Hotel Fantastic

Written and illustrated by Thomas Gibault

Kids Can Press

978-1-77138-992-1

32 pp.

Ages 3-7

October 2018

Hotel Fantastic is truly exotic, in its clientele and its amenities. Reception is handled by a three-eyed amorphous blue creature, the bellhop is an octopus and there are underwater rooms for mermaids, rooms for robots to recharge, and sky rooms for those who fly.  Though there are occasional Wanted Posters for the Soror-horribilis with its giant claws, razor-sharp teeth and ugly dress, everyone seems to be enjoying the shopping at the gift shop, the eclectic cuisine of Raymundo and Georgio in the restaurant and the convenience of the gym and swimming pool. But wait! There's more. There's the valet parking, the ballroom and the infirmary for injuries and upgrades. But, will security be able to handle Soror-horribilis when she attacks?

From Hotel Fantastic by Thomas Gibault

Hotel Fantastic is built on and in the imagination of a young boy who (spoiler alert!) has created a new world with his own toys in the dollhouse of his sister. She is the Soror-horribilis depicted in the flyers posted throughout his imagined hotel. She may attack at any moment (but only at the end of the book with "I told you a million times not to put YOUR toys in MY dollhouse") but he revels in the incredible originality of his Hotel Fantastic, creating wonder with his imagination.

From Hotel Fantastic by Thomas Gibault

Montrealer Thomas Gibault's story, in words and artwork, brings the incredible to Hotel Fantastic. It's bigger than the dollhouse it actually encompasses. It's bold and colourful and as creative as the boy's imaginative play. Visit anytime with whomever you chose and indulge in any or all of its luxuries for a stay of fancy. Hotel Fantastic is sure to become a go-to destination for readers and dreamers of all ages, if you can get past Soror-horribilis.

Totsapalooza Festival 2019 (Toronto, ON)

Small Print Toronto

 

is presenting its

annual kids' festival of books, bands and DIY crafts

It's

 TOTSAPALOOZA

A Day with Qin Leng & Friends

on 

Saturday, February 2, 2019

 1:00 -3:00 p.m.

at 

Revival

783 College St.  (at Shaw)

Toronto, ON

Advance tickets 

(always a good idea as they sell out quickly)

are available here:

 

$15 for adults

$10 for kids

Free for non-walkers ages 0-2 (who will not be participating in crafts)

Activities include:

● author-illustrator Qin Leng unveiling her debut picture book as an author, I Am Small, and conducting a drawing demonstration;

● a sneak preview of Mine.Yours. by Marsha Diane Arnold, illustrated by Qin Leng, which will be published in April, 2019 by Kids Can Press, which is making early copies available for sale;

● drag performers JP (Fay Schlift) and Kaleb (Fluffy Soufflé) running their wildly popular, interactive reading program, Drag Queen Storytime;

● author Emil Sher sharing his picture book Away, illustrated by Qin Leng;

● drummer Dave Clark (Rheostatics, Dinner Is Ruined, Gord Downie) piloting The Woodshed Orchestra’s five-piece horn section, four-piece rhythm section and full-ensemble vocals, in a soulful mash up of classic dance styles from around the world;

● choreographer Ann-Marie Williams conducting her popular family dance sessions;

● dressing up and creating souvenirs of the day at PhaseOne Entertainment's Photo Booth.

● Wanda’s Pie-in-the-Sky pop-up bakery selling healthy, handmade snacks.

● the sale of books for signing by authors and illustrator.

Be sure to get your tickets before they are sold out 

(and sold out they will be!) 

 

Upcoming releases for Winter and Spring 2019

The new year always brings the promise of newness. New beginnings, new hopes and, of course, new books. There are series continued, debuts to launch and favourite authors and illustrators to revisit in new titles.  Some titles I'm most excited about in the first half of the year include:

• To See the Stars by Jan Andrews (Running the Goat Books & Broadsides) because this will be her last book;

• The Beauty of the Moment by Tanaz Bhathena from Penguin Teen, because I loved A Girl Like That;

• The Triumphant by Lesley Livingston (Razorbill)  as it's the conclusion to her trilogy The Valiant (The Valiant and The Defiant);

• Chicken Girl by Heather T. Smith (Penguin Teen) because she writes gold;

• I'm Worried because I know Debbie Ridpath Ohi is the only one who could pull off making a potato look anxious;

• You Owe Me a Murder by Eileen Cook (HMH for Young Readers) because she blends mystery, crime and romance into flawless stories;

• You Are Never Alone, a new collaboration between by Elin Kelsey and Soyeon Kim (Owlkids) who brought us the award-winning You Are Stardust;

• In the Key of Nira Ghani by Natasha Deen  (Running Press Kids) because I'm a fan;

• This Place: 150 Years Retold, a collection of stories from Indigenous writers Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm, Sonny Assu, Brandon Mitchell, Rachel and Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley, David A. Robertson, Niigaanwewidam James Sinclair, Jen Storm, Richard Van Camp, Katherena Vermette and Chelsea Vowel, with illustrations by Tara Audibert, Kyle Charles, GMB Chomichuk, Natasha Donovan, Scott B. Henderson, Ryan Howe, Andrew Lodwick and Jen Storm (HighWater Press);

and...and...and...

