2015 Canadian Children's Book Centre Awards: Finalists announced!

(Normally I don't post award short-lists or winners here but I always make a few exceptions for ones that I consider especially important to youngCanLit.  As such, I am posting here an identical post that will be added to my CanLit for LittleCanadians: Awards blog. No need to read it twice!)

Yesterday, the Canadian Children's Book Centre, our nationally-renowned authority on all things related to youngCanLit, announced the finalists for the 2015 Canadian Children's Book Centre Awards.

The eight major children's book awards, which will be awarded at two invitation-only galas in October, include:

1. TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award ($30,000) Sponsored by TD Bank Group;
2. Prix TD de littérature canadienne pour l’enfance et la jeunesse ($30,000) Sponsored by TD Bank Group; 
3. Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award ($20,000) Sponsored by A. Charles Baillie;
4. Norma Fleck Award For Canadian Children's Non-Fiction ($10,000) Sponsored by the Fleck Family Foundation;
5. Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People ($5,000) Sponsored by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre’s Bilson Endowment Fund;
6. John Spray Mystery Award ($5,000) Sponsored by John Spray of Mantis Investigation Agency; 
7. Monica Hughes Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy ($5,000)  Sponsored by HarperCollins Canada; and
8. Amy Mathers Teen Book Award ($5,000) Sponsored by Amy Mathers' Marathon of Books 

Here are the short lists for each award category, as announced by the Canadian Children's Book Centre yesterday:

Any Questions?
Written and illustrated by Marie-Louise Gay
Groundwood Books

Reviewed here

A Brush Full of Colour: The World of Ted Harrison
Written by Margriet Ruurs and Katherine Gibson
Pajama Press

Reviewed here

From Vimy to Victory: Canada's Fight to the Finish in World War I
Written by Hugh Brewster
Scholastic Canada

Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress
Written by Christine Baldacchino
Illustrated by Isabelle Malenfant
Groundwood Books

Reviewed here

The Night Gardener
Written by Jonathan Auxier
Puffin Canada


Reviewed here

L'autobus
Written and illustrated by Marianne Dubuc
Comme des géants

Pablo trouve un trésor
Written by Andrée Poulin
Illustrated by Isabelle Malenfant
Éditions Les 400 coups

Papillons de l’ombre
Written by Agnès Grimaud
Dominique et compagnie

Quand j'écris avec mon cœur
Written and illustrated by Mireille Levert
Éditions de la Bagnole

Le voleur de sandwichs
Written by André Marois
Illustrated by Patrick Doyon
Éditions de la Pastèque

Dolphin SOS
Written by Roy Miki and Slavia Miki
Illustrated by Julie Flett
Tradewind Books

From There to Here
Written by Laurel Croza
Illustrated by Matt James
Groundwood Books

Reviewed here

Hope Springs
Written by Eric Walters
Illustrated by Eugenie Fernandes
Tundra Books

Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress
Written by Christine Baldacchino
Illustrated by Isabelle Malenfant
Groundwood Books

Reviewed here

The Most Magnificent Thing
Written and illustrated by Ashley Spires
Kids Can Press

Nancy Knows
Written and illustrated by Cybèle Young
Tundra Books

From Vimy to Victory: Canada's Fight to the Finish in World War I
Written by Hugh Brewster
Scholastic Canada

If: A Mind-Bending New Way of Looking at Big Ideas and Numbers
Written by David J. Smith
Illustrated by Steve Adams
Kids Can Press

Residential Schools, With the Words and Images of Survivors: A National History
Written by Larry Loyie with Wayne K. Spear and Constance Brissenden
Indigenous Education Press

Starting from Scratch: What You Should Know about Food and Cooking
Written by Sarah Elton
Illustrated by Jeff Kulak
Owlkids Books

Why We Live Where We Live
Written by Kira Vermond
Illustrated by Julie McLaughlin
Owlkids Books

Arrow through the Axes: Odyssey of a Slave: Book III 

Written by Patrick Bowman

Ronsdale Press

Reviewed here

Dance of the Banished

Written by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch

Pajama Press

Reviewed here

The Gospel Truth

Written by Caroline Pignat

Red Deer Press

Reviewed here

Underground Soldier

Written by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch

Scholastic Canada

Reviewed here

Unspeakable

Written by Caroline Pignat

Razorbill

About That Night
Written by Norah McClintock
Orca Book Publishers

Dead Man’s Switch
Written by Sigmund Brouwer
Harvest House Publishers

Julian
Written by William Bell
Doubleday Canada

The Show to End All Shows (Master Melville's Medicine Show, Book 2)
Written by Cary Fagan
Puffin Canada

