Honouring differences in families' lives: Cultural competence with diverse youngCanLit

Today's post is the sixth in seven posts related to my recent presentation at the  Ontario Library Association's Superconference in Toronto.  The presentation, titled Becoming Culturally Competent with Diverse YoungCanLit, included booklists of youngCanLit to help individuals, schools and other institutions become culturally competent.

Today's post focuses on...

250 Hours
by Colleen Nelson
Coteau Books
152 pp.
Ages 12+
2015
Métis, small town, discrimination, arson, independence
Review here

Asha’s Mums
by Rosamund Elwin and Michele Paulse
Illus. by Dawn Lee
Women’s Literary Press
24 pp.
Ages 5-9
1990
Same-sex parents

The Biggest Poutine in the World
by Andrée Poulin
Annick Press
160 pp.
Ages 8-12
2016
Abandonment, community, dysfunctional family
Review here

Dear Baobab
by Cheryl Foggo
Illus. by Qin Leng
Second Story Press
24 pp.
Ages 4-8
2011
Home, Africa, Canada, grief
Review here

Elliot
by Julie Pearson
Illus. by Manon Gauthier
Trans. by Erin Woods
Pajama Press
32 pp.
Ages 4-8
2016
Foster parents, dysfunctional family, adoption
Review here

A Family is a Family is a Family
by Sara O’Leary
Illus. by Qin Leng
Groundwood Books
32 pp.
Ages 4-7
2016
Diversity, family, parents
Review here

The Finding Place
by Julie Hartley
Red Deer Press
244 pp.
Ages 10-14
2015
International adoption, China, orphanages, self-acceptance
Review here

Fostergirls
by Liane Shaw
Second Story Press
256 pp.
Ages 13-16
2011
Foster children, group homes, learning disability
Review here

Four Seasons of Patrick
by Susan Hughes
Red Deer Press
80 pp.
Ages 7-10
2013
Blended families
Review here

Jakeman
by Deborah Ellis
Fitzhenry & Whiteside
201 pp.
Ages 10-13
2007
Prison, convicted parents, bus trips

Looks Like Daylight: Voices of Indigenous Kids
by Deborah Ellis
Groundwood Books
256 pp.
Ages 12+
2013
Indigenous communities, heritage, residential schools, ostracism, abuse
Review here

Missing Nimâmâ 
by Melanie Florence
Illus. by François Thisdale
Clockwise Press
32 pp.
Ages 8+
2015
Missing indigenous women,  Aboriginal Peoples
Review here

My Beautiful Birds
by Suzanne Del Rizzo
Pajama Press
32 pp.
Ages 6-10
2017
Syria, refugees, refugee camp, pigeons

My Book of Life By Angel
by Martine Leavitt
Groundwood Books
246 pp.
Ages 14+
2012
Sex trade workers, missing women, drugs
Review here

One Step at a Time: A Vietnamese Child Finds Her Way
by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch
Pajama Press
128 pp.
Ages 8-12
2012
Vietnam War, airlifts, adoption, immigration, non-fiction
Review here

Outside In
by Sarah Ellis
Groundwood Books
208 pp.
Ages 10-13
2014
Home, homelessness, dysfunctional family
Review here

Pandas on the Eastside
by Gabrielle Prendergast
Orca Book Publishers
192 pp.
Ages 9-12
2016
Vancouver, East Van, poverty, community
Review here

Stepping Stones: A Refugee Family’s Journey
by Margriet Ruurs
Illus. by Nizar Ali Badr
Orca Book Publishers
28 pp.
All ages
2016
Refugees, Syria, dual-language, Arabic, immigration
Review here

We Are All Made of Molecules
by Susin Nielsen
Tundra Books
246 pp.
Ages 12+
2015
Blended families, gay parents, grief
Review here

Downloadable booklist available here

Honouring all capacities and abilities: Cultural competence with diverse youngCanLit

Today's post, the fifth in seven, continues the series of booklists I compiled and presented at the Ontario Library Association's Superconference in Toronto recently.