I could go on and on but I'll let you check out the listing of upcoming releases for the winter and spring of 2019 and see what tickles your reading fancy.🎉 Happy New Year!🎉

JANUARY

Picture Books
The Animals of Chinese New Year by Jen Sookfong Lee (Orca)
The Cold Little Voice by Alison Hughes, illus. by Jan Dolby (Clockwise Press) 
How to Give Your Cat a Bath in Five Easy Steps by Nicola Winstanley, illus. by John Martz (Tundra)
I Didn't Stand Up by L.M. Falcone, illus. by Jacqueline Hudon-Verrelli (Clockwise Press)
Miss Mink: Life Lessons for a Cat Countess by Janet Hill (Tundra)
Will Giraffe Laugh? by Hilary Leung (Cartwheel Books/Scholastic)

Early Readers and Middle Grade
The Almost Epic Squad: What Blows Up by Ted Staunton, illus. by Britt Wilson (Scholastic Canada)
Death by Airship by Arthur Slade (Orca)>>>Orca Currents
Dragon Overnight by Sarah Mlynowski, Lauren Myracle and Emily Jenkins (Scholastic) >>> Upside-Down Magic #4
Embrace the Chicken by Mahtab Narsimhan (Orca)>>>Orca Currents
Field of Screams by Joel A. Sutherland (Scholastic Canada)>>>newest title in Haunted series
Jammer Star by Kate Hargreaves (Orca)>>>Orca Sports
Nova in New York by Katherine Richards (Orca)>>>Orca Limelights
Room 555 by Cristy Watson (Orca)>>>Orca Currents
Shutout by Jeff Ross (Orca)>>>Orca Sports
Tick Tock Terror by Melanie Jackson (Orca)>>>Orca Currents
The Unteachables by Gordon Korman (Scholastic Canada)

Young Adult Novels
The Bodyguard by Sean Rodman (Orca)>>>Orca Soundings
Cub by Paul Coccia (Orca)>>>Orca Soundings 
Dragon Assassin: Twin Fury by Arthur Slade (Dava Enterprises)
The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan (Scholastic) 
Snowhook by Jo Storm (Dundurn) 
Thicker Than Water by Natasha Deen (Orca)>>>Orca Soundings
The Unbroken Hearts Club by Brooke Carter (Orca)>>>Orca Soundings

Non-Fiction
Fierce: Women who Shaped Canada by Lisa Dalrymple, illus. by Willow Dawson (Scholastic Canada)
Juji'jk: Mi'kmaw Insects by Gerald Gloade (Nimbus)
Meet Tom Longboat by Elizabeth MacLeod, illus. by Mike Deas (Scholastic Canada) >>> newest Scholastic Canada Biography

FEBRUARY

Picture Books
Bear for Breakfast / Makwa kidji kijebà wìsiniyàn by Robert Munsch, illus. by Jay Odjick (North Winds Press)
The Girl and the Wolf by Katherena Vermette, illus. by Julie Flett (Theytus)
Pencil: A Story with a Point by Ann Ingalls, illus. by Dean Griffiths (Pajama Press)
Peg Bearskin: A traditional Newfoundland tale by Philip Dinn and Andy Jones, illus. by Denise Gallagher (Running the Goat, Books & Broadsides) 
A Plan for Pops by Heather Smith, illus. by Brooke Kerrigan (Orca)
Princess Puffybottom ... and Darryl by Susin Nielsen, illus. by Olivia Chin Mueller (Tundra)
Say Something! by Peter H. Reynolds (Orchard Books)
Zoe and the Fawn by Catherine Jameson, illus. by Julie Flett, trans. by Richard Armstrong (Theytus)

Early Readers and Middle Grade
The Playmaker by Alex O'Brien (Lorimer)>>>Lorimer Sports Stories
Princess Angelica, Part-Time Lion Tamer by Monique Polak, illus. by Jane Heinrichs (Orca)>>>Orca Echoes
Sapphire the Great and the Meaning of Life by Beverley Brenna, illus. by Tara Anderson (Pajama Press)

Young Adult Novels
The Afterward by E. K. Johnston (Dutton Books for Young Readers)
The Beauty of the Moment by Tanaz Bhathena (Penguin Teen)
Be My Love by Kit Pearson (HarperCollins)
Comics Will Break Your Heart by Faith Erin Hicks (Roaring Brook Press) >>>graphic novel
Locked Up by Cristy Watson (Lorimer)>>>Lorimer SideStreets
On the Run by Marilyn Anne Holman (Lorimer)>>>Lorimer SideStreets
Prom Kings by Tony Correia (Lorimer)>>>Lorimer Real Love
To See the Stars by Jan Andrews, illus. by Tara Tidwell Bryan (Running the Goat, Books & Broadsides)
The Triumphant by Lesley Livingston (Razorbill)>>>conclusion to her trilogy The Valiant
What Makes You Beautiful by Bridget Liang (Lorimer)>>>Lorimer Real Love
What We Buried by Kate Boorman (Henry Holt)

Non-Fiction
Freedom of Expression: Deal with it before you are censored by Danielle S. McLaughlin, illus. by Paris Alleyne (Lorimer)>>>Deal With It series
On the Internet: Our First Talk about Online Safety by Dr. Jillian Roberts, illus. by Jane Heinrichs (Orca)
On the Playground: Our First Talk about Prejudice by Dr. Jillian Roberts, illus. by Jane Heinrichs (Orca)

