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The Shattering by Karen Healey
The Shattering is the second novel by Kiwi author Karen Healey, who lives in Australia. It’s not a sequel to Guardian Of The Dead, but a fine cracking mystery in its own right.
A Pocketful of Eyes by Lili Wilkinson
In A Pocketful of Eyes, Bee is spending her summer holidays working in the taxidermy department of the Melbourne Museum of Natural History before beginning Year 12.
Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey
In Haunting Violet, Harvey moves from present-day rural America to Victorian England, when séances were a regular part of middle-class entertainment and there was an entire spiritualist movement.
Mole Hunt by Paul Collins
In Mole Hunt the critter being referred to, Maximus Black by name, isn’t the blind, digging creature but the spy kind. Only in his teens, Maximus Black is a brilliant cadet in RIM, a galactic spy agency.
Once Every Never by Lesley Livingston
Lesley Livingston’s juvenile fiction consistently manages to be refreshing, engaging and surprisingly smart.
What is Real by Karen Rivers
Dex Pratt’s parents have divorced and his mother has moved on. His father? Not so much. The former pot farm defending attorney is now himself a pot-growing pothead, wheelchair bound after a suicide attempt went bad.
Crow Country by Kate Constable
In Kate Constable’s Crow Country, Sadie and her mother have moved from their lovely Melbourne home by the sea to Boort, her mother’s home town in regional Victoria, where there is a drought. Boort has a history, both for her mother and further back. The same families have lived in the town for the last century and more.
The Meerkat Wars by H.S. Toshack
You may have a hard time finding H.S. Toshack’s Paka Mdogo stories but, for children seven to 12, it should prove to be a challenge well worth the effort.
The Witch Hunter Chronicles: Army Of The Undead by Stewart Daly
The year is 1666. The hero: Jakob, a teenage member of the Hexenjager, a German military witch and demon hunter organization.
Angel Arias: The Night Creatures Book 2 by Marianne De Pierres
In Angel Arias, the second book in the Night Creatures series, we see a little more about life in Grave, which then-Retra left at the start of Burn Bright.
Mastiff by Tamora Pierce
Fans of Tamora Pierce’s series featuring Provost Guard Bekka Cooper will meet the third book in the series, Mastiff, with mixed feelings.
The Outcasts by John Flanagan
The Outcasts, which is book one of the Brotherband Chronicles, is a spinoff from John Flanagan’s Ranger’s Apprentice series.
Inheritance by Christopher Paolini
“In the beginning, there were dragons: proud, fierce, and independent. Their scales were like gems, and all who gazed upon them despaired, for their beauty was great and terrible.”
The Wizard of Oz: A Scanimation Book by Rufus Butler Seder
There’s something charmingly nostalgic and convincingly high tech about artist, inventor and filmmaker Rufus Butler Seder’s Scanimation books.
Liberator by Richard Harland
Liberator is the sequel to the YA steampunk novel Worldshaker, which was set in a world dominated by the huge dreadnoughts, who roam the planet bearing the descendants of the various monarchies of 19th century Europe.
Snip, Burn, Solder, Shred: Seriously Geeky Stuff to Make with Your Kids by David Erik Nelson
Ever sat around and said, “Wow: I wish I could help my kids make an electro-didgeridoo.” Or, why think small? Why not a whole Electro-Skiffle Band?
Burn Bright by Marianne De Pierres
The heroine of Burn Bright, Retra, is a Seal. That doesn’t mean she loves swimming but that she lives in a sealed enclave, one whose lifestyle would make the Puritans look like hippies.
Anniversary Edition: Franklin in the Dark by Paulette Bourgeois
Twenty-five years on, Franklin isn’t looking the least bit tired by the turning of years and all that success and, in honor of this momentous occasion, KidsCan press has introduced an special 25th Anniversary Edition.
So Shelley by Ty Roth
It’s possible that So Shelley is the smartest YA novel you will ever read. The writing is sharp and edgy. The premise is intelligent and engaging. But the story? It’ll blow you away. So Shelley takes the most romantic of the romantic poets and reimagines them as contemporary teenagers. Think about it for a moment and you’ll realize: it’s not such a reach.
