Looking over the list of fiction I’ve read this past month, I realized that I could pair up these titles by connecting them by theme or by characters. Some 2026 publications are starting to emerge in my recent reading choices. A special shout out goes to Kathy Kacer for a special nonfiction title.
>>> 2 CHAPTER BOOK TITLES BY 2 CANADIAN AUTHORS
TAKE A DEEP BREATH OLIVE TRAN by Phuong Truong; ill. Christine Wei (ages 8 – 10) / 2025
Ten-year-old Olive Tran is full of spunk and determination. She is eager to win the school talent show and be thanked for winning a pizza party for her class. The problem: Olive doesn’t know what her talent really is that could win the competition. , especially knowing that her brother Ben is a piano prodigy. Olive considers a juggling act, a comedy act, jumping rope, hula-hooping. What hidden talent does the grade four, Olivia have? Many young readers will relate to the world of Olivia Tran – and cheer her on! Take A Deep Breath Olive Tran is the second book in the Olive Tran series. Book #3, Luckily Ever After Olive Tran will be released in the fall of 2026.
THE WORST SURPRISE EVER + HELPER OF THE DAY by Lana Button; illus. Suharu Ogawa (ages 7 – 9) / 2025
Brianna Banana is a feisty grade 3 student who has some difficulty controlling her emotions. She has great expectations when she is assigned to be class helper of the day but when she arrives at school and finds that her teacher is absent, Brianna’s hopes are dashed and she has trouble handling surprises throughout the day. Lana Button has introduced readers to a lively endearing character who is learning to control her emotions and cope with life’s unexpected mishaps. Like Ramona Quimby and Junie B. Jones, Brianna Banana is a spunky character who helps readers understand that making friends, being a friend and self-regulating our emotions isn’t always easy. This is an engaging, amusing story centred on emotional health. Lana Button sure knows kids who often struggle to fit in. Sequel: Helper of the Day.
>>> 2 BRITISH TREASURES: Something old, something new
A BEAR CALLED PADDINGTON by Michael Bond; Illus. Peggy Fortnum (ages 7 – 9) / 1958
This novel is the first in a series about a beloved bear who arrived from Darkest Peru at Paddington Station in London and came to be part of the Brown household. There are about 13 to 15 core books in the series. This classic piece of literature in various iterations has sold over 30 million copies and has been translated into 30 languages. Three terrific Paddington movies have added to the bear’s popularity in recent years.I chose to re-read this book in preparation to see the hugely successful musical Paddington, now playing in London. It’s a smash hit that will surely be playing for decades! The creation of the bear character for the stage is a marvel. And of course there’s a lively song about Ma Ma Ma Ma Ma Marmalade. What the musical does well is depict Paddington Bear as ‘other ‘ an immigrant stranger in a strange land trying to find his way in a new home which helps to make this a timely universal story.
SMALL WONDER by Ross Montgomery / 2025
For those who like exciting adventure stories, British author, Ross Montgomery’s books provide captivating, heart-racing narratives to dig into. I first encountered Montgomery’s work with I Am Rebel, the story of a faithful dog who who will stop at nothing to save the human he loves when the farm boy chooses to join a rebellion. That novel won Waterstone’s Book of the Year in 2024. I loved that book – one of my favourites of 2025. Small Wonder has all the ingredients for an exciting adventure that includes a dark forest, perilous mountains, bandits, knights, a deadly assassin and a quest to find safety at a place called King’s Keep and warn the ruler of the kingdom of the enemies approaching. With only six moons to reach their destination, orphaned Tick and his younger brother, Leaf – and a loyal horse named Pebble – bravely conquer each danger that comes their way. The words of advice from his grandfather who died, spur Tick on to survive and make each brave dead count. cliffhangers that end each chapter help to make this thrilling narrative that moves at a pace to quicken the adventurous reader’s heart.