MARCH

Picture Books
Babies of the Great Bear Rainforest by Ian McAllister (Orca)
The Biggest Puddle in the World by Mark Lee , illus. by Nathalie Dion (Groundwood)
Circle by Mac Barnett, illus. by Jon Klassen (Candlewick)>>>newest title in the series that already includes Square and Triangle
Classic Munsch by Robert Munsch, illus. by Michael Martchenko (Annick)>>>counting book
Climbing Shadows: Poems for Children by Shannon Bramer, illus. by Cindy Derby (Groundwood)
The Dog Who Wanted to Fly by Kathy Stinson, illus. by Brandon James Scott (Annick)
Friends by Geraldo Valério (Groundwood)
Great Job, Mom! by Holman Wang (Tundra)
Great Job, Dad! by Holman Wang (Tundra)
Love You Head to Toe by Ashley Barron (Owlkids)
The Magic Boat by Kit Pearson and Katherine Farris, illus. by Gabrielle Grimard (Orca)
Moon Wishes by Patricia Storms and Guy Storms, illus. by Milan Pavlovic (Groundwood)
My Love is For You by Susan Musgrave, illus. by Marilyn Faucher (Orca)
One Patch of Blue by Marthe Jocelyn (Orca)
One Yellow Ribbon by Marthe Jocelyn (Orca)
Otto and Pio by Marianne Dubuc (Princeton Architectural Press)
Pride Colors by Robin Stevenson (Orca)
Queenie Quail Can't Keep Up by Jane Whittingham, illus. by Emma Pedersen (Pajama Press)
The Silence Slips In by Alison Hughes, illus. by Ninon Pelletier (Orca)
Sprout, Seed, Sprout! by Annika Dunklee, illus. by Carey Sookocheff (Owlkids)
When I Found Grandma by Saumiya Balasubramaniam, illus. by Qin Leng (Groundwood)
When You're Scared by Andrée Poulin, illus. by Véronique Joffre (Owlkids)
The Wind Plays Tricks by Virginia Howard, illus. by Charlene Chua (Albert Whitman & Co.)
You Are One by Sara O'Leary, illus. by Karen Klassen (Owlkids)
You Are Two by Sara O'Leary, illus. by Karen Klassen (Owlkids)

Early Readers and Middle Grade
Beatrice More and the Perfect Party by Alison Hughes, illus. by Helen Flook (Orca>>>Orca Echoes
Billy Stuart in the Minotaur's Lair by Alain M. Bergeron, illus. by Sampar (Orca)>>>hybrid graphic novel
The Case of Windy Lake by Michael Hutchinson (Second Story Press)>>> A Mighty Muskrat Mystery
Masters of Silence by Kathy Kacer (Annick)>>>The Heroes Quartet 2
Skateboard Sibby by Clare O'Connor (Second Story Press)
Sophie Trophy by Eileen Holland, illus. by Brooke Kerrigan (Crwth Press)
Stand on the Sky by Erin Bow (Scholastic Canada)
The Vegetable Museum by Michelle Mulder (Orca)
Wings of Olympus by Kallie George, illus. by Fiona Hsieh (HarperCollins
The Wizenard Series: Training Camp by Wesley King (Granity Studios)

Young Adult Novels
Chicken Girl by Heather T. Smith (Penguin Teen)
Cold White Sun by Sue Farrell Holler (Groundwood)
The Courage of Elfina by André Jacob, illus. by Christine Delezenne, trans. by Susan Ouriou (Lorimer)>>>graphic novel
Faster Than Truth by K. L. Denman (Crwth Press)
One Lie Too Many by Eileen Cook (HMH for Young Readers)>>US edition of The Hanging Girl 
The Sound of Drowning by Katherine Fleet (Page Street Kids)
Star Wars: Queen's Shadow by E. K. Johnston (Disney Lucasfilm Press) 
Trail of Crumbs by Lisa J. Lawrence (Orca) 
You Owe Me a Murder by Eileen Cook (HMH for Young Readers)

Non-Fiction
Africville: An African Nova Scotian community is demolished — and fights back by Gloria Ann Wesley(Lorimer)>>>Righting Canada's Wrongs series 
Funny, You Don't Look Autistic: A Comedian's Guide to Life on the Spectrum by Michael McCreary (Annick)
Home Sweet Neighborhood: Transforming Cities One Block at a Time by Michelle Mulder (Orca)>>>Orca Footprints
See to Learn: Forest by Kate Gamblin, illus. by Karen Patkau (Groundwood)
What Makes Girls Sick and Tired by Lucile de Pesloüan (Second Story Press)

