Category: author

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CLA’s 2015 Young Adult Book Award Shortlist

The Canadian Library Association is pleased to announce the shortlist for the 2015 Young Adult Book Award. The award is generously sponsored by Library Services Centre and recognizes an author of an outstanding English-language Canadian work of fiction (novel, collection of short stories or graphic novel), published in 2014 that appeals to young adults. Tundra would like to congratulate S.J. Laidlaw and Marthe Jocelyn!

2015 Young Adult Book Award Shortlist

The Voice Inside My HeadThe Voice inside My Head
Written by S.J. Laidlaw
Hardcover | 256 Pages | Ages 14+
ISBN: 978-1-77049-565-4
eBook: 978-1-77049-566-1
“With so much choice available on the Young Adult market, it’s refreshing to come across an engaging, authentic, and compelling first-person protagonist-and a male one at that. S.J. Laidlaw lays out a crisp, enticing, and realistic fictional piece of work with a grippingly vivid, unexpected ending. The beauty of the story here is one of the unfaltering friendship that can be found in siblings … the believable dialogue and dialect shines in The Voice inside My Head. This is quite simply a page-turner, and one that will leave voices inside your head for days after. Add it to your summer reading list, Central American island optional.” – Children’s Book Review

What We HideWhat We Hide
Written by Marthe Jocelyn
Hardcover | 288 Pages | Ages 14+
ISBN: 978-1-77049-642-2
eBook: 978-1-77049-644-6
“Jocelyn moves from one character’s voice to the next, each with its own sharp perspective, style, and emergent self- (and often sexual) knowledge. Warm-hearted, clever, funny and moving, this keeps readers thinking all the way to its end. Immensely satisfying for its interwoven stories and fully realized characters.” – The Toronto Star

Congratulations to the other shortlisted authors!

  • The Art of Getting Stared At by Laura Langston
  • The Death of Us by Alice Kuipers
  • The Gospel Truth by Caroline Pignat
  • Moon at Nine by Deborah Ellis
  • Rabbit Ears by Maggie DeVries
  • This One Summer by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki
  • Twisted by Lisa Harrington
  • Unspeakable by Caroline Pignat

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

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2015 Storytelling World Resource Awards

The 2015 Storytelling World Resource Awards have been released and below are Tundra’s honor books, selected from several hundred nominated stories, books, and recordings. These awards are also featured in the 2015 April/May issue of Storytelling Magazine/Storytelling World. Congratulations to our talented authors and illustrators!

Stories for Pre-Adolescent Listeners – Honor:

Going Up - Elisha Otis Trip to the TopGoing Up!
Elisha Otis’s Trip to the Top
Written by Monica Kulling
Illustrated by David Parkins
32 Pages | Ages 5-8 years
HC ISBN: 978-1-77049-240-0
TR ISBN: 978-1-77049-516-6
“Kulling gives lesser-known inventor Elisha Otis a lift in this latest entry into the Great Idea series…. [T]his picture-book biography gives a lively account of Otis’ world-changing invention. Caricatured expressions set against detailed backdrops add playfulness to the informative text.” – Booklist

Stories for Adolescent Listeners – Honor:

Hope SpringsHope Springs
Written by Eric Walters
Illustrated by Eugenie Fernandes
Hardcover | 32 Pages | Ages 6-9
ISBN: 978-1-77049-530-2
“Based on actual events, this story is one of strength and kindness in the face of fear … the art is expressively large. A series of spreads gives readers a view of Boniface’s world, adding rich colors and patterns of folk art. With the addition of the author’s ‘Story Behind the Story,’ the facts of the origin of Hope Springs allow a retelling of the story through a personal narrative with the aid of photography, a map, and additional explanation.” – School Library Journal

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Tundra Reading Club: March 2015

Hi everyone!

Another month, another book!

Just to remind you:

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).

TundraReadingClubSince the hockey season is ending next month, our pick for March, The Highest Number in the World by Roy MacGregor, is perfect for any hockey fan. It’s also a lovely inter-generational tale about a grandmother and her granddaughter, and includes wonderful illustrations by Geneviève Després.

