A Healthy Addiction to YA Fiction

I’ve been out of my teens for 10 years but I still love children and young adult books.  A trip to a bookstore always includes a visit to the children’s section. From old favourites such as L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables and Kit Pearson’s The Sky is Falling and its sequels to new favourites [...]

Out of the Mouths of Teens

Although I enjoy reading what the critics have to say about our juvenile and young adult novels, I really enjoy finding out what teens have to say about them. KIdsWWwrite is a wonderful e-zine that posts reviews from teens. Here’s a round-up of what they had to say about some of our fall books.
“I think kids should read this book [...]

Countdown ’til Halloween

It’s almost October, the stores are stocking up on costumes, and like many of you, I’m already wondering what this year’s Halloween creation will be. If you have children, you know that it’s impossible to plan too far ahead because what seems like the world’s absolute best costume on October 1st can turn into the [...]

YA Reviews from Resource Links

Just received the June issue of Resource Links and it features reviews for Shabash!, Reading the Bones, and Kickstart! Here are some highlights.

Shabash!

“Set in a mill town in British Columbia during the 1980s, Ann Wheeler realistically portrays the prejudices Rana both encounters and harbours toward the white community. Despite the fears and warnings from his [...]

Gold Stars from CM Magazine

A re-issue of the junior fiction novel Shabash! received 4 out of 4 stars from CM Magazine! And both Kickstart: How Successful Canadians Got Started and Reading the Bones received 3 out of 4 stars. Reviewer Christine Torchia highly recommended Shabash!, which is about 11-year-old Rana, a Canadian born Sikh, who wants to join a [...]

“They look like sea otters to me”

Sea otters always make me think, fondly, of the Vancouver Aquarium where Nyac, Milo, and Tanu float around like cuddly little bears. This is my only base of knowledge of these furry floaters. So before I started reading Island of My Own by Andrea Spalding, I decided to swim into these creatures’ world and learn [...]

Young Adult Fiction In The News

A Great Start to February with Dundurn Young Adult
Early February brought great praise for Dundurn’s Young Adult Fiction. Both Larry McCloskey’s Murder Fit for a King and Valerie Sherrard’s Speechless made waves in the press.
 McCloskey’s book was mentioned in the Ottawa Citizen where it was deemed a “tale thatwill keep young readers glued until the last page,” and [...]