APRIL

Picture Books
Always With You by Eric Walters, illus. by Carloe Liu (Nimbus)
Cooking with Bear: A Story and Recipes from the Forest by Deborah Hodge, illus. by Lisa Cinar (Groundwood)
Dog vs. Ultra Dog by Troy Wilson, illus. by Clayton Hanmer (Owlkids)
If I Were the Moon by Sheree Fitch, illus. by Leslie Watts (Nimbus)>>>twentieth anniversary edition
Gargantua (Jr!): Defender of Earth by Kevin Sylvester (Groundwood)
The Invisible Garden by Valérie Picard, illus. by Marianne Ferrer (Orca)>>>translation of Le jardin invisible
Karate Kakapo by Loredana Cunti, illus. by Stacy Curtis (Kids Can Press)
Mine. Yours. by Marsha Diane Arnold, illus. by Qin Leng (Kids Can Press) 
My Cat Looks Like My Dad by Thao Lam (Owlkids)
My Forest Is Green by Darren Lebeuf, illus. by Ashley Barron (Kids Can Press)
My Mommy, My Mama, My Brother, and Me: These Are the Things We Found By the Sea by Natalie Meisner, illus. by Mathilde Cinq-Mars (Nimbus)
Ojiichan's Gift by Chieri Uegaki, illus. by Genevieve Simms (Kids Can Press)
The Pencil by Susan Avingaq and Maren Vsetula, illus. by Charlene Chua (Inhabit Media)
Sockeye Silver, Saltchuck Blue by Roy Henry Vickers and  Robert Budd, illus. by Roy Henry Vickers (Harbour Publishing)
The Tallest Tree House by Elly MacKay (Running Press Kids)
Through the Elephant's Door by Hélène de Blois, illus. by France Cormier (Orca)
Uncle Farley's False Teeth by Alice Walsh, illus. by Michael Martchenko (Nimbus)
What are You Doing, Benny? by Cary Fagan, illus. by Kady MacDonald Denton (Tundra)
You Are Never Alone by Elin Kelsey, illus. by Soyeon Kim (Owlkids)

Early Readers and Middle Grade
Badir and the Beaver by Shannon Stewart (Orca)>>>Orca Echoes
Camp Average by Craig Battle (Owlkids) >>> new series
The Changeling of Fenlen Forest by Katherine Macyarody (Yellow Dog)
Eight Times Up by John Corr (Orca)
The Ice Chips and the Invisible Puck by Roy MacGregor and Kerry MacGregor (HarperCollins)>>>Ice Chips series, Book 3
Lark and the Dessert Disaster by Natasha Deen, illus. by Marcus Cutler (Orca)>>>Orca Echoes
Megabat and Fancy Cat by Anna Humphrey, illus. by Kass Reich (Tundra)
Monster in the Mountains by Shane Peacock (Nimbus)>>>A Dylan Maples Adventure
The Mostly True Story of Pudding Tat, Adventuring Cat by Caroline Adderson, illus. by Stacy Innerst (Groundwood)
Mya's Strategy to Save the World by Tanya Lloyd Kyi (Tundra)
Operatic by Kyo Maclear, illus. by Byron Eggenschwiler (Groundwood)>>>graphic novel
Tank and Fizz: The Case of the Tentacle Terror by Liam O'Donnell, illus. by Mike Deas (Orca)>>>fifth book in the Tank & Fizz hybrid graphic novel series
The Traveling Dustball by Judith Henderson, illus. by T.L. McBeth (Kids Can Press)>>>new short stories collection in Big Words Small Stories series

Young Adult Novels
Amber Fang: Hunted by Arthur Slade (Orca)
The Center of the Universe by Ria Voros (Kids Can Press)
Dan vs. Nature by Don Calame (Candlewick)
Darkness Rising by Mary Jennifer Payne (Dundurn)>>>Book 3 in series Daughters of Light
The Hummingbird Dagger by Cindy Anstey (Swoon Reads)
In the Key of Nira Ghani by Natasha Deen  (Running Press Kids)
Manuelito by Alisa Amado, illus. by Abrham Urias (Annick)

Non-Fiction
Animals Illustrated: Caribou by Dorothy Aglukark and David Aglukark, illus. by Amanda Sandland (Inhabit Media)
Bad Boys of Fashion: Style Rebels and Renegades Through the Ages by Jennifer Croll and Aneta Pacholska (Annick)
A Cave in the Clouds: A Young Woman's Escape from ISIS by Badeeah Hassan Ahmed with Susan Elizabeth McClelland (Annick)
Digging Deep: How Science Unearths Puzzles from the Past by Laura Scandiffio (Annick)
Extreme Abilities: Amazing Human Feats and the Simple Science Behind Them by Galadriel Watson, illus. by Cornelia Li (Annick)
Follow That Bee!: A First Book of Bees in the City by Scot Ritchie (Kids Can Press)>>>new book in Exploring Our Community series
Follow Your Stuff: Who Makes It, Where Does It Come From, How Does It Get to You? by Kevin Sylvester and Michael Hlinka (Annick)
A Friend Like Iggy by Kathryn Cole (Second Story Press)
The Grizzlies of Grouse Mountain: The True Adventures of Coola and Grinder by Shelley Hrdlitschka and Rae Schidlo, illus. by Linda Sharp (Heritage House)
How to Become an Accidental Genius by Elizabeth MacLeod and Frieda Wishinsky, illus. by Jenn Playford (Orca)
Killer Style: How Fashion Has Injured, Maimed, and Murdered Through History by Alison Matthews-David and Serah-Marie McMahon, illus. by Gillian Wilson (Owlkids)
Nature All Around: Trees by Pamela Hickman, illus. by Carolyn Gavin (Kids Can Press)
Stinky Science: Why the Smelliest Smells Smell So Smelly by Edward Kay, illus. by Mike Shiell (Kids Can Press)