Today's post will focus on...

Bent Not Broken: Madeline and Justin
by Lorna Schultz Nicholson
Clockwise Press, 2017
240 pp.
Ages 13+
2017
Brain injury, Best Buddies program, grief, therapy horses

Born With: Erika and Gianni
by Lorna Schultz Nicholson
Clockwise Press, 2016
231 pp.
Ages 13+
2016
Down syndrome, Best Buddies program, musical theatre
Review here

Calvin
by Martine Leavitt
Groundwood Books 2015
180 pp.
Ages 12+
2015
Schizophrenia, Calvin & Hobbes
Review here

Don’t Tell, Don’t Tell, Don’t Tell
by Liane Shaw
Second Story Press
272 pp.
Ages 12-16
2016
ASD, popularity, friendship
Review here

Everyday Hero
by Kathleen Cherry
Orca Book Publishers
168 pp.
Ages 8-11
2016
ASD,  normalcy, friendship
Review here

Fragile Bones: Harrison and Anna
by Lorna Schultz Nicholson
Clockwise, Press
217 pp.
Ages 13+
2015
ASD, OCD, Best Buddies Program
Review here

The Incredible Adventures of Mary Jane Mosquito
by Tomson Highway
Illus. by Sue Todd
Fifth House Publishers
70 pp.
Ages 14-18
2016
Disabilities, differences
Review here

Jamie’s Got a Gun
by Gail Sidonie Sobat
Illus. by Spyder Yardley-Jones
Great Plains Teen Fiction
224 pp.
Ages 12+
2016
Abuse, poverty, desperation

Review here

OCDaniel
by Wesley King
Simon & Schuster
304 pp.
Ages 9-12
2016
OCD

Oddrey
by Dave Whamond
Owlkids
32 pp.
Ages 4-8
2012
Enthusiasm, loneliness, creativity 
Review here

Phoebe Sounds It Out
by Julie Zwillich
Illus. by Denise Holmes
Owlkids
32 pp.
Ages 3-7
2017
Spelling, letters, sounds

Shooter
by Caroline Pignat
Razorbill
320 pp.
Ages 12+
2016
Lockdown, ASD, social skills, photography
Review here

Sign Up Here: A story about friendship
by Kathryn Cole
Illus. by Qin Leng
Second Story Press
24 pp.
Ages 5-8
2016
Friendship, physical disability, clubs

The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B
by Teresa Toten
Doubleday Canada
255 pp.
Ages 14+
2013
OCD, support group, rituals, hoarding
Review here

Willow Finds  a Way
by Lana Button
Illus. by Tanya Howells
Kids Can Press
32 pp.
Ages 3-7
2014
Introversion, compassion, support
Review here

Downloadable booklist available here

Optimists Die First: Book launch (Victoria, BC)

There's a reason to celebrate!

Award-winning author

Susin Nielsen

Word Nerd (Tundra, 2008)

Dear George Clooney, Please Marry My Mom (Tundra, 2010)

The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen (Tundra, 2012)

We Are All Made of Molecules (Tundra, 2015)

has a new book coming out

Optimists Die First

by Susin Nielsen

Tundra Books

9781770497825

240 pp. 

Ages 12+

February 2017

will launch

Sunday, February 12, 2017

2 p.m.

at

Greater Victoria Public Library

Central Branch

735 Broughton Street

Victoria, BC

Here's a little bit about the book from the publisher Penguin Random House  Canada:

Petula's funny, and a crafting genius, but no social star at high school, and it doesn't help that she's isolated herself after her adored toddler sister died. Petula feels responsible for this death, though her parents say it was a tragic accident. No one's fault. Now, Petula sees danger everywhere: every activity and every bite of food could kill you. Then a new boy, Jacob, joins Petula's group in the school's lame art therapy program; he has a prosthetic arm and darkness behind his sunny surface. Petula and Jacob become friends, then, something more. But a secret behind why he's in the group could derail them.

