I enjoyed digging into some novels, nonfiction and short story titles that have strong appeal for readers, ages 12+.  Each of these authors deals with powerful topics to engage adolescents and help them think about their friendships, their feelings, their values, and their hopes. 

BANNED TOGETHER: Our Fights for Readers’ Rights by Ashley Hope Perez (ed)’; illus Debbie Fong / multi-modal texts

Challenging, censoring and banning books has, in recent years, has been a disturbing thrust against the fight for the freedom to read. This anthology  includes memoirs, short stories, essays, graphic pieces bh sixteen authors and illusrators to shine a light on the transformative power of books.  Any one of these pieces ignites YA readers to question the harm of banning books and to take action when books are taken away from library shelves. Each of the contributors provide a testimony and insights into what happens when books under scrutiny. Reading lists of banned books, recommendations for protecting books, and actionable tips are provided throughout. Banned Together is a definitive guide to support everyone’s right to read with books that provide information and perspectives on gender issues, sexuality, and culture. This is a mighty fine book. This is a mighty important book.

“Book banners say they just want o protect teens from inappropriate material, but they end up creating stigma around information that matters to anybody with a body… which is all of us.” (p. 54) 

“Book banning attempts to keep people ignorant; it is the violence of manipulation and the denial of access. Books make it possible for us to confront ideas thag confuse us or that are different from our own or that make us uncomfortable about each other. Books help us to grow perspective and learn to live together on this planet in less harmful ways, for the short time we get to live on it.” (p. 144)

“Why pretend that removing books from libraries is going to keep young people from asking questions. It just takes away the chance for students to become better readers as they engage with what they’re already curious about.” (p. 187)

BEST OF ALL WORLDS by Kenneth Oppel / Science Fiction

This book caught my eye during a recent visit to a bookstore. Featured atop a tomato-red cover is an illustration of an upside down cottage, surrounded by shadows of 4 figures and goats standing still on a grassy lawn. I was curious too about the image of a translucent shape (the moon?).On the back cover is a testimony from David Levithan “A masterpiece. I promise you – as soon as you finishg, you’ll want to talk to someone about it.” The blurb on the inside jacket cover read intrigued “When Xavier and his dad, and Nia go to explore, they find they are inside a dome, trapped. And there was no one else around.” Mmmm. this was going to be science fiction story, a genre that doesn’t particularly appeal to me. But the author is the great Canadian author, Kenneth Oppel. I bought the book and was immediately hooked. from the start. Xavier’s father, Caleb and pregnant stepmother, Nia plan to spend a weekend by a lake but early in the story, we learn that the cottage wasn’t where it was supposed to be having been lifted and placed elsewhere. This is the stuff of “The Twilight Zone”. Xavier Oak (aka Zay), Caleb and Nia and the newborn baby Noah are trapped. No explantation. No escape. Survival seems precarious.  So many questions percolate (for the characters and for the reader). After 40 pages or so, it is three yearslater and Oppel introduces us to The Jackson family, who find themselves in the mysterious circumstance. When the two families meet they seem to get along (especially Zay who is head over heels when he meets Mackenzie Jackson, a girl Xavier’s exact age). But tensions mount, when the parents share opposing views of how they got their, who their captors are (Alien beings; A government conspiracy).  The big question, will the Oaks and the Jackson’s ever escape. Encouners with danger (coyotes attack, midges swarm, guns appear) and plans to escape through a hole in the sky make this a novel filled with suspense, suspension of disbelief, wonder and hope. For lovers of Science Fiction this thrilling novel is yes,  out of this world.  WOW!

Excerpt

“A spark flew from the moon’s face. As it fell, it expanded, ten fractured into many smaller lights travelling together like a vast flock of birds, knotting then unravelling across the night sky. The lights divided again, then again, becoming even smaller. I felt nailed to the ground. They were coming closer. “(p. 74)

CAN POSTERS KILL?: Antisemitic Propoganda and World War II  by Jerry Faivish and Kathryn Cole / nonfiction / Second Story Press

On the back cover of this publication, we are provided with a definition of the word Propaganda: “A dangerous weapon in the spread of hate.”. This book is a display of 38 historical posters demonstrating how the powerful potential of posters as a tool for spreading hate and promoting discord and outright lies.  The book is organized into three sections: 1.Pre-World War II 2.  World War 11 and Post-World War II. A majority  of the posters come from Jerry Faivish’s personal collection. Faivish is a child of two Holocaust survivors and strongly feels “that they should be shown as a warning so people can recognize and prevent similar campaigns from succeeding again.” (Preface). The images, whether subtle or overt  are often stark, often repulsive emerging from a campaign to impact European thinking during war time. Each poster is accompanied by text that provides background and analysis of the words and visuals that appear in the posters. Ultimately, Can Posters Kills? helps readers to examine hate propaganda from the past and to take an analytic approach to this familiar form of media in order to consider how in today’s digital world, caution must be paid to harmful messages of what is both true and untrue that may spread quickly.  As stated in the introduction: “No posters can’t kill, but they can lead people to.”

DAVID HOCKNEY: A Graphic Novel by Monica Foggia; Giovanni Gastaldi ; 2025 / graphic biography

The life and journey of the prolific  British  artist David Hockney is presented in graphic format. The biography highlights Hockney’s artistic  journey as a non-conformist student, his life in England, and the United States and his extensive work with portraiture, landscapes and still life as well as his experimental approaches with photography and  digital technology.  The book gives insights into one of the most unique talents of contemporary art by highlighting his visionary approaches experimenting with a variety of media, his renowned gallery showings worldwide, his friendships  and the  important value he has as a gay iconic figure.

FINDING HARMONY by Eric Walters / fiction

Harmony has gone from foster home to foster home but a court hearing deems her now qualified to once again live with her mother. Is this a good idea? Will her alcoholic, drug abusive mother give Harmony the support and love she needs? Mother and daughter now live in humble conditions in a somewhat sleezy apartment complex. Harmony is a tough tough cookie, who has put up with a lot and tries to keep things above board even though her mother proves to be an unreliable parent who lies, gets involved with shady characters and yes, is still addicted. (“I had been trying hard. Harder than anybody. Every day. Every hour. And what good was it doing? I couldn’t change my mother. I couldn’t control her. Sooner or later it was going to break down – ” (p. 211) . We first met Harmony in Eric Walters’ prize winning novel  The King of Jam Sandwiches but this novel, a prequel of sorts, is.a stand-alone book.  Walters is a great storyteller who invents strong characters in challenging situations. Readers are bound to  root for Harmony, care for Harmony and hope that one day Harmony finds harmony. A gutsy read. 

Excerpt

“Yeah, my mom had been in rehab and had a counsellor to talk to about her drinking and drug use – and maybe this time it might actually work. As least, I had hope it would. What else did I have except hope?” (p. 3)

“I’m worried all the time… But at least I have my mother.” No. She has you.” (p. 244)

FIRST TIMES: Short Stories about Sex  by Karine Glorieux (editor); Translated from the French by Shelley Tanaka / short stories

The title, First Times,  invites teenage+ readers  to grab this book and dig into the stories.   The opening page reads “Warning: Explicit Content. (What Were You Expecting?)” which offers another temptation for adolescents to read these engaging stories by nine French Canadian authors.  And  read these stories, they should.  Each story is presented with honesty.  There is a range of perspectives, cultures, sexual orientations and experiences whether being alone or wth another.  To be sure, there is no one way to define  what is meant by ‘first time’.  It would take more than 9 stories to cover the expanse of stories of losing one’s  virginity. But this collection provides teenagers with the pleasures, the frustrations, the anxieties, the disappointments, the relief, and the turning point of experiences with making out,  masturbation, same-sex encounters, and penetration (or not). This is a must read book to help adolescents understand (and question) the anticipation, the preparation, the determination, the expectations and the achievements of First Time sex.  

GLASGOW BOYS by Margaret McDonald / 2024  /   fiction 

This YA novel recently was awarded the Carnegie Medal for Writing and at 27 years of age the author Margaret McDonald is the youngest winner of the prize. The panel of judges praised the book for being an ‘an honest and hopeful tale.” One judge, Ross Harding claimed that “Glasgow Boys is an immersive and visceral read that completely draws the readers into the present and past lives of Finlay and Banjo.”  Finlay is studying for a nursing degree in Glasgow. Banjo is settling in with a new foster family and trying to succeed in his final years of high school. Finlay and Banjo once shared a room in a group home care facility and seemed to have a special bond, especially since they had each been shattered by neglectful parenting.  A huge falling out the two boys once had shatters their friendship (The author presents narratives of ‘Three Years Ago” when the two boys lived together). The novel’s chapters are  presented in alternating voices. McDonald navigates the lives of these two teenagers who struggle with invisible barriers as they approach adulthood.  We quickly come to care about these two adolescents, their frustrations, secrets, anger and hopes. Really, all they want from life is to feel the warm touch of another. Banjo finds company with a girl he works with at a local cafe. Finlay finds friendship with two other student nurses, the residents of a seniors home and most of all, a handsome guy, Akash, who he would love to love but is cautious in how he approaches the relationship. In an interview for the BBC, Margaret McDonald says It was important to me to showcase the difficulties of making your way through a world that is essentially not built for you.”  Glasgow Boys is a powerful coming-of-age story of male friendships and of resilience, especially when forced to live in and out of care.

Excerpts

“I think the only way I’d ever feel truly safe is if I could absorb people. If I could just swallow them and keep them inside me or something.” (p.281)

“It took a long time for Finlay to recognize that the silent version of Banjo was hurt, not angry. Banjo could be every emotion in the span of a sentence, but when he was hurt he carried it around and held it close.” (p. 312)

THE MAGIC FISH by Trung Le Nguyen / 2020 / Graphic novel / folktales

This is an ambitious graphic novel. Le Ngueyn tells the story of a young Vietnamese adolescent, named Tien, struggling to come out to his refugee parents.  Not finding the right words to get his parents’ acceptance,  the boy finds answers in fairy tales  in a language Tien and his parents share. I found the storytelling to be rather stilted and elliptical  even though the visuals beautifully illuminates events from the traditional tales from Vietnam. Sections of the story are conveyed in different colour palettes helping to delienate the storytelling (purple), the present (reds) and the past life in the homeland (golds). The author’s notes tell us that the artist “wanted to explore how stories can seve both as an escape and as an anchor for our real lives, and maybe, for at least one story, decentre the gravity of marginalization…”

SAM by Eric Walters / fiction

Sam is a troubled orphaned young adolescent who has lived much of his moving from foster home to foster home.  Early in the book he gets into a fight with the high school quarterback and after a gloomy court appearance is sent to  Juvenile Detention Centre to await a trial. Controlling his temper remains a challenge for Sam, especially when he is being tormented by a bully. However, Sam finds some comfort and trust with his cell mate, Nigel, a therapist, a female guard and a compassionate teacher. As part of his sentencing, Sam must take English classes and when he is assigned the ‘perfect’ book he is resentful at first but comes to understand how much he has in common with another redheaded orphan, the iconic heroine of Anne of Green Gables. This novel is Eric Walters storytelling at his best. Description of life in the detention centre is conveyed with authenticity. Hatsa off to Eric for bringing attention to Lucy Maud Montgomery’s iconic novel, published in 1908. Eric writes: “My story is a tribute, a homage to the original work. The way it continues to “speak” to people is a testament to not only the words and the themes but also to L.M. Montgomery’s creating a book that trancends countries, cultures, time and place.” I look forward to rereading this great Canadian novel someday. I look forward to reading more books by the great Canadian author,  Eric Walters. 

SHOUT OUT

THIS BOOK WON’T BURN by Samira Ahmed / fiction

When Noor Khan’s father abandons the family, the teenager and her mother and sister move into a new place far from their home in Chicago. Enrolling in a new school can always be stressful but Noor has only a short time to get her high school credits and graduate and all will be good if she can keep her head time. Luckily Noor finds some good friends but she also discovers that hundreds have books (mostly queer and BIPOC authors) have been removed from the school library because the school board considers them to be ‘obscene’ or ‘pornographic’.  For Noor, the fight is on. Her parents have always taught Noor to fight for what you believe in and Noor can’t sit back and do nothing.  She ends up being targeted for being an Indian and Muslim. Racial slurs are hurled at her online and out loud as she stands up and organizes protests against the book bans, but Noor remains steadfast and courageous won’t back down for what she strongly believes in. Alas, the battle involves confrontations with a principled principal, a bigoted member of the board, insensitive peers. Burned books, a molotov cocktail, a boisterous emergency board meeting, and battles with her mother, have Noor question herself.  This Book Won’t Burn is a timely and at times stomach churning YA novel. It is a testimony to the power of teenage activism. It is a fascinating and hopeful story about the power to change. It is an engaging read. It is a vital read. This is an excellent book gets a mighty high praise from me.

Excerpts

Anyway, they supposedly don’t want us to read cerain books because they’re harmful – I make air quotes arond harmful – ‘but they don’t want to keep us safe, they want to kep us ingorant. Because ignorant people are easier to control…” (p. 103)

“Hope is an act, not just a feeling. Hope is a choice. So are hate and cynicism and silence. Every day I have to think abut what I’m going to choose. And so do you. “(p, 216)

It’s been great digging into some recent publications, especially those by favourite authors with new releases (Gordon Korman, Kelly Yang, Kwame Alexander, Jerry Craft, Raina Telgemeier, Dusti Bowling).

TWO  GREAT CHAPTER BOOKS: Animal Friendships

BAD BADGER: A Love Story by Maryrose Wood; Illus; Giulia Ghigini

I love this novel. I’m often a  sucker for books with anthropomorphic characters (e.g.,  Frog and Toad are Friends, Abel’s Island, The One and Only Ivan, Charlotte’s Web, The Wind in the Willows) Septimus Badger  who enjoys sunsets and cheeses and seashells and opera lives quite a contented life living alone.  But alone he is. Unbadgerlike  he is.  Life changes when a gull appears on his windowsill, and though the bird’s vocabulary is reduced to only one word (‘Caw’) the two animals seem to truly understand one another.  Oh, joy a friend! But badger and seagull each their differences. Can they really be friends?  How does Septimus cope when his best – and only – friend vanishes. He is a gull after all and gulls take flight.  Subtitled ‘A love story’, this beautiful novel, beautifully illustrated  helps readers think about the joys that life can bring, the special bonds of friendship and love between two characters who enjoy each other, despite different interests. I love Septimus Badger. I love this novel. 

ORRIS AND TIMBLE: Lost and Found by Kate DiCamillo 

Orris the rat and Timble the owl are friends. Can a rat and owl really be friends?  Storytelling is one thing that binds them. One day, Timble doesn’t  show up in the barn as expected  Timble fears that his owl friend has abandoned him. Spoiler alert Timble, a little more grown up returns to visit his friend and has a lovely story about getting lost to tell his rat friend. Every sentence in this short book is simple and exquisite (e..g., ‘The sun rose and gray dawn turned into day. Light filled the barn.’; ‘From deep inside the velvet slipper, Orris could feel the owl waiting’. He arrived with a great rush of feathers that smelled of nighttime air’. The clarity of dialogue enriches character and setting: “By the light of the stars, by the light of the moon, I will always return.” said the owl.”  Each word is perfectly chosen. But that’s no surprise – Kate DiCamillo is a storytelling genius . Mok’a beautiful illustrations are story moments unto themselves (Lonely Orris gazing into the night sky longing for his friend; Oris crawling in a velvet slipper; Owl hovering over a country landscape;  Orris and Timble reunited underneath the gaze of a crescent moon), Lost and Found  is the second book in trilogy (Book One: Orris and Timble: The Beginning).

TWO GREAT VERSE NOVELS

AWAY by Megan E. Freeman (Verse novel)

 Away is a companion to the novel, Alone,  where readers first encountered the story of evacuations in the state of Colorado. Alone centred on the story of Maddie who was left to survive on her own. In this book, we are introduced to four young teenagers who ended up in an emergency relocation camp.  Each of the characters has a story to reveal  about their experiences:  Harmony works on a zine to report events; Teddy is passionate about the world of movies and is determined to create a documentary of events;  Grandin is separated from his father and is anxious to be be reunited with him; Ashanti, draws on her knowledge of mythical characters and along with her mother who is a doctor, brings strength and wisdom to unpacking the mystery of their circumstances. The novel is presented in free-verse style, presented as voices of each of the character  (in different font styles). Much of the narrative is told in movie script form when  characters are brought together. Like the characters in the story, readers question the of the evacuation, casting doubts that this might all be a hoax: (How did this evacuation happen? Why are people being quarantined? How widespread is the danger? Why Colorado? What does the future bring?) Harmony, Teddy, Grandin and Ashanti endeavour to uncover what’s really behind the threat and are challenged to reveal their investigations to expose the truth. (“What’s truth? What’s fiction? In the absence of facts, everything adds up to nothing at all.” (p. 260)   References to The Wizard of Oz are cleverly filtered throughout the novel. And yes, like the first novel, a dog (Popcorn) plays an important part in helping the characters to bond together. The novel is aptly chunked into different sections to help frame the sequencing of events (e.g., ‘Build Up’, ‘Evacuation’, ‘Shelter’, ‘Acclimation’ etc.). The free-verse and transcript style not only helps to reveal characters worries and hopes but serves to make Away a fast paced, mystery adventure. 

