2024 Forest of Reading® nominees: Yellow Cedar, Red Maple, White Pine

Here is the second grouping of nominated titles from the 2024 Forest of Reading® book awards of the Ontario Library Association:

• Yellow Cedar: non-fiction for Grades 4 to 8
  
• Red Maple: fiction for Grades 7 and 8
  
• White Pine: fiction for Grades 9 to 12
  

  

YELLOW CEDAR

Animal Eyes: How Creatures See and How Their Eyes Have Adapted to Their World
Written by Françoise Vulpé

Firefly Books

 

Becoming Bionic and Other Ways Science is Making Us Super
Written by Heather Camlot

Illustrated by Victor Wong
Owlkids Books 

The Honour Song / Kepmite'taqney Ktapekiaqn / Le chant d'honneur
Written by George Paul

Illustrated by Loretta Gould

Bouton d’or Acadie

IsThisAnOlogy?
Written by Amanda Dorothy Jean Bulman and Ruth Lawerence,
Illustrated by Leon Chung
Breakwater Books

Meet Buffy Sainte-Marie
Written by Elizabeth MacLeod

Illustrated by Mike Deas
Scholastic Canada 

Reviewed here

Mi'kmaw Moons: The Seasons in Mi'kma'ki
Written by Cathy LeBlanc and David Chapman

Illustrated by Jason Li

Formac Publishing

Mountain of Fire: Into the Heart of Volcanoes
Written by Julie Roberge

Illustrated by Aless MC

Orca Book Publishers

The Raven Mother (The Mothers of Xsan)
Written by Hetxw’ms Gyetxw (Brett D. Huson)

Illustrated by Natasha Donovan

HighWater Press

The Science & Superpowers of Seaweed
Written by Amanda Swinimer

Harbour Publishing

 

 

 

 

 

Why Humans Build Up: The Rise of Towers, Temples and Skyscrapers
Written by Gregor Craigie

Illustrated by Kathleen Fu

Orca Book Publishers

 

RED MAPLE™

 

Autumn Bird and the Runaway
Written by Melanie Florence and Richard Scrimger
Scholastic Canada

Beatrice and Croc Harry
Written by Lawerence Hill
HarperCollins

A Bucket of Stars
Written by Suri Rosen

Scholastic Canada 

The Druid's Call (Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves Prequel)
Written by E.K. Johnston 

Random House Worlds

The Fort
Written by Gordon Korman

Scholastic Canada

Reviewed here

Into the Bright Open: A Secret Garden Remix
Written by Cherie Dimaline

Feiwel & Friends

The Last Saxon King
Written by Andrew Varga

Inbrifex Books

Seekers of the Fox (Thieves of Shadow, Book Two)
Written by Kevin Sands

Puffin Canada 

Simon Sort of Says
Written by Erin Bow

Disney Hyperion

Squire
Written by Nadia Shammas

Illustrated by Sara Alfageeh

Quill Tree Books (HarperCollins)

WHITE PINE™

As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow
Written by Zoulfah Katouh

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Dragging Mason County
Written by Curtis Campbell
Annick Press

Funeral Songs for Dying Girls
Written by Cherie Dimaline

Tundra Books

Iz the Apocalypse
Written by Susan Currie
Common Deer

Mall Goth
Written by Kate Leth

Simon & Schuster

Of Light and Shadow
Written by Tanaz Bhathena

Penguin Teen

Only This Beautiful Moment
Written by Abdi Nazemian

Balzer + Bray 

Pieces of Me
Written by Kate McLaughlin

St. Martin’s Press / Macmillan

Then Everything Happens At Once
Written by M-E Girard

HarperTeen 

Those Pink Mountain Nights
Written by Jen Ferguson

Heartdrum

•••••••••••••••••••

Nominees for the other programs can be linked to from below:

 

Blue Spruce

Silver Birch Express

Silver Birch Fiction

Le Prix Peuplier

Le Prix Mézèle

Le Prix Tamarac

2024 Forest of Reading® nominees: Blue Spruce, Silver Birch Express, Silver Birch Fiction

Here is the first grouping of 2024 nominees from the nine Forest of Reading® awards of the Ontario Library Association:

• Blue Spruce: picture books for JK to Grade 2
  
• Silver Birch Express: fiction and non-fiction for Grades 3 and 4
  
• Silver Birch Fiction: fiction for Grades 3 to 6
  

BLUE SPRUCE™

 