MAY

Picture Books
Albert's Quiet Quest by Isabelle Arsenault (Tundra)
Anne's Alphabet (Inspired by Anne of Green Gables) illus. by Kelly Hill (Tundra)
Anne's Feelings (Inspired by Anne of Green Gables) illus. by Kelly Hill (Tundra)
Before You Were Born by Deborah Kerbel, illus. by Suzanne Del Rizzo (Pajama Press) 
In the Sky at Nighttime by Laura Deal, illus. by Tamara Campeau (Inhabit Media)
A Little House in a Big Place by Alison Acheson, illus. by Valériane LeBlond (Kids Can Press)
Me, Toma and the Concrete Garden by Andrew Larsen, illus. by Anne Villeneuve (Kids Can Press)
The Not-So Great Outdoors by Madeline Kloepper  (Tundra)
She Dreams of Sable Island: A Paper Doll Book by Briana Corr Scott (Nimbus)
The Pirate Year Round by Marla Lasage (Acorn Press)

Early Readers and Middle Grade
Anne Arrives (Inspired by Anne of Green Gables) by Kallie George, illus. by Abigail Halpin (Tundra)
Anne's Kindred Spirits (Inspired by Anne of Green Gables) by Kallie George, illus. by Abigail Halpin (Tundra)
A Box of Bones by Marina Cohen (Roaring Brook Press)
The Diamond Mistake Mystery by Sylvia McNicoll (Dundurn)>>> new title in The Great Mistake Mysteries series
Flying Ace: Errol's Gander Adventure by Sheilah Lukins, illus. by Laurel Keating (Breakwater Books) >>> new Errol's Adventures book
Girl of the Southern Sea by Michelle Kadarusman (Pajama Press)
The Magpie's Library by Kate Blair (DCB)
My Upside Down Summer by Hope Harmony (Acorn Press)
Puppy Pals by Susan Hughes, illus. by Leanne Franson (Scholastic Canada)
Slap Shot!: Three Hockey Stories by Irene Punt (Scholastic Canada)
Whatever After #13: Spill the Beans by Sarah Mlynowski (Scholastic)

Young Adult Novels
The Big Dig by Lisa Harrington (Nimbus)
The Candle and the Flame by Nafiza Azad (Scholastic)
Cedar Dance by Monica Nawrocki (Yellow Dog)
Island by Patrick Downes (Groundwood)
Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me by Mariko Tamaki, illus. by Rosemary Valero-O'Connell (First Second)
Shantallow by Cara Martin (DCB)
Swan Dive by Brenda Hasiuk (Groundwood)
This Place: 150 Years Retold by Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm et al. (HighWater Press) >>>collection of ten Indigenous graphic stories
Those Who Dwell Below by Aviaq Johnston, illus. by Toma Feizo Gas (Inhabit Media)
We Contain Multitudes by Sarah Henstra (Penguin Teen)

Non-Fiction
Always Smile: Carley Allison’s Secrets for Laughing, Loving and Living, adapted by Alice Kuipers (Kids Can Press)
Beastly Puzzles: A Brain-Boggling Animal Guessing Game by Rachel Poliquin, illus. by Byrom Eggenschwiler (Kids Can Press)
The Canadian Kids' Guide to Outdoor Fun by Helaine Becker, illus. by Claudia Davila (Scholastic Canada)
A Children's Guide to Arctic Butterflies by Mia Pelletier, illus. by Danny Christopher (Inhabit Media)
Haunted Canada 9: Scary True Stories by Joel A. Sutherland (Scholastic Canada)
How Emily Saved the Bridge: The Story of Emily Warren Roebling and the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge by Frieda Wishinsky, illus. by Natalie Nelson (Groundwood)
I Am a Feminist: Claiming the F-Word in Turbulent Times by Monique Polak, illus. by Meags Fitzgerald (Orca)
Moon Mission: The Epic 400-Year Journey to Apollo 11 by Sigmund Brouwer (Kids Can Press)
My Body My Choice: The Fight for Abortion Rights by Robin Stevenson, illus. by Meags Fitzgerald (Orca)
On the Run in Ancient China by Linda Bailey, illus. by Bill Slavin (Kids Can Press)>>>The Time Travel Guides 3
An Owl at Sea by Susan Vande Griek, illus. by Ian Wallace (Groundwood)
Seaside Treasures: A Guidebook for Little Beachcombers by Sarah Grindler (Nimbus)
A Voice for the Spirit Bears: How One Boy Inspired Millions to Save a Rare Animal by Carmen Oliver, illus. by Katy Dockrill (Kids Can Press)
Wildlife of Western Canada by Tom Hunter (Heritage House)

JUNE

Picture Books
Dancing with Daisy by Jan L. Coates, illus. by Josée Bisaillon (Running the Goat Books & Broadsides)
I'm Worried by Michael Ian Black, illus. by Debbie Ridpath Ohi (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)
My Puppy Patch by Theo Heras, illus. by Alice Carter (Pajama Press)
Nanny's Kitchen Party by Rebecca North, illus. by Laurel Keating (Breakwater Books)
The Owl and the Two Rabbits by Nadia Sammurtok, illus. by Marcus Cutler (Inhabit Media)
Wolverine and Little Thunder: A Story of the First Canoe by Alan Syliboy (Nimbus)

Early Readers and Middle Grade
The Almost Epic Squad: Super Sketchy by Lesley Livingston (Scholastic Canada)
Level 13: A Slacker Novel by Gordon Korman (Scholastic)
Shout Out for the Fitzgerald-Trouts by Esta Spalding, illus. by Lee Gatlin (Tundra)>>>Book 3 in Fitzgerald-Trouts series

Young Adult Novels
The Gamer's Guide to Getting the Girl by Kristine Scarrow (Dundurn)

Non-Fiction
The Cat in the Box by Chris Ferrie, illus. by Kevin Sherry (Sourcebooks)
My House is a Lighthouse: Light Keepers Across Canada by Christine Welldon (Nimbus)



And just as a little teaser, here are a few titles that are...

