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All the Ugly and Wonderful Things

Posted on: March 1, 2017 at 3:07 pm, in

All the Ugly and Wonderful Things All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood is a book that will stay with me for years to come. I have never read anything like it, and don’t expect to ever find something like it again. Be aware this book will make you lose sleep and wreak […]

Lost in the Backyard

Posted on: February 27, 2017 at 3:04 pm, in

Lost in the Backyard By Alison Hughes I love survival stories, and this is a good one! Flynn is 13 and couldn’t care less about nature or the environment.  He finds camping pretty boring and he doesn’t pay attention in his Outdoor Ed. class.  He is far more interested in his phone and his Nike […]

The Best Mistake Mystery

Posted on: February 10, 2017 at 3:24 pm, in

The Best Mistake MysteryBy Sylvia McNicoll Stephen Noble tends to worry a lot.  His mom often says that he makes too much out of things. But when the fire alarm goes off at school and all the kids get sent home without even getting their agendas, Stephen suspects something is really wrong.  Later that afternoon, […]

Mae and June and the Wonder Wheel

Posted on: February 6, 2017 at 7:55 pm, in

Mae and June and the Wonder Wheel By Charise Mericle HarperThis post was originally published in Canadian Materials, Volume XXIII, Number 16, December 23, 2016. June is always open to making friends, and when Mae moves in across the street, it looks like a perfect opportunity. But potential friendship is almost thwarted by the disagreeable April, […]

The Riverman

Posted on: January 27, 2017 at 2:01 pm, in

The Riverman By Aaron Starmer What a wild book this is! Twelve-year-old Alistair Cleary is befriended by one of the neighbourhood “weird kids” – Fiona Loomis.  Fiona has a secret to tell Alistair and she trusts him not to tell – she is regularly transported to a fantasy world called Aquavania.  In this magical place, […]

All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation

Posted on: January 18, 2017 at 2:58 pm, in

All the Single Ladies By Rebecca Trainster From the title, you might mistakenly assume Rebecca Traister’s “All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation” is a self-help tome or maybe a biography of Beyoncé, but it’s actually a well-written and engaging history of the women’s liberation movement in the United […]

We Are Growing!

Posted on: January 12, 2017 at 9:15 pm, in

We Are Growing!By Laurie Keller One of the new Elephant & Piggie Like Reading books, We Are Growing by Laurie Keller entices emerging readers to keep practicing their skills once they’ve finished all the books in their beloved Mo Willems series. With high-impact, brightly coloured and cartoonish illustrations, simple text and larger than life sounds […]

Book of the Month: January — Saving Red

Posted on: January 2, 2017 at 12:30 am, in

by Sonya SonesFourteen-year-old Molly has to finish her volunteer community service hours.  Now.  Really.  The assignment is due tomorrow morning.  Which is how she finds herself in the company of Feather and Eden, doing Santa Monica’s annual count of homeless people.  When Molly finds a teenage girl in the grip of a nightmare sleeping on […]

Book Scavenger

Posted on: December 22, 2016 at 6:37 pm, in

Book ScavengerBy Jennifer Chambliss Bertman Imagine a scavenger hunt that involves deciphering secret codes and following clues that could take you all over the city – any city.  Now imagine that the prizes you are seeking are all books.  You can even hide your own books and leave clues for other players.  This is the […]

The Truth Commision

Posted on: December 20, 2016 at 7:41 pm, in

The Truth Commission by Susan JubyThere is a saying that the truth will set you free, but sometimes that truth comes with a price. Normandy, Neil and Dusk (who’s real name is Dawn) are art students at the Green Pastures Academy in Nanaimo, BC and they decide to ask their classmates some truth seeking questions. As they […]