A Sword in Her Hand by Jean-Claude van Rijckeghem and Pat van Beirs
A Sword in Her Hand is deliciously refreshing. No vampires or werewolves, and not a zombie in sight. In their place, political intrigue in 14th century Flanders, through the eyes of a strong-willed, wrong-born young woman.
Held by Edeet Ravel
There is a sense of desperation and emergency that fills every corner of Held bestselling novelist Edeet Ravel’s novel of exploration of suspense and Stockholm Syndrome. Though Ravel’s language is strong and sometimes poetic, Held pushes this particular form to its very limits.
Out for Blood: Drake Chronicles by Alyxandra Harvey
Out for Blood is the third novel in the series about the peaceful vampire family, the Drakes, and the humans in their lives (or should that be their undeaths?).
Wolfborn by Sue Bursztynski
Wolfborn by January Magazine contributing editor Sue Bursztynski has only been out for a few weeks, but has been showered with stellar reviews. Well done, Sue! We’re all as proud as can be.
Mabel Murple by Sheree Fitch
Mabel Murple is a modern classic in Canadian children’s literature, welcomed back here with a brand new edition.
Make Art Mistakes: A Creativity Sketchbook
Though Make Art Mistakes is definitely aimed at children, I know a lot of grown-ups who would either enjoy this book or benefit from it very much. Perhaps both.
The Trouble with Marlene by Billie Livingston and Film Studies by Caroline Adderson
Annick Press introduced their Single Voice series April 2010. While Annick has talked a lot about the series, I haven’t been able to find anything that explains their goals with Single Voice or what they’re hoping to achieve. Annick calls Single Voice “a ground breaking and provocative young adult fiction series” so that’s a clue.
Making the Moose Out of Life by Nicholas Oldland
Even though Making the Moose Out of Life was published last August, and it has nothing to do with Christmas or holidays, there’s something very ... seasonal about it.
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Up We Grow: A Year in the Life of A Local Farm by Deborah Hodge and Brian Harris
Almost like a trip to a farm, Up We Grow takes kids on a photographic journey -- through all four seasons -- to a farm where food and animals grow in abundance. Even in the photos you can tell it’s all quite a lot of hard work: people hoeing and raking and collecting, but also talking to animals, eating fresh produce and laughing.
Low Red Moon by Ivy Devlin
Avery Hood’s parents were killed brutally in front of her, but she can’t remember a thing. The family lived near the forest next to the small historic town of Woodlake, where there has been a constant argument going between the pro and anti-development lobbies. Avery’s parents were environmentalists who recycled everything and fought to keep the woods. Is this what caused their murder? What about the strange stories about the town’s foundation and the wolves who were more than wolves?
Northern Kids by Linda Goyette
The fourth entry in Brindle & Glass’ Courageous Kids series, Northern Kids follows the pattern set by the previous books in telling regional children’s stories in their own voices.
Game Day by Kevin Sylvester
Budding athletes and sports fans will enjoy Game Day: Meet the People Who Make it Happen. Brightly illustrated and breezily written, Game Day shows young readers some of the myriad people who make sports go. Not the athletes, but the behind the scenes people who few give any thought to at all.
Hero by Mike Lupica
Written in spare, zero-nonsense prose, Hero is a one- or two-sitting read. The moment I started it, I felt instantly involved in Billy’s predicament -- as well as in his wonder at what’s happening to him as he tries to learn what really killed his dad.
Don’t Touch That Toad & Other Strange Things Adults Tell You by Catherine Rondina
A fun little book that children 7-10 are likely to enjoy. after all, what kid doesn’t love knowing something his or her parent does not know?
Ghosts by Jon Izzard
Ghosts combs through the stories and the stacks of information and looks for the things that connect them: the common threads, if you will, that bind all of these tales and beliefs together. It mixes up pop cultural references from films and television, literary references and folklore and what it comes up with is an interesting exploration -- in text, photos and classic illustrations -- of a phenomena of interest to a great many people.
Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld
It does not matter -- it should not matter -- that Behemoth is simply one of the most beautiful books you’re likely to see in this format. From the strikingly beautiful cover design, through the remarkable end-papers, the clear and careful typography and even Keith Thompson’s wonderfully illustrative pen and ink sketches.
The Tilting House by Tom Llewellyn
Something to do with turning inwards when the weather turns cold but, whatever the case, The Tilting House is actually a book that would work well in any season.
