Category: author

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Tundra Reading Club: April 2015

Hi everyone!

I hope you’re ready for this month’s book!

Just to remind you of our reading club rules:

Each month, we’ll post a book and a sign-up form for bloggers. Then we’ll randomly choose the lucky five who will receive a copy (in some cases, an advance copy) in exchange for a review on their blog!

Of course, everyone is free to participate via tweets (@TundraBooks) or in the comment section on the monthly post.

To make it easy to work into your busy schedules, we’ve chosen picture books so it shouldn’t take you too long to read the book of the month (or like me, you might pore over it for hours and be distracted by the illustrations).

TundraReadingClub

Our April pick is Outstanding in the Rain by Frank Viva. As soon as we saw it, we were reminded of the old saying, “April showers bring May flowers.” This book is absolutely gorgeous and full of oronyms. Don’t know what an oronym is? This book will teach you all about them!

Step right up! Step right up to the amusing amusement park! It’s a whole story, and the pages have holes! Watch the holes make pictures! Turn an umbrella into a cake, and balloons into ice cream! See the holes make words. Whole words! Change an ice man into an nice man! See fork handles turn into four candles! Realize the magic with your real eyes! Frank Viva’s tale of a boy spending his birthday at the amusement park will amaze readers big and small with astounding die-cuts that transform both words and pictures in delightful ways.

 

Outstanding in the Rain will be released on Tuesday April 14 and you can visit your local library or bookstore to get reading! If you’re interested, fill in the form below and we’ll randomly select five bloggers to read and review a copy of Outstanding in the Rain and join our discussion. You have until Monday April 13 at 3 pm EST to sign up, so don’t delay! Our only stipulation this month is that we can only send the book to those with Canadian mailing addresses. This title is also available in the USA by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

SIGN-UP FORM CLOSED!

UPDATE: Congratulations to Carrie, Carole, Bonnie, Suzanne and Cindy! We look forward to your reviews! Thanks to everyone who entered!

Check back in on Monday, April 27, 2015 for our reading club discussion of Outstanding in the Rain!

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Tundra Reading Club: The Highest Number in the World Reviews

Hi everyone!

It’s time to share the Reading Club reviews for The Highest Number in the World!

TundraReadingClub

The Highest Number in the World

The Highest Number in the World
Written by Roy MacGregor | Illustrated by Geneviève Després
Hardcover | 32 Pages | Ages 6-9
ISBN: 978-1-77049-5753

“MacGregor’s writing packs an emotional punch without relying on sentimentality…Expressive pencil drawings, brightened with color washes, perfectly capture the characters’ feelings…A memorable, intergenerational picture book perfect for sharing.”- Starred Review, Booklist

  • Adrienne at BooksandBassets likes that it’s about “girl power and historical context.”
  • Lee-Ann at Goodreads thinks the book does “a wonderful job at showing how if you look at disappointment a different way it is possible to see it as an opportunity to discover something else and just as thrilling.”
  • Mary-Esther at Sister’s Library calls it a “sweet story that warms the heart.”
  • Stephanie at The Nomadic Reader felt the story “resonated with [her] as a Canadian and of course as a lover of hockey.”
  • Ann Marie at a dainty dish calls it a “hat-trick – in its story, words and images!”

If you read the book as well, please let us know what you thought about it in the comments below! Are there any other inspirational hockey stories you love?

I’m also very excited to announce our April reading club book: Outstanding in the Rain by Frank Viva! Make sure you check back here next Monday to sign up for your chance to win a review copy.

Thanks for participating and see you next week!

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You’re Invited to the Launch of The Pirate’s Bed

ThePiratesBed-Evite

Set sail with us and author Nicola Winstanley and illustrator Matt James at the launch of The Pirate’s Bed!

Date: Sunday, March 29th, 2015
Time: 2:00pm-4:oopm
Place: Another Story Book Shop
Address: 315 Roncesvalles Ave, Toronto, ON
Telephone: 416-462-1104

Praise for The Pirate’s Bed:

“What sets The Pirate’s Bed apart from other tales of its ilk is the main character – the bed itself…Winstanley crafts the mood of this bed-time story through careful word choice. At times she evokes the feeling of being lulled to sleep – prominent ‘l’ sounds resonate and the rhythm of verbs..mimic the rocking boat…Matt James’s acrylic paint and India ink illustrations playfully and artfully reflect Winstanley’s text…James also has an impressive ability to convey the emotional journey of the secret-laden bed, especially through its bedpost eyes. This unique viewpoint, both in narrative and art, makes The Pirate’s Bed charming and memorable.” – Quill & Quire

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CLA’s 2015 Book of the Year for Children Award Shortlist

The Canadian Library Association is pleased to announce the shortlist for the 2015 Book of the Year for Children Award. This respected award honours a book published in Canada in 2014 by a Canadian author that appeals to readers aged 12 and younger. The award is generously sponsored by Library Services Centre. Congratulations to Charis Cotter!