THE TROUBLE WITH HEROES by Kate Messier (Verse novel)

This is a beautifully written verse novel that explores the themes of grief, perseverance and accomplishing goals. Finn Connelly’s father was a firefighter but his death two years ago has left Finn bereft and determined to learn more about his father who was deemed a hero, especially after his 9/11 rescue feats. Early in the novel we learn that Finn has been caught knocking over a headstone, which happens to have been tag of a legendary mountain climber.  The woman’s daughter agrees to drop charges if the 7th grader agrees to climb all forty-six Adirondack  Peaks in the summer months. He will have a dog to keep him company and  meet other climbers to help guide him. Accomplishing the task would mean the he fulfills school requirements to pass Phys Ed and writing poetry for English classes. The physical endurance of climbing the mountains will satisfy his needs to pass Phys Ed. Writing poetry, in a variety of forms under the topic of heroes will help him pass English. The novel depicts the wild adventures and tribulations (mud, bridges tricky rocks) that  Finn endures while climbing mountain trails. Arriving at each peak, Finn can see for miles and he comes to a better understanding of his father – and himself. Kate Messier’s choice to write a verse novel allows her to step into Finn’s hiking boots  and create journal entries that describe the challenges he faces, mountain to mountain.  The novel is also filtered  throughout with chocolate cooke recipes, letters choose your own adventure narratives, text messages and photographs (a worthy attempt, but, alas, not presented with clarity). This is a special  novel that unpacks a variety of emotions (for both the protagonist and the reader), the importance of remembrance and the challenge of adolescents growing into their authentic selves.

NOTE

The Adirondack Forty-Sixers (The 46ers) are an organization of hikers who have climbed all fort six of the recognized High Peaks of the Adirondack Mountains in Northeastern New York State. To date there are over 15,000 registered 46ers, The author, Kate Messier is one of them. 

Excerpts

“Climbing isn’t about reaching the top. / It’s about pushing past limits / of what you thought you could do, If you never fall, never fail, you’re not growing, / you know?” (p.97)

“There’s no good path – just a bad way and a worse way – so you might as well choose one and get started.” (p. 259)

TWO GREAT SEQUELS

THE BEAT I DRUM by Dusty Bowling

The title of this book caught my attention. I was pleased to discover that this was the third book in a trilogy by the talented Dusti Bowling. We first met Conor Bradley who was the best friend of Aven Green from the wonderful novel Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus. Conor has Tourette syndrome and every day poses challenges, particularly now that he has entered high school. Like many teenagers,  is full of negatives and positives Two things are particularly stressful for Conor: 1) A school bully and 2) a strained relationship with his father who had been absent and now reappears in his life. Two things bring Conor pleasure: 1) a new group of friends who each have an issue with being an outcast and 2) learning to play the drums  from a caring teacher which helps him to deal with his tics and barking outbursts. As a young teenager, Conor is growing to better accept the reality his syndrome where his brain just does what it wants resulting in uncontrollable barking and blinking.  Mounting pressures with family and deep anger stall Conor from finding the beat he drums.  This novel helps readers to better understand the realities of living withTourette syndrome, the power of music and the meaning of forgiveness as they enter the world of Conor Bradley. Like her other two novels in the trilogy, Dusti Bowling has written an engaging heartfelt book with an authentic empathetic character.  Highly recommended. 

CHEF’s SECRET by Kelly Yang

Kelly Yang’s first title in the Front Desk series was released in 2018. Chef’s Secret is Book #6 in the series where attention is given to the character of Jason Yao, a talented young chef. Jason is now in eight grade and his friendship with Mia Tang is blossoming into a romantic relationship but now he is troubled with 1) planning the first perfect date, 2) about his father who is eager to become a member of the local country club 3) trying to make guy friends his own age 4) helping Mia and her family solve the problem of a leaky roof and 5)living with the secrets and fibs he tells in order to get others to like him. (He is not being considered for a Michelin star:  he was responsible for once  stealing money). Kelly Yang does a fine job of telling a story with humour and with conveying the thoughts and feelings of middle age students. She is also very clever at weaving in episodes from previous novels to satisfy readers who have followed along with Mia and her friends since the first book. Still, Chef’s Secret works as a stand-alone book.  Yang seems dedicated to publishing a Front Desk book once a year. Bravo Kelly Yang! 

TWO GREAT BOOKS ABOUT WRITING AND ILLUSTRATION GRAPHIC STORIES

THE CARTOONISTS CLUB by Raina Telgemeier and Scotty McDonald

Best selling  comic artists Raina Telgemeier (Smile, Drama, Ghosts) and Scott McCloud (Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art) have collaborated to present a love-letter to the art of writing and illustration graphic stories. This comic book about comic books is designed to give readers insights into  the process of paging ideas and imagination through illustration and words.  A group of four come together meet weekly to share their talents, frustrations and knowledge and creativity  to make comics that will please others (and themselves.  Each member of The Cartoonists Club has a unique perspective to share: Makayla enjoys inventing stories, Howard loves to draw, Lynda is a talented artist but very critical of her own work, and Art is excited about anything that feeds his creative spirit. Tips are given for creating facial expressions, postures, frames and thumbnail sketches, and growlixes and plewds (comic symbols). Telgemeir and McDonald have certainly succeeded in giving comic enthusiasts information and inspiration to grow in their cartoonist endeavours. 

J vs K by Kwame Alexander and Jerry Craft

Jerry Craft won the Newbery Medal in 2020 for his graphic novel New Kid. Kwame Alexander won the Newbery Medal in 2015 for his verse novel, The Crossover. These two remarkable authors have teamed up to write J vs K (J=Jerry; K+Kwame). Fifth graders, J & K are both keen on entering the school’s annual storytelling contest which entails a rivalry between a brilliant artist and writer and talented writer (K).  The voice of each character is presented in alternate chapters. This is one funny book that features illustrated pages, comics (J), poetry (K) transcripts of dialogue; highlighted ‘new’ vocabulary (.e.g. tremulous, serendipity, preposterous ; punny ‘Dad jokes’   and Author Notes that are humorous comments to the reader (“Not sure if ‘whisper-asked’ is a real thing. in fact, but Jerry wrote it, and you know words aren’t really his thing.”), Throw in episodes that involve reading to a rambunctious grade one class; a funeral for two frogs, Hoppy and Poppy; a basketball game against older kids; not-to-be followed rules for  writing and illustrating; a special writer’s ostrich hat; a punny school chef, (named Mr. Alexander) whose  specialities include Chicken, Chicken, Boom, Boom;  A Crinkle in Thyme, The One and Only I-Flan and a tiny elephant partially puking up a plane and you’ve got one funny funny ‘J-Enius’ book.  J & K’s are rivals throughout, but Jerry and Kwame are surely GREAT  friends who have worked together to create this GREAT – hilarious – book.  More J & K please!

TWO GREAT BOOKS BY ONE GREAT CANADIAN AUTHOR

OLD SCHOOL by Gordon Korman

As of this writing, Gordon Korman has written over 105 books. This is one prolific. author. This is one terrific author. I haven’t read all of his books Iwhich have sold over 30 million copies, translated into 30 languages) but for the past several years I have been keen to dig into his recent publications (Ungifted, The Fort, The Superteacher Project and Linked (a must-read). Old School is another great novel by a great author who really knows kids, and what kids like. When he wa6 years of age, Dexter Foreman’s parents left him to live with his grandmother at the Pines retirement village and these circumstances gave Dexter a solid homeschooled background amongst the residents of the seniors’ home. All was going well, until a truancy officer comes to ensure that Dec enrol in the local middle school. How will this clever 7th grader who dresses like a grandpa fit into the culture of public schooling. Dexter comes to make friends with others, especially Gianna Gresco who is a reporter for the school newspaper.  Dexter is smart and  dexterous (!). At school he becomes Mr. Fixit, a foreman (!) of sorts who with the help of his handy dandy Swiss Army knife volunteers to  repair a damaged staircase, a water fountain and the coffee machine in the teachers’ lounge.  Dexter Forman is coming to fit in to the school environment and deal with bullies, but he ends up getting suspended  unaware of what rules he’s broken (i.e. Swiss Army Knife.) Returning to The Pines is fine and dandy with Dexter where he can continue to learn from his ‘old friends’ especially 99 year old, Leo,  who was once a code breaker in World War 2. The novel is organized into chapters, each centred on a different character’s voice, a style that has become common to the author. This is a captivating, humorous story of a Seventh grade hero.  You can’t help but root for this twelve year old – going on eighty character. Hooray, hooray!  for for Dexter Forman. Hooray, hooray! for Gordon Korman (who probably has written  more books by the time you read this.) I hope so. 

SNOOP by Gordon Korman

Twelve year old Carters legs get damaged during a ski trip (his litle brother crashed into him while coming down a slope and now Carter, wearing a cast on each leg is forced to stay home. What’s a guy to do?  Carter is addicted to his devices and to conquer boredom, he starts checking the lives feeds from cameras around town. One thing leads to another as Carter becomes obsessed spying on classmates, citizens and suspicious characters as they go about their business. Carter is in fact a ‘Snoop’ with a capital ‘S’. When he discovers some unusual activity involving endangered animals (e.g., . a snow leopard, a tree kangaroo, a red panda, a bonobo), the tweenager decides to take things into his own hands with the help of his mother’s drone.  This is another fun fun fun novel from Gordon Korman, but underneath the adventure and humour there is a theme of significance he explores.  In this case, Snoop explores young people’s obsession with their phones and computers, the idea of hacking and the potential danger of how media can lead to secret snooping.  This is great read for middle years readers. 

“It’s like there’s a whole other side to life I never even knew existed before I broke my legs. It’s full of secret plots and restaurant wars and animals on the street that should be thousands of miles away… The best thing that’s happened since my accident has been discovering there are. resources out there that an bring you practially any piece of information you can dream of.” (p. 70-71)

I love every one of these 12 new picture books, most of them published in 2025. Several titles are by Canadian authors and illustrators*. 

THE DAY THE CRAYONS MADE FRIENDS by Drew Daywalt; illus. Oliver Jeffers

Those crayon rascals are back again.  We first met these characters in The Day The Crayons Quit, where one by one they complain, through letters, about how they’ve been treated by Duncan.  In this new tale, the crayons leave Duncan’s room to make friends and  have some new adventures as they meet different objects (Red’s firetruck, Blue’s fashion doll, Estaban’s Teddy Bear.  For me this book isn’t as terrific as the first in the series but the amusing letter format and humourous illustrations continue to delight. Long live the crayons!

EVERYBELLY by Thao Lam *

Everybody has a belly. Bellies may be small, big, flat, or shy. Some bellies grow, some bellies make great tables, some bellies feel like home. In this terrific picture book, artist Thao Lam uses coloured textured papers to illustrate a cast of characters each with a unique story, each with a unique belly (i.e., tattooed, stretch marks, six-pack, freckled, squishy, wobbly etc.). Readers view the world of bellies through the eyes of young girl, Maddie has a unique perspective on ‘everybelly’ that  gathers together in the community pool. Why a wonderful story about self-acceptance by the author  who shares her the pride she has for her own full belly! What a wonderful tribute to the diversity of the human body! What a wonderful wonderful picture book!

PUNCH! A story about kindness by Michael Hall

For some reason, Badger ‘was looking for trouble’  and ends up tripping Frog, shoving Moose, kicking elephant.  It’s time to teach Badger a lesson and each of the animals has a plan to get back at the mean  bully. Encounters are presented in a three-part story, each part told in less than fifty words. Each narrative uses words that tell a tale of revenge. Cleverly those words have more than one meaning. For example, Bear hauls back and gives Badger a ‘punch’ but a close look at the illustrations show bear offering a glass of punch. I’m very fond of Michael Halls lively and colourful collage  characters presented in bold, geometric shapes. This picture book fosters understanding about meanness, friendship, kindness  and the word play..  In its simplicity, this book indeed packs a punch. I love this book lots and lots! This is my favourite of the year so far. 

TO SEE CLEARLY: A Portrait of David Hockney by Evan Turk / 2023

Biographies as picture books offer  a special realm of children’s literature.  Young readers may not choose to read about the life of a famous author, politician, or artist but when a grown-up shares a title with a young reader, they are hoping to provide some information, accomplishments and stories of the life of a well-known figure. To See Clearly relates the inspiring story of David Hockney, one of the art world’s most prolific contemporary talents. Evan Turk does a remarkable job of shining a light on the  journey of this extraordinary artist who lead an open gay life,  by highlighting the dedication,  experimentation and accomplishments this groundbreaking British artist. Using pencil, gouache and crayon Evan Turk’s vibrant art work represents the artist’s visionary style  and successfully captures the essence of several of Hockney’s famous  pieces. This is a biographical tribute worth sharing, Moreover, the picture book should set the path to investigate and appreciate the extraordinary work by this extraordinary artist.  

SOMETIMES I FEEL LIKE AN OAK by Danielle Daniel; illus. Jackie Traverse / 2024 / poems *

This is the third title of short poems by Danielle Daniel (Sometimes I Feel Like A Fox; Sometimes I Feel Like a River). In this new collection, Daniel presents twelve lyrical   -line poems about twelve different trees that a hcild encounters throughout the seasons. The poems not only provide readers with an opportunity to gain information about each tree but inspires them to look carefully and respectfully at the trees around us. Danielle Daniel’s words and Jackie Traverse’s paintings make the trees come alive.

Sometimes I feel like an ash,

deep-rooted, sturdy and tough.

I grow quickly under most conditions

feeding small animals with my bark. 

TWO HOMES ONE HEART  by Jessica Young; illus. Chelsea O’Byrne / 2024 *

“Two homes, / one heart / Once Together/ now apart… Different views, / same sky /With hello / comes goodbye.” This story of separation and divorce  is told in simple abcb rhyme eliciting comfort to what may be a stressful experience for many children.  The  simple text depicts the experiencesstories and hopes of living under two roofs.  Chelsea O’Byrne’s fills each page brightly coloured scenes are quite joyful showing how one girl experiences a divided life of good things when moving between two homes.  In its simplicity, this picture book offers  a beautiful interaction of words and pictures.  This is a lovely heartfelt book that inspires reflection and connection. 

TWO PICTURE BOOKS BASED ON NOVELS

ODDER: An Otter’s Story by Katheine Applegate; illus. Charles Santaso

This picture book is adapted from Katherine Applegate’s wonderful bestselling free verse novel, Odder, which tells about the life of an Otter who was once rescued by humans. Odder then goes on to teach other pups how to otter. It’s great to have a picture book version of a heartwarming, informative novel, based on a true sory of a program that pairs orphaned otter pups with surrogate mothers.  Odder is a lovable, resilient character and her story is an animal lover’s delight. 

THE WILD ROBOT ON THE ISLAND by Peter Brown

A robot wasn’t designed to live in the wilderness, but when Roz is washed on on an island she learns much from the animal inhabitants and adapts to her new, natural surroundings. The novel was terrific! The animated film was terrific! Not a sequel, this picture book offers a simplified version of The Wild Robot which is the first in a series of novels  (The Wild Robot, The Wild Robot Escapes, The Wild Robot Protects) giving the acclaimed author, Peter Brown, the opportunity to depict Roz’s life on the island with dynamic, vibrant illustrations. The art work is spectacular! Those who have encountered the robot’s story in book or movie form will fully engage in the author’s choice of succinctly telling the story through colourful pages that are a WOW! Those who haven’t met Roz and Brightbill will are encouraged to dig into the trilogy of marvelous, adventurous novels. 

HOORAY FOR SECOND STORY PRESS:  New Releases *

THE FABULOUS EDWEENA by Edwin Dumont; illus. Melissa Cho

Edwin is very excited about the upcoming figure skating competition.  To prepare for the event he  once again invades his sister, Patsy’s closet and comes out of the closet dressed as Edweena Louisa wearing   a a colourful dress, boots, fancy gloves and a pink belt and glimmering dangly earrings. Adding make-up and a wig excites Edwin because he will be the only one dressed in drag. Will his classmates make fun of him? Will he win the competition? This is a story about being true to yourself and living with the credo that “a dream is a wish your heart makes.”.   Edwin Dumont you are fabulous and there’s one word to best  describe this picture book – FABULOUS!

I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE IN SCHOOL by the children of Mare (edited Ananda Luz and Isabel Malzoni); translated by Patrick Anthony Barbara Brock.

Mare is a low income neighbourhood in Brazil. About 1500  children of Mare wrote letters to their government informing them of what happens during everyday violent police raids. The young people reveal their sad and angry, joyful and fearful experiences even though they were supposed to be at school: ‘Here I am hiding behind a washing machine’;  ‘If shots start rising out and I’m in the street, I look for shelter everywhere; ‘If tomorrow is a peaceful day, I’m going to school, Then I will play at Peace Square.’). The honest words and pictures from young people is a call to end violence and  to find a deserved place of safety. 

MEMORY STONES by Kathy Lacer; illus. Hayley Lowe

Young Sophie and her granny spent happy times together eating ice cream, swinging in the park, gardening. When her grandmother passes away, Sophie’s hear aches Her family takes her to visit Granny’s grave and comes to learn that some people place stones on the graves of loved one’s who have died. Unlike flowers that rest on the graves, stones last forever. To honour the memory of her granny, Sophie has a plan to place memory stones which helped to soften the pain of missing granny. In the Jewish tradition visitors to graves leave a stone on the headstone of loved ones. Many cultures and traditions have different customs about what to leave on a grave. This picture book by the award-winning author of many books about the Holocaust is a heartwarming story about tokens of remembrance and cherish memories for those who have played an important part in our lives.  

TAKE A DEEP BREATH OLIVE TRAN by Phuong Truong; illus. Christine Wei / ages 7-9 / chapter book

This title is Book Two in the Olive Tran Series. (book one: Every Little Bit Olive Tran). Olive, a ten year old Vietnamese student is determined to win the school’s talent contest which will bring a pizza party to her class.  Alas, Olive doesn’t seem to have a talent and so she challenges herself to find something (juggling? ventriloquism? magic tricks  that will bring her the school prize. As readers partake in Olive’s quest, they will come to learn that perseverance and friendship help to build character. Everyone has a talent and talent doesn’t just mean getting up on stage for an audience. Delightful!

A poetry anthology + a graphic memoir + + a novel + a book of

meditations + short stories + a professional text  + essays x2 +

script x 2 = A mixed bag of ten terrific titles, old and new. 

