Summer Reading with Canadian Authors

The Ottawa Public Library is back to share some of their favourite books. This month’s post was submitted by Elizabeth Fosbery Richardson, Children’s Programming and Public Services Assistant at the Ruth E. Dickinson Branch.

With summer fast approaching, why not take some time to indulge in some great new titles by Canadian authors available from the Ottawa Public Library?

One Giant Leap by Thao Lam

This wordless picture book is a great choice for adventure lovers and those with big imaginations. It perfectly captures every child who dreams of becoming an astronaut or an explorer every time they put on their snowsuit. Perfect for “reading” together.

Cranky Chicken series by Katherine Battersby

These early chapter books are a perfect choice for emerging readers. Watch adventures unfold between two unlikely friends – a cranky chicken and a cheerful worm. Each book features three hilarious stories as these friends learn to conquer their fears and expand their comfort zones. Grades 1-3.

Nguyen Kids series By Linda Trinh

The Nguyen siblings have just lost their beloved grandmother, but she’s left each of them something special, maybe even magical. The three siblings aren’t sure how to feel about things - they’re not like their cousins who have strong ties to their Vietnamese culture, but at the same time they feel different than their white friends at school. This new early chapter book series tells the story of each of the siblings and how they overcome difficulties using the gifts that their grandma has left them.  Grades 2-4.

Lost & Found by Mei Yu

When Mei learns she’s moving to Canada, she’s super excited. But that excitement turns to anxiety and fear when she arrives – new language, new kids and new foods. She turns to her art to help her communicate her feelings and solve problems. This graphic novel is a great choice for kids who love inspiring stories. Grades 1-4.

The Racc Pack by Stephanie Cooke

Meet the Bins – a family of racoons (and maybe an opossum), who live in the city of Toronto, scavenging neighbourhoods, never meeting a dumpster they couldn’t dive. When they come across a new store throwing away perfectly edible food, they hatch a plan so that no food is ever wasted again. This first book in a new series is ideal for grades 2-5 who love funny graphic novels.

Alterations by Ray Xu

Kevin is having a terrible week. He brought a century egg to school for lunch and now everyone is calling him Egg Boy. People notice him, and not always in a good way. Can Kevin learn to live up his own expectations for himself as the perfect Asian son and grandson while being true to himself? This graphic novel is perfect for fans of authors Jerry Craft or Kelly Yang. Grades 4 and up.

Mortified by Kristy Jackson

When Belinda, the shyest, most awkward girl in the school has dreams of starring in the school play, she turns to her best friend to put a confidence spell on her. Unfortunately, it seems the spell is more of a curse. Can Belinda overcome one disaster after another to be able to audition? This hilarious new novel is recommended for grades 4 and up.

Summer Scares 2024: Middle Grade Horror

Does your middle grader love scary books, but you have no idea what to recommend? Look no further! The Horror Writers’ Association (HWA) (along with NoveList, ECSCO, Booklist, Book Riot and United for Libraries) has created their Summer Scares 2024 list, and it is amazing! Summer Scares is a reading program intended to encourage readers’ as well as librarians to embrace horror and provides an annual list of recommended horror titles! (HWA, 2024).

This year’s titles were selected by author Clay McLeod Chapman and a panel of six library workers who selected three titles for adult, teen and middle grade.

The middle grade picks are:

Ophie’s Ghost by Justina Ireland

During a horrible night in 1922, Ophie’s father was murdered by a lynch mob. It was also the first time she saw a ghost. Trying to start anew, Ophie and her mother move from Georgia to Pittsburg, but the ghosts remain. Ophie befriends a ghost names Clara who cannot remember how she died, and she soon becomes entangled in this mystery trying to help Clara find out what happened to her...

The Nest by Kenneth Oppel

Steve’s baby brother is very sick. He is shuffled back and forth from the hospital regularly, worrying him greatly. One night, Steve dreams of a wasp queen, who offers him a chance to fix all that is wrong with his baby brother. All he has to do is agree. Steve is intrigued and concerned at the same time, and has a huge decision to make as both choices will have a consequence.

My Aunt is a Monster- by Reimena Yee

This title is a graphic novel that depicts the adventures of Safia, who is taken in by her reclusive Aunt Whimsy when her parents die in a fire. Safia is blind...and she can’t see that her aunt is a monster- with blue fur, horns, taloned feet and three yellow eyes. Aunt Whimsy used to be an adventurer, and is called out of retirement when word comes out that her former rival has reappeared and is causing trouble... Safia and her aunt take the trip of a lifetime, across the globe in search of her rival... and to stop her evil plans....

