Putting the YA in FRIYAY: Quizzes and Templates and Fun Stuff, Oh My!

On a scale of 1 to 10, how bored are you right now? We’ve collected some of the fun things we’ve been working on while in quarantine in one convenient post for you. Take a look and don’t forget to tag us with your results on Twitter or Instagram!

Fun Stuff on Social Media

We’re also particularly proud of this YA Books as Bastille Songs thread, if you need some new music or books in your life:

QUIZZES

Find out which #Penguin10 book you should read this fall:

person holding a stack of books

Build your perfect ice cream cone, get a recommendation:

Can you figure out what books these emojis represent?

 

More Fun Things From Across the Border

Penguin Teen has been posting podcast episodes featuring all our fave authors

They’re also hosting an #EmberReadAlong – if you haven’t already obsessed over Sabaa Tahir’s epic fantasy world, now’s your chance!

Underlined is a master of quizzes and while we made a list of bingeable series, they provided a quiz to help you decide!

How have you been keeping yourself occupied lately? Let us know!

2020 Willow Awards

The Saskatchewan Young Readers’ Choice Awards aims to promote reading and celebrate Canadian literature each year. We would like to congratulate Kelley Armstrong whose Aftermath won the Snow Willow Award and Cale Atkinson whose Sir Simon: Super Scarer won the Shining Willow Award.

Aftermath
By Kelley Armstrong
384 Pages | Ages 12+| Paperback
ISBN 9780385686471 | Penguin Teen Canada
Three years ago, Skye’s brother Luka died in a mass shooting at the local high school. But there’s no sympathy for Skye and her family because Luka wasn’t a victim – he was a shooter. Now, Skye returns to the small town she had fled to start anew. But the scars of the past don’t heal easily. And there’s one person Skye dreads seeing most: Jesse Matin. Her childhood crush and former best friend until the massacre tore them apart. Told in alternating points of view, Skye and Jesse wade into the mystery of what took place that fateful day. But someone clearly doesn’t want Skye back in town, and when she and Jesse uncover new evidence that could clear Luka’s name, it becomes obvious that someone wants the past to stay buried. In the aftermath of violence, someone has to pay. Blood for blood.

Sir Simon: Super Scarer
By Cale Atkinson
48 Pages | Ages 4-8 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781101919095 | Tundra Books
Meet Sir Simon, Super Scarer. He’s a professional ghost who has been transferred to his first house. And to top it off, this house is occupied by an old lady – they’re the easiest to haunt! But things don’t go as planned when it turns out a KID comes with this old lady. Chester spots Simon immediately and peppers him with questions. Simon is exasperated. . . until he realizes he can trick Chester into doing his ghost chores. After a long night of haunting, it seems that maybe Chester isn’t cut out to be a ghost, so Simon decides to help with Chester’s human chores. Turns out Simon isn’t cut out for human chores either. But maybe they’re both cut out to be friends . . .

2020 Chocolate Lily Awards

The Chocolate Lily Awards have been celebrating the creative work of Children’s authors and illustrators living in British Columbia since 2002.  We would like to congratulate Susin Nielsen whose No Fixed Address won in the novel category and Cale Atkinson whose Sir Simon: Super Scarer won in the picture book category.

No Fixed Address
By Susin Nielsen
288 Pages | Ages 10+ | Hardcover
ISBN 9780735262751| Tundra Books
Felix Knuttson, twelve, is an endearing kid with an incredible brain for trivia. His mom Astrid is loving but unreliable; she can’t hold onto a job, or a home. When they lose their apartment in Vancouver, they move into a camper van, just for August, till Astrid finds a job. September comes, they’re still in the van; Felix must keep “home” a secret and give a fake address in order to enroll in school. Luckily, he finds true friends. As the weeks pass and life becomes grim, he struggles not to let anyone know how precarious his situation is. When he gets to compete on a national quiz show, Felix is determined to win — the cash prize will bring them a home. Their luck is about to change! But what happens is not at all what Felix expected.

Sir Simon: Super Scarer
By Cale Atkinson
48 Pages | Ages 4-8 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781101919095 | Tundra Books
Meet Sir Simon, Super Scarer. He’s a professional ghost who has been transferred to his first house. And to top it off, this house is occupied by an old lady — they’re the easiest to haunt! But things don’t go as planned when it turns out a KID comes with this old lady. Chester spots Simon immediately and peppers him with questions. Simon is exasperated. . . until he realizes he can trick Chester into doing his ghost chores. After a long night of haunting, it seems that maybe Chester isn’t cut out to be a ghost, so Simon decides to help with Chester’s human chores. Turns out Simon isn’t cut out for human chores either. But maybe they’re both cut out to be friends . . .

2020 Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Award

The Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Awards were established in 1976 and are award each year to recognize artistic excellence in writing and illustration across English-language Canadian children’s literature. We would like to congratulate Kelley Armstrong whose novel A Royal Guide to Monster Slaying won this year’s award in the young adult/middle grade category.

The Royal Guide to Monster SlayingA Royal Guide to Monster Slaying
By Kelley Armstrong
288 Pages | Ages 10-14 | Paperback
ISBN 9780735265370 | Puffin Canada
“Who wouldn’t want to read a story about a princess with a sword, in a land full of monsters? On her quest, Rowan shows us that her true strength in not in her sword, but in her kindness and respect for all creatures great and small.” – the student jury

A Royal Guide to Monster Slaying is part of our Camp Penguin summer reading program! The sequel, The Gryphon’s Lair, came out earlier this summer.

Today’s the Day the Teddy Bears Have Their Picnic

Happy Teddy Bears’ Picnic Day! We want to know how you and your bears (or dolls or stuffed animals) celebrate! Need some inspiration? Here are some pictures of our best friends:

Shardim entertains his boy Evan and his other friends with tea and snacks!
Ruby and Albert are always happy to read to each other and their girl, Sharon.
Walter and his girl Jess are always classy when it comes to tea time.
Rainbow Bear and Bear have the best of both worlds: reading and eating with their girl, Nicole!
Candy likes to play with model trains as long as her girl Andrea is nearby.

And here are some ideas to host your own Teddy Bears’ Picnic!

SNACKS: The most important part of an event is food! Here are some bear-y delicious treats to consider serving . . .

  • Gummy bears
  • Bear Paws
  • Bear-shaped cookies
  • Anything with honey!

Sylvia’s teddy bear pancakes are also a must-have!

ACTIVITIES: 

  • Read Teddy Bear of the Year by Vikki VanSickle, illustrated by Sydney Hanson
  • Download/print out the Teddy Bear of the Year activity kit, including an un-bear-ably cute headband and a coloring page!

Teddy Bear of the Year
By Vikki VanSickle
Illustrated by Sydney Hanson
40 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780735263925 | Tundra Books
Ollie is a regular bear with a regular job. He listens to his girl’s stories about her days, he snuggles her to sleep and he is there waiting when she gets home from school. Just your typical teddy bear stuff. So when he is whisked away to the annual teddy bears’ picnic, he feels insignificant compared to the other bears who do daring and daunting things: sleepovers, hospital stays-even a night in the lost and found! Ollie feels even more small and unimportant but he soon learns that it’s not just the big things that matter, it’s the little things too.

Purpley is a bear-with-no-fur but he loves to read as much as his girl, Sam.
Tundra Book Group