2015 Book of the Year for Children Award Shortlist

The SwallowThe Swallow
A Ghost Story
Written by Charis Cotter
Hardcover | 320 Pages | Ages 9-12
ISBN: 978-1-77049-591-3
eBook: 978-1-77049-593-7
“The novel alternates between Polly’s and Rose’s first-person points of view, and Cotter ably creates their two distinct voices, each of which is appealing in its own way. This is a novel about loneliness and friendship, feeling invisible, finding your voice, and long-buried secrets. But The Swallow is never heavy-handed, and, best of all, it’s genuinely spooky. Cotter builds suspense without artificially withholding information from the reader. And for bibliophiles, the author’s subtle hat tips to favourite books are a joy. Like all the best ghost stories, The Swallow tells us more about the living than the dead. It is a fantastic addition to Toronto literature, with all the makings of a classic.” – Starred Review, Quill & Quire

Congratulations to the other shortlisted authors!

  • Boundless by Kenneth Oppel
  • The Night Gardner by Jonathan Auxier
  • Walking Home by Eric Walters
  • The End of the Line by Sharon McKay
  • Lord and Lady Bunny Almost Royalty by Polly Horvath
  • Circus Dogs of Prague by Rachelle Delaney
  • It’s Catching: The Infectious World of Germs and Microbes by Jennifer Gardey
  • The Elevator Ghost by Glen Huser
  • Rain Shadow by Valerie Sherrard

Thank you to the jury members for their dedication and hard work! The winner of the award will be announced during the week of April 20th, 2015. The award will be presented during the CLA National Conference and Trade Show at the Shaw Conference Centre, Ottawa on Thursday, June 4th 2015 at the Book Awards Reception.

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Tuesdays with Tundra 46

Tuesdays with Tundra is a monthly post on our new releases. The following books are available today in stores and online!

Catch You Later TraitorCatch You Later, Traitor
Written by Avi
Hardcover | 304 Pages | Ages 9-12
ISBN: 978-1-101-91765-7
eBook: 978-1-101-91767-1
“Set in 1951 Brooklyn, Newbery Medalist Avi’s (Crispin: The Cross of Lead) suspenseful novel shows how seventh-grader Pete Collison deals with persecution and paranoia as he searches for answers about his family’s history…. Deciding to find out the truth about his father and the informant who turned him in, Pete follows the methods of his favorite gumshoe, Sam Spade, but the clues Pete uncovers are more confusing than enlightening, and the discoveries he makes about certain relatives could hurt his father’s cause…. An excellent introduction to the frenzy of the McCarthy era.” – Starred Review, Publishers Weekly

The Pirates BedThe Pirate’s Bed
Written by Nicola Winstanley
Illustrated by Matt James
Hardcover | 32 Pages | Ages 3-7
ISBN: 978-1-77049-616-3
A pirate is sleeping snug in his bed, dreaming pirate dreams, when a great storm comes up at sea. The pirate sleeps on, but his bed is awake and scared of the thunder and the angry waves. Tossed this way and that, the ship finally crashes, sending the pirate to a tropical island and his bed off to sea. At first, the bed is overjoyed. It’s free from smelly feet, snoring and scratchy wool. It floats in the now peaceful water, meeting friendly gulls and playful dolphins and basking in the sun. But soon the little bed begins to feel like something is missing…. This fanciful tale of a bed lost at sea will capture the hearts of little pirates everywhere and send them off to sleep with dreams of tropical birds, swooshing waves and chattering monkeys.

FrankenstinkFrankenstink!
Garbage Gone Bad
Written by Ron Lightburn
Hardcover | 32 Pages | Ages 4-8
ISBN: 978-1-77049-694-1
With a glow-in-the-dark cover and zany art, this is a book about “garbage” that transforms and mutates into a grotesque, greedy monster devouring everything in its path, Frankenstink is sure to be a hit with kids who do not like to clean up. Is the monster who feeds on “a mountainous salad of plastic and goo, fast-food leftovers and Styrofoam stew,” real, a dream, or a warning of what is to come if we don’t compost and recycle? Complemented by playful illustrations in a comic-book style.

Little Red Lies_paperbackLittle Red Lies
Written by Julie Johnston
Trade Paperback | 352 Pages | Ages 10+
ISBN: 978-1-77049-807-5
“Johnston has crafted a beautifully written, low-key, yet emotional story of a family dealing with the return of a son at the close of war. Jamie is wracked with survivor’s guilt…. His letters to Rachel … are painfully realistic, the antithesis of the glamour that teens too often assign to war….” – Starred Review, Booklist

Pub Date Giveaway: In the comments below, please tell us which new March 2015 release of Tundra’s you would love to read and one lucky reader will receive their requested book! One request per person and please review our rules. This giveaway ends at midnight on Monday, March 16, 2015!

Update: Congratulations to Stephanie, winner of The Pirate’s Bed!

Tundra Book Group