Summer 2021 Picks

Dewey Diva Picks - Summer 2021

I Really Want to Win

I Really Want to Win

By Simon Philip | Illustrated by Lucia Gaggiotti | ISBN 9781338680515
Ages 3-5 | HC | Picture Book | May 2021

Perfect for fans of mischievous storytime favourites like Pig the Pug, The Bad Seed, and Eloise comes a winning story about a spunky heroine and her sidekick pup who are ready to WIN!

Playfully tackling themes of competition, good sportsmanship, and being a fair loser (and winner!), I Really Want to Win joyfully reminds readers that, sometimes, winning isn't everything.

Race with Me!

Race with Me! Canadian

By Andre De Grasse & Robert Budd | Illustrated by Joseph Osei Bonsu | ISBN 9781443187558
Ages 6-10 | HC | Picture Book | July 2021

Lace up your shoes and get ready for race day with Canada's 2019 Athlete of the Year, Andre De Grasse! Find out what it was like for him as an underdog, and how he motivates himself to face every challenge, in this inspiring celebration of sport. Filled with full-colour photos and illustrations, this book covers themes of reflection, mindfulness and gratitude sure to motivate all kinds of readers.

Choose Kindness

Choose Kindness Canadian

By Ruth Ohi | ISBN 9781443182515
Ages 3-8 | HC | Picture Book | August 2021

A gentle friendship story that celebrates small acts of kindness! Lyrical text is infused with Ruth Ohi's signature energy, humour, and depth. This touching story of friendship is a great reminder of the power of kindness and empathy in building community.

Wishes

Wishes

By Muon Thi Van | Illustrated by Victo Ngai | ISBN 9781338305890
Ages 4-8 | HC | Picture Book | May 2021

An arresting, poetic journey and a moving reflection on immigration, family, and home, from an acclaimed creative team. With themes of kindness, bravery, hope, and love running throughout, Wishes is a must-have book for every child's bookshelf.

Last Gate of the Emperor

Last Gate of the Emperor

By Kwame Mbalia & Prince Joel Makonnen | ISBN 9781338665857
Ages 8-12 | HC | Middle-Grade | May 2021

From Kwame Mbalia and Prince Joel Makonnen comes an Afrofuturist adventure about a mythical Ethiopian empire, combining sci-fi and fantasy in an epic journey to the stars. Yared is a star player of the underground augmented reality game The Hunt for Kaleb's Obelisk. But when a change in the game's rules prompts Yared to log in under his real name, it triggers an attack that rocks his city. Together with his bionic lioness pet Besa and the Ibis—a game rival turned reluctant ally—Yared must search for his missing uncle... and answers to his place in a forgotten, galaxy-spanning war.

Force of Fire (A Kingdom Beyond Novel)

Force of Fire (A Kingdom Beyond Novel)

By Sayantani DasGupta | ISBN 9781338636642
Ages 8-12 | HC | Middle-Grade | May 2021

Pinki hails from a long line of rakkhosh resisters, demons who have spent years building interspecies relationships, working together to achieve their goal of overthrowing the snakey oppressors and taking back their rights. But Pinki is more concerned with maintaining her social status as the fiercest rakkosh in her class than engaging in a revolution. Then Prince Sesha, the charming son of the Serpentine Governor, calls on Pinki for help in defeating the resistance, promising to give her what she most desires in return — the ability to control her fire.

Linked

Linked Canadian

By Gordon Korman | ISBN 9781338629118
Ages 8-12 | HC | Middle-Grade | July 2021

Link, Michael, and Dana live in a quiet town. But it's woken up very quickly when someone sneaks into school and vandalizes it with a swastika. Nobody can believe it. How could such a symbol of hate end up in the middle of their school? Who would do such a thing? With Linked, Gordon Korman, the author of the acclaimed novel Restart, poses a mystery for all readers where the who did it? isn't nearly as important as the why?

One Small Hop

One Small Hop

By Madelyn Rosenberg | ISBN 9781338565614
Ages 8-12 | HC | Middle-Grade | June 2021

When Ahab and his friends find a bullfrog in their town | possibly the last bullfrog in North America | they have several options: A. Report it to the Environmental Police Force. B. Leave it be. C. Find another real, live bullfrog on the black market. Convince their parents to let them bike to Canada. Introduce the two frogs. Save all of frogkind. Ahab convinces the rest of the group that C is their only real option. Because if they don't save this frog, who will?

Taking Up Space

Taking Up Space

By Alyson Gerber | ISBN 9781338186000
Ages 8-12 | HC | Middle-Grade | May 2021

Sarah loves basketball more than anything. Crushing it on the court makes her feel like she matters. And it's the only thing that helps her ignore how much it hurts when her mom forgets to feed her. But lately Sarah can't even play basketball right. She's worried that changing herself back to how she used to be is the only way she can take control over what's happening. Taking Up Space promises to be a realistic and compelling story about struggling with body image and learning that true self-esteem comes from within.

Simone Breaks All the Rules

Simone Breaks All the Rules

By Debbie Rigaud | ISBN 9781338681727
Ages Age 12+ | HC | Young Adult | June 2021

It's senior year, and Simone Thibodeaux is ready to shake things up. Until now, her life has been sealed in a boy-proof container, thanks to her strict Haitian immigrant parents. So Simone and her fellow late-bloomer friends make a Senior Year Bucket List of all the things they haven't had a chance to do. But as the list takes on a life of its own, things get much more complicated than Simone expected. She'll have to discover which rules are worth breaking, and which might save her from heartbreak.

The Ghosts We Keep

The Ghosts We Keep

By Mason Deaver | ISBN 9781338593341
Ages Ages 14+ | HC | Young Adult | June 2021

Everything happens for a reason. At least that's what everyone keeps telling Liam Cooper after his older brother Ethan is killed suddenly in a hit-and-run. Liam finds themself spending time with Ethan's best friend, Marcus, who might just be the only person that seems to know exactly what they're going through—for better and for worse. The Ghosts We Keep is an achingly honest portrayal of grief, but it is also about why we live.

The Girl from the Sea

The Girl from the Sea

By Molly Knox Ostertag | ISBN 9781338540574
Ages Ages 12+ | PB | Young Adult / Graphic Novel | June 2021

Fifteen-year-old Morgan has a secret: she's desperate to finish high school and escape her small Nova Scotian town, her volatile little brother, and worst of all, her great group of friends...who don't understand Morgan at all. Then one night, Morgan is saved from drowning by a mysterious girl named Keltie. And as the girls start to fall in love, everything they're each trying to hide will find its way to the surface...whether Morgan is ready or not.

Art © 2021 by Victo Ngai from Wishes by Mượn Thị Văn. All rights reserved.