Summer 2021 Picks

Away We Go! A Shape-and-Seek Book

Away We Go! A Shape-and-Seek Book

By Chieu Anh Urban | ISBN 978-0-545-46179-5
Ages 0-3 | BB | Board Books | June

Triangles become sailboats and hearts become airplanes as each spread reveals a different mode of transportation made from bright colours and geometric shapes. With special search-and-find shape-based games throughout, children will love learning and searching for basic shapes in this clever collection of things that go! Die-cuts on every page!

The Favorite Daughter

The Favorite Daughter

By Allen Say | ISBN 978-0-545-17662-0
Ages 4-8 | HC | Picture Books | June

Yuriko hates her name when the children make fun of it and call her "Eureka!" Though she is half Japanese, the teasing makes her want to hide, to retreat even from the art projects she used to love. Fortunately she has a patient, kind father who finds gentle ways of drawing her out and reminding Yuriko of the traditions they share that have always brought her joy.

King Pig

King Pig

By Nick Bland | ISBN 978-1-4431-2486-7
Ages 3-6 | HC | Picture Books | June

King Pig is grand ruler of the sheep. He can make them do whatever he wants (clean his castle), whenever he wants (the middle of the night). But for some reason, he can't seem to make them like him. What's a king to do? When King Pig finally thinks of a way to make amends, it may not be perfect — but it's a pretty good start.

Night Light

Night Light

By Nicholas Blechman | ISBN 978-0-545-46263-1
Ages 3-5 | HC | Picture Books | May

1 light, shining bright? A train!
7 lights, flashing red and white? A fire truck!


And so on all the way to ten lights. Part guessing game, part counting book, Night Light is a boldly imagined book for the preschool child who loves cars, trucks, and anything that goes. With die-cuts on every other page, this rhyming story features vehicles and counting, combining a high interest preschool subject with important preschool concepts.

The Three Little Pigs and the Somewhat Bad Wolf

The Three Little Pigs and the Somewhat Bad Wolf

By Mark Teague | ISBN 978-0-439-91501-4
Ages 3-5 | HC | Picture Books | May

Three pigs spend their money on different things: potato chips, sody-pop, and building supplies. It comes as no surprise that a wolf is able to blow down the first two pigs' houses. When the wolf can't blow down the third pig's brick house, everyone comes together and the fun begins.

Tony Baloney School Rules

Tony Baloney School Rules

By Pam Munoz Ryan | ISBN 978-0-545-48166-3
Ages 5-7 | HC | Picture Books | July

Tony Baloney is finally free from the tyranny of his many sisters only to face a new challenge — SCHOOL RULES! How will Tony ever follow them all? True to his resilient spirit, he discovers a first day of school filled with new friends, good fun, a few foibles, and some fantastic surprises!

Zoe's Room (No Sisters Allowed)

Zoe's Room (No Sisters Allowed)

By Bethanie Deeney Murguia | ISBN 978-0-545-45781-1
Ages 3-5 | HC | Picture Books | June

Zoe is the Queen of the whole Universe — but her favourite place in the Universe is her own room, where she hosts tea parties, builds empires out of blocks, and gazes out upon the stars. Then her parents announce that her little sister Addie is moving in to Zoe's room. So the Queen's new roommate is a royal pain . . . until Zoe discovers that even her smallest subjects can be useful in a storm!

The Road to Afghanistan

The Road to Afghanistan Canadian

By Linda Granfield | Illustrated by Brian Deines | ISBN 978-1-4431-1356-4
Ages 7 & up | HC | Fiction | August

A young soldier just returned from Afghanistan has many memories. Memories shift to another soldier in the family — great-grandfather's years in the trenches during WWI, and then grandfather's tour of duty during WWII. The young soldier also remembers those who did not return alive, but travelled home along the Highway of Heroes, honoured by silent observers. This book is sure to provide insight and to inspire pride in families all across Canada.