A heartbreaking yet humorous first YA from award-winning author Susin Nielsen, Optimists Die First continues Susin's tradition of creating memorable characters and genre-bending narratives.

Retrieved from http://penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/240466/optimists-die-first#9781770497825 

on February 8, 2017.

There will be books for sale (courtesy of Munro's Books), 

a reading,

 Q & A, and   

book signing.

Honouring all gender identities and sexualities: Cultural competence with diverse youngCanLit

Today's post, the forth in seven, continues the series of booklists I compiled and presented at the Ontario Library Association's Superconference in Toronto recently to help individuals, schools and other institutions become culturally competent.

Today's post will focus on...

(You) set me on fire
by Mariko Tamaki
Razorbill, 2012
304 pp.
Ages 14+
2012
Popularity, sexuality, same-sex relationship, coming of age

Asha’s Mums
by Rosamund Elwin and Michele Paulse
Illus. by Dawn Lee
Women’s Literary Press
24 pp.
Ages 5-9
1990
Same-sex parents

Chance to Dance for You
by Gail Sidonie Sobat
Great Plains Teen Fiction
172 pp.
Ages 14+
2011
Homophobia, sexuality, same-sex relationships
Review here

Crush
by Carrie Mac
Orca Book Publishers
136 pp.
Ages 14-17
2006
Sexuality, same-sex relationship

Homophobia: Deal with it and turn prejudice into pride
by Steven Solomon
Illus. by Nick Johnson
Lorimer
32 pp.
Ages 12-14
2013
Nonfiction, LGBTQ, prejudice, acceptance

Money Boy
by Paul Yee
Groundwood Books
192 pp.
Ages 13+
2011
Chinese immigrants, sexuality,  homelessness

Moon at Nine
by Deborah Ellis
Pajama Press
224 pp.
Ages 14+
2014
Iran, Islam, sexuality, same-sex relationship
Review here

One in Every Crowd
by Ivan Coyote
Arsenal Pulp Press
238 pp.
Ages 14-17
2012
Short stories, identity, sexuality, LGBTQ

Pride: Celebrating Diversity and Community
by Robin Stevenson
Orca Book Publishers
120 pp.
Ages 9-13
2016
Nonfiction, LGBTQ

Skim
by Mariko Tamaki
Illus. by Jillian Tamaki
Groundwood Books
144 pp.
Ages 14+
2008
Coming of age, sexuality, fitting in

Swimming in the Monsoon Sea
by Shyam Selvadurai
Tundra Books
280 pp.
Ages 16+
2007
Coming of age, same-sex relationships, sexuality, Sri Lanka

Switch
by Douglas Davey
Red Deer Press
 252 pp.
Ages 14+
2014
Coming of age, fitting in, bisexuality
Review here

This One Summer
by Mariko Tamaki
Illus. by Jillian Tamaki
Groundwood Biooks
141 pp.
Ages 14+
2014
Coming of age, sexuality, fitting in
Review here

Transphobia:  Deal with it and Be a Gender Transcender
by J. Wallace Skelton
Illus. by Nick Johnson
Lorimer
32 pp.
Ages 11-14
2016
Nonfiction, transgender, acceptance, diversity

Way to Go
by Tom Ryan
Orca Book Publishers
224 pp.
Ages 12+
2012
Sexuality, coming of age, Cape Breton, post-secondary
Review here

What We Hide
by Marthe Jocelyn
Tundra Books
275 pp.
Ages 14+
2014
1960s, England, sexuality, coming of age
Review here

When Everything Feels Like the Movies
by Raziel Reid
Arsenal Pulp Press
176 pp.
Ages 14+
2014
Popularity, same-sex relationships, high school, film


I would love to add an upcoming YA novel, A Boy Like Her by Carrie Mac (Knopf) coming out in 2019, because I think it'll be a ground-breaking novel but, with few publication details, I think we'll have to wait on that one. But make sure to tuck that nugget away on your list, somewhere.

Downloadable book list here