Coming in the Summer and Fall of 2019

Picture Books
Aunt Pearl by Monica Kulling, illus. by Irene Luxbacher (Groundwood)
If Pluto was a Pea by Gabrielle Prendergast, illus. by Rebecca Gerlings (Margaret K. McElderry Books)
Little Juniper Makes It Big by Aidan Cassie, (Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers)
Nibi's Water Song by Sunshine Tenasco, illus. by Chief Lady Bird (North Winds Press)
No Help Wanted by Ruth Ohi (North Winds Press) 
Paint the Town Pink by Lori Doody (Running the Goat, Books & Broadsides)
Triceratops Stomp by Karen Patkau (Pajama Press)
Weekend Dad by Naseem Hrab, illus. by Frank Viva (Groundwood)

Early Reader and Middle Grade Fiction
Elements of Genius #1: Nikki Tesla and the Ferret-Proof Death Ray by Jess Keating (Scholastic)>>>first book in a new middle-grade series
Harvey Comes Home by Colleen Nelson (Pajama Press) 
Pickles vs. The Zombies by Angela Misri (DCB)
A Royal Guide to Monster Slaying by Kelley Armstrong, illus. by Xavière Daumarie (Tundra) 

Young Adult Novels
Broken Strings by Eric Walters and Kathy Kacer (Puffin Canada)
Ghosts by David A. Robertson (HighWater Press)>>>Book 3 in The Reckoner series
Just My Luck by Jennifer Honeybourn (SwoonReads) 
Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell, illus. by Faith Erin Hicks (First Second)
Spin by Colleen Nelson (Dundurn)
Street Shadows by Claire Gilchrist (Dundurn)
Things that Fall by Mere Joyce (DCB)

Non-Fiction
My Story Starts Here: Voices of Young Offenders by Deborah Ellis (Groundwood)

It looks like 2019 is going to be a phenomenal year of youngCanLit. If I've missed one or two, please let me know. 

Penguin Days

Written by Sara Leach

Illustrated by Rebecca Bender

Pajama Press

978-1-77278-053-6

104 pp.

Ages 7-10

November 2018

Eight-year-old Lauren of Sara Leach's Slug Days (Pajama Press, 2017) has returned and now the young child on the autism spectrum must find new coping strategies beyond the school and home situations with which she contended in her first book.

From Penguin Days by Sara Leach, illus. by Rebecca Bender

Lauren and her parents and baby sister Lexi have driven from western Canada to North Dakota for the wedding of her Auntie Joss, who is getting married to Almost-Uncle Charlie. It's a long drive but far better than a repeat of the screaming plane fiasco years earlier. But the travel stress is just step one in the journey that Lauren must take to act as Auntie Joss's flower girl. She must also prepare herself for the many people who will be present, including her cousins: Sophia, 12; Zoe, 10; and Kevin, 9.

I didn't want to have a restful summer. I wanted to have a fun summer with Irma ... I had to meet my cousins instead. Which wasn't restful at all. It made my insides feel like squirmy snakes. (pg. 25)

But Lauren's unrest moves into the realm of confusion when Kevin mentions that he has to wear a penguin suit (slang for a tuxedo) and Lauren thinks wearing a penguin onesie would be preferable to the itchy purple flower girl dress she must wear. Unfortunately, when she learns that Zoe and Sophia will also be flower girls, and she twirls in her dress like Sophia, she makes herself dizzy and throws up.

From Penguin Days by Sara Leach, illus. by Rebecca Bender

The reactions of those around her embarrass her and she dashes outside and encounters Kevin who takes her to see the cows in the barn. Though he warns her about being in the barn, she climbs onto fence and falls into a stall with calves. In the mayhem of her screaming, the calves run out and Almost-Uncle Charlie comes to the rescue.

From Penguin Days by Sara Leach, illus. by Rebecca Bender

From the dress to the barn and the rehearsal and its dinner, things always get resolved when Lauren remembers to use her strategies like square breathing or focusing on things she likes to talk about, like lizards and penguins, and when those around her consider how stressful new situations are for her and attempt to make things work for Lauren. But there are many circumstances which Lauren must endure first in order to get through to the other side of okay. Thankfully Sara Leach shows us that Lauren can have slug days when everything goes wrong, and penguin days when she has to dress up and get along with people she rarely sees, and still have wonderful butterfly days when all is right with the world. With the addition of Rebecca Bender's charming black-and-white illustrations that depict Lauren in all her moods, Penguin Days becomes a story of resiliency and overcoming anxiety and stressful situations for all children, with ASD and not.