The Hazeldean Branch of the Ottawa Public Library will be holding a Summer Scares book club on July 23 @ 2:30 pm featuring The Nest by Kenneth Oppel. One can register online via our the OPL website for this program.

Check out some more of the previous HWA Middle Grade Summer Scares7/2556296939 picks on our Bibliocommons book list:

https://ottawa.bibliocommons.com/list/share/76017677/2556296939

Also, for more information and older Summer Scares selections, check out:

Summer Scares Middle Grade Webinar

Summer Scares 2024 Programming Guide

HWA ANNOUNCES SUMMER SCARES READING PROGRAM 2024 Spokesperson and Timeline

Summer Scares Archive

Ordinary Folks, Extraordinary Lives - Recommendations from the Ottawa Public Library

Ottawa Public Library is back to share some great books with us. This month, Véro Dupuis from the Sunnyside branch has a list of inspiring biographies in picture book format for you.

Freddie the Flyer / by F. Carmichael, D Metcalfe-Chenail and A. Loreen-Wulf

Meet Freddie Carmichael, the first Indigenous commercial pilot in the Arctic! Fascinated by planes from a young age, he spent decades flying all sorts of people through the Mackenzie Delta in the North West Territories: reindeer herders, biologists, geologists, people needing medical help and even trappers and their whole dog teams. As well as founding several airlines over the years, he trained a whole generation of Indigenous pilots and mechanics. The beautiful paintings in this book will make you want to travel to the beautiful North.

Swimming With Sharks / by Heather Lang and Jordi Solano

Eugenie Clark was never afraid of sharks. As a child, she would frequently visit them at the New York Aquarium and tried to learn everything about them, but she had so many questions which were left unanswered. Later as an adult trying to gain an education as an oceanographer in the 1940s, she had to face rejection both for being a woman and for her Japanese heritage. Yet through her tenacity, she achieved her goals, became a world-renowned scientist dubbed ‘The Shark Lady’, and was still going on dives in her nineties.

Mario and the Hole in the Sky / by Elizabeth Rusch and Teresa Martínez

Many of us remember the Ozone Hole Crisis of the early 90s; for the first time, the general public became aware of human’s negative impact on our planet. This book is the story of Mario Molina, the Mexican American chemist who alerted the world’s scientific community of the dangers of CFCs aerosols and saved the world back from the brink of environmental destruction. The back pages of this book reaffirm the hopeful message of Mario’s story – that history proved that it is possible for people to come together and reverse global catastrophes.

Breaking the Ice / by Angie Bullaro ad C. F. Payne

Being a woman in hockey is tough. Being a woman in hockey who plays with men is tougher. Being a woman playing in the National Hockey League is not tough – it is simply not possible. Except for that one time, back in 1992, when Canadian goaler Manon Rhéaume, 21 years old, was invited to play with the Tampa Bay Lightning… An inspiring story of courage and dedication to read to your young hockey players at home. (Également disponible en français sous le titre ‘Briser la glace’).

A Voice Named Aretha / by K. Russell-Brown and L. Freeman

R.E.S.P.E.C.T. ! No doubt, you’ve heard (and sung!) Aretha Franklin’s song before. Did you know she was the very first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame? Get to know the story of the shy girl from Detroit who became The Queen of Soul – a hard worker who navigated the pitfalls of show business, a philanthropist who never stopped showing up for her hometown of Detroit, and a stirring performer who brought President Obama to tears!

Good Morning, Sunshine / by L. Schultz Nicholson and A. Carter

Joey Moss might be a local hero in his hometown of Edmonton, but his story deserves to be told across Canada and beyond. Born with Down Syndrome in a family of thirteen, Joey worked for the Edmonton Oilers for 35 years (!), working hard in the equipment room, lifting players’ spirits up in the dressing room with his cheerful personality, and drumming up excitement during games with his enthusiastic rendition of ‘O Canada’ on the jumbotron. He used his fame to help fundraise money for people with disabilities. His sister Pattie summed his life best : “Joey was given love and he gave love back.”

Make the most of your library card and enjoy all these great books at home with your children! If you don’t have a card yet, you can sign up for one here.

River of Crows and Mirror of Wolves - local Ottawa author

We are big fans of reading here at Kids in the Capital, so when NP Thompson, local Ottawa author of River of Crows and Mirror of Wolves, reached out to us, we knew we wanted to have one of our young readers review these books!