Spooky Friends

Spooky Friends

By Jane Feder | Illustrated by Julie Downing | ISBN 978-0-545-47815-1*
Ages 5-8 | HC | Readers | August
*Also available in paperback (ISBN 978-0-545-47816-8)

Scarlet is a feisty little Vampire, and her best friend, Igor, is a roly-poly little Mummy. Together, they star in three humourous, heartwarming stories about two friends who never agree on anything. That is — until they discover different ideas can become even better ideas when they cooperate!

Lotus Lane #1: Kiki: My Stylish Life: A Branches Book

Lotus Lane #1: Kiki: My Stylish Life: A Branches Book

By Kyla May | ISBN 978-0-545-49613-1*
Ages 5-7 | HC | Readers | May
*Also available in paperback (ISBN 978-0-545-44512-2)

Kiki, Coco, and Lulu are the BEST of friends. They even have their very own club! But Mika, the new girl, is shaking things up on Lotus Lane. This first book is written as Kiki's diary — with illustrations and doodles throughout. Kiki LOVES creating cool outfits, hanging out with friends, and collecting fun facts along the way. Read Kiki's diary to find out all about life on Lotus Lane!

Frogspell Book 1: Frogspell

Frogspell Book 1: Frogspell

By C. J. Busby | Illustrated by David Wyatt | ISBN 978-1-4431-2477-5
Ages 7-9 | PB | Fiction | June

The first in a four-book series, Frogspell revisits the magical time of King Arthur with a story that is fresh, funny, well-plotted and perfectly paced. A cast of memorable characters, including Max's quirky pets Ferocious, a world-weary rat, and Adolphus, an over-enthusiastic young dragon, plus spells gone awry, a dangerous competition and evil schemes make for an irresistible retelling of this timeless legend.

Haunters

Haunters

By Thomas Taylor | ISBN 978-0-545-49644-5
Ages 10-14 | HC | Fiction | June

Eddie, Adam, David. Three boys, three generations, one gift: the ability to travel through time. Using their dreams, they can appear as ghosts, wherever and whenever they want. The first boy, Eddie, is the genius who has sworn to protect the past and carry on the dreamwalker's code. The second, Adam, is a Haunter, a dream-terrorist, dead-set on changing history for his own nefarious ends. The third, David, is the neophyte who must fight for the future by keeping the other two apart!

The Silver Six

The Silver Six

By A. J. Lieberman | Illustrated by Darren Rawlings | ISBN 978-0-545-37097-4*
Ages 8-12 | HC | Graphic Fiction | July
*Also available in paperback (ISBN 978-0-545-37098-1)

When a group of orphans discover they have a common connection, plucky heroine Phoebe leads them in a daring escape from their orphanage to an uninhabited moon. But their idyllic paradise is shattered when the powerful corporate boss who caused the deaths of their parents sends a relentless henchman to track them down. There's only one thing left to do: Fight back.

Tommysaurus Rex

Tommysaurus Rex

By Doug TenNapel | ISBN 978-0-545-48382-7*
Ages 9-12 | HC | Graphic Fiction | June
*Also available in paperback (ISBN 978-0-545-48383-4)

When Ely's beloved dog, Tommy, is hit by a car, he goes to his grandpa's house for the summer to get his mind off things. While exploring a nearby cave one day he discovers a full-grown but friendly Tyrannosaurus Rex. As the news of the dinosaur grows around town, so does the friendship between Ely and his Jurassic pet.

Gorgeous

Gorgeous

By Paul Rudnick | ISBN 978-0-545-46426-0
Ages 14 & up | HC | Young Adult Fiction | May

When eighteen-year-old Becky Randle's mother dies, she's summoned from Missouri to meet Tom Kelly, the top designer in the world. He makes her an impossible offer: He'll create three dresses to transform Becky from an ordinary girl into the world's most beautiful woman. Becky thinks Tom is a lunatic, but she accepts and is remade as Rebecca. When Becky looks in the mirror, she sees herself. But when anyone else looks at Becky, they see five-alarm hotness.