Benny the Bananasaurus Rex
Written by Sarabeth Holden

Illustrated by Emma Pedersen

Inhabit Media

Cocoa Magic
Written by Sandra Bradley

Illustrated by Gabrielle Grimard

Pajama Press

Reviewed here

Dear Street
Written by Lindsay Zier-Vogel

Illustrated by Caroline Bonne-Müller

Kids Can Press

Garden of Lost Socks
Written by Esi Edugyan

Illustrated by Amélie Dubois

HarperCollins 

Reviewed here

How to Party Like A Snail
Written by Naseem Hrab

Illustrated by Kelly Collier

Owlkids Books

The Kindest Red: A Story of Hijab and Friendship
Written by Ibtihaj Muhammad and S.K. Ali 

Illustrated by Hatem Aly

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

My Fade is Fresh
Written by Shauntay Grant

Illustrated by Kitt Thomas

PRHC Penguin Workshop

My Name is Saajin Singh
Written by Kuljinder Kaur Brar

Illustrated by Samrath Kaur

Annick Press

Princess Pru and the Ogre on the Hill
Written by Maureen Fergus

Illustrated by Danesh Mohiuddin

Owlkids Books

The Words We Share
Written and illustrated by Jack Wong

Annick Press

SILVER BIRCH EXPRESS

Boobies

Written and illustrated by Nancy Vo

Groundwood Books

Reviewed here

Deep, Deep Down

Written by Lydia Lukidis

Illustrated by Juan Calle Velez

Capstone Editions

 

The Journal of Anxious Izzy Parker

Written by Alma Fullerton

Illustrated by Beena Mistry

Second Story Press

Mehndi Boy
Written by Zain Bandali

Illustrated by Jani Balakumar

Annick Press

The Mystery of the Painted Fan (The Nguyen Kids 3)
Written by Linda Trinh

Illustrated by Clayton Nguyen

Annick Press

Rock? Plant? Animal? How Nature Keeps Us Guessing
Written by Etta Kaner

Illustrated by Brittany Lane

Owlkids Books

Salma Writes a Book (The Salma Series 2)
Written by Danny Ramadan

Illustrated by Anna Bron

Annick Press
Reviewed here

The Secret Pocket
Written by Penny Janicki and S.K. Ali 

Illustrated by Carrielyn Victor

Orca Book Publishers

The Skull: A Tyrolean Folktale
Written and illustrated by Jon Klassen

Candlewick

Reviewed here

Tadpoles
Written and illustrated by Matt James

Neal Porter Books

SILVER BIRCH FICTION

Apartment 713
Written by Kevin Sylvester
HarperCollins 

Reviewed here

 

Berani
Written by Michelle Kadarusman
Pajama Press

Reviewed here

 

The Big Sting
Written by Rachelle Delaney

Tundra Books

 

The Boy Who Woke the Sun
Written by A.T. Woodley

Illustrated by Mike Deas

Red Deer Press

 

The Case of the Rigged Race (A Mighty Muskrats Mystery)
Written by Michael Hutchinson

Second Story Press

 

Gnome is Where Your Heart Is
Written by Casey Lyell

Greenwillow (HarperCollins)

Reviewed here

 

Jude Saves the World
Written by Ronnie Riley

Scholastic Canada

 

PAWS: Mindy Makes Some Space
Written by Nathan Fairbairn

Illustrated by  Michele Assarasakorn

Razorbill 

Swept Away: Ruth Mornay and the Unwanted Clues
Written by Natalie Hyde

DCB Young Readers

Reviewed here

The Umbrella House
Written by Colleen Nelson

Pajama Press

•••••••••••••••••••••••

Nominees for the other programs can be linked from below:

Yellow Cedar

Red Maple

White Pine

Le Prix Peuplier

Le Prix Mézèle

Le Prix Tamarac

 

2024 Forest of Reading® Nominated Titles Announced

On Monday, the Ontario Library Association's Forest of Reading announced the 2024 nominated titles for its book award programs for school-aged readers. For months, teachers and librarians on selection committees have been reading submitted books by Canadian creators to compile these exceptional lists from which young readers will choose winners next spring. 

The lists of all nominated books are available on the OLA website here and schools, parents, everyone can register to be part of the program. (The program even extends beyond Ontario and Canada's borders.) Young readers from JK through high school have the opportunity to read and vote on their favourite books in these nine different categories:

• Blue Spruce: JK-Grade 2, picture books
• Silver Birch Express: Grades 3-4, fiction and non-fiction
• Silver Birch Fiction: Grades 3-6, fiction
• Yellow Cedar: Grades 4-8, non-fiction
• Red Maple: Grades 7-8, fiction
• White Pine: Grades 9-12, fiction
• Le Prix Peuplier: French-language picture books, less text, simpler subject matters, perfect for read-alouds
• Le Prix Mélèze: shorter French-language chapter books with maximum 100 pages or more mature picture books, larger text with pictures, simpler vocabulary and verb tenses
• Le Prix Tamarac: French-language chapter books from 100 to 250 pages, smaller text with little or no illustrations, more complicated verb tenses and vocabulary

Because there are ninety nominated titles, I will break up the posts listing them in three groupings, all which can be accessed from this page.