>>> 2 CHARACTERS WHO ARE PASSIONATE READERS SEEKING COMPANIONSHIP (by 2 Queer Authors)
CHRIS MAKES A FRIEND by Alex Gino / (ages 9 – 12) /2025
Alex Gino is a genderqueer author of middle years novels. The book Melissa (originally published as George (2016) ) was the winnr of The Stonewall Book Award, and Lambda Literary Award, is an important story about a fourth-grade transgender girl. It is abook that has been challenged for its sexual references and for being against ‘traditional’ family structures. It is a seminal contemporary story to help readers of all ages understand issues of gender identity. Other titles by Gino are must reads: You Don’t Know Everything Jilly Pi (deaf culture and Black Lives Matter); Rick (a student comes to terms with asexuality), Alice Austen Lived Here (queer history) and Green (non-binary middle-schooler who fights for gender free casting). Chris Makes a Friend introduces readers to a girl who is passionate about reading . When Chris’s mother is scheduled to have surgery, Chris and her younger annoying sister, Becky, are forced to spend the summer with their grandparents. For Chris, it means not being part of the GS72BC project (Great Summer 72 Book Challenge (i.e. 72 days of school break)) with her friend, Vicky, but Chris rather enjoys alone time, as long as she can read, read, read. The title of the book is a spoiler alert of some sort as introverted Chris finds someone named Mia to spend time with, but is Mia the true friend that Chris needs. This is another great novel by the award-winning author. . Sexuality is not front and centre with this novel (Chris’s mother has a lesbian partner) . This is a another thought-provoking story by the award-winning author/ How bad can a book be about a kid comes to understand the importance of having a loving family, a caring sibling and a true friend. How bad can a book be about a kid who is addicted to reading books
Applause for the appendix that presents Chris’s Log listing the titles of 72 great summer reads.
RECOMMENDED READING by Paul Coccia / YA / 2025
Eighteen-year-old Bobby Ashton loves books. Bobby seems to be realistic about how others see him (…”they’ll see me as a poor unwanted, unloved Bobby Ashton, the chubby gay who helps everyone else find love but gets his own heart broken.”) Hopelessly romantic, he enjoys being a matchmaker and helping people find each other. In the preface to the book, we learn of an embarrassing incident where Bobby’s plan for a romantic proposal on a his current crush, ends up in an unfortunate scene of rejection. Bobby is determined to carry on. Bobby is also eager to find a boyfriend for himself and when hunky-looking Luke enters his world, he is eager to pursue a relationship. But although Bobby and Luke seem to know their own selves, they don’t seem to know what they want from each other. It is the summer before college and Bobby ends up working in his uncle’s run-down book store providing his with the opportunity to be the local Book Whisperer, connecting readers to the right book to uplift them. A cast of interesting characters add to the appeal of this book (Bobby’s co-worker, the crotchety Gladys, is a hoot!). Reviewers of this novel have praised the book for being ‘cute’ and ‘sweet’. I’m not sure that I would pick up a novel that is described as ‘cute’. However, like many readers, I found myself cheering on the romantic, witty Bobby Ashton in his pursuit of finding love with a guy who he claims is a ‘love Grinch’. Yes, Coccia tells a sweet, harmless, Rom-Com story of homosexual romance, where sex and lust do not play a part in the checklist of ‘Bobby Ashton’s plans for the Perfect Summer Before College. .’