THE BOOK OF BIRD POEMS compiled by Ana Sampson; illus. Ruyto Miyake / poetry / 2024

I don’t buy many poetry anthologies (do you?) but this book caught my attention. My friend, Jennifer and I have a thing about birds (‘Birds of a feather,’ are we1).  Bird poems were very special to my dear friend David Booth. His final publication Bird Guy:Wally Karr’s Poems About Birds: 9th Grade English Project (2018) is a testimony to his dedication to illuminating the life of our feathered friends. I know that The Book of Bird Poems would have been a gift I’d have given David.  I read each poem in the book chronologically. In fact, I read this book while sitting on a bench in Central Park, fondling thinking about Jennifer, and David and birdsong. Ans Sampson has collected about 100  classic poems from the past 200 years accompanied by artist Ryuto Miyako’s sublime images of  ourwinged friends whose flight is frozen on the page. 

Snippets

The thrushes sing as the sun is going, And the finches whistle in ones and pairs, (from ‘Proud Songsters’ by Thomas Hardy.)

Sing cuckoo now, sing cuckoo!/ Sing cuckoo, sing cuckoo now! (from ‘Cuckoo’ (Anon)

Dark and lugubrious, his eyes / signify no intent beyond brooding. (from ‘The Condor’) by Michael Hogan)

He clasps the crag with crooked hands; / Close to the sun in lonely lands, / Ring’d with the azure world, he stands. (from ‘The Eagle’ by Alfred Lord Tennyson).

Something told the wild geese/ It was time to fly, – / Summer sun was on their wings, / Winter in their cry. (from ‘Something Told the Wild Geese’ by Rachel Field)

If you were an owl, And I were an owl, And this were a tree, And the moon came out, / I know what we’d do. (from That’s What We’d Do by Mary Mapes Dodge)

Tell the air to hold me in the rushing heart of it/ And keep its path straight (from ‘ The Arctic Tern’s Prayer’ by Mary Anne Clarke)

EMBERS: One Ojibways’ Meditations by Richard Wagamese / meditations / 2016

Isn’t it wonderful to have conversations with friends while meeting for breakfast? My friend Marion and I were chatting about books that we’ve been reading and she highly recommended Richard Wagamese’s Embers which I ordered promptly from Amazon before finishing my omelette. Marion said she often returns to this book to reflect on the  wise words by one of Canada’s foremost First Nations authors and storyteller. Embers is a collection of lessons that the author absorbed from the mundane and sublime. The book is divided into 7 sections: Stillness, Harmony, Trust, Reverence, Persistence, Gratitude, Joy. Each section features observations and reflections and questions presented in paragraphs.  Evocative photos that capture nature’s  glory appear throughout capturing the contemplative, spiritual  mood of the book.  Using post-it notes,  I marked pages particular memorable thoughts  that invited me to pause and ponder. I used almost a full pad of sticky notes.  Conversations between the author and old woman are particularly inspirational. Thank you Marion for this book session. Like you, I will surely return often to Richard Wagamese’s Embers.

Some gems

“I want to listen deeply enough that I hear everything and nothing at the same time and am made more by the enduring quality of silence.” (p, 23)

“Teachings come from everywhere when you open yourself to then,. That’s the trick of it really. Open yourself to everyone, and everything opens itself to you.” (p, 58)

“Remember  to remember”. (p. 85)

“I’ve been referred to as odd before. Nowadays, I refer to myself as “awed”. I want awe to be the greatest ongoing relationship in my life.” (p. 90)

“Knowledge is not wisdom. But wisdom is knowledge in action.” (p. 130)

“All we have are moments. So live them as though not one can be wasted. Inhabit them, fill them with the light of your best good intention, honour them with your full presence, find the joy, the calm, the assuredness that allows the hours and the days to take care of themselves. If we can do that, we will have lived.” (p. 161)

EVERY DAY A LITTLE DEATH: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Stephen Sondheim; edited by Josh Pachter / short stories /2025 

Put the name Stephen Sondheim on the cover of a book and you’ve got my attention. The premise of this crime fiction collection is that each of the 20 short stories, written by twenty different authors,  is inspired by the songs of Stephen Sondheim. Editor, Josh Pachter organizes the anthology by presenting stories in chronological order of a musical’s release date. The story titles are indeed drawn from the score of each show (e.g., “Tonight” from West Side Story; “Hello Little Girl ” from Into the Woods; “Losing My Mind from Follies. In many instances, character names are invented from character names that appear in the shows or the actors who played the roles.  For example, in “Everyone Ought to Have a Maid” A Funny Thing Happened To Me the Way to the Fortum” the characters are called Zero and Michael Crawford (they starred in the movie;  Angela Fay a dancer at the Cookie Jar  is featured in the story “There Won’t be Trumpets” from Anyone Can Whistle) (Angela Lansbury played the mayor; Lee Remick played Nurse Fay Apple, the cookies were citizens of a local asylum was a dancer at the Cookie Jar; Dorothy Peters  (i.e. Dot (the character and Bernadette Peters is the actress who played Dot in the original production of the musical) is the central character of the story  Sunday in the Park with George. Those ‘in the know’ might be amused by such character names as Robert Dean Jones; Toni Bates Chip Baker and Luisa Tarchetti.  To add to the reading pleasure, aficionados might be pleased to discover references to the plots or settings of play they are likely familiar. Some stories adeptly accomplish the conceit of the book by hitchhiking on the theme of the play and these were the selections I enjoyed the most. In “Every Day a Little Death’ by Josh Pachter, Anne and Charlotte, best friends discuss marriage and  infidelity . Charlotte knows that Ann is having liaisons with her husband(beware of the lovely new tea, Charlotte). In “Together Wherever We Go” by Jeffrey Marks, a mother  Mama Rose) and her daughter (Gypsy)  experience a murder in a dive bar.(“Gypsy thought back across all the history she and her mother had shared and sighed, “No, I’ll go with you, Mama. When you’re in the soup, I’m in the soup. For better or worse, Mrs. Hovick, you and I are in this together.” Get it? Each story does is a mystery with a murder, robbery, a kidnapping or puzzle to be solved.  I found Every Day A Little Death to be lovely  company on a recent Saturday night plane trip (not from Barcelona). 

LOW-HANGING FRUIT: Sparkling Whines; Champagne Problems and Pressing Issues from My Gay Agenda by Randy Rainbow / essays / 2024

Randy Rainbow is one funny funny guy. You can quote me on that. This collection of essays provides the entertaining comedian to observe, to kvetch to criticize as “a privileged white male complaining about a bunch of shit.” (book jacket). In the opening essay entitled ‘Letter of Resignation’, the author begins by writing a letter to ‘Dear Stupid People’ and goes on to relieve himself of any responsibility for subway riders who choose settle disturbingly close to others, those who bury themselves in tier iPhones as they slowly cross the road, those who don’t say thank you to strangers who open doors for them, those who remove shoes and socks on airplane, those who publicly use the FaceTime feature – stupid people all. Other funny essays include, ‘Randy Rainbow for President’ (“Experience is overrated and competence is the last thing a person needs to win an election”); ‘My Name is ‘a’, a skewing account of Streisand’s 966 page biography; ‘I Feel Bad About My Balls’ (“I do not  have the perfect proportions of Jacob fucking Elordi. I never will, and for that I take serious issue with whoever is reponsible.”): ‘Life Sucks, Wear the Damn Lipstick’ (“I can watch a makeup tutorial for hours on end without getting bored and always learn something new and constructive.”). Oh-so clever essays are presented in different writing genres (i.e.,a eulogy (‘RIP, My Attention Span’); poetry (‘Would That I Had an Ass’ and ‘Where do Trolls Come From’); messages (‘Memos to my Upstairs Neighbour: An Emotional Odyssey in Six Parts’); social media comments and replies (‘From the Peanut Gallery’) lists (‘Do I Hear a Schmaltz’ and  a anthropomorphic monologue where Randy writes the world according to Tippi, hisChinchilla Silver Persian cat (‘Notes from a Litter Box’). A shout out goes to Chapter 15, ‘Ladies and Gentlemen… My Mother (the Sequel’), Randy’s conversation with his mother (“Mom: Giving birth to you was the gayest thing I’ve ever done.”). Randy Rainbow shares strong views that include “pet peeves, irks, irritants and annoyances and grievances” about airport greeters, dating apps, hosting an awards show, and, oh yes, Donald Jessica Trump. I love Rainbow’s satirical YouTube videos and I loved his biography Playing With Myself.  Rainbow is one funny funny guy. You can quote me on that.

Funny Stuff

“The sad reality is that I have no social life whatsoever when touring. Why, you ask? Because I was born too soon and started too late – that’s why!” (p, 80)

“I learned this logic from my grandmother…She’d spot a tall, blond, statuesque woman with voluptuous curves and a killer rack walking through the mall and say ‘See? That’s the body I’m supposed to have,’ as though she ordered achocolate ice cream cone and somebody accidentally gave her pistachio.” (p. 91)

“You know that Alfred Hitchcock thriller called The 39 Steps. That was actually based on my daily skin-care regimen. (p. 95)

“Why do you think everything annoys us all the time? Are we hypoglycaemic or just Jewish? (p. 148)

“People who say ‘You look tired’ and have no idea what they’re saying is wildly offensive. These people are terrorists.” (p. 192)

“I have never understood wrestling as a sport. Like, why not just fuck?” (p. 197)

“OH, MARY!” by Cole Escola / script / 2025 

Mary Todd Lincoln finds  life in the White House – and her husband – to be to be oh-so-boring. Booze and a dream of starring in a cabaret keeps her going,  Mary is hysterically funny  Cole Escola is hysterically funny, “Oh, Mary!” is hysterically funny on stage and on the page. I laughed out loud when I read this 48 page script.  I was lucky to have seen this show on Broadway – the funniest play I’ve seen in years. Yes, the brilliant live  performances (and the sensational costume) make thsi a unique theatre-going experience.  “Oh, Mary!” and Oh, Escola have a great future in world of theatre, with this riotous play, which even the author has called ‘stupid’.  Hysterical. 

Excerpt

Abraham: Because actually a dead wife would do wonders for the president’s reputation in the South right now. Take the acting lessons, you fucking moron.

Mary: The South of what?

THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY by Oscar Wilde / novel / 1890

In this iconic novel by the infamous Oscar Wilde, the handsome and wealthy,  Dorian Gray has a portrait of himslef by a reputable artist. Gazing at the image, Dorian hopes to stay forever young and beautiful forever wishing that the painting age instead of him.Gray keeps the piece of art hidden from the world and when he continues to live a ife of excess and pleasure and seediness, the painting transforms growing more and more grotesque thus reveaaling the true nature of Dorian Gray’s life.  The novel explores the dangers of embracing a purely aesthetic view of the world. Overall, the theme of this story seems to be that the pursuit of pleasure, with little regard for consequence cn lead to unhappiness and corruption.  By describing characters and social habits of the upper classIt is story that reveals a commentary on Victorian society. Women are portrayed as intellectually inferior,  To be sure, Oscar Wilde’s homosexual lifestyle is filtered through the relationships of some male characters expressing a str0ng attraction to one another.

The Picture of Dorian Gray was originally published in a monthly magazine. Even though it wasn’t critically well-received (i.e. immoral, hedonistic), the work was defended as a work of art by the author and was published as a novel in 1890. I found myself reading this 230-page novel fairly slowly. Oscar Wilde is oh so clever in his commentary and I ofen re-read some sentences a couple of times. Wilde is the guru of epigrams (pithy sayings or remarks expressing an idea in a clever, amusing and ‘profound’ way.  Some examples:

“The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it. Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to itself.”

“Live! Live the wonderful life that is in you! Let nothing be lost upon you. Be always searching for new sensations. Be afraid of nothing,”

“Sin is a thing that writes itself across a man’s face. It cannot be concealed.” 

‘Pleasure is Nature’s test: her sign of approval. When we are happy we are always good, bu when we are good we are not always happy.”

Of particular interest is the preface to the novel that espresses Wilde’s wild philosophy of art:

“The artist is the creator of beautiful things.”

“The critic is he who can transfer another manner or a new material his impression of beautiful things.”

“Those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful Things are the cultivated. For those, there is hope,”

“All art is quite useless.”

“There is no such thing as a moral or immoral book. Books are well-written or badly written. That is all. 

A black and white film version of this story ws released in 1945 starring George Sanders, Angela Lansbury., Donna Reid, Peter Lawford and Hurd Hatfield as Dorian Gray. Going to see the play version of this story, inspired me to read this classic novel beforehand. The Broadway play is preented as a one-woman performance starring  Sarah Snook, (of ‘Succession’ fame) who brilliantly portrays 26 characters.  What an explosive performance!Technological wizardy is a marvel of this production directed by Australian Kip Williams.  

PREPARED CLASSROOM: Ready to Teach, Ready to Learn by Gail Goushey and Allison Behne / professional text / 2025

Gail Bushey and Allison Behne, criers of the Daily 5 Framework and Cafe Literacy Systems have written a practical handbook inviting teachers to reimagine their teaching practices to boost student engagement, collaboration and independent learning. The resources is divided into two sections: Section 1 offers roadmap to  strategies to consider in order enrich a classroom environment that fosters positive relationships and  establish daily routines  that promote effective management and student involvement. Section 2 presents 52 lessons 1involvement and effective  lessons that consider action, interaction and joy (e..g Exit Slips, I Wish My Teacher Knew,  Brain Breaks, Taking Turns, What To Do When You are Finished. The authors use a friendly voice to teachers and effectively present ideas through a framework that includes Understand (Why?); Prepare (Students): Teach (Explicitly); Support (Pivots). Prepared Classroom is a comprehensive, practical guide for teachers hoping to reflect on current practices and consider effective ways for students to excel. 

UNCLE VANYA by Anton Chekhov / script /  1897

Uncle Vanya ” explores themes as diverse as male mid-life crisis; men’s exploitation of the natural world and of women; the ruin that massive destruction of Russia’s forests will cause; peasants’ subjection to hunger, ill health, illiteracy, and ignorance and hope for a joyful life after death as a consolation for the miseries of earthly existence.” (from preface notes in the Dover Thrift Edition)

The setting is an estate in nineteenth-century Russia. A retired professor, his second wife, his brother-in-law and daughter from a previous marriage lived lives of frustration and despair.  From the preface note ‘Uncle Vanya is a “haunting portrait of the sense of futility and wasted lives that burdened men and women enduring disappointments and frustrations and rural tedium.” What prompted me to read this classic play was a recent viewing of NT Live one man performance of VANYA starring Andrew Scott who portrays all the characters in a modernized version of Chekhov’s play. This was the second time I watched this must-see spectacular performance. Mr. Scott you are brilliant!

SHOUT OUT! 

FEEDING GHOSTS by Tessa Hulls / graphic memoir

This prize winning graphic memoir works on many levels. It is Tessa Hulls story the jumps across 80 years in which the author /illustrator maps her family’s history, the historical events of the Chinese Communist Revolution and a personal coming of age history filled with questions, anger, frustration, and self-determination in the quest to make meaning of life, loss, and love. It is essentially the story of three generations of women: Shun Yi, journalist who once wrote a memoir about her persecution and survival and eventually came to have a breakdown and was committed to a mental institution, Tessa’s mother, Rose who struggles to take care of Sun Yi and Tessa who is determined  to escape her mother’s fears and religious  beliefs,  and decides to leave home and travels to remote parts of the world, hoping to find freedom, but moreover to unravel the struggles that shaped her family. The unique visual storytelling allows  the author to synthesize her family’s history and provide a context for her to reconnect with her estranged mother and examine the lasting effects of trauma. The book took almost a decade to complete so that Tessa Hulls could conduct extensive research (quotations from many resources are filtered throughout) on come to terms with the impact of her grandmother’s and mother’s mental health – and that of her own.  It is a book where creating art helps an artist to seeking and finding ghosts that are hidden in one family’s past. 

Although speech bubbles  appears throughout, most of the verbal  text is presented through narrative captions with crafted , often poetic, statements that provide information, relate experiences, and convey deep reflection. (see excerpts below*). The writing is frequently the stuff of therapy as the author confesses how the experiences as daughter and artist have shaped her identity . (“I grew up living in a lockstep of my greatest fear: imprisonment bound by internet rules far stronger than any external chains (p. 325)   Hulls often unpacks how the process of creating this book has helped her to look into the meaning of her grandmother’s life, her mother’s life and her relationship to them.(“Collaborating on this book has given us a framework to explore the fraught territory between us. And while we both run for cover when missteps create huge explosions.” p. 337). Hulls’  staggering  illustrations of white highlights cut into like dream-like /nightmare-like) expressionist interpretation of what the author is thinking and feeling. I gasped at many of the full page images (e.g. Mother as a puppeteer over her daughter, each with snake-like flames roaring from their mouths (.p. 256) . Panels are not only filled with characters portrayed with varied emotions but Hull fills each panel space with scratchy- textured backgrounds and cinematic, ghost-like people, places and things. .  Though I usually can breeze through graphic novels,  I found that I could only read Finding Ghosts in small chunks, taking rests between every dozen pages or so. I became aware that I re-read narrative texts at least twice to savour Tessa Hulls sophisticated language and revelations of this troubled, talented sole. I also lingered over the illustrations in paying attention to details conveyed by the text as well as images drawn from the Hulls’ brilliant mind.  Astonishing!

The first time a graphic novel received the 1992 Pulitzer Prize was Art Spiegelman’s for his book Maus. Feeding Ghosts won the 2025 Pulitzer Prize in the autobiography/memoir category. It is the most original, powerful publication of the year. Feeding Ghosts is a graphic memoir masterpiece!

