Summer 2021 Picks

Bizzy Mizz Lizzy

Bizzy Mizz Lizzy

By David Shannon | ISBN 9780545619431
Ages 4-8 | HC | Picture Books | October 2017

Shannon's exuberant new book is funny and fresh, approaching the subject of over scheduled children (and adults) with breezy good humour, and delivered with his signature fun and heart.

Mary McScary

Mary McScary

By R. L. Stine | Marc Brown | ISBN 9781338038569
Ages 4-8 | HC | Picture Books | August 2017

Mary likes to be scary. She scares her mom, her dad, her pets, and even a balloon! But there's just one person Mary can't scare — her cousin, Harry McScary. But Mary doesn't give up that easily, and one way or another she'll find a way to give Harry the scare of his life.

Old MacDonald Had a Farm

Old MacDonald Had a Farm

By Gris Grimly | ISBN 9781338112436
Ages 3-5 | HC | Picture Books | October 2017

Young children will love reading and singing along as they join our nimble footed Farmer on his morning jaunt across the farmyard as he greets each of his farm animals and beckons them to join his parade. Little ones will delight when the parade culminates in an unexpected twist ending as Farmer opens the big red barn doors...and GASP...there's a BEAR hidden inside!

Penguins Love Their ABC’S

Penguins Love Their ABC’S

By Susan Aspinall | ISBN 9781338134209
Ages 3-5 | HC | Picture Books | August 2017

Six of the most appealing penguins ever set off on an exciting Alphabet Hunt, a fun adventure where Mama has hidden all the alphabet letters in the snow. Each letter is marked by a clue (an "apple" leads to "a"). Will you help the penguins find all the hidden letters? Of course you will!

Picture the Sky

Picture the Sky  Canadian

By Barbara Reid | ISBN 9781443163026
Ages 3-8 | HC | Picture Books | August 2017

Wherever we may be, we share the same sky. But every hour, every day, every season, whether in the city or the forest, it is different. Renowned artist Barbara Reid brings her unique vision to a new topic — the sky around us. In brilliant Plasticine illustrations, she envisions the sky above and around us in all its moods.

Pig the Elf

Pig the Elf

By Aaron Blabey | ISBN 9781443157506
Ages 3 & up | HC | Picture Books | September 2017

Pig simply cannot wait for his presents — he's asked for a lot! — so he stays up all night. When Pig discovers that Santa didn't quite bring everything he asked for, he takes the jolly old elf to task. A wild sleigh ride ends with Pig decorating a tree in an unexpected way.

Robinson

Robinson

By Peter Sis | ISBN 9780545731669
Ages 4-8 | HC | Picture Books | September 2017

Peter Sís blends a true story from his childhood with the fictional adventure of Robinson Crusoe to create a magical picture book filled with heart and imagination that readers will want to return to again and again.

Thank You, Canada

Thank You, Canada  Canadian

By Andrea Lynn Beck | ISBN 9781443157230
Ages 2-6 | HC | Picture Books | August 2017

Thank You, Canada allows kids to explore connections and think about what it means to be Canadian — it’s a joyful letter of gratitude for all our country has to offer, past, present and future.

Thank You, Mr Panda

Thank You, Mr Panda

By Steve Antony | ISBN 9781338158366
Ages 3-5 | HC | Picture Books | September 2017

Generous Mr. Panda is giving away presents to all his animal friends, including a mouse, an octopus, an elephant, and a lemur, but they aren't being very grateful about the gifts they receive. Fortunately, thoughtful little Lemur knows that even if the present isn't perfect, it's the thought that counts most of all.

The Heart’s Song

The Heart’s Song  Canadian

By Gilles Tibo | Irene Luxbacher | ISBN 9781443157216
Ages 4-8 | HC | Picture Books | September 2017

This deeply touching story, which gently explores sadness and grief, is also a story of community, love and friendship, and coming together through music and art. Stunning mixed-media art by award-winning illustrator Irene Luxbacher brings the emotions and scenes to life in evocative detail.

The Koala Who Could

The Koala Who Could

By Rachel Bright | Jim Field | ISBN 9781338139082
Ages 3-5 | HC | Picture Books | November 2017

Kevin the koala loves every day to be the same, where it's snug and safe. But when change comes along, will Kevin embrace all the joys that come with trying something new?

Why Am I Me?

Why Am I Me?

By Paige Britt | Selina Alko |Sean Qualls | ISBN 9781338053142
Ages 4-8 | HC | Picture Books | September 2017

Presented as a poetic exchange between two characters — who don't realize they are thinking and asking the very same questions — this beautiful celebration of our humanity and diversity invites readers of all ages to imagine a world where there is no you or me, only we.

Zog and the Flying Doctors

Zog and the Flying Doctors

By Julia Donaldson | Axel Scheffler | ISBN 9781338134179
Ages 4-8 | HC | Picture Books | September 2017

Princess Pearl's unconventional career path doesn't sit so well with her uncle, the king. He thinks princesses should stay in their towers and embroider cushions all day! When the king's mysterious illness befuddles all the royal doctors, however, it's Princess Pearl to the rescue! She not only heals the king — she also changes his mind about what it means to be a princess.

