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 […]
Commonwealth by Ann PatchettAnn Patchett’s new novel, Commonwealth, grabbed me from the first page. Some stories take a while to get into, but this one had me from the opening section of the novel, set at a family christening party. It flows — from character to character and room to room and even house […]
by Libba Bray Cameron, a lazy, underachieving, high school pot head is diagnosed with Mad Cow Disease. The disease is terminal, there is no cure, he’s done. However, at the hospital, he is visited by a pink-haired punk rock angel named Dulcie who tells him his only chance of survival is to find Dr. X. […]
by Kendare Blake In every generation on the island Fennbirn, a set of triplet queens are born. Each child has the same claim to the throne, but only one can rule. The sisters must fight to the death, until only one queen remains. Torn apart from each other at a young age, the queen sisters […]
Any Questions? By Marie-Louise Gay A thought-provoking release from Marie-Louise Gay, this picturebook aims to not only answer questions but more importantly, encourage children to keep asking questions. Often children will express an interest in where stories come from and how a book is made, and Gay inspires children to capture their imaginations on paper. Through a creative […]
by Alexander McCall Smith The lovely setting of a train journey between Edinburgh and London lends itself to the tales we hear as we eavesdrop on four travellers who share a compartment in Trains and Lovers by Alexander McCall Smith. These travellers are thrown together by way of train tickets and have no other connection […]
Spirit BearBy Jennifer Harrington, illustrated by Michael Arnott Annuk is a baby bear, born to a black bear mother. Deep in the Great Bear Rainforest, Annuk discovers that he is special; unlike his siblings, Annuk is a white “Spirit Bear”. His mother tells him that one day, he will “catch more salmon than any bear […]
Serafina and the Black CloakBy Robert Beatty Serafina is a 12-year-old girl who lives in the grand Biltmore Estate in 1899. Owned by the famous Vanderbilt family, the house itself is beautiful and vast, almost a castle. The grounds are lovely, manicured, and surrounded by forest. But Serafina is not a rich girl or even […]
The Swallow By Charis Cotter Polly is an awkward and lonely girl with a big family – too big in her estimation. There are so many kids that her parents barely notice Polly. Even her own bedroom, which has always been her sanctuary, has now been invaded by baby Sarah, with whom Polly must share […]
Three Day RoadBy Joseph Boyden The violence and brutality of war are not my idea of enjoyable subject matter. Joseph Boyden’s Three Day Road is indeed a story of war. But it is also the story of best friends. Their physical journey from the Ontario bush to the trenches of Europe mirrors their interior journey […]