>>> 2 NOVELS WITH THE WORD “LION” IN THE TITLE / Antisemitism + The Holocaust
DON’T FEED THE LION by Bianna Golodryga and Yonit Levi / Antisemtism (age 11+) / 2025
Journalists Goldodryga and Levi recognized a significant need to write a novel that helps young teenage readers come to understand the impact of antisemitism and the urgent need to combat hate. The book is centred on Theo Kaplan, a middle school student who loves being on his school soccer team. He is enamoured with a soccer hero Wes Mitchell who starts a fury when he makes a derogatory remark agains Jews. Some of Theo’s classmates (and school staff) claim that the slur was ‘no big deal’. but when Theo discovers a swastika drawn on his locker he is caught in a web of moral ethics. Theo’s younger sister, however, decides to take action and secretly gets involved with social media until her plan to speak out backfires on her. Family and friendship (and his approaching Bar Mitzvah) moves Theo find courage to speak up and speak up for what’s morally and ethically right. The compelling story book is presented in chapters centred on different characters and conveys authentic insights into school life, team obligations and tweenage social interactions. The two journalists have written a necessary story about resilience in the face of hate and the importance of confronting personal and social agency and the quest to find the courage to not feed the lions. It is a story to help readers Stop the Hate and to bravely fight antisemitism – and all forms of bigotry – . This book is needed NOW!
Excerpt
“Listen, the full quote from Hillel (Jewish sage and scholar) is, “If I am not for myself, who will be for me if I am not for others, what am I? And if not now, when, when?
THE LION’S RUN by Sara Pennypacker / (ages 11 +) / 2026
Lucas Dubois is the hero of this historical fiction novel that takes place during WW II in France which is under the occupation of Nazi Germany. We first meet the orphaned “Petit Eclair Lucas when he is being picked on by other boys and quickly learn how resilient and resourceful the thirteen-year-old boy is when he rescues a a group of newborn kittens from being drowned and then hides them in an old stable. But kittens aren’t the only one’s in hiding. A teenage girl named Alice who is using the stable to keep her filly from being taken by German soldiers. There have been many novels for young people about this period in history, but Pennypacker introduces a significant piece of history by introducing readers to ‘Lebensborn’, a birth house controlled by the Nazies where woman are forced to birth racially pure babies. Lucas is responsible for delivering for local greengrocers thus giving him reason to move throughout the community. Secret stories of hidden kittens, a hidden race horse, a young mother who desperately wants to keep her baby and the possibilities of joining the resistance movement intertwine in this richly told narrative of courage, chance, and hope. Each of the 58 chapters in this novel are rather short, adding a sense of tension to the storytelling. Hats of to Sara Pennypacker for brilliantly weaving in true events into a fictional emotional account of war through the adventures of a brave, resourceful protagonist. The Lion’s Run is outstanding novel, full of intrigue, sure to engage – and inform -` readers.
>>>. 2 BOOKS ABOUT BOOK BANNING
NOT ANOTHER BANNED BOOK by Dana Alison Levy
Molly is a grade eight student who is grieving over the death of her older brother. Being a member of Ms. Lewiston’s Book Club (LBC) brings her comfort through weekly meetings that allow her and her friends to talk about books. Early in the novel, Ms Lewiston is approached by the principal of the school who informs her that she is being suspended and that the book club needs to come to an end because of books that have been discussed that are ‘not appropriate’ for young readers. . Molly and her friends take action to investigate why this has happened and fight back to fight for the freedom to read. Stories like this are so important, especially in current times, helping young people to consider injustices and find the truth about book challenges, censorship and banning. Dana Alison Levy tells a compelling, serious, and even humourous story about middle years students standing up for what is right.
WAKE NOW IN THE FIRE: A story of Censorship, Action, Love and Hope by Jarrett Dapier; Art by AJ Dungo / fictionalized true story/ graphic (Ages 12+) / 2026
In 1963, copies of the book Persepolis byMarjane Satrapi was ordered to be removed from the classrooms and library in Chicago High Schools. This graphic memoir is a coming-of-age story of a Satrapis personal struggles with politican oppression and cultural changes in Iran in the 1980’s. Some thought this book with its graphic depictions of torture, violence and sexual content was inappropriate for teenage readers. Librarian, Jarrett Dapier examines this piece of history and tells the story of the students at one school who fought to overcome those in power who challenged and banned books. This fictionalized account of a true event is told as a graphic novel. The author had done extensive research including conducting interviews with the real-life students and using transcripts to tells the history of one book ban that took place over a decade ago but absolutely resonates with institutional censorship that has emerged in recent years. Wake Now in the Fire recounts the incident from multiple perspective examining the lives of teenagers, taking action, loving and hoping. The art work is in monochromatic shades of teal, with no more than 6 panels per page. The color red only appears when the book Persepolis predominates the action. There are several examples of fiction that dig into the quest to defend books and free speech (Answers in the Pages by David Levithan; Ban This Book by Alan Gratz; This Book Won’t Burn by Samira Ahmed) . Dapeir and Dungo’s book is another significant testimony to the courage and resilience to fight for what is right.
