BirdieBy Tracey Lindberg Everything I read about Tracey Lindberg’s Birdie told me to expect humour. So naturally, I thought I’d be reading a fairly lighthearted novel. Not so. In fact, Birdie was not what I expected at all. Birdie, or Bernice Meetoos, is a young Cree woman from Loon Lake, Alberta. Raised by her mother […]
The Great Paper CaperBy Oliver Jeffers Trees, branches and sticks are mysteriously disappearing. The forest animals are confused and at first, accuse each other. An investigation is launched. The animals follow the paper trail to a house in the woods where, to their dismay, they discover Bear and his wood chipper. What is going on […]
by Mary E. PearsonThe rebellious princess runs away from an arranged marriage because she wants to experience normal life. That cliche was enough of a deterrent that The Kiss of Deception was on my shelf for a year before I tried reading it. But honestly, it was actually pretty entertaining.Together with her handmaiden, Princess Lia of Morrighan […]
by Steve Olson I was just a baby when Mount St. Helens blew up. I remember my parents telling me about the ash fall, but I always wondered how that could be: the mountain is 500 km away. After reading Eruption: the Untold Story of Mount St. Helens by Steve Olson, now I get it. […]
by Ali SmithAli Smith’s How to Be Both is not an easy read, but it is a clever and engaging one. Split into two separate sections, one set in the Renaissance and one set in the modern era, the stream-of-consciousness style of writing can make it a challenge to grasp the two separate stories and […]
The Firebug of Balrog CountyBy David Oppegaard Mack Druneswald is a high school senior living in Balrog County. (Mack has named it Balrog County after the fiery monster in Lord of the Rings. Its real name is something as boring as the place itself.) But Mack has more to contend with than boredom. His mother […]
By Michael Grant In this alternate history set during World War II, a court decision makes women subject to the draft and eligible for service. Not just desk jobs, either – they’re going to be on the front lines. This doesn’t mean that everyone is thrilled with the idea, though – there’s still a huge […]