Excerpts *

“There were no messy realities to contradict the perfect illusion of the China she held within herself, an unchanging snow globe where a mother and daughter remained eternally locked in a an embrace of uncomplicated filial piety.” (p. 93)

“Writing this book has allowed us to see the threads of this knot – how love, fear, culture, and mental illness are intricately bound.” (p. 122)

“Being mixed in America is a constant sociology experiment in a culture obsessed with forcing binaries. Where does someone with a. foot in both worlds and a home in neither fit in?” (p. 160)

“Going home was like standing in a hurricane where my family’s narrative about me – broken, cold, selfish, angry, unstable – pelted my skin like hail. By the end of each visit I’d wonder, where they right? Was I in fact crazy? Was I lying to myself about who and what I was? Was anything real?” (p, 313)

“Creating this book has not been a panacea for me and my mom. ‘Two steps forward, one step back’ does not do justice to the violent eruptions of mutual hurt and flights for self-protection that have peppered this journey.” (p. 337)

“What are you learning through making this book?” / I’m learning how to stand closer to my mother’s pain. And in order to do that I’m having to learn, how to stand closer to my own.” (p. 348)

SHOUT OUT! SHOUT OUT!

LESSONS FROM MY TEACHERS: From Preschool to Present

by Sarah Ruhl / essays / 2025

“This is a book about many of the teachers I was lucky enough to have had over the course of my life. It is, in a way, a portrait of my life told through portraits of my teachers.” (Introduction, p.3)

Sarah Ruhl is a playwright (The Clean House, Eurydice),   an author (Smile: A Memoir; 100 Essays I Didn’t Have to Write) and a professor at the Yale School of Drama where she has taught for over a decade). Lessons From My Teachers is a collection of 60 essays where Ruhl shines a light on educators, mentors and those who influence our lives from day to day.  Ruhl’s memories of important teachings arise from her personal and professional life, in sickness and in health, as student and as a teacher. Special recognition is given to Sarah Ruhl’s mentors in her theatre world (i.e., Paula Vogel, Beth Henley, Maria Irene Forbes, Joyce Piven)  Here are some titles of the the essays in this book: ‘The elementary art school teacher who gave me an assignment I hated’ (4); ‘Lessons from a marriage’ (23); ‘When your babysitter is also your dharma teacher’ (35); ‘My dog knows everthing’ (42); ‘A practical use of meditation (55); Can you be your own teacher?’ (p. 57). 

Everyone is a learner. Everyone is a teacher. This book provides the author with a chance to pay tribute to her classroom teachers, family members, children, community members, spiritual guides, theatre colleagues, and the students in her courses and through her stories, she provides readers with inspiration to pay attention to, and reflect upon, all those who help to shape our lives.   As a classroom teacher, university instructor, workshop presenter, brother, uncle and friend , I was quite moved by the stories Sarah Ruhl shares and found the book which is divided into three parts (Roots; Branches, Flowers)  to be a gift of meditation, reflection and gratitude.  Readers can helped to dig into their own memories of people, place and things that are the stories that shape us within the school of life.  

Dear Sarah

About thirty years ago, I purchased a long banner to decorate one of the walls in           my 5th grade classroom. It read “Everyone is a teacher, if we choose to let them be.” I don’t know who to attribute this precept to , but I believed that each member of a classroom has something (stories)  to contribute.  Hopefully,  it  served as a mantra for what I hoped my students would  come to believe too.

Larry

I have already read some mighty fine books this year but Sarah Ruhl’s book will be, I’m sure, at the top of my list of 2025 titles. I have ordered a batch of copies to gift my  friends, whether they are teachers or not.  Each essay provides a poignant lesson about teaching, learning, and living. As Sondheim reminds us, ‘No One is Alone.’

Excerpts

“Middle C does not move. But the middle of life is never certain: we never know where the middle is until life ends.” (p.33)

“I think if I were to ask my grandmother what the secret of life was, she would tell me that it was to be always and forever interested, deeply interest in other people and the world.” (p. 64)

“… we remember what we are given more than we remember what we gave away, if the gift was freely given.” (p. 72)

Max “taught me that students sometimes make the best teachers.” (p. 152)

“Sometimes you have to go to your neighbor’s door and knock.” (p. 175)

“I only know that my dreams are sometimes my best teachers. Art is a dream we are allowed to have together: when we sleep we dream alone.” (p. 182)

“There are no former teachers, not really. Teachers – the ones who truly taught you – don ‘t stop teaching you, even after you leave their classroom. Teaching, over time, is ultimately unbounded by the classroom. Just as love is unbounded by time.”  (p. 216)

I have a memory of seeking out the biography section of the Wychwood Children’s library as a young reader. Why was I intrigued  by the story of Alexander Graham Bell? Reading  about of the lives of others is fascinating. We may choose to read an author’s autobiography because we are familiar with their life as a celebrity (Barbra Streisand, Randy Rainbow) or an author (Salman Rushdie, Allen Say). Other memoir titles we may  dig into because the story told intrigues (an Orthodox transgender rabbi, a queer muslim activist, childhood sexual abuse).  Each of the ten authors delve into their memories and create a literary map of their lives that reveals a discovery of self and a reflection of their mental and emotional growth (and sometimes physical growth). Everyone has a story to tell. Published memories invite readers to come into their world as they share events from their lives,  their relationships, their views. These are stories of courage and tenacity, I am fascinated by these life stories and often while reading memoirs I think “How do  these stories connect to my own life stories?”  and, too, given the circumstances  and choices and hopes that each of these authors share, “What would I do if I were in their place?”.  A good book helps us learn about others in order to  learn about ourselves. 

SHOUT OUT

The following two memoirs, each published by an author of renowned, were a punch in the gut for me. Hanif Kareshi tells a story of his recovery from a traumatic fall that  required constant hospital care. Salman Rushdie presents a meditation on his reovery from a violent knife attack while giving a lecture on the importance of keeping writers safe. Each story is deeply personal, honest and philosophical.  Each powerful story is about how FATE can  interfere and  alter our lives in an instant and how recovery is dependent on hope, faith, and  love. Both stories shattered me – there but for the grace of God, go I.

KNIFE Meditations after attempted murder by Salman Rushdie / 2024

My birthday is on August 12. On August 12, 2022, 27 seconds changed the life of British Indian writer Salman Rushdie. While  onstage preparing for a presentation at the Chautauqua Institution, the author was attacked by a masked man wielding a knife who repeatedly stabbed Rushdie’s body and face, including his eye. Since living in fear from the fatwa issued by Ayatollah Khomeini, after the publication of his book The Satanic Verses ((1989) Salman Rushdie lived a fearful life. Two nights before the conference,  Rushdie had a nightmare that was a premonition of a violent attack.  Rushdie’s first thought “So it’s you. You are here.” Ironically, Rushdie’s lecture was the importance of keeping writers safe from harm. Knife details the traumatic events of the day of the attack and his journey towards physical and mental healing. Eliza, his devoted wife, along with teams of doctors and therapists and loyal friends helped to give the Booker Prize winning author strength to recover.  Salman Rushdie chooses not to name his assailant (i.e. “A” but in Chapter 6, he records a conversation that never occurred,  a brilliant imagined interview between him and “A” . The book  is divided into two parts: ‘Part One: The Angel of Death’; ‘Part Two: The Angel of Life’. Writing this memoir has  provided the author with a forum to makes sense of the unthinkable. (After half a year of nothingness, the writing juices had indeed started to flow again.” (p. 173). The writing is a brutally honest, moving meditation of finding resilience and moving forward day by day and find “the willingness to go on fighting the good fight.” (p. 201).  The book is filled with social commentaries, and reflections about religion, free speech, social media, literature and other authors. Note: The cover of this book, depicting the word ‘knife’ being slashed,  is staggering and worthy of an award. Knife is deserved of an award. It needs to be read. 

Excerpts

“I don’t like to think of writing as therapy – writing is writing, and therapy is therapy – but there is a good chance that telling the story as I saw it might make me feel better.” (p,129)

“Art is not a luxury. It stands at the essence of our humanity and it asks for no special protection except the right to exist. / It accepts argument, criticism, even rejection. It does not accept violence.” (p. 168)

“My way of trying to deal with PTSD was to claim, most of the time, that I was okay. I told my therapist, “I don’t know what good it does to complain?” He laughed. Don’t you know that the reason you are here is to complain?” (p. 174)

“Who am I? Am I the same person as I was on August 11, or am I now another?” (p. 198)

SHATTERED by Hanif Kureishi / 2024

While I was browsing in a  book store, the jacket cover caught my attention.  A sombre beige background with the hanif kureishis name, the title of the book and the word memoir featured in a deep plum colour font, all in lower case. Filling the page in grey font are the words ‘two weeks ago a bomb went off in my life which has also shattered the lives of those around me. at least I haven’t lost the one thing that was most valuable to me which is the ability to express myself.” I was somewhat familiar with the author’s name: The Buddha of Suburbia (novel) ; My Beautiful Launderette (screenplay). Late in the year 2022  while relaxing in his  apartment in Rome, Hanif Kureishi  stood up, fell flat on his face, breaking his neck.  Paralyzed,  he could no longer walk.  Over the next year, Kureishi was confined to hospital wards and was totally dependent on the care of others. Unable to move his hands to compose, the author , with the ability to speak, relied on family members to record his thoughts and feelings about what is happening to him as well as reflections on is life as a father, husband and creative life. Shattered is the results of this extraordinary process where the author reveals his views on parenthood, immigration, sex, psychoanalysis and the art of writing and his faith that he will one day be able to return to his home.  The dispatches were edited, expanded and interwoven into the publication I held in my hand, a book that left me shattered, astounded by the heartbreaking honest account of loss, of pain, of dependency, of gratitude and hope. Strange how life can change in an instant and Kureishi’s memoir is a testimony to  how resilience and love that can help to conquer calamity. This powerful  book – harrowing and inspiring – will be on the list of my favourite reads of 2025. 

Excerpts

“It took some time to get used to the utterly serious nature of my injury and how life-changing and permanent it is. There’s no going back, though I wish all the time there was.” (p. 112)

“I exist in a constant state of panic, fear and tearfulness. I want to escape myself.” (p. 114)

“Wit is the brilliant expression of a truth, a way of exposing something with concision and effect, making the world seem like a brighter place…If I am funny, in conversation, it is something I had to learn and cultivate; it is a form of creativity, as is all conversation.” (p. 279)

“We are in constant development, never the same as yesterday. All the time we are changing, there is no going back. My world has taken a zig where previously it zagged; it has been smashed, remade and altered, and there is nothing I can do about it. But I will not go under; I will make something of this.” (p. 323)

 SHOUT OUT… David A Robertson

ALL THE LITTLE MONSTERS: How I Learned to Live with Anxiety by David A. Robertson  / 2025

Brilliant author, David A. Robertson,  has opened up his heart and his mind to describe his journey of living with – and through – anxiety.  This memoir takes a plunge into the depths of confronting and competing with ‘all the little monsters’ who whisper in his ear ‘you can’t do this!’ Readers learn about the fears, the compulsions, the depression of  Robertson struggles to get out of bed, to climb those stairs to ‘get on with it’.  The honesty that Robertson sticks to as he recounts his experiences with anxiety and a heart condition, are presented, not only to get to learn about what the author is going through but is moreover written, to help others who are going through similar trials and let them know that they are not alone.   There but for the grace of God, I do not suffer from anxiety, or know someone who does, but this book  helped me understand in some way what those who deal with anxiety and depression might be going through. It also raised awareness to look around me and become aware of what someone, like Robertson, might be experiencing, even though I might never know that they are struggling with mental health issues. All the Little Monsters is a brave, intimate book.  Accounts of family and friendship supports, therapy sessions, hospital visits , breakdowns, panic attacks and medications are heart-squeezing. I found myself turning down the corners of over a dozen pages as I read wise philosophical views of what the author was / is going through. As I read this book, I wanted to reach and out shake this mans  and I was lucky enough to do so when I listened to him share his stories aloud during a conference session. David A. Robertson, you are a hero. This revelatory memoir is VITAL reading. 

Astonishing to me is the fact that despite his mental health issues (because of them?) David A. Robertson continued to write and write and write. He is at the top of the heap of Canadian authors. As a  Cree author his revelations of Indigenous issues are essential for readers young and old. He is prolific. He has won awards for his picture books When Were Alone and On the Trapline. His Misewa Saga series is enjoying popularity for middle-grade readers.  I am very fond of a recent publication The Kodiaks which is a terrific novel  about playing hockey, about being on a team and about confronting anti-Indigenous racism. His novel, The Theory of Crows is staring at me from my book shelf and I look forward to reading it  soon. 

Some excerpts

“As far as I’ve come in my journey with mental health, Im intimately aware that its a journey with no finish line, and one that often has wrong turns that lead you back to a place you’ve already been.” (p..105)

“Sharing what I’ve been through and what I’m afraid of and then facing those fears by ignoring the voice that tells me to be afraid have all been a boon to my mental health.” (p. 143)

“I can do hard things. I repeat that in my mind these days, like a mantra, each time the voice in my ears tells me I can’t do something, even the smallest thing, even the most ridiculous things every day. / I can do hard things, and so can you.” (p. 173)

“I live with depression that comes and goes like the tide. Anxiety is always there with me, no matter what time of day, no matter what is going on in my life, and no matter where I am. I pack it in my suitcase with my socks and shirts and jeans, both what it was and what it is.” (p. 248)

BLACK WATER: Family, Legacy and Blood Memory by David A. Robertson / 2020

“I love being recognized as an Indigenous writer by my colleagues and by Indigenous kids who might be inspired by what I’ve accomplished, but someday I want to be known as a great writer, not a great Indigenous writer, which seems to imply that the measures of excellence are different between the two. They aren’t. Or at least, they shouldn’t be.” (p. 142)

David A. Robertson’s is the sone of a white mother, Beverly. He is the son of a Cree father, Dulas – or Don as he became known. Growing up, Robertson knew nothing of his Indigenous roots. His father’s absence from the family left Robertson without any teachings or knowledge of his father’s early experiences, especially those of Don’s early childhood on a trapline in the bush of Manitoba and life on reserve where he was forbidden to speak his language Swampy Cree. The author was only left with ‘blood memory’, that he was encouraged and challenged to put together. (“When I put my foot onto the ground in Norway House, a feeling came over me that I’d come home. It was a feeling I now recognize as blood memory  –  that the memories and lives of my ancestors, of Dad, are woven into the fabric of my DNA. That everything they lived through, everything they experienced, lives within me.” (p. 257)

In this memoir, Robertson and  his father come to deepen their bond through a journey to the trapline, a journey which had him come closer to his father, to himself and their connection to the land. The book is a loving tribute to Donald (Dulas) Alexander Robertson, a wise minister, educational leader, activist, and father. The book deepens a reader’s understanding of family and identity and legacy. To come to grips what it means to be Indigenous, Black Water is a moving personal story that is essential reading. 

As I read Black Water, I often found myself turning down the corners of pages for the beautiful words and precepts that this gifted author has written. Here are some samples:

“I’ve watched him look out over the water. I’ve seen his face. It makes me feel a part of those memories, as if they’re as much mine a they are his. And maybe there’s some truth to that.” (p. 60)

“When Dad and I discuss reconciliation, he talks about it, within the context of healing, as an act of remembering. We learn more about today when we know about yesterday. We know more about the direction we are headed if we understand where we are now. Yesterday has led us to today, and today will lead us tomorrow.” (p. 62)

Dad suggested ” that teacher training programs prepare educators to work with Indigenous children by emphasizing that they teach from the known and work towards the unknown, That is to say, they should connect with students based on the students’ world view, not the teachers.” (p. 104)

“When Dad sits in the chair and stares out the window, he’s trying to think back on the way he lived and ask himself questions. What is this knowledge? How can he remember it, reclaim it, so that it becomes useful to him once more? How can it be passed on to the next generation, to ensure its legacy.” (p. 109)

“The choice my parents made, then, was not to hide the Indigenous part of our identity, our genetic makeup. or to raise us as non-indigenous, but rather to raise us as humans and let us fine for ourselves what it means to be Indigenous. Let us go on that journey of discovery in our own way, in our own time. And that begs the question: What is Indigenous identity?” (p. 172)

“What is Cree identity? There isn’t one Cree identity. There as many Cree identities as there are trees in the forests that line the rivers that lead m home when I visit Norway House and Black Water. There are as many Cree identities as there are Cree people.” (p. 174)

“Most of the time I’ve come to accept that you can’t change the past. You can only learn from it.” (p. 184)

>>>>>>>> <<<<<<<<

BECOMING EVE: My Journey from ultra-orthodox rabbi to transgender woman by Abby Chava Stein / 2019

Abby Chava Stein was raised in a Hasidic Jewish community in Brooklyn where laws  and practices of eighteenth-century Eastern Europe were strictly enforced. All aspects of modern life were shunned, Yiddish and Hebrew were her only spoken languages. Abby was the first-born son in a rabbinical family. From an early age Abby knew that she was a girl. With no access to media and no one to term to, her desires, confusions and hopes were suppressed. What was expected of her was a strict devotion to Jewish laws and an ultra commitment to studying, studying, studying. Much of this story recounts Stein’s school experiences, her fervent commitment to reading and her sometimes outspoken views with those in authority. Forced to suppress her desires for a new body, she sought forbidden religious and secular texts and the essential need to ‘become Eve’ led her to an exodus from Ultra-Orthodox manhood, leaving home, her family (including a wife and son), abandoning traditions and expectations. She is the first openly transgender woman raised to have. been ordained in an Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Institution. Today, she is a rabbi, an activist, a blogger, a model and passionate speaker about her transformative journey.  Readers accompany Abby Chava Stein’s  in her studies, her relationships with peers, her involvement with family, her first encounter with love, her engagement and marriage but most of all, understanding the truth of her nature and her longing. We partake in the author’s  journey to combat everything around her telling her not to do and work towards living an authentic life. This memoir offers readers an education – and a questioning – about the demands of Hasidic religious practices. This is a compelling story. NOTE: Becoming Eve was produced as a well-reviewed off-Broadway play in the spring of 2025. I longe to see any production of this play someday. 