From Penguin Days by Sara Leach, illus. by Rebecca Bender

Sadie

Written by Courtney Summers

Wednesday Books

978-1-250-10571-4

308 pp.

Ages 14+

September 2018

If you notice that the book cover is larger than I usually post, it's because Sadie, the book and the girl, should not be relegated to the back or to a corner to be forgotten. In her life, Sadie was neglected and abused and she may have felt insignificant, but she is courageous and responsible, and she deserves to be noticed–and not because of her stuttering–and her extraordinary efforts appreciated.

Sadie begins with the murder of Sadie's thirteen-year-old sister, Mattie Southern, after she'd left their home in Cold Creek, Colorado, ostensibly to search out their mother Claire, who'd left 3 years earlier. Mattie had never given up hope on her mother, an addict who'd showered her meagre love and limited attention on her youngest daughter and essentially ignored or was hostile to her eldest.

I can't even put into words what it's like to swallow down a moment like that, but I can tell you exactly how bitter it tastes. (pg. 55-6)

Sadie had given all of herself to her baby sister and mothered Mattie even more, when at 16, it was just the two of them, abandoned and living in a trailer park run by their surrogate grandmother, May Beth Foster.  When Sadie disappears eight months after her sister's murder and her car found abandoned the next month, May Beth contacts WNRK New York to get some media attention and help. So begins a serialized podcast, The Girls, by producer West McCray, who pursues Sadie's story and consequently Mattie's as well.

The Girls explores what happens when a devastating crime reveals a deeply unsettling mystery. It's a story about family, about sisters, and the untold lives lived in small-town America. It's about the lengths we go to protect the ones we love. . . and the high price we pay when we can't. (pg. 1)

Sadie alternates between The Girls podcast and Sadie's telling of her pursuit of justice for her sister. West's podcast includes narration and interviews with persons of interest as he tries to locate Sadie, all the while unravelling her story. There's May Beth Foster who acts as his home base for information and clarification, and then the people Sadie meets along her journey. The chapters based on Sadie's pursuit of Mattie's murderer begin at an out-of-town diner where Sadie suggests she's looking for her father, always showing a photo of her family with Claire's ex, Keith. From that starting point, she gets one lead after another, desperate to locate the man she is convinced is responsible for Mattie's death. Mixed with reminiscences, many unsettling, as triggered by those she meets, Sadie must uncover Keith's story, told from the points of view of those who considered him a good guy and those who won't reveal much from the cloak of shame and trauma. Regardless, she pursues and inevitably helps in ways she might never know.

Courtney Summers always tells bold stories, whether based on zombies (This is Not a Test, 2012; Please Remain Calm, 2014), on sexual assault and shame (All the Rage, 2015), on bullying (Some Girls Are, 2010) or self-destruction (Cracked Up to Be, 2008). They immerse the reader in tense situations of agonizing brutality, emotional and physical, that rarely have happy endings. But that's reality. Life is not neat and it's not fair. It's raw and real and not for the faint of heart. Courtney Summers sugarcoats nothing. Nothing at all. Even as West McCray speaks to witnesses or persons of interest, they spin Sadie's story with an effort to make themselves look better. It's not honest but it's real. Take Claire, for instance. This woman cared more for the child who looked like her than the one who didn't (and blames that on her youth, her mother's death and May Beth); neglected her children in favour of her addiction; sends an abuser packing only when she suspects he might have attacked her favourite; abandons her children for years; and blames West McCray when he can't find Sadie. Yikes. Sadie's story is gut-wrenching in itself: bullied for her stuttering, neglected by her mother, abused by her mother's boyfriend, abandoned, becoming a surrogate parent to a resentful child, and grief-stricken for her beloved sister. Her story is almost too much to take.

Don't look for a happy ending in Sadie, and it's not because Courtney Summers ends Sadie with another tragedy. It's just hard to tell what kind of an ending Courtney Summers has given readers. While there is justice, Courtney Summers also leaves a gaping hole in Sadie's story that readers will need to fill, either with hope for a new story for Sadie or with another tragedy to complete her original one. Read Sadie and let me know what you think happened to this fierce young woman because her story is far too important to let her be forgotten.

When Life Gives You Demons

Written by Jennifer Honeybourn

Swoon Reads

978-1-250-15823-9

262 pp.

Ages 13-18

July 2018

When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. When Life Gives You Demons, the kind that possess people and make them levitate and revolve their heads, you get an exorcist.  But if you're sixteen-year-old Shelby Black, who is training to become an exorcist with her Uncle Roy, a priest, sometimes you're just not the exorcist who's up for the job.

Uncle Roy doesn't like family members to be present during an exorcism. They have a tendency to freak out when they see steam coming out of their loved one's ears. (pg. 6)

There is so much for Shelby to learn about exorcising demons. She's learning how to detect them and she always carries her silver crucifix, handcuffs, and bejeweled spray bottle of holy water. She's almost got the Latin incantations right and is diligent about writing reports about the exorcisms they conduct. Shelby really wants to help out, especially as Uncle Roy is seventy and exorcisms seem to being taking more out of him now. But she's still a novice, only studying how to conduct exorcisms for the past five months, ever since her mother Robin left suddenly to train at some secret exorcism school in Italy. Unfortunately Shelby fears her mother's departure had more to do with the hurtful things she said to Robin in an argument the night before.