Do check out how to register for this fabulous reading program. All young readers are welcome. Just select the right program for your young readers.  

Congratulations to all nominees

and

Happy reading to Forest of Reading participants!

🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲

Blue Spruce Award™
(JK-Grade 2, English-language picture books)
Current nominees posted here

Silver Birch Express Award^®
(Grades 3-4, English-language fiction and non-fiction)
Current nominees posted here

Silver Birch Fiction Award^®
(Grades 3-6, English-language fiction)
Current nominees posted here

Yellow Cedar Award
(Grades 4-8, English-language non-fiction)
Current nominees posted here
   

Red Maple Award™
(Grades 7-8, English-language fiction)
Current nominees posted here

White Pine Award™
(Grades 9-12, English-language fiction)
Current nominees posted here

Le prix Peuplier
(French-language picture books, less text, simpler subject matters, perfect for read alouds)
Current nominees posted here
   

Le prix Mélèze
(shorter French-language chapter books maximum 100 pages or more mature picture books, larger text with pictures,  simpler vocabulary and verb tenses)
Current nominees posted here
 

Le prix Tamarac
(French-language chapter books from 100 to 250 pages, smaller text with little or no illustrations, more complicated verb tenses and vocabulary)
Current nominees posted here

 

 

 

Let the Forest begin! 

A Green Velvet Secret

Written by Vicki Grant

Tundra 

978-0-7352-7012-1

256 pp.

Ages 10–14

March 2023

Twelve-year-old Yardley has a rather original family, and she wouldn't have it any other way. Her grandmother and best friend Gidge, a retired fashion design teacher, lives her life to the fullest, dressed and accessorized to the nines. Yardley's parents, Pa and Mima, run The Hoof & Mouth Theatre, along with performing in its productions. They all offer Yardley opportunities to be creative and independent and inventive in her dress and activities, though they wish she'd make friends with kids her own age. And then Gidge drops the bombshell that she has terminal cancer and is thrilled that she has been "given the chance to go out in my own perfect way." (p. 6)

Yardley is angry at her grandmother's attitude but agrees to help Gidge "get her karma in order." (p. 8) Two important tasks Gidge undertakes are the writing of numerous cards and letters, some to be sent immediately, others after her death, and sorting her diverse wardrobe for donation and consignment. With that intent, they head to the Over Easy Vintage Emporium, the shop of a former student, Conrad Kim. In between running errands that include chemo, Gidge and Yardley help out at Over Easy, along with Con's twelve-year-old nephew, Harris, a sullen boy who spends his time working on puzzles.

 

Then "Gidge's big day" comes, as she has elected for medical assistance in her dying. Her death hits Yardley especially hard, and she works at honouring Gidge's directive to "make the most of each glorious moment." (p. 75) Yardley continues to help out at Over Easy, feeling a special closeness to Gidge there, through her clothes, including a long green velvet dress which Gidge had said did not bring out the best in her. When an older woman, Mrs. Margaret Johnson, comes to the store saying she'd won a prize, and she's given the green dress, everything goes awry. Mrs. Johnson says the dress was hers and she doesn't want it; Yardley is convinced Mrs. Johnson is Gidge reincarnated; and Harris gets caught in the middle, even more so when he tries to hide a small ballerina that had fallen from the dress.

For a book about a death from cancer, A Green Velvet Secret is surprisingly light-hearted but that's because it's about life and living life and make the most of life. Vicki Grant always, always, always finds a way to put a light touch to her stories, whether they are dealing with hoarding (Betsy Wickwire's Dirty Secret), scammers (Short for Chameleon) or unknown heritage (Small Bones), finding a way to show compassion and affection and even humour in challenging situations. Like Gidge who takes a graceful approach to her cancer diagnosis and the opportunity to orchestrate her own death and tie up any loose ends she has left, Vicki Grant takes an elegant way to telling Yardley and Gidge's story, and even that of Harris whose own secret causes him shame and a disconnect with his family. Vicki Grant finds the colour in the greyness of death and, though Gidge couldn't make it all right in her lifetime, Vicki Grant helps make it all right for her and Yardley and even Harris, without giving us a predictable ending and the happily-ever-after that rarely happens.