The Highest Number in the WorldNine-year-old Gabe (Gabriella) Murray lives and breathes hockey. She’s the youngest player on her new team, she has a nifty move that her teammates call “the Gabe,” and she shares lucky number 22 with her hero, Hayley Wickenheiser. But when her coach hands out the team jerseys, Gabe is stuck with number 9. Crushed, Gabe wants to give up hockey altogether. How can she play without her lucky number? Gabe’s grandmother soon sets her straight, though – from her own connection to the number 9 in her hockey-playing days to all the greats she cheered for who wore it, she soon convinces Gabe that this new number might not be so bad after all.

Also, if you know any middle grade hockey lovers, make sure you check out Roy’s successful Screech Owls series.

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 The Highest Number in the World and join our discussion. You have until Monday March 9 at 3 pm EST to sign up, so don’t delay!

SIGN-UP FORM CLOSED!

UPDATE: Congratulations to Lee Ann, Mary-Esther, Stephanie, Adrienne, and Ann Marie! We look forward to your reviews!

Check back in on Monday, March 23, 2015 for our reading club discussion of The Highest Number in the World!

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Pink Shirt Day

Stand up against bullying! Today is Pink Shirt Day, a day when we wear pink to show that we are all working together as a community to prevent bullying in all forms.

Not only are we wearing pink and spreading the word, we’re also hosting a giveaway! And what better author to talk about bullying than our very own Susin Nielsen? Her upcoming book, We Are All Made of Molecules, deals with themes of bullying and the power of having someone stand up for another person.

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Two lucky winners will receive: one We Are All Made of Molecules T-shirt, one signed ARC of We Are All Made of Molecules, one signed paperback of Dear George Clooney, Please Marry My Mom, one signed paperback of The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen, and one signed paperback of Word Nerd.

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Ooo, comfy T-shirt! (Person not included in giveaway.)

Pink Shirt Day was started by two Nova Scotia students in 2007 when a younger boy was bullied for wearing pink. You can read a full account of the story here.

Fill out the entry below to enter our giveaway! One entry per person and please make sure you review our rules. This giveaway is open to residents of Canada only (sorry, US fans!) and ends on Wednesday March 4, 2015. We Are All Made of Molecules will be released on May 12, 2015, so this is your chance for an early read!

Entry form closed!

Update: Congratulations Karen and Sharon, we hope you enjoy your signed books! Thanks to everyone who participated! #PinkItForward

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Tundra Reading Club: An Armadillo in Paris Reviews

Hi everyone!

Happy Monday!

I’m thrilled to share our five reader reviews for our February reading club pick, Julie Kraulis’ An Armadillo in Paris.

TundraReadingClub

An Armadillo in Paris

An Armadillo in Paris
Written and illustrated by Julie Kraulis
Hardcover | 32 Pages | Ages 5-9
ISBN: 978-1-77049-526-5
“…Julie Kraulis’s sophisticated oil-and-graphite artwork is chic, with elegant lines and a muted palette…Informative and charming, An Armadillo in Paris is sure to please armchair travelers who will eagerly await more of Arlo’s globe-trotting adventures.” – Quill & Quire

  • Danielle at This Picture Book Life loves the “unexpected choice of an armadillo as [a] main character” and comments on Arlo’s “sweet, shiny eyes.” She’s also hosting a giveaway!
  • Tanya at Pass the Damn Ham, Please thinks this is a book “meant to be pored over again and again.”
  • Jules at curtains for the windows says that “this story is for anyone who longs for adventure and finds wonder in everything.”
  •  Emilie at Not So Impossible Things suggests that “reading the book felt like a mini-adventure prelude to the real thing.”
  • Jo Ann at The Book Faerie calls it a “charming tale” and a “grand tour.”

If you read the book as well, please let us know what you thought about it in the comments below! Did you guess the Iron Lady’s identity before Arlo? Did the book bring back memories of a Parisian trip? Or maybe it reminded you to add Paris to your bucket list!

I’m also very excited to announce our March reading club book: The Highest Number in the World by Roy MacGregor and illustrated by Geneviève Després. 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!

Tundra Book Group