If I Ever Get Out of Here

If I Ever Get Out of Here

By Eric Gansworth | ISBN 978-0-545-41730-3
Ages 12 & up | HC | Young Adult Fiction | August

Seventh grader Lewis "Shoe" Blake is used to the joys and difficulties of the Tuscarora Indian reservation in 1975. What he's not used to is white kids being nice to him — especially white kids like George Haddonfield, whose family recently moved to town with the Air Force. As the boys become friends, Lewis finds he has to lie more and more to hide the real circumstances of his life from George; and together they confront the bully Evan Reininger, who makes Lewis the special target of his wrath.

Openly Straight

Openly Straight

By Bill Kongisberg | ISBN 978-0-545-50989-3
Ages 14 & up | HC | Young Adult Fiction | June

Rafe is a normal teenager from Boulder, Colorado. He plays soccer. He's won skiing prizes. He likes to write. And, oh yeah, he's gay. He's been out since 8th grade, and he isn't teased, and he goes to other high schools and talks about tolerance and stuff. And while that's important, all Rafe really wants is to just be a regular guy. Not that GAY guy.

Torn

Torn

By David Massey | ISBN 978-0-545-49645-2
Ages 14 & up | HC | Young Adult Fiction | August

In war-Torn Afghanistan, a girl walks right into a hail of bullets: Elinor watches it with her own eyes. But when the young British army medic risks the line of fire to rescue her, the Afghani girl is gone. Elinor came to Afghanistan with the hope of changing hearts and minds: What she discovers makes her question everything she ever believed about love and war.

Fly Guy Presents: Sharks

Fly Guy Presents: Sharks

By Tedd Arnold | ISBN 978-0-545-50771-4
Ages 4-8 | PB | Nonfiction | May

Tedd Arnold brings nonfiction to life with the help of his very popular main character, Fly Guy! This engaging nonfiction reader combines the kid-friendly humour of Fly Guy with the high-interest topic of sharks. Fly Guy and Buzz introduce young readers to sharks with straightforward fun facts, humourous asides, and full-bleed photographs throughout.

Frisson l'ecureuil en camping<br />(Scaredy Squirrel Goes Camping)

Frisson l'ecureuil en camping
(Scaredy Squirrel Goes Camping)

By Melanie Watt | ISBN 978-1-4431-2667-0
Ages 4-8 | PB | French Fiction | May

Frisson ne va jamais camper. Ça le rend trop anxieux. Il préfère installer une nouvelle télé afin d'écouter une émission de camping en restant assis confortablement. Mais le problème, c'est qu'il doit la brancher. Atteindre une prise de courant exige beaucoup d'entraînement et une grande maîtrise des techniques de survie. Il décide donc de se risquer sur les sentiers quand soudainement son excursion prend un tout autre virage. Va-t-il se perdre dans le bois? Va-t-il devenir un joyeux campeur? Va-t-il survivre pour raconter son histoire autour d'un feu de camp? C'est à lire...

Mini-Souris no 1: Reine du monde<br />(Babymouse #1: Queen of the World)

Mini-Souris no 1: Reine du monde
(Babymouse #1: Queen of the World)

By Jennifer L Holm & Matthew Holm | ISBN 978-1-4431-2668-7
Ages 7 & up | PB | French Graphic Fiction | May
*Also available: Mini-Souris no 2: Notre champione (Babymouse #2: Our Hero)
ISBN 978-1-4431-2669-4 / Ages 7 & up / PB / French Graphic Fiction / May

Chaque jour, c'est la sempiternelle routine pour Mini-Souris : rien d'excitant, aucune aventure. Tout reste toujours pareil... jusqu'à ce qu'elle entende parler de la soirée pyjamas que Félicia Patte-de velours organise. Mini-Souris sera-t-elle invitée? Son meilleur ami lui en voudra-t-il si elle ne l'accompagne pas au marathon de films de monstres?

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