Dog Man: A Tale of Two Kitties

Dog Man: A Tale of Two Kitties

By Dav Pilkey | ISBN 9780545935210
Ages 7 & up | HC | Middle Grade | August 2017

Dog Man, the newest hero from the creator of Captain Underpants, hasn't always been a paws-itive addition to the police force. This time, Petey the cat is dragged in a tiny bit of trouble — a double in the form of a super-cute kitten. Dog Man will have to work twice as hard to bust these furballs and remain top dog!

Haunted: Kill Screen

Haunted: Kill Screen  Canadian

By Joel Sutherland | ISBN 9781443157124
Ages 8-12 | PB | Middle Grade | September 2017

Everyone in Evie's east-coast school is obsessed with Kill Screen, one of the scariest, most intense video games on the market! When Evie finally figures out how to defeat the final ghost, she's unwittingly unleashed it into our world!

Haunted: The House Next Door

Haunted: The House Next Door  Canadian

By Joel Sutherland | ISBN 9781443157094
Ages 8-12 | PB | Middle Grade | September 2017

Having grown up in the country with woods to explore and lakes to swim in, Matt isn’t exactly thrilled when his parents move to a new subdivision of cookie-cutter houses an hour east of Toronto. Then he and his sister discover that the house next door has a horse… if only the horse and its owners weren’t already dead!

Have Sword, Will Travel

Have Sword, Will Travel

By Garth Nix | Sean Williams | ISBN 9780545259026
Ages 8-12 | PB | Middle Grade | October 2017

It is strange enough that Odo and Eleanor have stumbled upon a sword in a dried-up river outside their village. And it's REMARKABLY strange when the sword starts to talk. Odo and Eleanor have unearthed Biter, a famous fighter from earlier times. By finding Biter, Odo instantly becomes a knight — a role he is exquisitely unsuited for. Eleanor, however, would make a PERFECT knight — but she's not the one with the sword.

Polaris

Polaris

By Michael Northrop | ISBN 9780545297165
Ages 9-12 | HC | Middle Grade | October 2017

The proud sailing ship Polaris is on a mission to explore new lands. But when half the landing party fails to return from the Amazon jungle, the tensions lead to a bloody mutiny. The remaining adults abandon ship, leaving behind a cabin boy, a botanist's assistant, and a handful of deckhands — none of them older than twelve.

Refugee

Refugee

By Alan Gratz | ISBN 9780545880831
Ages 9-12 | HC | Middle Grade | July 2017

Josef is a Jewish boy living in 1930s Nazi Germany. Isabel is a Cuban girl in 1994. Mahmoud is a Syrian boy in 2015. All three kids go on harrowing journeys in search of refuge. Although Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud are separated by continents and decades, shocking connections will tie their stories together in the end.

The Incredible Magic of Being

The Incredible Magic of Being

By Kathryn Erskine | ISBN 9781338148510
Ages 8-12 | HC | Middle Grade | October 2017

Julian is anxious about his stressed family falling apart. If he can make his family focus on the magic in the universe, surely they'll appreciate life again. An avid student of science, Julian understands that there is much about the universe that we don't yet know. Who is to say what's possible and what's not?

The Handbook

The Handbook

By Jim Benton | ISBN 9780545942409
Ages 8-12 | HC | Middle Grade | September 2017

When mysterious goings-on begin to occur in the neighbourhood, three friends investigate a hidden box from Jack's garage. In it, they find the Secret Parent's Handbook and with it all the means to subvert the irrational rules and petty tyranny of their home lives. No more clean rooms! No more vegetables! No more brushed hair or washed hands! It's all video games and junk food all the time!

The Secret of Nightingale Wood

The Secret of Nightingale Wood

By Lucy Strange | ISBN 9781338157475
Ages 8-12 | HC | Middle Grade | October 2017

1919. Mama is ill. Father has taken a job abroad. Nanny Jane is too busy to pay any attention to Henrietta and the things she sees — or thinks she sees — in the shadows of their new home, Hope House. All alone, with only stories for company, Henry discovers that Hope House is full of strange secrets: a forgotten attic, ghostly figures, mysterious firelight that flickers in the trees beyond the garden.

The Secret Sheriff of Sixth Grade

The Secret Sheriff of Sixth Grade

By Jordan Sonnenblick | ISBN 9780545863209
Ages 9-12 | HC | Middle Grade | August 2017

One of the last things Maverick’s father left him was a toy sheriff's badge, back when Maverick was little. Now he likes to carry it around to remind him of his dad — and also to remind him to make school a better place for everyone... even if that's a hard thing to do, especially when his own home life is falling apart.

Who Killed Darius Drake? A Mystery

Who Killed Darius Drake? A Mystery

By Rodman Philbrick | ISBN 9780545789783
Ages 8-12 | HC | Middle Grade | September 2017

In Philbrick's new page-turning mystery, Arthur "Bash Man" is the school thug, paid with candy to bully and threaten other students. When genius orphan Darius Drake employs Arthur to help him discover the origin of a suspicious threat, written in blood, they uncover a mystery.