Spork by Kyo Maclear and Isabelle Arsenault
Spork’s mother was a spoon and his father was a fork, the resulting upheaval seems inevitable. After all, where does Spork fit? He is neither spoon nor fork, something that creates a problem from the very beginning.
Burnt Snow (Book of the Witch) by Van Badham
What is Goth girl Ashley Ventwood’s secret -- and how does she seem to know Sophie’s mother? What about the giant crow hovering everywhere Sophie goes? And the horrific events that happen every time she gets close to Brody?
Little Paradise by Gabrielle Wang
Mirabel (Lei An) is a Chinese girl in wartime Melbourne. Her family has been in Australia since the gold rushes, but they are still Chinese, in culture and lifestyle, and her father is a strong supporter of the Nationalist government back home.
The Gnome’s Eye by Anna Kerz
A cover does not the book make. Still: for The Gnome’s Eye, it was certainly the cover design that caught mine. And no complaints, either: that sharply designed cover brought me to a book I might otherwise have missed.
Chester’s Masterpiece by Mélanie Watt
Award-winning Montreal-based author and illustrator Mélanie Watt has a lot to answer for. Since 2001, Watt has created armloads of books for KidsCan Press, bringing home many awards in the process. Young readers have enjoyed her Scaredy Squirrel picture books and a whole series on Learning with Animals.
Moment of Truth: Volume 5, The Laws of Magic by Michael Pryor
There’s a war on in the Edwardian alternative universe of The Laws of Magic. Aubrey Fitzwilliam, son of the Prime Minister of Albion, and his friends George and Caroline, who have spent the last four volumes trying to prevent it, have been recruited as part of the Albionish secret service.
Shapeshifter by Holly Bennett
There’s so much magic in Shapeshifter it’s difficult to know where to begin. Set in iron age Ireland, we meet Sive a gifted singer who becomes trapped in the body of a deer. The story itself is beautiful and adventure-filled and Bennett’s magic transports us.
The Wildkin’s Curse by Kate Forsyth
The Wildkin’s Curse a so-called “companion volume” to The Starthorn Tree, can be read as a stand-alone story, though it takes place some years later.
Nieve by Terry Griggs
With eight very strong books to her credit, Terry Griggs is coming to be recognized as one of Canada’s foremost children’s storytellers (even though it was her short fiction collection, Quickening, that was shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award.)
In Lonnie’s Shadow by Chrissie Michaels
In Lonnie’s Shadow works very well as an historical novel, if you can find some teens who like straight historical fiction, as opposed to historical fantasy. There is a strong flavor of the period in which it happened and it’s fascinating to imagine what the city might have been like in those days -- long after the gold rushes, about 20 years before the First World War.
Rat by Fernanda Eberstadt
Rat is a new millennium coming-of-age story told in a frankly lyrical and literary voice. Fifteen-year-old Celia -- nicknamed Rat -- lives in rural Spain with her mother, a self-involved free spirit.
Ortega by Maureen Fergus
The subtexts come fast and furious in Ortega. Judge people by who they are, not who they appear to be. Don't hate people because they're different. Ask questions about what you see in the world: things may not always be as they appear. Even if you feel as if you do not belong, finding a place for yourself might be easier than you think.
The Whale’s Tale by Edwina Harvey
Edwina Harvey is the kind of children’s writer who can write the most over-the-top things and take them for granted. “What -- you mean people DON'T run into unicorns every day, or travel the galaxy with a sentient whale and a dolphin?” And that’s what makes her so right for this type of writing.
The Midnight Curse by L.M. Falcone
The Midnight Curse is a brisk and compelling read aimed at the nine to 12 set. And though the writing is solid and the book is a lot of fun, The Midnight Curse truly is more likely to capture the imagination of those in the younger part of the age bracket the book is intended for.
Solace & Grief by Foz Meadows
This novel has come along at just the right time in the teen vampire fiction revolution. But it’s not quite a vampire novel, despite all the vampire politics.
Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen
Readers 12 and up who have a taste for history and adventure will enjoy veteran children’s author Gary Paulsen’s Woods Runner, a boy’s eye view of the Revolutionary War.
See previous reviews of books for children -->
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