Excerpt

“I would try to immerse myself in my studying. Then, buy thoughts about being a girl would return, and I would turn to philosophical questioning, trying to convince myself that I was only having these thoughts because of my religious disconnect. Then I would decide that I did not believe in any of the religious teachings at all, and my anxiety would surge as I saw no way out.” (pages 153-154)

DRAWING FROM MEMORY by Allen Say / 2011

“Let your dear child journey” is an old Japanese saying Allen Say first heard from his mother. 

Allen Say is one of children’s literature most gifted author/illustrators. Many of his  picture books are drawn from memories to life important events and people from Say’s life (Tea With Milk, The Bicycle Man, Home of the Brave, Kozo the Sparrow.  In Grandfather’s Journey, Winner of the Caldecott, 1984 –  Say narrates his grandfather’s immigration between Japan and the United States. Drawing from Memory is a unique memoir presented in picture book format with photographs, sketches and illustrations spread throughout.  Short passages that appear on each page synthesize the artist’s journey as he dedicated himself to gaining drawing and painting expertise. Nothing was going to get in the way of Allen Say’s dreams to be the best artist he could be. The book gives Allen Say the opportunity to tell the story of becoming a renowned artist, fighting against the wishes of his father who didn’t approve of his son’s interests. Say pays tribute to celebrated Japanese cartoonist,  Noro Shinpei,  who became his ‘Sensei’ (master or teacher) and whom the young artist  recognized as his ‘spiritual father’. Allen Say’s inspirational story recounts his life in Japan  before moving to America. Special you are, Mr. Say. 

PLAYING WITH MYSELF by Randy Rainbow / 2022

Playing with Myself is a memoir that answers the question, “Can an introverted musical theatre nerd with a MacBook and a dream save the world, one show at a time?” (from book jacket)

Randy Rainbow (real name) is  a remarkable talent. Randy  Rainbow is wickedly funny.  His satirical videos (particulary those criticizing Donald ‘Jessica Trump) have captured the attention of hundreds of thousands. Playing with Myself the ups and downs story of Randy’s (dare I say we are on a first-name basis?!) is fascinating indeed. The comedian digs into his early family life, his over-imaginative, introverted childhood, his love of his mother, his adoration of his grandmother, Nanny Irene,  and his tumultuous relationship with his father. When he decides to make the brave leap to move  from Florida to New York, Randy reveals himself to be a tenacious, spirited, hard-working individual as he pursues his dreams of ‘making it there’.  Recounts of  taking odd jobs (e.g., Hooters host), delving into the world of showbiz (working in a production and management office) and taking any come-what may opportunities to perform are worthy of applause. Embarking on the world of making videos in his apartment provided the opportunity  to critically comment on politics and the news of the world  (e.g., COVID) . Musical theatre runs through Randy’s blood and has given him a lifeline to take risks and make us laugh through his brilliant inventive lyrics and joyful (i.e., gay) productions.    Reading this book has taken me through a rabbit hole of digging into some of popular YouTube video spoofs. His recent piece, “Defy Democracy”,  taking another stab at DJT, , is hysterical. His ‘interview with Barbra Streisand is hilarious and last night at 1 a.m, iI woke up at 1 a.m to watch his lip-synching rendition of Patti Lupone’s audio book of her memoir. Funny! Funny! Funny!. Randy you are an entertainment hero. You are a hero for gays.  Courageous and audacious, you are! (“Weird is good. Be weird.” (p. 23). I look forward to seeing you perform live some day. I look forward to reading your newest publication, Low-Hanging Fruit.  Carol Burnett, Patti Lupone, Audra Mcdonald and  Stephen Sondheim are  big fans.  I am too!

SAD TIGER by Neige Sinno (Translated from the French by Natasha Lehrer) /2023 / 2025

Apparently this publication took the country by storm when it was released in France in 2023. It is the winner of several book awards in 2023 (e.g. Le Monde Literary Prize, The Prize Femina). As I embarked on digging into memoirs this month, the devastating story of a woman’s account of her experiences of being sexually abused as a child. Neige Sinno unpacks facets of her memory as well as that of her mother and father who repeatedly raped her. Not only does the author chronicle events from her childhood life, but in the second section of the book, ‘Ghosts’ she talks about how she made sense of what happened to her and how reading literature and writing this memoir helped her to restore her sense of self and her place in the world. What intrigue me was the author’s meta approach to creating this memoir, a device that had her reflect upon the purpose of her telling her story for herself – and for an audience of readers; “‘Why?’ Why am I writing this book? Because I can,.And like the soldiers, the answer shatters into an infinite series of fractals that lead to melancholy but also to rage and joy.” (p. 208). There are many fictional and nonfictional accounts of child abuse, and Niege Sanno’s reflective and meditative approach to her experiences help to make Sad Tiger an extraordinary story by a gifted writer who has lived through and is living through this  trauma.

Excerpts

“In order to be free, I was going to have to choose what baggage I wanted to hang on to and what I could lose.” (p. 157)

“Child sexual abuse is not an ordeal, an accident of life; it is a profound and systematic humiliation that destroys every foundation of the self. If you have ever been a victim of it, you are always a victim. And you will be a victim forever. For even if you recover, you never truly recover.” (p. 159)

WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN HERE: A Queer Muslim Memoir  by Samra Habib  / 2019

Samra Habib, an Ahmadi Muslim grew up in Pakistan where she faced threats from Islamic extremists. Her family lived ti Canada as refugees and Habib encountered bullying, racism, poverty – and an arranged marriage. Her feminist spirit and her creative talents were ready to burst forth. Significant to the life choices Samra Habib made was her exploration of  her queer sexuality as she travelled around the world. Obedience to her family and religion was problematic for the author being true to herself, but in the end, fierce determination and faith in herself moved her forward to becoming the authentic queer woman she became.  We Have Always Been Here is a story of family, culture,  traditions, community  and pride, a remarkable story  breaking through family and society expectations. It is the story of pursuing and holding on to authentic identity:  “There’s no denying that my identity as a queer Muslim is the lens through which I see and engage with so many aspects of my daily life: fashion, music, literature, social media, politics, history, activism, sexuality, gender, faith art. Basically, everything.” (p, 214)  The author’s story is a testament to a life where both learning from others and treasuring ourselves matters.  This memoir was deemed the 2020 Canada Reads winner. 

Excerpts

“For me, practising Islam feeds my desire to understand the beauty and complexity of the universe and to treat everyone, regardless, regardless of their beliefs, with respect. My faith inspires kindness, patience, and self-reflection in my daily interactions.” (p. 171)

“Being Muslim is one of the absolutes about myself I can be sure of. It serves as an anchor when I’m lost at sea. It helps me come back to myself, and it leads me to others, who’ve struggled to reconcile seemingly disparate parts of themselves. For me it’s not something I can put on and take off like a garment.” (p. 214)

WHALE EYES: A memoir about seeing and being seen by James Robinson; illus. Brian Rea / 2025

STRABISMUS: A condition of eye misalignment where the eye muscles aren’t able to keep the eyes aligned  when looking at something. With Strabismus (or crossed-eyes), The eyes my turn in, out, up or down.

WHALE EYES: Thought not a technical term, it is one that James Robinson uses to describe his own visual disability. The eye condition is basically whale eye because it resembles a large wide eye of a whale, seen from the side

James Robinson shares his experiences of growing up with misaligned eyes recounting his experiences with classmates who, confused or repulsed  would stare at him. Robinson describes how he wrestled with words on the page, failed eye exams and often struggled with those who stared at him.   The book cleverly provides interactive experiences of the author’s struggles (e..g, eye test experiments). True to the subtitle of this book – a memoir about seeing and being seen – Robinson, has written this memoir to talk about his experiences of seeing and unpack the experience of ‘being seen’ as a person with a disability. Ultimately, his story is intended to help others confront any discomfort they may have when meeting others with a disability. Robinson  provides facts and explanations and stories that provide information and explanations of what life is like for him in school and beyond. I came across this book in the YA section of a book store, The first half of the book entitled “My Eyes” describes Robinson’s world and indeed provides inspiration for readers, ages 12+.  Part Two “Your Eyes” is somewhat more philosophical,  technical and somewhat sophisticated approach to explain how what it means to be seen and help readers be more thoughtful and caring ‘see-ers’. Such components as ‘Out-Trigue’, ‘Tension’, ‘Machinations’, and ‘Opti-cism’ may not have as strong appeal to young adolescents as adults who read this book.  The book is brilliantly illustrated  with  images  (often comical)  that interpret, extend and enrich the author’s story.  by artist, Brian Ray. High praise for the graphic images and  layout that help to make Whale Eyes an exceptional publication. 

NOTE; James Robinson is an award-winning documentary filmmaker. His twelve-minute video for the New York Times (July 14, 2021) watch is essential viewing.  Whaeyes.org/ watch

THE YEARS by Annie Ernaux / 2008 / English Translation by Alison L. Strayer / 2017 

Seven Stories Press claimed that this autobiography that is ‘at once subjective and impersonal, private and collective.”

This hybrid memoir spans the years 1941-2006. by Nobel literature prize-winning author (2022), Anne Ernaux. She uses the pronoun ‘we’ instead of the expected ‘I’ of autobiography and when writings about her personal history from childhood, youth, and adulthood, she uses  the third person voice (i.e., she). Drawing on notes from six decades of diaries, the author takes a close-up look at French society just after the Second World War into the early 21st century by giving reference to personal photos, books, song titles, radio and television and movies. The author digs into such issues as consumerism, illegal abortion, a troubled marriage, her mother’s Alzheimer and experiences with cancer  in rather short passages.  The writing is fearless, critical and both personal and universal.

 

>>>>> <<<<<<<

Ten  favourite memoir titles from previous postings

BORN A CRIME by  Tevor Noah / 2016

EDUCATED by Tara Westover / 2018

FRIENDS, LOVERS AND THE BIG TERRIBLE THING by Matthew Perry / 2022

I. M.: by Isaac Mizrahi / 2019

I WAS BETTER LAST NIGHT by Harvey Fierstein / 2022

PERMANENT ASTONISHMENT by Thomson Highway / 2021

RUN TOWARDS THE DANGER: Confrontations with a body of memory by Sarah Polley / 2022

SMILE: A memoir by Sarah Rulen / 2021

SPARE by Prince Harry / 2023

TOO MUCH IS NOT ENOUGH: A memoir fumbling toward adulthood  by Andrew Rannells / 2019

Some favourite Graphic Memoirs

CAN’T  WE TALK ABOUT SOMETHING MORE PLEASANT?   by Roz Chast / 2016

DUCKS: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton /2022

FEEDING GHOSTS by Tessa Hulls / 2024 (winner of the Pulitzer Prize)

FUN HOME A Family Tragicomic  by Alison Bechtel / 2006

GENDER QUEER byMaia Kobabe / 2019

PERSEPOLIS: The Story of a Childhood by Mariane Satrapi (Also: PERSEPOLIS 2) / 2000/2003

STITCHES by David Small /2009

This posting offers 11 new picture titles (mostly 2025 releases)  with appealing characters who learn with and from each other.

SHOUT OUT

CHOOCH HELPED by Andrea L. Rogers illus Rebecca Lee Kunz

Chooch has just celebrated his second birthday and his older sister, Sissy, is aggfravated because her baby brother seems to  be get away with everything, even though in Sissy’s eyes, he’s always messing things up. But Chooch just wants to help others whether it’s painting a mural, tuning up bicycles, making moccasins, playing guitar, preparing dumplings.. When Chooch interferes with Sissy’s pottery-making, the young girl loses her temper but soon comes to learn the importance of being patient and  what it means to be helpful. This wonderful simple story works as a heartwarming  a story about an older sibling learning to make space for a new child; and a powerful celebration of Cherokee cultural traditions.  Another strong feature of this publication is the inclusion of Cherokee language (e.g., usdi = baby young; ageyutsa – girl/daughter, explained in a glossary at the end of the book. The artwork, infused with Cherokee iconography and symbols is exquisite. A lot of care was put forth by the team who helped to create this marvel of. picture book. Chooch Helped is Winner of the Caldecott Medal, 2025.  This book gets a standing ovation from Dr. Larry.

A KIDS BOOK ABOUT BANNED BOOKS by The National Coalition Against Censorshipn (NCAC)

The National Coalition Against Censorshii- (NCAC) is an alliance of more than 50 national nonprofits committed for kids right to read. For decades, many titles have been challenged for telling stories and tackling topics that make some people eel uncomfortable. This nonfiction title target audience is middle years  and YA readers (and the grown-ups in their lives).  The book provides information and insights into books that are challenged, banned or censored – now more than ever, it seems.  This book tells us that we want readers to read books To Learn, To Discover, to Explore and to Feel. When adults  ban books, –  i.e.,  taken out of a library or school because someone says  they don’t think it’s right for kids  – they are taking away access to books to help readers, grow, learn and feel seen. A Kids Book About Banned Books is a title presented with bold font, a simple black white, red and gold palette. The. book offers  questions and facts that can prompt kid to kid and adult to kid  conversations which may lead readers to take an active approach to speak out about the freedom to read. 

I remember hearing Katherine Paterson speak on a panel  about censorship many years ago. Her novel, Bridge to Terabithia, was at one time one of the best read and most censored children’s literature titles. Her words “Do we want to protect our children or prepare them?” from personal stories and world issues that some adults think are dangerous, scary, or too grown up.

Excerpt

“Because you will meet a LOT of people in your life, and you won’t agree with everyone you meet. It’s important to learn how to have conversations with  people with think differently than you do.” 

NOTE: When I bought this book, I also bought myself a tote bag (what another tote bag?) that reads BANS OFF OUR BOOKS. 

A KIDS BOOK ABOUT BELONGING by Kevin Carroll / 2023

This book speaks directly to kids. What does it mean to belong? What does it feel like when you belong to a group or family or team? What does it feel like when you don’t? This picture book helps young readers to considers  the comfort and connection – and sometimes struggles – of  fitting in anywhere.  The opening page advises “This book is best red together, grownup and kid.” With spare graphics, spare text presented in tan, black or white font, this is an ideal resource to have conversations with young people ages 5+ about loving, accepting appreciating, caring and supporting yourself. 

Excerpt

“You might event think you need to pretend you’re somebody you’re not, just to belong. Or that you need to wear a mask over your the real you to fit in.”

BABY’S FIRST BOOKS OF BANNED BOOKS; illus. Laura Korzon

Yes, this is a board book for babies and I’m not sure that toddlers would appreciate the intent of this book. The Kite Runner by Kahled Hosseini, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison and The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood are far away from their wee kid world.  Still, I purchased this little book because I like the simple statements to encapsulate the power of a good book, even thogh it’s been banned. . For example, “I speak up when someone is in trouble” accompanies the title Maus by Art Spiegelman ; I feel good telling the truth accompanies To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and “I’m Free to be Me” accompanies Alex Gino’s Melissa. It’s never to early to teach the importance of being free to read, and Baby’s First Book of Banned Books provides” lessons for rebellious young readers” and old readers too.

THE FABULOUS EDWEENA by Edwin Dumont; illus. Melissa Cho

Edwin is very excited about the upcoming figure skating competition.  To prepare for the event he  once again invades his sister, Patsy’s closet and comes out of the closet dressed as Edweena Louisa wearing   a a colourful dress, boots, fancy gloves and a pink belt and glimmering dangly earrings. Adding make-up and a wig excites Edwin because he will be the only one dressed in drag. Will his classmates make fun of him? Will he win the competition? This is a story about being true to yourself and living with the credo that “a dream is a wish your heart makes.”.   Edwin Dumont you are fabulous and there’s one word to best  describe this picture book – FABULOUS!

LITTLE BIRD LAILA by Kelly Yang; illus. Xindi Yan

Kelly Yang is a proflific and terrific novelist. Her Front Desk series is very popular with middle years readers I love her books. Little Bird Laila is her newest release, a picture book that tells the story of a young Chinese girl who becomes her parents’ teacher as they learn the English language.  Yang highlights some of the challenges of learning how to acquire new vocabulary, understand the meanings of idioms (‘Don’t beat around the bush’)  and pronounce words properly as Laila translates English to Chinese. (“Just because something’s hard doesn’t mean you give up, right?”). Laila is a great teacher and many young readers will identify with her attempts to help family gain confidence when learning a second language. 

ORRIS AND TIMBLE: Lost and Found by Kate DiCamillo / chapter book

Orris the rat and Timble the owl are friends. Can a rat and owl really be friends?  Storytelling is one thing that binds them. One day, Timble doesn’t  show up in the barn as expected  Timble fears that his owl friend has abandoned him. Spoiler alert Timble, a little more grown up returns to visit his friend and has a lovely story about getting lost to tell his rat friend. Every sentence in this short book is simple and exquisite (e..g., ‘The sun rose and gray dawn turned into day. Light filled the barn.’; ‘From deep inside the velvet slipper, Orris could feel the owl waiting’. He arrived with a great rush of feathers that smelled of nighttime air’. The clarity of dialogue enriches character and setting: “By the light of the stars, by the light of the moon, I will always return.” said the owl.”  Each word is perfectly chosen. But that’s no surprise – Kate DiCamillo is a storytelling genius . Mok’a beautiful illustrations are story moments unto themselves (Lonely Orris gazing into the night sky longing for his friend; Oris crawling in a velvet slipper; Owl hovering over a country landscape;  Orris and Timble reunited underneath the gaze of a crescent moon), Lost and Found  is the second book in trilogy (Book One: Orris and Timble: The Beginning).

Hooray for GROUNDWOOD / HOUSE OF ANANSI PRESS   / 2025 releases 

ROCK by Laurel Croza; Illus. Matt James 

Laurel Croza and Matt James are the team who published the award-winning book I Know Here (2010)  (Marilyn Baillie Picture book boaward, Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award. Once again the author and illustrator have created a special publication about an seagull and a rock getting into   argument. Seagul mistakes the rock for food, but the rock, is proud to be ‘just a rock ‘amongst an infinite number of other rocks’. This is one terrific story about what the significance of a miniscule  part of nature that could be considered insignificant  Laurel Croza’s verbal text and dialogue  is spot-on  and the illustrations featured in mainly two-spreads with  various perspectives of the seagulls are a WOW!  Applause to Croza and James for another stellar House of Anansi publication. This book rocks!