The Voice Inside My Head
Written by S.J. Laidlaw
Tundra Books

The Boundless
Written by Kenneth Oppel
HarperCollins Publishers

Reviewed here

The Nethergrim
Written by Matthew Jobin
Philomel Books

The Night Gardener
Written by Jonathan Auxier
Puffin Canada

Reviewed here

Sea of Shadows
Written by Kelley Armstrong
Doubleday Canada

The Story of Owen: Dragon Slayer of Trondheim
Written by E. K. Johnston
Carolrhoda Books

The Art of Getting Stared At
Written by Laura Langston
Razorbill Canada

Blues for Zoey
Written by Robert Paul Weston
Razorbill Canada

Reviewed here

The Bodies We Wear
Written by Jeyn Roberts
Knopf Books for Young Readers

The Gospel Truth
Written by Caroline Pignat
Red Deer Press

Reviewed here

What We Hide
Written by Marthe Jocelyn
Tundra Books

Reviewed here





Hosted by the Canadian Children's Book Centre and TD Bank Group, the TD Canadian Children's Literature Awards will celebrate great Canadian children's books and present the winners of the awards on the evenings of November 18 and November 10, 2015 in Toronto and Montreal, respectively. 

Speechless: Book Launch (Burlington)

Join author Jennifer Mook-Sang 

and her publisher Scholastic Canada

for the launch of her new book

Speechless

by Jennifer Mook-Sang

Scholastic Canada

978-1-443142670

184 pp.

Ages 9-12

September 1, 2015

on

Sunday, October, 4, 2015

2 p.m.

at

A Different Drummer Books

513 Locust Street

Burlington, Ontario

Here's what Speechless is all about, as described in Scholastic Canada's Fall 2015 Catalogue:

Jelly is as surprised as anyone when he decides that he’s going to win the annual sixth grade speech contest.  

Just like that, Joe Alton Miles, better known as Jelly (because his initials are J.A.M. and his best friend’s are P.B.), is faced with overcoming not only his terror of being in the spotlight, but also the wrath of smart, popular Victoria, who believes that the prize (like all prizes) is rightfully hers. At first, Jelly only cares about winning the awesome prize (a new tablet), but as Victoria escalates her campaign against him, Jelly begins to realize that it’s not only the prize that’s at stake, but also his reputation, his self-respect and the friendship he values most. Jelly must dig deep inside himself to find out if he’s strong enough to stand up to Victoria and show everyone what he’s really capable of. 

Hilariously funny and just as poignant, Speechless is about finding out who your friends are, giving back, standing up to bullying and finding your own unique voice.

What that little blurb doesn't tell you is that Speechless is funny, funny, funny!  It's a perfect read for teachers who want to get some laughter into the classroom.  Hopefully my review will be up tomorrow so you can check it out for yourself and then attend the book launch well-armed for purchase and giggles.

What you'll experience at the book launch is

• a reading by Jennifer Mook-Sang

• a Q & A with Jennifer Mook-Sang

• a book signing and sales too, and

• refreshments (including peanut butter and jelly!)

Wonder Horse

by Anita Daher

Rebelight

978-0-9939390-6-8

90 pp.

Ages 8-13

May 2015

While any young person who is enamoured with horses will adore this story, the same can be said for anyone who enjoys an inspirational story of finding your way in a new place and with new people, all because of an amazing Wonder Horse.

Based on a real horse with whom she and her daughter became acquainted, Anita Daher has woven a wonderful story about a wonderous horse whose companionship and skills have a wondrous impact on a 13-year-old girl.  That’s Wonder Horse.  That’s saying a lot if you’ve been reading CanLit for LittleCanadians for awhile as you know I’m not a horse person.

After Sera Kaminski and her child-psychologist parents move from Calgary to Winnipeg, they purchase a three-year-old black-and-white painted horse named Wager from Clint Clompke and Grandma Goodie to help with Sera’s self-confidence and to help her “engage with her new surroundings.”  The ever-playful Wager doesn’t always listen to Sera, however, and her parents decide that she and Wager need some formal training.  So as Sera begins school and attempts to make friends–or at least avoid disastrous interactions–Wager is transported to Van Rooy Riding Academy where he and Sera will be coached by Dani Van Rooy.

