$4.95 SUMMER 2020 VOL. 43 NO. 2 RECOMMENDED BOOKS + OPINIONS + PROFILES + NEWS + REVIEWS Middle Grade TAKEOVER Issue Thoughts and Opinions of Middle Grade Readers Students chat with WESLEY KING KIT PEARSON HEATHER SMITH Middle Grade Readers Review Books by KELLEY ARMSTRONG HEATHER CAMLOT JESS KEATING ARTHUR SLADE and more PRINTING OF THIS ISSUE DONATED BY FRIESENS CONTENTS THIS ISSUE booknews Summer 2020 Volume 43 No.2 Editor Sandra O’Brien Manaar, Jessica, Stella and Connor wrote opinion pieces for this issue. Copy Editor and Proofreader Shannon Howe Barnes Design Perna Siegrist Design Advertising Michael Wile This informative magazine published quarterly by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre is available by yearly subscription. Single subscription – $24.95 plus sales tax (includes 2 issues of Best Books for Kids & Teens) Contact the CCBC for bulk subscriptions and for US or overseas subscription rates. Summer 2020 (June 2020) Canadian Publication Mail Product Sales Agreement 40010217 Published by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre ISSN 1705 – 7809 For change of address, subscriptions, or return of undeliverable copies, contact: The Canadian Children’s Book Centre Suite 200, 425 Adelaide St. West Toronto, ON M5V 3C1 Tel 416.975.0010 Fax 416.975.8970 Email [email protected] Website www.bookcentre.ca Review copies, catalogues and press releases should be sent to the Editor at: [email protected] or to Sandra O’Brien c/o the above address. For advertising information, contact: Michael Wile at [email protected] or 647.677.7948 4 16 Photo Collage Roundtable Discussion Meet the fabulous middle grade students from Ian Lempert talks to kids in Grades 5 to 8 from Linden Meadows School in Winnipeg, Manitoba Linden Meadows School in Winnipeg about books, who helped put this issue together. reading and what they’d like to see published. Also joining the conversation were teacher-librarian 6 Dana Jordan and Kathie MacIssac, a book blogger Profile: Wesley King and librarian. Middle grade students Kathryn Babiuk, Kally Kennedy, Ramogi Nyagudi and Everett Smith 18 chatted with Wesley King via Skype asking him Opinion Pieces about his books, his writing habits and his life. In this section five middle grade students wrote on COVER: Illustration from Operatic written by topics about the environment, body image, what Kyo Maclear and illustrated by Byron 8 middle grade readers like to read, new Canadians Eggenschwiler. ©2019 Byron Eggenschwiler. Profile: Kit Pearson and reluctant readers. Reproduced with permission from Groundwood Kit Pearson published her first novel, The Daring Books Limited, Toronto. For more information Game, in 1986 and has since gone on to publish 22 visit groundwoodbooks.com. more than 15 books. Kate Hunter chats with Kit Bookmark! Middle Grade Takeover MEDIUM: A combination of pencil drawings and about her favourite books, what she does when In this issue we focus on books suggested by digital techniques. she’s not writing, what she’d be if she weren’t middle grade students from Linden Meadows a writer and more. ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR: Byron Eggenschwiler School as some of their favourite middle is an illustrator whose work has appeared on book grade reads. covers, posters and in publications including the 10 New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, GQ, the Profile: Heather Smith 24 National Post and O, The Oprah Magazine. His work Middle grade students Cristhel Pecson and Middle Grade Student Reviews has received numerous awards. Byron often takes Katelyn Kochan caught up with Heather via Reviews of the latest Canadian books for kids inspiration from folktales and children’s books Skype and had some interesting questions to written by middle grade students from Linden for his work. Beastly Puzzles was his first real ask her. Read on to learn more about Heather, Meadows School. adventure into the world of children’s books and the winner of the 2019 TD Canadian Children’s Operatic was his first young adult graphic novel. Literature Award for her novel in verse, 36 He lives in Calgary, Alberta, with his wife and Ebb & Flow. CCBC Staff Reviews two soft cats. For more information, visit Reviews of the latest Canadian books for kids byronegg.com. 12 and teens written by CCBC staff members. In Memoriam Tributes to Jean Little and Hy Sarick 40 Index of Reviews Printed in Canada. 