THE ONE AND ONLY QUESTION by Norma Charles and Andrea Charles; illus. Ken Daley

It is the first day at a new school for Kyle and he is bracing himself what might happen if someone calls him the N-word, like they did at his old school. As the day unfolds, Zeke is sure that it’s going to be the worst day ever  (e.g., a stain on his favourite shirt; a frowning bus-driver, a hor stinky classroom in a soggy sandwich for lunch). Most of all. he is suspicious that someone is going to call him the N-word. What will he say? What will he do?  A random act of kindness brings comfort to the young student and things won’t be so bad. The One and Only Question is an important story about ways to handle bullying, racism and belonging. 

SOMETIMES I EAT WITH MY HANDS by Kid Haile 

There is absolute joy on the face of the little girl pictured on the cover of this picture book, and when we meet this character, Feven we learn that she delights in trying new foods (i.e. broccoli, watermelon and mac’ n’cheese. Which utensil to use is sometimes a puzzlement, but when Granma comes for a visit, the family gatherrs around the table to eat injera, an Ethiopian and Eriteran flatbred and knows that sometimes eating with our hands can be a joyful thing!h With sparse text and happy colourful illustrations, this picture book is deeeeelicioussssss!

SUNDAYS ARE FOR FEASTS by Leila Boukarim=; illus. Ruaida Mannaa

It is summertime and Yasmine is visiting her family in Lebanon.  Getting together for lunch is a weekly  ritual and on one occasion Yasmine is given the responsibility of preparing hummus. Will she succeed? Will her crank uncle Ammo Farouk approve of Hummus a la Yasmine? Sundays Are for Feasts is a wonderful celebration of family, traditions, Lebanese culture and Hummus! (recipe included). 

I’m hoping to clean up my shelf of ‘to read’ books and have recently enjoyed three FICTION, three  MEMOIR and three PROFESSIONAL TITLES published fairly recently. There’s still about a dozen more titles which I hope  to get to as springtime unfolds. I don’t usually write about movies, plays and TV series I’ve enjoyed but in this posting I strongly recommend an unmissable Netflix series.

>>>>>>>>>    <<<<<<<<<

 >>>>> FICTION <<<<<

GOING HOME by Tom Lamont (2024)

The premise of this book intrigued me. The fate of a young toddler, Joel,  is questionable when (spoiler aler) his mother, Lia,  commits suicide. Ben and Teo were part of Lia’s friendship circle and because he offered to babysit one day, Teo know bears the responsibility of taking care of Joel. Ben and Teo have enjoyed a strong friendship since their youth. Teo has a responsible job that he rather enjoys. Ben is a rich self-indulgent chap.  Are either of these two single guys prepared to be fathers? Will they? Two other characters add some dimension to the story: Sybil Challis is the rabbi at a local synagogue who’s duties to her congregation is wavering and Vic, Ben’s father who’s health is ailing. The setting is North London.  Yes, an intriguing premise but as the novel plods on I became less and less interested in how fatherhood changes these two central characters. Skipping to the end to find out who Joel ends up would have been enough for me, but I avoid reading the ending of a book.  I often like books where different sections are devoted to different characters but this device didn’t seem to add anything, especially as told from the third person voice. The author has readers do lots of inferring (sometimes from sentence to sentence).  For example, we never learn much about Lia’s suicide (not that we need gruesome details), but I wondered about the shift from Joel’s life with his mother to coming to live in a new home.  Why wasn’t there a chapter entitled ‘Lia’? Can’t say that I loved this novel. Oh well. 

WHAT I KNOW ABOUT YOU by Eric Chacour (translated from the French by Pablo Strauss) (2023 / 2024)

Tarek’s life -map seems to be one that is pre-destined by his Christian father, mother and sister. He will get a proper education, become a doctor like his father, he will marry and have children.  Those plans become topsy-turvy when Tarek meets Ali, a young man from a world that is different from the one Tarek leads.This beautifully written book by French Canadian author, Eric Chacour is the winner of several French literary prizes and was also shortlisted for a number of book awards, including Canada Reads, 2025.  Originally published in 2023 it was a bestseller in its original Quebec edition which was then translated from the French by Pablo Strauss in 2024. The construction and choice of voices are  intriguing and appealing strengths of this novel. Part One (You) is told in the 2nd person voice, Part Two  (Me) in the first person and a Part Three (Us)serves as an epilogue to the story. There are 50 chapters in this 222 page novel.  The story spans the years 1961 – 2001 and is presented in passages that go back and forth in time travelling from Egypt to Montreal to Boston. I was totally immersed in the life of Tarek as I learned about his loyalty to family, his work as a doctor, his troubled marriage and his life as a gay man.  What I Know About You is a love story, albeit a sad, heartbreaking one. where shame and secrets smother the lives of a man, his lover, and a son that is unknown to him.  Chacour’s writing is precise and masterful and deserved of any awards consideration. This book was highly recommended to me by two friends. I’m so glad I read it. 

Excerpt (p. 76)

“It’s not my place to say what happened that night. I’ll never side with those who judge, but at the same time I’ll do my best not to imagine it. That part belongs to you, that’s all. I’ll settle for specualting on how obsession took hold in the days that followed.”

SHOUT OUT!

THE TREES by Percival Everett (2021)

“There is something really strange going on,” Jim said. “”I realize that’s obvious. but I mean something really, really strange.” (p. 250) 

Percival Everett’s book JAMES, winner of several book awards (The National Book Award, Kirkus Prize, Carnegie Medal), was one of my favourite fictional reads in 2024. I figured it was time to dig into some other Everett books (He’s written over 30) and a friend recommended, The Trees, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, 2022. I’m grateful for my friend’s  recommendation. I loved this  novel. It is the story of brutal murders that began in Mississippi and quickly spread throughout the country. Not only are  bloody bodies of white men  discovered, but an unexpected second dead body is  found in each crime scene, a body of a Blackman that resembls Emmett Till.   Something strange is going on and a remarkable quirky cast of characters  – and readers – are in for a wild ride to find out what that something is.  The author digs into the history of racist White folks and the legacy of lynching in the United States.  I was intrigued a from page to page and appreciated the rather short chapters that informed and entertained me. Are you ready for a satirical look at White Supremacy? The Trees is gruesome, provocative and funny, funny funny! More Percival Everett for me!

FYI: These characters names provide evidence of the author’s sharp wit: Hot Mama Yeller; Junior Junior; The Doctor Reverend Cad Fondle; Mama Z; McDonald McDonald; Herberta Hind; Helvitica Quip; Pick L. Dill.

 >:>>>> MEMOIRS <<<<<

PLAYING WITH MYSELF by Randy Rainbow (2022)

Playing with Myself is a memoir that answers the question, “Can an introverted musical theatre nerd with a MacBook and a dream save the world, one show at a time?” (from book jacket)

Randy Rainbow (real name) is  a remarkable talent. Randy  Rainbow is wickedly funny.  His satirical videos (particulary those criticizing Donald ‘Jessica Trump) have captured the attention of hundreds of thousands. Playing with Myself the ups and downs story of Randy’s (dare I say we are on a first-name basis?!) is fascinating indeed. The comedian digs into his early family life, his over-imaginative, introverted childhood, his love of his mother, his adoration of his grandmother, Nanny Irene,  and his tumultuous relationship with his father. When he decides to make the brave leap to move  from Florida to New York, Randy reveals himself to be a tenacious, spirited, hard-working individual as he pursues his dreams of ‘making it there’.  Recounts of  taking odd jobs (e.g., Hooters host), delving into the world of showbiz (working in a production and management office) and taking any come-what may opportunities to perform are worthy of applause. Embarking on the world of making videos in his apartment provided the opportunity  to critically comment on politics and the news of the world  (e.g., COVID) . Musical theatre runs through Randy’s blood and has given him a lifeline to take risks and make us laugh through his brilliant inventive lyrics and joyful (i.e., gay) productions.    Reading this book has taken me through a rabbit hole of digging into some of popular YouTube video spoofs. His recent piece, “Defy Democracy”,  taking another stab at DJT, , is hysterical. His ‘interview with Barbra Streisand is hilarious and last night at 1 a.m, iI woke up at 1 a.m to watch his lip-synching rendition of Patti Lupone’s audio book of her memoir. Funny! Funny! Funny!. Randy you are an entertainment hero. You are a hero for gays.  Courageous and audacious, you are! (“Weird is good. Be weird.” (p. 23).I look forward to seeing you perform live some day. I look forward to reading your newest publication, Low Hanging Fruit.  Carol Burnett, Patti Lupone, Audra Mcdonald and  Stephen Sondheim are fans.  I am too!

SHOUT OUT!

ALL THE LITTLE MONSTERS: How I Learned to Live with Anxiety by David A. Robertson  (2025)

Brilliant author, David A. Robertson,  has opened up his heart and his mind to describe his journey of living with – and through – anxiety.  This memoir takes a plunge into the depths of confronting and competing with ‘all the little monsters’ who whisper in his ear ‘you can’t do this!’ Readers learn about the fears, the compulsions, the depression of  Robertson struggles to get out of bed, to climb those stairs to ‘get on with it’.  The honesty that Robertson sticks to as he recounts his experiences with anxiety and a heart condition, are presented, not only to get to learn about what the author is going through but is moreover written, to help others who are going through similar trials and let them know that they are not alone.   There but for the grace of God, I do not suffer from anxiety, or know someone who does, but this book  helped me understand in some way what those who deal with anxiety and depression might be going through. It also raised awareness to look around me and become aware of what someone, like Robertson, might be experiencing, even though I might never know that they are struggling with mental health issues. All the Little Monsters is a brave, intimate book.  Accounts of family and friendship supports, therapy sessions, hospital visits , breakdowns, panic attacks and medications are heart-squeezing. I found myself turning down the corners of over a dozen pages as I read wise philosophical views of what the author was / is going through. As I read this book, I wanted to reach and out shake this mans  and I was lucky enough to do so when I listened to him share his stories aloud during a conference session. David A. Robertson, you are a hero. This revelatory memoir is VITAL reading. 

Astonishing to me is the fact that despite his mental health issues (because of them?) David A. Robertson continued to write and write and write. He is at the top of the heap of Canadian authors. As a  Cree author his revelations of Indigenous issues are essential for readers young and old. He is prolific. He has won awards for his picture books When Were Alone and On the Trapline. His Misewa Saga series is enjoying popularity for middle-grade readers.  I am very fond of a recent publication The Kodiaks which is a terrific novel  about playing hockey, about being on a team and about confronting anti-Indigenous racism. His novel, The Theory of Crows and his memoir Black Water are staring at me from my book shelf and I look forward to reading both of them soon. 

Some excerpts

“As far as I’ve come in my journey with mental health, Im intimately aware that its a journey with no finish line, and one that often has wrong turns that lead you back to a place you’ve already been.” (p..105)

“Sharing what I’ve been through and what I’m afraid of and then facing those fears by ignoring the voice that tells me to be afraid have all been a boon to my mental health.” (p. 143)

“I can do hard things. I repeat that in my mind these days, like a mantra, each time the voice in my ears tells me I can’t do something, even the smallest thing, even the most ridiculous things every day. / I can do hard things, and so can you.” (p. 173)

“I live with depression that comes and goes like the tide. Anxiety is always there with me, no matter what time of day, no matter what is going on in my life, and no matter where I am. I pack it in my suitcase with my socks and shirts and jeans, both what it was and what it is.” (p. 248)

SHOUT OUT!

SHATTERED by Hanif Kureishi

While I was browsing in. book store, the jacket cover caught my attention. A sombre beige background with the hanif kureishis name, the title of the book and the word memoir featured in a deep plum colour font, all in lower case. Filling the page in grey font are the words ‘two weeks ago a bomb went off in my life which has also shattered the lives of those around me. at least I haven’t lost the one thing that was most valuable to me which is the ability to express myself.” I was somewhat familiar with the author’s name: The Buddha of Suburbia (novel) ; My Beautiful Launderette (screenplay). Late in the year 2022  while relaxing in his  apartment in Rome, Hanif Kureishi  stood up, fell flat on his face, breaking his neck.  Paralyzed,  he could no longer walk.  Over the next year, Kureishi was confined to hospital wards and was totally dependent on the care of others. Unable to move his hands to compose, the author , with the ability to speak, relied on family members to record his thoughts and feelings about what is happening to him as well as reflections on is life as a father, husband and creative life. Shattered is the results of this extraordinary process where the author reveals his views on parenthood, immigration, sex, psychoanalysis and the art of writing and his faith that he will one day be able to return to his home.  The dispatches were edited, expanded and interwoven into the publication I held in my hand, a book that left me shattered, astounded by the heartbreaking honest account of loss, of pain, of dependency, of gratitude and hope. Fate is a funny thing. Ahh, the things we (I) take for granted! Strange how life can change in an instant and Kureishi’s memoir is a testimony to  how resilience and love that can help to conquer calamity. This powerful  book – harrowing and inspiring – will be on the list of my favourite reads of 2025. 

Some excerpts

“It took some time to get used to the utterly serious nature of my injury and how life-changing and permanent it is. There’s no going back, though I wish all the time there was.” (p. 112)

“I exist in a constant state of panic, fear and tearfulness. I want to escape myself.” (p. 114)

“Wit is the brilliant expression of a truth, a way of exposing something with concision and effect, making the world seem like a brighter place…If I am funny, in conversation, it is something I had to learn and cultivate; it is a form of creativity, as is all conversation.” (p. 279)

“We are in constant development, never the same as yesterday. All the time we are changing, there is no going back. My world has taken a zig where previously it zagged; it has been smashed, remade and altered, and there is nothing I can do about it. But I will not go under; I will make something of this.” (p. 323)

>>>>>  PROFESSIONIAL TITLES <<<<<

FAIL-SAFE STRATEGIES FOR SCIENCE AND LITERACY by Sandra Mirabelli and Lionel Sandner (Pembroke Publishers, 2023)

This is an excellent  – important – teacher resource where the two authors connect science and language arts by focusing on how students use literacy strategies to learn key science concepts. Mirabelli and Sandner share their expertise and provide research designed to introduce thinking routines in the classroom (Chapter 3).  Especially noteworthy is the offering  of 25 hands- on science-literacy strategies where students are encouraged to Observe and Wonder; Predict and Infer; Sort and Categorize; Analyze and Interpret; Conclude and Apply. Activities such as ‘Can You Lift This?’; ‘Kissing Candles’; ‘Piercing Pencils’ and ‘Reaction in a Bag’ are outlined with clarity, step by step instructions  and accessible reproducible graphic organizers. Fail-Safe Strategies for Science and Literacy  an engaging resource that gives teaches confidence as they strive to integrate reading, writing, listening and speaking into science content  in order to help students make sense of the world. 

THE HEART-CENTERED TEACHER: Restoring Hope, Joy and Possibilities in Uncertain Times by Regie Routman

(An Eye on Education Book / Routledge, 2024) / available through Pembroke Publishers in Canada. 

This title was outlined in a previous posting but I have since re-visited the book  in order to dig into Routman’s wise views about striving to be a teacher with heart.  

In the book’s opening, ‘A Letter to Readers’, the author’s lead sentence reads: “My goal, dear reader is to write to you like I’m talking to you, as a fellow traveler on life’s winding road, to share my journey with candor and humility.” I’m always eager to dig into a new Regie Routman publication, and when I read over the table of contents, I knew that this recent release would be a must-read. With chapter headings such as ‘Loving Our Students’, ‘Promoting Equitable Opportunities’ ‘Championing the Reading/ Writing Connection’, and ‘Becoming our Truest Selves’, I knew that the author would help us to think carefully about “developing, nurturing and sustaining caring relationships — in our teaching lives, our home lives, and in the happy intersection of both.”  Routman conveys such topics as  Telling Our Stories, Science of Reading,  Seeking Mentors, Libraries, Living with Loss, The Importance of Friendships,  Reading Aloud, Choosing and Using Literature, and Establishing a Reading Life.Particularly noteworthy is Chapter 5, ‘Developing Professional Knowledge’, which is essential reading for classroom teachers, consultants and administrators. 

At the heart of Regie Routman’s professional and personal journey are stories; stories of working with young people (particularly  marginalized children) tutoring an adult, professional experiences as a writer, speaker, and consultant in residency projects, tributes to friends, colleagues and family. Noteworthy too is the wealth of practical strategies that I (we) need to consider to improve our practice and our relationships. A new Regie Routman publication is not only a cause to “nourish the heart, mind and spirit” but a cause for reflection and celebration.With The Heart-Centered Teacher, she invites us to consider where we are and points toward the path for what we could be, what we should be, as educators. Routman has abs0lutely met the challenge of  providing a professional title that helps us consider the importance of ‘Restoring Hope, Joy and Possibility in Uncertain Times’. 