Swing It, Sunny

Swing It, Sunny

By Jennifer Holm | Matthew Holm | ISBN 9780545741729
Ages 8-12 | PB | Graphic Novels | September 2017
Also available in HC: ISBN 9780545741705

Summer's over and it's time for Sunny Lewin to enter the strange and unfriendly hallways of . . . middle school. Not only is the whole middle-school thing confusing . . . but life at home is confusing, too. Sunny misses her brother Dale, who's been sent to boarding school. But when Dale comes back, she STILL misses him . . . because he's changed.

The Witch Boy

The Witch Boy

By Molly Ostertag | ISBN 9781338089516
Ages 8-12 | PB | Graphic Novels | October 2017
Also available in HC: ISBN 9781338089523

In thirteen-year-old Aster's family, all the girls are raised to be witches, while boys grow up to be shapeshifters. Anyone who dares cross those lines is exiled. Unfortunately for Aster, he still hasn't shifted . . . and he's still fascinated by witchery, no matter how forbidden it might be. It will take the encouragement of a new friend, the non-magical and non-conforming Charlie, to convince Aster to try practicing his skills. And it will require even more courage to save his family . . . and be truly himself.

A Very, Very Bad Thing

A Very, Very Bad Thing

By Jeffery Self | ISBN 9781338118407
Ages 14 & up | HC | Young Adult | October 2017

Marley doesn't just want to be labeled The Gay Kid, but he doesn't have much else going on. He doesn't have any hobbies. Or interests. He's the only kid he knows without a passion . . . until Christopher comes to town. Marley and Christopher immediately spark — and become inseparable. For a month, it's heaven. Then Christopher's parents send him to a Pray Away the Gay program, which leads to even worse things.

All About Mia

All About Mia

By Lisa Williamson | ISBN 9781338163971
Ages 14 & up | HC | Young Adult | September 2017

So what if Mia parties too hard and studies too little? Who cares if she tends to end up with the wrong guys or says the wrong things at the wrong times? She's still a good friend (except when she isn't). And she still knows the way things should go (except when they don't). If you've ever said something you later regretted (likely), accidentally broken a friend's heart (possibly), or ruined a wedding in spectacular fashion (hopefully you haven't), All About Mia will make you laugh, cry, cry-laugh, and laugh-cry in recognition that life is sometimes most entertaining when it's at its most unfair.

All the Crooked Saints

All the Crooked Saints

By Maggie Stiefvater | ISBN 9780545930802
Ages 14 & up | HC | Young Adult | October 2017

Any visitor to Bicho Raro, Colorado is likely to find a landscape of dark saints, forbidden love, scientific dreams, miracle-mad owls, estranged affections, one or two orphans, and a sky full of watchful desert stars. But the miracles of Bicho Raro are never quite what you expect.

Shadowhouse Fall

Shadowhouse Fall

By Daniel José Older | ISBN 9780545952828
Ages 12 & up | HC | Young Adult | September 2017

Sierra and Shadowhouse have been thrust into an ancient struggle with enemies old and new — a struggle they didn't want, but are determined to win. Revolution is brewing in the real world as well, as the shadowshapers join the fight against systems that oppress and incarcerate their community. To protect her family and friends in every sphere, Sierra must take down the Hound and master the Deck of Worlds ... or else she could lose everything that matters most.

Sparrow

Sparrow

By Sarah Moon | ISBN 9781338032581
Ages 12 & up | HC | Young Adult | October 2017

Sparrow has always had a difficult time making friends.. And that's made school a lonely experience for her. But when the one teacher who really understood her is killed in a freak car accident, Sparrow's world unravels and she's found on the roof of her school in an apparent suicide attempt. With the help of an insightful therapist, Sparrow finally reveals the truth of her inner life. And it's here that she discovers an outlet in Rock & Roll music...

Vanilla

Vanilla

By Billy Merrell | ISBN 9781338100921
Ages 14 & up | HC | Young Adult | October 2017

Vanilla and Hunter have been dating since seventh grade. They came out together, navigated middle school together, and became that couple in high school that everyone always sees as a couple. Hunter thinks they should be having sex. Vanilla isn't so sure. If they're becoming different people, can they be the same couple?

The Winnowing

The Winnowing  Canadian

By Vikki VanSickle | ISBN 9781443148863
Ages 12 & up | PB | Young Adult | September 2017

A gripping exploration of growing up, love and loss, The Winnowing is a page-turning adventure that will have readers rooting for their new hero, Marivic Stone, as they unravel the horror and intrigue of a world once familiar but with a chilling strangeness lurking beneath the everyday.

Fly Guy Presents: Why, Fly Guy?

Fly Guy Presents: Why, Fly Guy?

By Tedd Arnold | ISBN 9781338053180
Ages 5-7 | HC | Non-Fiction | October 2017

With engaging full-colour photographs on every page, content appropriate for a young audience, humorous artwork, and colourful comic strips starring their favourite character, Fly Guy, this book is perfect for kids in Pre-K and Kindergarten!

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