While Shelby seems to keep bumping into possessed beings–and even a few suspected possessions that aren't–she's crushing on her peer tutor, Spencer Callaghan. But there's some weird stuff going on with him too. Spencer's brother Mike has a tattoo of the sign of the beast i.e., 666, and a dog called Cerberus. But Spencer gives her a black onyx protection rune necklace. Does he know something? How is she going to tell him what she is, especially after she learns from her uncle that her mother had become possessed while doing an exorcism and now may be a portal to the underworld?

When Life Gives You Demons is not horror, though it could have been. There are creepy demons.

The man's face contorts, and he's spitting and foaming at the mouth. And then–oh Lord–the head starts to revolve on his neck, bones cracking and popping, until it twists all the way around and his face is on the wrong side of his body.
      I wince. I really hate it when they do that. (pg. 160)

But Jennifer Honeybourn gives Shelby a humourous sarcasm about her unconventional vocation, seemingly unimpressed by the possessed she encounters. I suppose it could get a little weird seeing demons but, to Shelby, it's more annoyance, especially when she's on a first date with Spencer.

Unfortunately, my plan to ignore the demon across from me is about to backfire, because he seems to have come out of his trance.  His face has turned a dark shade of red, and he's beginning to snort. Also, his butt is hovering a few inches off the seat, so that's just great; now he's levitating. (pg. 158)

I am not a horror fan and suspected that Jennifer Honeybourn's story might be a bit too much for me but I was wrong.  It's the right mix of teen angst–though perhaps a little different than that for most teens–with Shelby crushing on Spencer while trying to find and save her mother.  There's suspense, a little romance, some family conflict, and those demons, making When Life Gives You Demons a great YA rom-com for readers who like a little paranormal with their flirtations.

Kate's Ring

Written by Donna Grassby

Red Deer Press

978-0-88995-567-7

276 pp.

Ages 11-15

October 2018

Thirteen-year-old Kate might wish for a ring just as her best friend has–Grace has an heirloom opal ring from her grandmother–but Kate's Ring is bigger than a child's dream to possess something special. That's because Kate's ring is not one of gold or silver but rather one of people and place.

It's the 1920s and Kate lives with her five younger siblings–Michael, David, Lily, Colin and Sarah–and her parents in Whitney Pier on Cape Breton. Though her story begins on a happy note with Poppa taking her out of school on her birthday to join him on his bread deliveries, Kate's story is not one filled with childhood joys. Mamma has consumption and is weak and often resting, while Poppa has started drinking and rarely at home. Sadly, the responsibilities for children and house fall to Kate, who begins to fall behind in school.  While there is family around, including Mamma's mother and siblings, there is much strife especially from Aunt Flora who constantly berates Poppa about his drinking and Mamma who always forgives him his ways and despises her sister's interference.  With Poppa unable to keep a job, he decides to get one logging on the mountain in Margaree, where his parents, Aigneis and Hector, live on a farm without electricity or indoor plumbing. Mamma is thrilled to go, though Aunt Flora convinces her to allow Kate to stay with her and Uncle Will to finish her school year, as on the mountain only Lily and David would be going to school.

For about three months, Kate experiences what it is like to have guardians who take care of her. They feed her, clothe her, love her and worry about her safety. Though her family is never far from her thoughts, she enjoys a real Christmas of family warmth. Then Aigneis insists that Kate join the rest of her family on the mountain as they need her help and her mother misses her.

While her mother promises her that Kate will return to school and not end up in service, Kate wonders how her mother can make such a promise, especially with Mamma feeling worse and praying to never leave the mountain. Though Kate appreciates some aspects of her new life, like learning skills like carding and spinning fleece as well as participating in a céilidh, she is more than ready to return to Whitney Pier when Mamma starts coughing up blood and collapses.

Though Aunt Flora continues to pass along money and food to the family via Kate, things are not much better with Mamma in the hospital. Unfortunately, things go from bad to worse and the family Kate has always known fractures with one tragedy after another. How the family will survive and in what configuration is only resolved through Donna Grassby's poignant storytelling, both heartbreaking and hopeful.

Kate's Ring is not a story of lightness and familial comfort. There are moments of joy, like when Kate's Aunt Flo and Uncle Will gift her with a pair of snowshoes or when she learns how to spin yarn, but Kate's life is more about responsibilities and chores and getting by. Sadly this probably has been the lot of many children whose families have had to deal with illness and financial woes, especially with parents who could not be there for their children because of their own troubles. Still Kate accepts her responsibilities for her siblings and her family without much fuss; instead she just does what is expected and necessary while holding onto a sliver of faith that things will right themselves. Even the  book's cover upholds the idea that sometimes, even when you feel like you're a long way out from the safety of shore, there's more rain to come.

Setting Kate's Ring in 1920s Cape Breton, Donna Grassby makes sure young readers see that childhood was not always about play and school. Sometimes it was whatever was needed to help the family out. And by contrasting life in towns and in rural areas, where you might or might not have electricity and plumbing, where travel happened by horse, car and train, and not all children were fortunate enough to go to school, Donna Grassby embeds that story of loss and hardship in families of different shapes. It's family created, sustained and reconfigured that makes Kate's Ring real for the time and for now.