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SHOUT OUT / Nonfiction
LAST KNOWN ADDRESS: THE STUMBLING STONES OF EUROPE
by Kathy Kacer (age 12+) / 2026
I wasn’t familiar with the Stolperstein (Stumbling Stones) monument, Some facts:
> The memorial project began in 1995 by artist Guner Demnig as a way to honour victims of the Holocaust.
> Stones are small brass plaques chiseled with names and dates and fates and are placed outside the last address of the person before being arrested and often taken to concentration camps.
> Plaques are dedicated not only to Jewish people but also those who were persecuted for being Romani, disabled, queer. Not all shared the same fate.
> Gunter Demnig, working with a partner Michael Friedrichs-Friedlander has been placing plaques into cobblestone streets and concrete sidewalks in over seven hundred cities.
> as of early 2026, there have been 116,00 stones laid across 31 countries. About 6000 stones are added annually.
After stumbling upon a stumbling stone in Rome, Kathy Kacer became intrigued to find out more about the largest monument of the Holocaust in the world. In Last Known Address the author tells 13 stories of those whose names have been engraved in the memorial artifacts. The stones bring humanity to those whose lives were lost. Moreover, each stone is a marker of a human story to those who perished and reading these stories brings honor to those who perished in the Second World War and the Holocaust. Gunter Demnig believed that ‘ a person is forgotten only when their name is forgotten.’ There is sadness and awe in reading these stories of those who were arrested but learning about the families, the friends, the communities, the businesses, the pleasures of those who once lived in freedom helps us to understand history and value that ‘if we do not learn from history we are doomed to repeat it.” (American philosopher George Santaya).
Kathy Kacer is a hero for her writing for young people about antisemitism, the evil of the Nazi regime and the unbelievable stories of courage and resilience of those who lives who have been cut short. Any single historical fiction, nonfiction and picture book by Kathy Kacer helps young readers to grasp some understanding of the horrors of World War II. Last Known Address is a must-read stellar collection of stories that help readers of all ages to dig into the lives of only a few of someone who lived and possibly perished in the Holocaust. Thank you, thank you for this remarkable, well-researched, heartfelt nonfiction title, Kathy. The sepia-toned illustrations of the monuments and artifacts by Julian Neufeld add to the power of the book. and has inspired me to stumble upon stumble stones should I travel to Europe. Moreover each story in the book serves as a monument to a life lost by bringing authenticity to help me better understand those lives. And as statistics inform us, there have been 116,000 stones laid in 31 countries. 116 000 stones represent 116 000 stories of those ‘who lived here’. In the afterword, Kacer writes words of inspiration:
Keep readng
Keep learning.
Pass the history on.
Remembering
Leone Sabatello: Rome, Italy
Ann Frank: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Ettie Steinburg Gluck: Dublin Ireland
Willy Zimmerer: Frankfurt, Germany
Ada Van Dantzig: London, England
Max Josef Freund: Munich, Germany
Jan and Amalie Daniel: Brno, Czech Republic
Carl Becker:Krefeld, Germany
Matvy, Ajzinberg: Belrade, Serbia
Vera Katch Shiff,: Prague, Czech Republic
Max Windermueller,: Emden, Germany
Salman Schocken: Berlin, Germany
Attila Petschauer: Budapest, Hungry