Reading this book with pencil in hand, I chose to put check-marks, question marks and asterisks in the margin alongside ”aha’ passages that invited me to pause,  to wonder and to question. Here are a few of Regie Routman’s pearls of wisdom: 

Considering a Joyful Inclusive Culture

“… a welcoming and caring culture is a necessity for high, schoolwide achievement and that we all have the opportunity and responsibility to work to make the culture a positive one for learning and living.” (p, 83)

Considering the Human Element

“…first and foremost  – before any subject matter – we are teaching unique human beings and relating content to their strengths, knowledge, interests, needs and culture.” (p 101)

Considering the Science of Reading

“From the start, we must view learning to read asa language and thinking process,not just a sounding-out words process.  Reading and comprehension must be our first and primary goal in teaching reading, and phonics is but one necessary tool in this multi-dimensional process. (pp. 114-115)

Considering Delight and Meaning

“However and wherever we teach, I believe delight, wonder and meaning must be at the center of creating an intellectually, and emotionally environment for all learners.” (p. 146)

Considering Great Literature

“You can’t make a great fruit tart from a second-rate fruit, just as you can’t teach reading well without first-rate literature.” (p.181)

LITERACY INSTRUCTION: Practical evidence-ebased classroom strategies to inspire studnet readers and writers by Karen Filewych (Pembroke Publishers) (2025)

Karen Filewych newest publication provides a practical, clear overview of the components of an effective literacy program.  The book elementary teachers a guide to a wide range of strategies grounded in research.Chapter titles include ‘Preparing your Classroom for Literacy Instruction’; The Role of Language in Our Classrooms’; ‘Planning: Your Year, Your Week, Your Lessons’.   Literacy  Instruction is accessible and comprehensive by providing a wealth of reading and writing and talk and word study lessons the book. Key terminology, methods and research are woven throughout It’s a terrific resource to help teachers to not only reflect on their programs but to plan effective literacy instruction to help enrich literacy success for all. Hooray for Karen for providing novice and experienced teachers a gem of a professional book.

>>>>>>>>> <<<<<<<<<

  SHOUT OUT! 

 >>> NETFLIX  MINISERIES <<<

ADOLESCENCE

This is a four part miniseries. It received 100% favourable ratings from the crtitics. Each episode is filmed in one continuous shot (Amazing!). The story is centred on a a 13 year old boy, Jamie Miller who is arrested for murdering teenage girl in his school. Episode #1 unpacks the boy’s arrest and police questioning; Episode #2 is the detectives searching for the knife that was used and also searching for a motif; Episode #3 features an interview between a therapist and Jamie (Note: This one hour is the most staggering one hour to be seen on Television this year… the critics agree). Episode #4, explores the impact of the crime on  family as well digs into the guilty feelings of the mother and father.  Each performance in the series is deserved of an award.  Kudos to the writers, Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham (who also plays the father  – brilliantly!) .Adolescence is harrowing, tough stuff that has viewers thinking about many tough issues, i.e. social media, parenting, bullying, nature or nurture, toxic masculinity and incel culture (incel  =_ involuntary celibate, usually heterosexual males who are frustrated by their lack of sexual experience   and so blame, objectify and denigrate women). Adolescence is not a ‘whodunit’ crime, but probes the why of killing acts.   I’m sure I won’t see a better streaming series this year / this decade. Powerful- and and unmissable!

This posting includes a mixed-bag of ten titles including; middle-age readers, fiction YA fiction and nonfiction, a poetry anthology. It’s great to be able to dig into some very appealing book with a 2025 publication date, and I look forward to reading new releases as the months roll by, some that dig into such tough topics (e.g., grief, racism, missing Indigenous women, and gay love).

ALONE byMegan E. Freeman / verse novel / 2022

When an emergency announcement forces everyone in town to evacute, twelve-year old Maddie finds herself to be the only living resident. She has only herself )and a rottweiller companion) to rely on. How will Maddie survive from day to day? Will encounters with blizzards, looters, fires, flood, dogs over the years defeat her? How will she get through hunger, fear and loneliness? (“I do have to give myself pep talks. I do have to keep myself company.” p.253). Will she ever come to be rescued ?  Survival stories  of hope and resilience (Hatchet; Island of the Dolphins) have great appeal for many readers. Freeman’s free verse style enhances the pace, the tension and the introspection of this courageous young teenager. I look forward to reading Megan E Freeman’s recent release, Away, a companion to Alone.  

DEAR MANNY by Nic Stone (YA) / 2025

This novel is the final instalment in the remarkable trilogy of titles that ignites thought for young adolescent readers about racial discrimination.  Nic Stone’s first two Dear books have been widely banned across the US, since it deals with the loud cry that Black lives and Black history should be  eliminated e in public education.  In Dear Martin,  Justyce McAllister, an honour student, and loyal friend has left his rough neighourhood and is inspired to write a journal  letters to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  when he experiences police violence and racial injustice.  In Dear Justyce. an incarcerated teenager writes letters to his best friend  about his experiences in the juvenile justice system, an experience that deems to rob Black boys of their childhoods.  Now with Dear Manny, we are introduced to straight and white Jared Peter Christensen who is running for president of Junior Class Council  at his college  He is running on a  platform  focuses on increased inequity and inclusion on campus. His competition is John Preston LePlante IV who is compaigning against ‘representation matters’ claiming that DEI means ‘didn’t earn it’.   A third opponent, Dylan Marie Coleman, a sharp, scrupulous Black girl,  enters  the race  challenging Peter’s  privilege, values and loyalties, especially since he has developed a crush on his opponent. In this novel, Jared writes letters to his best friend trying to confront his beliefs and hidden secrets , just as readers of this novel will question democracy, the principals of the American constitution . The multimodal format (letters, text messages, transcripts and third-person narrative) are masterfully handled by an important  bestselling author. Nic Stone’s books are essential reads to dig into matters of race, class and justice. that are indeed challenging matters of contemporary society. 

FIND HER by Ginger Reno / 2024

Wren’s mother. a victim. of Missing Indigenous women  has been missing for a number of years. Wren is very close to her grandmother. Elisi,  who brings comfort and wisdom and lessons of  Indigenous ways to her granddaughter who has hopes of being reunited with  mother.  Wren’s father, a policeman, who is dutiful to the demands of his job, but also troubled by the disappearance of his wife.  Disturbing news of lost and cruel treatment of pets in the Oklahoma community, spurs Wren on to become detective and find out who s behind these tragic events.  Find Her is a mystery story.  The tragedy of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Movement (MMIWG) filters throughout the story  of through the quest of a  tenacious Cherokee middle school young teenager hoping to seek justice and answers to animal abuse. Bravo to author Ginger Reno for presenting readers with a sensitive, compelling novel about injustice and hope. 

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY by Maria Marianayagam / 2025

What would you do if you won a million dollars? Who wouldn’t want to be the one to discover the million dollar prize-winning wrapper of a popular chocolate bar? Would you still claim the prize if you stole the chocolate bar? Ajay (pronounced Ah-jay) Anthonipillai is burdened with the choice of revealing his secret discovery. His modest family from Sri Lanka is struggling to make ends meet and sure could use the prize money. But Ah-jay is faced with the  dilemma of telling the truth knowing that the theft is against the Ajay’s ethical upbringing as well as the rules of mastering karate. Ajay’s Tamil parents, wanting the best for Ajay and his sister have have strict rules: Straight A’s only; There is no such thing as  no homework dy; never owe anyone anything. Now that he is in grade 8, Ajay is determined to once again be recognized as student-of-the-year like he was in grade 7. Only top marks will do. Marianayagam has told an compelling story about ethical choices, family values and the pressure of being a young teenager. Readers will likely be on Ajay’s side as he gets more and more caught in up in  web of lies. Readers will likely wonder… ‘will Ajay ever cash in the prize?’ Should he? Bravo to Maria Marianayagam for a terrific story  that will strike the chord of  many teenagers who are challenged to balance academics, bullying and family expectations. Bravo to Maria Marianayagam for a terrific debut novel portraying the dynamics of a contemporary  Tamil family. 

excerpt, p. 182

“I had all these reitauls because I wanted to my life to be perfect. Perfect student. Perfect son. Perfect everything. And what about my life is perfect anymore/ Nothing. I was a thief. And now I’d nearly killed someone.

RUN AWAY  WITH ME by Brian Selznick (YA) / 2025  

Yes, you can sometimes judge a book by its cover. The image on Run Away With Me depicts, in. dream-like image, two boys kissing and this illustration sits atop  fragment of the cityscape in Rome.  This  cover is a preview to this remarkable story about a growing love between two boys who experience the wonders and history of Roman art and history.  Flipping through the book, readers will encounter 95 pages of black and white pencil drawings that establish the setting and adventures that will unfold as the narrative proceeds. (another 20 or so black and white images appear at the conclusion of the book). That these stunning drawings are created by master illustrator Brian Selznick assures readers that they will be experiencing a powerful creation of words and pictures.. Selznick is known for his art for the novels by Andrew Clements (e.g., Frindle, Lunch Money; The School Story,). His marvel of book, exploding with fantasy realistic images is The Invention of Hugo Cabret (2007),  the Caldecott winner .  Other titles that balance Sleznick’s brilliant art and verbal text style include Big Tree, The Marvels and Wonderstruck. 

When his mother is assigned to work in a museum dedicated to the preservation of books, sixteen year old Danny is spending the summer in Rome.  Walking the streets of the city, Danny hears a voice call out ot him which leads to an encounter with a beautiful boy named Angelo. The two teenagers end up spending time together and Angelo who seems to know much about the ancient city, its architecture and monuments and serves as a Danny’s (and the readers’s) tour guide to the wonders of the sights and secrets and stories of the city. A strong friendship develops. Moreover, Danny develops a strong attraction to Angelo and falls in love for the first time (“So  what could we do with the pain growing in our bodies that threatened to overwhelm us if we thought too much about it? (p. 207) Danny and Angelo make the most of their time together, even though Danny knows that his vacation days are limited and he will have to return home. Brian Selznick tells an exotic story of gay love filled with  adventure mystery, passion. His art work, as expected, is astonishing.  Bravo to you Mr. Selnick for your first venture into YA fiction.

Excerpt (p. 140)

“Did you ever notice that everyone things that their own ife is normal, but each persons’ life is so different?”

“I auppoaw.”

“So what is normal, really? I’d say nothing. Nothing is normal.”

THE SHAPE OF LOST  THINGS by Sarah Everett /2024

Canadian author, Sarah Everett, received high praise (and a Governor General Award) for her novel The Probabilty of Everything. The story presents an unusual and powerful approach to grief. It was on my 2023. list of favourites and I was very pleased to discover The Shape of Things, another original story by this gifted writer. The world changed for Skye Nickson when her father absconded her older brother Finn. There have been no answers to the mysterious disappearance of her brother who she hadn’t seen in four years. One day, Finn is found but his reappearance also holds mysteries. Sky is convinced that this quiet, secretive teenager is not the brother she fondly remembers joking with and having secrets with. Is it possible that this Not-Finn is someone else entirely? Skye is determined to find out the truth, with determined sleuthing and with the help of her old Polaroid camera. The Shape of Lost Things is another original compelling story from a mighty fine novelist. 

Excerpt, p. 254

“And I don’t know if this means anything except that sometimes another thing that can change is how peole look to us, depending on how close or far or wide or grainy or clear the picture we have of them is.”

WORDS WITH WINGS AND MAGIC THINGS by Matthew Burgess; illus. Doug Salati /Poetry / 2025

There are so few poetry anthologies for young people published each year and I’m drawn to new collections designed to delight and enhance the wonder of words. The title of this anthology had appeal. The book is organized into 7 sections, each with a title that begins with a word that begins with “W” (Welcome, Wonder, Wild, Where, Windows, WHOOPS & Whallops; Whispers and Well Wishes. A noteworthy feature of this publication is that each section is introduced with two full page spreads, first introduced by a die-cut page followed by a fantastically illustrated scene. Despite the division of sections, the tone of the book, however, seems constant (most any poem could appear in any section). The poet expands and explodes the familiar (e.g., the number zero; dancing, a stone, ducks, trees, puddles etc.) often exploding at times into absurdity which is the stuff of ‘magical, nonsensical,  poetry (e.g., ‘A Dragon Pinata;’; ‘Alligators on the A Train’ ; The Hungry Yeti’; ‘Ice-Cream’; ‘Primordial Slime’. The marvelous art work by Caldecott-winning illustrator (Hot Dog), Doug Salati is  adventurous and fanciful and are poems unto themselves (thought: it might be fun to have students create poems from the magical art work that appears throughout. I read the the poems in Words with Wings and Magic Things in chronological order and I have a hunch that young readers will delight in some of Matthew Burgess’s pieces, but will be puzzled by the narrative and message of a number of poems. Praise goes to any book that enhances the wonder of words. This is a worthy new collection for reading aloud with a group of youngsters in classrooms or side by side with an adult. 

Excerpts

> from opening page: ‘Whispers and Well Wishers’

Summon up your deepest wish and toss it in the well –

The truest source within your heart where all the magic dwells.

> from ‘Me in this Tree’

“All I want to do today

is to myself in a different way” 

> The Tomato

Plump in the palm, ripe to the brim, topped with a cap/ as if ready to spin, glowing as if with/ some sunset within, /I had to say ‘thank you’ / before I bit in.

> from ‘The Tiger in My Belly’

There’s a tiger in your belly

You’re the one he’s rooting for

If you ever need some strength,

Close your eyes and hear him ROAR. 

FYI

The following two novels are parallel in their telling of two girls who deal with the death of their best friends and the challenging  journey of living with sorrow, moving on, but never forgetting the love s0meone who has passed. 

ALL THE BLUES IN THE SKY by Renee Watson (free verse) / 2025

Thirteen year old Sage is mourning the loss of her best friend who was killed by a drunk driver on the morning she was on her way to Sage’s birthday. This novel, presented in free verse deeply reveals Sages’ grief, especially by attending Grief Group counselling sessions where others share their stories of deal with those in their life who have passed. As the novel unfolds we learn about Sage’s dream of becoming a pilot, her first kiss experience and her encounters with friends and family who help to heal Sage on her journey.  “I hope this book reminds every reader in the midst of sadness and grief, there can be joy and goodness.” (from Author’s Note. page 182)

Excerpt 179

… it’s okay to cry,

it’s okay to be angry,

it’s okay to love.

… its’ okay to feel all. 

TELEPHONE OF THE TREE by Alison McGhee

Ayla and Kiri were faithful friends with a special devotion  for each other. Their bond is reinforced by their admiration of trees – They each want to be a tree when they grow up)   The two  a special connection throughout their childhood, until one day Kiri was killed in an accident. Ayla is struggling to accept Kiri’s death and is convinced that they will return to celebrate their eleventh birthday. One day, Ayla discovers a mysterious telephone that appears in the limbs of a tree.  The telephone serves as a vehicle for people in the community to ‘call[ their loved ones’ who have passed on.  This poetic narrative is presented in passages that are each one page.  Telephone of the Tree presents readers with an emotional account of death, loss and remembrance and the importance of moving on despite the grief that may smother us

The premise of this story was inspired by the story of the wind phone in Ostsuchi ,Japan created by artist Itaru Sasaki who built the phone booth so he could speak to his cousin who had passed in the  Earthquake Tsunami disaster in 2011. Villagers were drawn to the disconnected rotary phone to connect with people they had lost in their lives. Special Note: The picture book The Phone Booth in Mr Hirota’s Garden by Canadian author, Heather Smith; illus. Rachel Wanda.

 SHOUT OUT!

EVERYTHING I LEARNED ABOUT RACISM I LEARNED IN SCHOOL (YA / Nonfiction)

These days I’m a bit more careful about the picture books I choose to buy. I tend to favour books that deal with DEI and yes, address tough topics, as the following list of recent 2024, 2025 releases reveals: 

ADRIAN SIMCOX DOES NOT HAVE A HORSE by Marcy Campbell; illus. Corinna Luyken / 2018 / bullying, poverty, kindness

Adrian Simcox claims he owns the most beautiful horse and he is pleased to tell this to anyone who will listen. Chloe, however, refuses to believee him: How could he keep a horse, feed a horse when he only is able to wear shoes that have holes in them. Chloe complains and complains but comes to learn an important lesson when her mom escorts her to Adrian’s home.  I was aware of this special picture book but recently decided to purchase it after reading about it in Regie Routman’s book The Heart-Centred Teacher  stating that it’s a poignant book about bullying, poverty, judging others without knowing  their ‘back story’ and – ultimately – the power of kindness and a vivid imagination to set things right.”….”This one is a gem for reading aloud and having up follow-up conversationis – for learners of all ages.” (p. 88) I absolutely agree.  Thank you-Regie. This one is a gem. 

BLUE IS THE ONLY COLOR IN THE RAINBOW by Deanna Hart; illus. Chrish Vindhy / 2013 / diversity

Jasmine is a young girl is so devoted to the color blue (clothes, toys, food) and so when she gets a furry monkey, Mango,  as a gift, she is reluctant to play with him because he is red. Mango takes Jasmine to place called Prisma where ‘the sky swirled with everything was colorful bright and happy and Jasmine comes to accept that blue is not the only color in the rainbow. This picture book presents appealing story by the author of A Firefly Named Felix. 

THE COLOR MONSTER GOES TO SCHOOL by Anna Llenas / 2018 / kindness

With this purchase, I now have the set of Color Monster books that are the perfect resources for helping young children understand emotions. (The Color Monster: A Story about Emotions; The Color MOnster: A Pop-up Book of Emotions; Dr. Color Monster An emotional toolkit). In this title, Color Monster has anxiour feelings about the first day of school, but new friends and new school adventures help him through the day.  I’m very fond of these lively books, not only for their capacity for helping children connect to the different feelings they may experience from day to day but for the exuberant, child-like – and colorful – artwork that were executed in a variety of media including crayons, watercolor pencils  acrylics and collage. 

EVERYONE STARTS SMALL by Liz Garton Scanlon; illus. Dominique Ramsay  / 2024 /  nature and the environment

Small or big, high or low, soil, wind and water, everything in the natural world is connected. The water from a creek and a river quenches the thirst of the tree. The sun’s rays help to give the world fruit and. Insects of the forest work in harmony. This is a very special picture book that pays tribute to the resilience of the planet with vivid word images and vibrant lively illustrations. Liz Garton Scanlon and Domique Ramsay have created a rich,poetic, nonfiction document to help young readers learn about and ponder Earth’s ecosystems  and  recovery as the world experiences the effect or climate change.  

Excerpt

“Water grows too, tumbling end over end, picking up speed along the way. It’s not a race, says Tree, but Water keeps rushing toward the sea and Tree keeps stretching toward the sky.”