Annabelle is a local 12-year old who took the time to read both these novels and share her thoughts with us about them.

River of Crows

This book follows the adventures of Ty Baxter, a 12-year boy who lives in Newhaven. He used to have a pretty normal life, but after teaming up with the new girl in school to help an injured bird, he finds himself in a whole other world full of magic called Arcania. With his newfound friend, he sets off on a daring adventure to rescue her brother from the black guard, an organization controlled by an evil sorcerer who captures children and turns them into crows.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started this book, but as a fan of Percy Jackson, I found that it had a similar idea to the series. It was fun to be able to learn about the magic of this new place along with Ty. The author brought this whole book to life with all the characters and adventures that happen throughout the book, like meeting a hob (Arcanian creature similar to a dwarf), rafting across a river and facing incredible dangers, such as a battle against a magical being (I’ll leave it at that, I don’t want to give any spoilers!) With all the challenges presented to the intriguing characters, I am excited to read what happens in the next book.

Mirror of wolves

During the events of this book, Ty has started his training with the renown Quinn Tambrun, a skilled healer and sorcerer, also known as Ty’s grandfather. Although it was going well at first, his studies were discovered to become more difficult as time passed, and he started to have nightmares of his encounter with the evil Emperor Blackthorn. As his nightmares continued to plague him, he tried to focus on his learning but when he learns of a mystical artifact which can show him his destiny, he sets out on an adventure to search for it. 

The continuation of the stories of the arcanium was a very interesting read. During the beginning, I got a bit confused with the switching point of views, but as I continued, I started to understand. There were many plot twists included in the story, which made it exciting to read and fun to see everyone’s reactions. In this book, a few new characters are introduced and each one has a very distinct personality, and I can easily tell them apart. One character in particular was very interesting to read about, which was Paul Baxter. He was introduced in the first book, but in the sequel, we get to explore his character and personality. I personally loved the book, and can’t wait to read the next one. I would definitely recommend this book to other readers my age. (10-12)

Where can you get the book:

You can get the book in print or ebook at the following retailers (and the ebook version is currently on sale at a huge discount, and will remain so until December 15th!)

Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B09TX6YDPD
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/river-of-crows-1
Apple: https://books.apple.com/ca/book/river-of-crows/id1612955802

Spooky Books for the Halloween Season - Ottawa Public Library Recommendations

The Ottawa Public Library is back to share some of their favourite books. This month’s post was submitted by Elizabeth Fosbery Richardson, Children’s Programming and Public Services Assistant at the Ruth E. Dickinson Branch.

Don’t read these titles in the dark!

With spooky season upon us, why not take some time to indulge in some fun and creepy new titles from the Ottawa Public Library?

Monsters in the Fog by Ali Bahrampour

As Hakim the donkey travels up the mountain, he encounters a goat who warns him of monsters on the misty and twisty trail. In this cleverly illustrated picture book, we find that things are not always as they appear. Children and adults alike will have fun trying to guess the shapes.

Creepy Tales! series by Aaron Reynolds

Things always start out great for this school-aged rabbit, but then things always seem to go from bad to worse. Follow Jasper in these fun read-aloud books, as he tries to outsmart some spooky carrots, a persistent pair of underwear and a relentless crayon. Titles are also available in French.

You're Invited to a Creepover series By P.J. Knight

In this new graphic novel series, adapted from the chapter book series of the same name, readers are sure to be spooked! Perfect for fans of the Goosebumps series.

Area 51 Files series by Julie Buxbaum

When Sky is sent to live with her uncle, she never imagined that she’d end up solving mysteries in Area 51! Follow Sky, her pet hedgehog and her new friend Elvis (who also happens to be an alien), as they try to keep themselves and the residents of Area 51 safe, in this funny new illustrated chapter book series.

Shakti by SJ Sindu

Shakti and her best friend Xi have discovered that the three mean girls in school have put a curse on the town. When Shakti tries to draw on her own magical powers, she accidentally summons Kali Ma, who represents destruction. Can she learn to find peace and tame Kali Ma before she destroys the town and everyone in it? This graphic novel is a great choice for those who love mythology and stories about magic.

 The Stars Did Wander Darkling by Colin Meloy

When something mysterious is unearthed by a construction company in a quiet seaside town, and all of the adults begin acting strange, it’s up to the kids to figure out what’s gone wrong before it’s too late. Perfect for fans of Stranger Things or author Neil Gaiman. Grades 4 and up.