But Dani sees many of the sweet tricks that Sera has taught Wager–kisses for carrots, how to nod and hug and bow–as inappropriate and leading to bad manners, and Sera hopes that “in correcting his manners, she doesn’t snuff his beautiful spark.” (pg. 17)  There are a number of times where Dani, who is all about safety, goes ballistic because of the way Sera lets Wager get away with some “disrespectful” behaviour that could become dangerous.  And, this is especially critical, when Sera and Wager begin to train for reining competitions which are similar to a Western form of dressage or jumping.

How Sera learns to interact with Wager so that they are successful at reining while still allowing him to be his wonderful self is not unlike how she must learn to be a friend to Devon, the only girl who goes out of her way to befriend Sera, while accepting some attention from Brittany, an uber-popular school mate and fellow rider in Sera’s riding class.  Anita Daher makes it apparent that the paths may not always be obvious and obstacle-free, and that there may be some dangers in choosing one path over another.  But ultimately, the lesson is very clear:  you have to be true to oneself and still find a way to work with others if you are to be happy.  Sera learns this lesson easily, courtesy of Anita Daher, providing a great role model for readers without having to listen to a stable full of preaching.  Even better, Wager, the true Wonder Horse, is and was able to do the same.

The Clouded Sky: Book 2 of the Earth & Sky Trilogy

by Megan Crewe

Razorbill

978-0-670-06813-5

343 pp.

Ages 13+

May 2015

When YA author Megan Crewe introduced her newest trilogy with Earth & Sky last fall, I don’t think she could have anticipated the positive response she would get to it.  While still speculative fiction like her wildly-popular Fallen World series, Earth & Sky took us into true science fiction, with teen Skylar meeting and helping alien Traveler Win to procure the parts of a weapon that would destroy the time field generator that his fellow Kemyates had been using for millennia to experiment with Earth.  When we last encountered Skylar, she had agreed to accompany Win and other interplanetary rebels–leader Thlo with Isis, Mako, Pavel and Jule–on a spaceship headed to their space station home orbiting their devastated planet of Kemya. There, Skylar would assist the rebels in recreating the weapon–based on her memories and the parts she and Win discovered and the addition of the power source kolzo–so that it could be used to destroy the time field generator.

But, though she is trying to help, Skylar’s presence is not easily explained or even acceptable, until they contrive to have Skylar play the role of Jule’s pet, a common acquisition by richer Kemyates.  Win isn’t pleased but he accepts this as the means by which Skylar can evade the scrutiny of the Enforcers and still be safe, even allowing her the freedom to learn Kemyate and practise navigation simulations in the privacy of Jule’s private apartment.

However, two unexpected circumstances begin to alter Skylar’s contribution to the mission.  First, several mishaps suggest that there is a traitor amongst the group and Thlo charges her with making observations of the rebel group.  And then, unbeknownst to Win with whom Skylar had been becoming close but now sees only occasionally, Jule and Skylar become romantically involved.

Skylar is questioning everything she is seeing and hearing and experiencing.  And her increasing fluency with their language enables her to overhear much which would normally be kept from her.  She needs to know who is sabotaging the mission and putting herself and others at risk.  And who can she trust?  What about Win and what about Jule?  Skylar may be a teen trying to help save her world and put things to right but she needs to learn how to navigate more than just a jet-pod.  Does Win still care about her?  Is her relationship with Jule, Win’s nemesis, a consequence of her “pet” status, as is not uncommon between Kemyate owners and their Earthlings, or something special?

The Clouded Sky may refer to the hazy violet-red clouds that contaminate the air over the “vacant, dust-strewn wasteland” (pg. 343) that is the uninhabitable Kemya but it is even more applicable to the murkiness of truth and deception that Skylar must steer through if she is to accomplish her one true purpose: to stop Kemyate scientists from continuing to alter Earth’s history and to degrade the fabric of her world.  She is strong and focused and, though she allows herself to enjoy the closeness of an unexpected romance and of caring friendships with several rebel Kemyates, Skylar knows the dangers that lie within and outside, and that her role in everything is very tenuous.  But that’s how Megan Crewe writes it.  She keeps the readers wondering and worrying and expecting and disbelieving throughout the story, never giving any hints to her startling ending.  But Megan Crewe has always kept us on the edge of our reading chairs, and she does so again in The Clouded Sky.  And that final line will undoubtedly shock you as it did me.  Luckily, I’ve seen photos of the third book in the series, A Sky Unbroken, which will be out soon and I know Megan Crewe will be at this weekend’s Eden Mills Writers’ Festival so here’s hoping we know sooner, rather than later, the upshot of all that was Earth & Sky and The Clouded Sky.