14 Keep Your Eye On… Julia Nobel C016245 SUMMER 2020 CANADIAN CHILDREN’S BOOK NEWS 1 FROM THE EDITOR SANDRA O’BRIEN Board of Directors Zain Velji, President Sylvia Moretti, Vice President Robin Taylor, Treasurer Jane Kilburn Boyle Margaret Bryant Nancy Hartry Dr. Dave Jenkinson Heather Kuipers Michael Martin Carol McDougall Karen McMullin Staff Rose Vespa Executive Director Shannon Howe Barnes Program Coordinator Meghan Howe Library Coordinator Illustration: Charlene Chua Emma Hunter Marketing and Communications Coordinator Welcome to the Summer 2020 issue of Canadian Children’s Book News and our first Patrons MIDDLE GRADE TAKEOVER. I worked on this issue with author/teacher Colleen Nelson Dave Jenkinson and her middle grade students from Linden Meadows School in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Kit Pearson It has been so much fun reading the students’ reviews, profiles of middle grade authors Sponsors and their opinion pieces. I think I have a much better idea of what this age group is Charles Baillie looking for in Canadian literature and I hope middle grade authors will gain some Fleck Family Foundation insight from these students. Friesens Mary Macchiusi I’d like to sincerely thank Colleen and her students for taking on this monumental task. Marquis It’s been in the works for months and required a lot of reading, writing and editing. Perna Siegrist Design Telling Tales Rawlinson Moving & Storage All of the students rose to the challenge and I think and hope they enjoyed the process Presented by Celebrating John Spray as much as I did. I just wish I could be there to see their faces when they see the final TD Bank Group product. It is something they all should take a great deal of pride in. Graphic Novels Funders I’d also like to thank Wesley King, Kit Pearson and Heather Smith for answering MAIN EVENT We're taking it online for 2020 Canada Council for the Arts questions via Skype or email for our profile pieces. They were very generous with their Canadian Heritage (Canada Book Fund) Sunday, October 4th, June 12-14th, 6pm Manitoba Sport, Culture, and Heritage time and it was most appreciated. I hope our readers will enjoy this issue as much as Sunday, September 20th, 10am-4pm Northwest Territories Public Library Services Colleen, the students and I enjoyed putting it together. 10am-4pm Ontario Arts Council Ontario Arts Foundation Sandra O’Brien Toronto Public Library Our Thanks When Sandra asked if my students would like to contribute to the Canadian Children’s Book News issue on middle grade books, I immediately said yes. Not only did I have this year our festival may look different We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada. complete faith in my students’ ability, but I knew that an authentic writing experience like Stay tuned to our website and social media for updates on locations, presenters and more. this one is what ELA teachers dream of! My students rose to the challenge. As we literally ripped apart past issues of Canadian Aaron Bell & the White Pine Dancers • Aimee Reid • Alisa Siegel • Andrea Curtis • Andrew Larsen • Angela Misri • Anoosha Syed Children’s Book News to learn what types of articles are included, and delved into the format of how reviews, features, opinion pieces and interviews are constructed, I saw my Burlington Public Library • CANSCAIP Book Chat • Charlene Chua • Christopher Eckart • Deborah Kerbel • Donna Dudinsky We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council students’ writing improve. Over the months we worked on the articles, they had many Elizabeth MacLeod • Hamilton Children's Choir • Hamilton Youth Poets • Ishta Mercurio • Jennifer Maruno • Jess Keating for the Arts. Nous remercions le Conseil des arts du Canada opportunities; they were able to virtually meet Heather Smith and Wesley King, and got to Joanne Robertson • Joel Sutherland • Jonathan Auxier • Kate Moss Gamblin • Kathy Kacer • Kenneth Oppel • Kevin Sylvester de son soutien. read ARCs of books well before they were released. We had a lot of rich discussion about Ladybird Fancypants • Lana Button • Maika Harper • Melodie Campbell • Monique Gray Smith • Mr. Ben which books and authors they were enjoying. Naseem Hrab • Patricia Storms • Paul Covello • Ruth Ohi • Sarabeth Holden • Sherry Lee • Suzanne Del Rizzo I’m grateful to Sandra for giving us this opportunity and to my students for taking it on Sylv Chiang • Sylvia McNicoll • Tanaz Bhathena • Ted Staunton • Tory Woollcott • Vikki VanSickle fearlessly. As you’ll see from the opinion pieces and feature articles, these young people We acknowledge the support of the Ontario Arts Council have a lot to say and the talent to articulate their ideas. Whenever I look at my class, it gives (OAC), an agency of the Government of Ontario. In 2018-19, the OAC invested $61.1 million in 228 me confidence in the future. With these young people in charge, we’re in good hands. communities across Ontario through 2,252 grants to Colleen Nelson Over 50 of Canada's Leading Children's Authors, Illustrators, Storytellers and Musicians • FREE ADMISSION individual artists and 1,424 grants to organizations. tellingtales.org TellingTalesOrg Your feedback is important! Thank you to Friesens for generously sponsoring the EMAIL comments TO [email protected] printing of this magazine. Like us! facebook.com/kidsbookcentre Follow us! @kidsbookcentre WWW.BOOKCENTRE.CA SUMMER 2020 CANADIAN CHILDREN’S BOOK NEWS 3 Meet the fabulous middle grade students from Linden Meadows School in Winnipeg, Manitoba who are responsible for putting Owen, Jovana, Minju and Stella contributed titles to the Students from Linden Meadows School participate in a roundtable discussion about middle grade literature.