction
Elephant Journey: The True Story of Three Zoo Elephants and their Rescue from Captivity by Rob Laidlaw, Brian Deines (Pajama Press)

Picture Books
Kiss, Kiss by Jennifer Couëlle, illus. by Jacques Laplante (Pajama Press)


Fiction
Cherry Blossom Baseball by Jennifer Maruno (Dundurn)>>> new A Cherry Blossom Book


Young Adult
Frozen Tides by Morgan Rhodes (Razorbill)>>Falling Kingdoms Book 4

Picture Books
Growing Up in Wild Horse Canyon by Karen Autio, illus. by Loraine Kemp (Sono Nis Press)
If I Had a Gryphon by Vikki Van Sickle, illus. by Cale Atkingson (Tundra)


Fiction
The Dark Missions of Edgar Brim: The Undead by Shane Peacock (Tundra)
The Inn Between by Marina Cohen (Roaring Brook Press)
Outlaws 2.0 by Gordon Korman (HarperTeen) >>> sequel to Masterminds
Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard by Jonathan Auxier (Razorbill)>> a sequel to Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes
Unleashed by Gordon Korman (Scholastic)>>>Swindle #7

Young Adult
No Matter How Improbable by Angela Misri (Fierce Ink Press)>>>new A Portia Adams Adventure


Non-Fiction
Dark Matters: Nature’s Reaction to Light Pollution by Joan Marie Galat (Red Deer Press)
Eat This! A Kids’ Guide to Fast Food Advertising by Andrea Curtis (Red Deer Press)

The Mosquito Brothers

Written by Griffin Ondaatje

Illustrated by Erica Salcedo

Groundwood Books

978-1-55498-437-4

128 pp.

Ages 7-9

May 2015
(Reviewed from advance reading copy)

Humans may have silly inventions like glass.  But we have the power to pester them to total distraction. (pg. 41)

Can you think of a better time to review a book called The Mosquito Brothers than in July when our recent cool and wet days have me scratching for bug juice so that my face isn't littered with the very insects that don the cover of Griffin Ondaatje's latest from Groundwood Books?  I can't.

What Jonathan Livingston Seagull did for the gull, The Mosquito Brothers does for the much-maligned mosquito, giving a back story with family, flight, fancy and friends for one young mosquito named Dinnn (yes, triple n's).  Dinnn, one of 401 young born to Corrina Culiseta-Woo and Brad Needles, learns very early that flying is not his thing and vows to walk wherever.  Luckily being born in a puddle at the edge of the parking lot of the Lakeside Drive-In Theater provides convenient access to level ground and asphalt. Unluckily, walking is not a cool thing for a mosquito to do.  Not surprising, when Dinnn finds a leather jacket, he is convinced it makes him look cool, especially after his mother refashions its emblem to The Mosquito Brothers.  But, no one else seems to think it’s cool so while Dinnn follows all the mosquito protocols (e.g., going to school, studying life cycles, participating in Dragonfly drills), he dreams of having an adventure.

Knowing that his mother was from the Wild i.e., the countryside where she accidentally left behind her only surviving son from that batch of flying teeth, Dinnn sees the Wild as his chance to shine.  And when the red minivan that brought his mom from the Wild and picked his dad up at the gas station shows up at the drive-in, it’s Dinnn and the entire family’s chance for a road trip to the Wild.

Dinnn may be a mosquito but he’s every child who doesn’t fit in and wants desperately to be accepted, even popular.  He finds the means to be himself, much to the appall of his siblings and peers, but it’s only when the city mosquito reaches the country that he is able to be appreciated by others and appreciate himself as well.  With tongue in cheek (or is that proboscis in skin?), Griffin Ondaatje pokes fun, with sensitivity, to the need for most of us to fit in, even if it means putting on a heavy leather jacket that makes things even harder, and heavier, to assimilate.  (After all, just like Dinnn, we don’t always make wise choices as to what constitutes coolness, right?)

The Mosquito Brothers is a delightful story of accepting one’s strengths and weaknesses and finding ways to manage them.  Though the awareness that these insects hovering around brings me to distraction, Griffin Ondaatje and Erica Salcedo have created loveable individuals with quirky characteristics (for example, Dinnn's father is a floater who is drawn to the addictively large screen of the drive-in, and Gus is a stocky and hairy country mosquito who seems like more of a bruiser than a poker) who cause less irritation and more amusement than might seem possible in an early reader about mosquitoes.

Dinnn’s father sat in the school office for two days filling out registration leaves, but so many of his kids had pesticide allergies that the paperwork took all his energy, and he fell asleep in the hall by the juice machine. (pg. 36)

But, if you think The Mosquito Brothers is all fun and games, guess again because the plethora of valuable life cycle information, including an addendum of true or false questions, transforms the story into a dual-natured fact and fiction early reader perfect for laughs and learning in the classroom.