GIRL TAKES DRASTIC STEP How Molly Lamb Bobak Became Canada’s First Official Woman War Artist by Jillian Dobson; illus. Genevieve Simms /2024 / gender; Canadian history

The opening sentence reads: “Molly always knew she was artist.” Author, Jillian Dobson tells the story of Molly Lamb, who more than anything dreamt of capturing the events of World War II but found herself overcome with obstacles. Molly’s ‘drastic step’ was joining the Canadian Women’s Army Corps but soon discovers misogynistic attitudes when her commanders claimed that the front lines were no place for woman. Her tenacity eventually led Molly to realize her dream and become the first official woman war artist working overseas. Jillian Dobson and Genevieve Simms were inspired to tell this story by inspecting the artist’s headlines (e.g., ‘If Only… Maybe.. Perhaps..,;’ Lamb’s Fate Revealed  stories and illustrations that filled her 226-page newspaper style journal. This special biographical picture book brings to life wartime experiences of women who supported the war effort. Girl Takes A Drastic Step is a celebration of feminism, perseverence and artistry. 

GRAY by Laura Dockrill; illus. Lauren Child / 2024 / emotions; kindness

Gray is a gloomy colour. It’s a colour that conveys a sombre mood and a feeling of sadness. It is a colour that, yes we all feel at some time. Scribbles on a page, puddles in the road, tea gone cold, are times when we  ‘don’t feel like me’. This is a book that many readers will connect to, reveal how they are feeling   and to let them know that they are not alone. With simple text and evocative full-page illustrations, featuring die-cut pages, this picture book helps children to identify with their feelings of being unhappy, while at the same time offering assurance and comfort to readers to let them know that they are ‘big red hugs’ and ‘blue lullabies ‘ awaiting them.  This is a  brilliant, stellar picture book that needs to be shared (and discussed). (Note: Gray is a worthy companion to the Dr. Color Monster books by Anna Llenas).

Excerpt

“I love you however you are feeling… and my love won’t change, even when you are gray.“

The following two picture books are by author Matt De La Pena and illustrator Loren Long, each a champion in their contributions to  the world of picture books.. Each title is celebration of universal human experiences providing readers through lyrical text and poignant illustrations a vehicle to reflect on and appreciate the value of having LOVE and HOME.

HOME by Matt de la Pena; illus. Loren Long / kindness / 2025

Home is a tired lullaby. Through the back window of an old truck you watch the only home you’ve ever known. Home is not a house you leave behind but the people who walk beside you. Home is not the walls we build up around our orderly little lives but the wild wild world outside.  Home is surviving hurricanes and floods and hard times when forced to move on. A wish made on the first star you see is home. Home is the thump, thump, thump of your own human hears as you stadnd in a forest of redwoods. 

“It’s the thump, thump, thump / of the earth’s sentimental song inviting you into the harmony of things.”

LOVE by Matt de la Pena; illus. Loren Long/ kindness / 2018

The sound of parent voices over a newborn’s crib is love. Love is running through sprinklers in a concrete park. Love is comforting a child when they have a nightmare. Love is lying on a field of flowers. Love is made-up stories, listening to a busker outside a subway station, staring at your face in the bathroom. Love is treasured friendships. Love is universal. Love gives us comfort in troubled times. . Love gives us connection.

“Stars sjome ;pmg after they’ve flamed out.. and the shine they shine with is love.”

THAT DAY by Pierre-Emmanuel Lyet / 2024 / death, loss and remembrance

Translated from the French, this warm picture book celebrates one boy’s cherished memories about a grandpmother who recently passed away. A simple story about death, loss and remembrance, filled with lovel The brightly coloured artwork fill the pages – and the heart.

“I don’t remember the last time I saw you / but I know what it felt like to hold your hand.”

SHOUT OUT !!!!

THE LITTLEST DROP by Sascha Alper; illus. Jerry Pinkney and Brian Pinkneym/ 2025

The forest is on far, and the animal habitants just choose to flee to safety. But not the hummingbird who flew to the river, filled her tiny beak with just the littlest drop of water which  she deposit over the ferocious fire. Back and forth, Hummingbird flew letting the water fall drop by drop by drop.

“Hummingbird, wht are you doing?” elephant asked. “You are just a small bird.”

“I am doing what I can.”

Jerry Pinkney (1939 – 2021) illustrated more than 100 children’s books, many with Black characters. Much of his work bring to life traditional tales and fables. He was honoured with many awards including the Caldecott prize  for John Henry (2000);  Noah’s Ark (2003) and for the book The Lion and The Mouse (2010) . The Littlest Drop is worthy of a big shout out, not only for its important message thag we all have the power to chance the world, but the book was the final work that renowned artist Jerry Pinkney was working on before his death.  Brian Pinkney, worked on  his father’s blak and white sketch by adding colour and some embellishments to his father’s draft work.  The  art work is a WOW… (another Caldecott, perhaps (I say, ‘yes’).  

This is a must-share story to help young people think about doing being an participants in their world. 

NOTE: This parable originated by the Indigenous Quetchua people of South America. Sascha Alper’s version was inspired by a telling from Wangari Maathai, the first African woman and first environmentalist to win the Noble Peace Price. Noteworthy too is a version by Haidan author / illlustrator  Michael Nichol Yahgulanass who created the inspiring picture book The Little Hummingbird (2010)

Great to have some great reads to start the new year.  Most of these titles were published in 2024. Three wonderful titles are  verse novels / two wonderful novels  are told from a dog’s point of view / one title is a wonderful poetry anthology. Each of these ten books deserve at least a four (out of four) star rating from Dr. Larry.

4 titles are by British authors.

3 titles are by U.S. authors.

3 titles are by Canadian authors.

A DUET FOR HOME by Karina Yan Glaser (2022) 

The author has given readers vivid insights into what it means to live in a homeless shelter. The story is centred on 11 year old Chinese girl named June, her young sister Maybelle (who loves dogs), her mother (who mostly stays in bed mourning the loss of her husband. We also learn about Tyrell who has lived in the South Bronx shelter for over 1300 days.  June has a special talent for playing the viola (vee-ola) and is determined to practice, practice, practice, despite the rule of having no instruments in the shelter. Tyrell is hopeful that he can learn to play the violin. Music gives these two characters reasons to dream and hope. When a new government policy threatens the residents of Huey House, life for June and Tyrell lead them to take action. The novel is presented in alternating voices of June and Tyrell. A Duet for Home is a special story that examines the circumstances, the trials, and the politics of those who are homeless. It is a story of resilience and optimism. 

THE KODIAKS: Home Ice Advantage by David A. Robertson

To start, let me say that I am not a hockey fan. Let me also begin by saying that David A. Robertson knows hockey. The play-by-play description of each of the character’s games is filled with the action, thrills and tensions of the mighty travelling puck. Alex Robinson’s family has moved from their reserve community to Winnipeg. Like any kid on the move, Alex is trying to find a place of belonging and his passion and talent lead him to find purpose when he joins the local hockey team, The Kodiaks.   Alex proves himself to be one of the best players, but he also becomes a target because he’s Indigenous. Intentional or not, slurs about his Indigeneity are hurled at Alex and he is challenged with the choice to stand up to the racist jerks or continue to support the team he loves. The discussion of Anti-Indigenous Racism is a notable feature of this exciting story. I’m assured that young hockey lovers would love this book. The Kodiaks (Book One of the Breakout Chronicles) is a marvelous story about being a member of a sports team and I’m assured that any kid who’s participated in a team sport would understand and identify with the joys and frustrations of competition. This is another very special book by a very special author. 

Excerpt (p. 180)

“There was going to be somebody at some point, who would say something ignorant. Alex knew that. But he knew, now, that when it did happen, it would be their problem, not his.”

ONE BIG OPEN SKY by Lesa Cline-Ransome / Verse Novel

One Big Open Sky is a remarkable, poignant piece of historical fiction describing the perilous wagon journey in 1879 of the Black Homesteaders movement heading west.  The narrative is beautifully revealed in three first-person voices (women) written in exquisite free verse style. Young Lettie is the central character recounting the dangers her family experienced as they trudged forward on a covered wagon from Mississippi to Nebraska. This is a story of opportunity  and dreams that emancipated black families, like Lettie’s  pursue in order to claim the independence they’ve strived for over generations hoping to own their own plot of land.  Readers accompany Lettie, her mother and father and two brothers in their long brave journey experiencing such hardships as hunger, storms, crossing rivers, community and loss. Alongside Lettie’s entries, we get inside the families trials and tribulations through the voice of her mother, Sylvia and a young teacher named Philomena. That the novel digs into the restrictions – and fierce -determination of strong women, adds a special dimension to this story. This novel was awarded a 2025 Newbery Honor book distinguished. I agree that Cline-Ransome’s book is deserved of praise and honours. It is a mighty portrait of survival, emancipation and freedom of what is an underrepresented historical era.

OUT OF THIS WORLD  by Michael Rosen / Poetry

This is a grand, brand new collection of poems by beloved British author and former Children’s Laureate, Michael Rosen. The twelve narrative free verse poems (with some splashes of rhyme) inspire thoughtful reflection, particularly when they are drawn from memories of our families. (e.g., The Schoch; Letters; Family Secret). Some poems display Rosen’s creative imagination (e.g. March 30, AD 3528; Time Travel; Red Blood Cell. The final poem, Riddles’, is a brilliant wrap-up of all the pieces we’ve encountered in the book. The black and white drawings by Ed Vere compliment the text. If I were to write a poetry book, I’d love to have Mr. Vere as my illustrator.  This collection is subtitled: “Poems to make you laugh, smile  and think”. Indeed they are! The title of this anthology is a perfect  review of Michael Rosen’s talent.  I look forward to reading Out of This World again. 

POPCORN by Rob Harrell

“Dedicated affectionately to the anxious, the worried, the stressed, and the generally freaked out.”

Andrew Yaeger is having a terrible horrible no good very bad day. The action of this story takes place in the school day in the life of Andrw who suffers from OCD, anxiety and panic attacks. It’s picture day and this grade seven student has prepared himself to look good for the photo, but is not prepared for all the mishaps that come is way (a flying ketchup bottle, an exploding test tube, an abusive bully and a grandmother who has gone missing.  The kernels of corn in Rob’s stomach are getting hotter and hotter until they threaten to pop and create a nightmare for Andrew as the mishaps of the day build and build.  Most of the action takes place over the course of  a single school day, but that narrativer is interrupted with 1) stories of Andrew’s relationship with his grandmother (G) who has Alzheimer’s and now has taken over  Andrews bedroom room and 2) Andrew’s visits to a therapist who helps him deal with his problems. Rob Harrell (Wink) unpacks how a young person deals with mental challenges and remarkably he does so with funny funny stuff. The spot illustrations nd graphic “Anxiety File” graphic panels provide comic relief to Andrew’s woes. Harrell knows what Andrew Yaeger is going through, because he himself was 100 percent a “Kid with Anxiety”.  This is a terrific  terrific read with an A+ recommendation from Dr. Larry.

REASONS TO LOOK AT THE SKY by Danielle Daniel  / Verse novel

I am a fan of Danielle Daniel’s picture books (Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox, Sometimes I Feel Like a River, I’m Afraid, said the Leaf) and was pleased to enjoy her recent publication for Middle Years readers, a novel told in free verse Eleven-year-old Luna is passionate about  all things to do with Space. She dreams of becoming an astronaut and hopes to secure a spot at NASA’s space camp for young people. She is especially excited when the science curriculum presents a unit on Space and she is excited about immersing herself into a project that promotes her interests and talents.  Disppointment enters Luna’s life when her beloved classroom teacher, is replaced with a substitute teacher, Ms Manitowabi ,who is keen on weaving art into the science program. Changes in her family life and her friendships add to Luna’s woes. Facts about the Solar System, haiku poetry, and learning about Indigenous sky stories are appealing features of Daniel Danielle’s star-filled art-filled novel. 

SUPER SLEUTH by David Walliams

Oh, Mr. Walliams you’ve done it again!!. Quirky characters (e.g., Aunt Gladys who hates children; The Black Widow, elderly Norwegian lady;  Shariff, Egypt’s superstar sleuth; Frau Frohlich,  a German Detective madcap adventures, a body found in a giant blancmange dessert; the afrozen body of a chef (wearing only his undercrackers) trapped found in an iceberg; a nun c coming to the rescue in her  bike-o-plane contraption;  o and a dynamite plot (i.e., murders aboard a transAtlantic cruise liner). The heroine of our story, is Dilly, who loves cracking cases along with her faithful companion dog named Watson who has been well-trained to sniff out clues.  Super Sleuth is yet another page turner from masterful, comical storyteller, David Walliams. In fact, the pages seem to turn themselves as readers join Dilly and Watson aboard the Masquerade Ocean Liner crossing the Atlantic Ocean. Adam Stower’s masterful, comical illustrations add to the fun of reading this novel, particularly with his abelled diagrams of people (e.g., Morosov, the brooding Russian novelist; Sister Ruth, the world’s greatest nun detective), places (e.g., the Masquerade ocean-liner, a submarine), and things e.g, Perfect Place Setting; a whisk murder weapon. Super Sleuth is a super book. Funny, whacky  stuff. No wonder Mr. Walliams books have been sold by the millions! And millions!

UNSINKABLE CAYENNE by Jessica Vitalis  / Verse novel

Knowing that I enjoy reading verse novels, a friend recommended Unsinkable Cayenne to me. I’m glad she did since this is a story that not only unpacks the complexity of trying to fit in in middle-school, but addresses issues of poverty and classism. The story is set in 1985 in a fictional town in Montana. Cayenne’s family has moved around a lot in their sticker-covered van and because of her sage-burning, free-spirited mother and moody father (suffering from PTSD), Cayenne feels that her life is weird. With the hopes of settling down and finding a job, Cayenne’s father settles the family into a new home. For this seventh-grader it also means that she is challenged of finding a way to fit in with the popular girls, class projects, attending parties and games. and finding a way to hide that her family is living in poverty and can’t pay the rent on their new home. Drawb frin her own family’s transient childhood experiences, Jessica Vitalis a very fine job of revealing the woes that many young adolescents face. Throughout the novel, references are given to birds who serve as symbols for Cayenne’s experiences. The history and fate of the Titanic disaster also plays an important part in helping Cayenne come to terms with what life has dealt her.  Thank you for recommending this book, my friend. Unsinkable Cayenne is a special title to add to my Verse novel collection 

Excerpt (p. 69)

“In middle school/ there are two choices/fit in/ or stand out. Trust me, you do bnot, want to stand out./ At least not/ for the wrong reasons.” 

>>>>>>>>   <<<<<<<<<

SHOUT OUT (Five stasrs *****)

Novels with dog characters have great appeal for middle year readers. Such titles as Where the Red Fern Grows (Wilson Rawls), Sounder (William H. Armstrong), Shiloh (Phyllis Reynolds Naylor), Stone Fox (John Reynold Gardiner) and Because of Winn-Dixie (Kate Di Camillo)  can be considered treasured reads for many young people. While visiting London in January I purchased two new novels each story told from the point of views of a devoted dog, each caught up in the perils of war time.  Both books were absolutely terrific!

COBWEB by Michael Morpurgo

Although he has written many books over many decades, I first became enamoured with beloved award-winning Michael Morpurgo’s masterful storytelling after reading his celebrated title War Horse. I have since collected a bookshelf of Morpurgo titles and was thrilled to dig into his most recent publication, Cobweb, another story about a brave, loyal dog, set in wartime. The setting is Britain 1815 and  the war with Napoleon is threatening the nation. Cobweb lives a contented life on a country farm with Bethan and her father until he is taken away to become a Drover’s dog, herding sheep and cattle for hundreds of miles. Cobweb becomes intwined  with the Battle of Waterloo, where he eventually meets up with a heroic soldier who has a might y story to tell. This novel is a heartwarming, adventure story of Loyalty with a capital ‘L’ and Bravery with a capital ‘B’. Cobweb is another incredible story  told from the point of view of an animal by an incredible author. I was also comforted by the fact that Michael Foreman illustrated this book. What a team, Morpurgo and Foreman are!  Mr. Morpurgo, you are a treasure. 

I AM REBEL by Ross Montgomery

Rebel enjoys. as simple life on the farm and is fiercely loyal to how owner, Tom. When war approaches, Tom is determined to join the rebellion to defeat the Kings’ men and chooses to leave behind life on his farm, as well as his faithful dog. Even though Rebel knows that war is dangerous, he will stop at nothing to save the human he loves: “I am here, and that I’ll always be here, because I’m his dog and he’s my boy and I love him.”  This is a ‘dog story’ extraordinaire and was the winner of  Waterstone’s children’s book of the year, 2024. That recognition caught my eye and I was rewarded with a heartfelt adventure story. I wish I had a junior class to read this novel aloud to. I hope North American readers meet this wonderful wonderful British title. I Am Rebel  is a thrilling adventure story, of Loyalty with a capital ‘L’ and Bravery with a capital ‘B’ guaranteed to pull the heart strings. A winner indeed. 

Excerpt (p. 230)

“He never even asked me to follow him. He told me not to, Jaxon.”

“Then why are you doing it?”

“Because… “I fumble for words. Because that’s what love is. It pins you to things. It makes you do things that aren’t right or clever or sensible, because you’re not doing them fro you. And that’s exactly what makes them important. Because if you haven’t got something outside of yourself to love, then you might as well be nothing.” 

>>>>>>> <<<<<<<

FYI

The NEWBERY Awards for distinguished contribution to American literature for children were announced on January 27th.

Newbery Medal: THE FIRST STATE OF BEING by Erin Entrada Kelly

Newbery Honors

ACROSS SO MANY SEAS by Ruth Behar

MAGNOLIA UNFOLDS IT ALL by Chanel Miller

THE WRONG WAY HOME by Kate O’Shaugnessy

ONE BIG OPEN SKY by Lesa Cline-Ransome

*LARRY’S CHOICES

AND THEN, BOOM by LIsa Fipps

KAREEM BETWEEN by Shifa Saltagi Safadi

TREE TABLE BOOK by Lois Lowry