Giveaway: The Black Friend

The Black Friend by Frederick Joseph came out this week! It’s such an important, timely book from an amazing author and we can’t wait for you all to read it. Head over to our Instagram account right now and you can enter to win a copy for you and a friend! Good luck!

See official rules here.

The Black Friend: On Being a Better White Person
By Frederick Joseph
272 Pages | Ages 12+| Hardcover
ISBN 9781536217018 | Candlewick
For Frederick Joseph, life as a transfer student in a largely white high school was full of wince-worthy moments that he often simply let go. As he grew older, however, he saw these as missed opportunities not only to stand up for himself, but to spread awareness to those white people who didn’t see the negative impact they were having. Speaking directly to the reader, The Black Friend calls up race-related anecdotes from the author’s past, weaving in his thoughts on why they were hurtful and how he might handle things differently now. Touching on everything from cultural appropriation to power dynamics, “reverse racism” to white privilege, microaggressions to the tragic results of overt racism, this book serves as conversation starter, tool kit, and invaluable window into the life of a former “token Black kid” who now presents himself as the friend many readers need. Backmatter includes an encyclopedia of racism, providing details on relevant historical events, terminology, and more.

An Ember in the Ashes Giveaway!

Happy Sunday! We have a special treat for you over on our Instagram – we’re giving away the first three books in Sabaa Tahir’s explosive An Ember in the Ashes quartet! Head over to Instagram for details on how you can enter, and scroll down for some information about each book. The fourth and final book, A Sky Beyond the Storm, comes out in December and we can’t wait!

See official rules here.

That’s not all! If you want to increase your chances at winning the first three books, check out these accounts who are also hosting giveaways. 


An Ember in the Ashes
By Sabaa Tahir
480 Pages | Ages 14+ | Paperback
ISBN 9781595148049 | Razorbill
Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear. It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do. But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy. There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier – and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined – and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself. 

A Torch Against the Night
By Sabaa Tahir
496 Pages | Ages 14+ | Paperback
ISBN 9781101998885 | Razorbill
After the events of the Fourth Trial, Martial soldiers hunt the two fugitives as they flee the city of Serra and undertake a perilous journey through the heart of the Empire. Laia is determined to break into Kauf – the Empire’s most secure and dangerous prison – to save her brother, who is the key to the Scholars’ survival. And Elias is determined to help Laia succeed, even if it means giving up his last chance at freedom. But dark forces, human and otherworldly, work against Laia and Elias. The pair must fight every step of the way to outsmart their enemies: the bloodthirsty Emperor Marcus, the merciless Commandant, the sadistic Warden of Kauf, and, most heartbreaking of all, Helene – Elias’s former friend and the Empire’s newest Blood Shrike. Bound to Marcus’s will, Helene faces a torturous mission of her own – one that might destroy her: find the traitor Elias Veturius and the Scholar slave who helped him escape . . . and kill them both.

A Reaper at the Gates
By Sabaa Tahir
480 Pages | Ages 14+ | Paperback
ISBN 9780448494517 | Razorbill
Helene Aquilla, the Blood Shrike, is desperate to protect her sister’s life and the lives of everyone in the Empire. But she knows that danger lurks on all sides: Emperor Marcus, haunted by his past, grows increasingly unstable and violent, while Keris Veturia, the ruthless Commandant, capitalizes on the Emperor’s volatility to grow her own power – regardless of the carnage she leaves in her path. Far to the east, Laia of Serra knows the fate of the world lies not in the machinations of the Martial court, but in stopping the Nightbringer. But in the hunt to bring him down, Laia faces unexpected threats from those she hoped would help her, and is drawn into a battle she never thought she’d have to fight. And in the land between the living and the dead, Elias Veturius has given up his freedom to serve as Soul Catcher. But in doing so, he has vowed himself to an ancient power that demands his complete surrender – even if that means abandoning the woman he loves.

A Sky Beyond the Storm
By Sabaa Tahir
528 Pages | Ages 14+ | Hardcover
ISBN 9780448494531 | Razorbill
The long-imprisoned jinn are on the attack, wreaking bloody havoc in villages and cities alike. But for the Nightbringer, vengeance on his human foes is just the beginning. At his side, Commandant Keris Veturia declares herself Empress, and calls for the heads of any and all who defy her rule. At the top of the list? The Blood Shrike and her remaining family. Laia of Serra, now allied with the Blood Shrike, struggles to recover from the loss of the two people most important to her. Determined to stop the approaching apocalypse, she throws herself into the destruction of the Nightbringer. In the process, she awakens an ancient power that could lead her to victory – or an unimaginable doom. And deep in the Waiting Place, the Soul Catcher seeks only to forget the life – and love – he left behind. Yet doing so means ignoring the trail of murder left by the Nightbringer and his jinn. To uphold his oath and protect the human world from the supernatural, the Soul Catcher must look beyond the borders of his own land. He must take on a mission that could save – or destroy- all that he knows.

YA Mondays: Frankly in Love Contest

Welcome to December! We want to make sure your holiday season is off to a great start so we’re giving you a chance to win a finished copy of Frankly in Love signed by David Yoon himself! All you have to do is follow @PenguinTeenCa, like the contest photo, and comment with an account you’re frankly in love with! Bonus entry: share the contest in your stories and tag us!

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Enter between December 2, 2019 and December 7, 2019. Open to residents of Canada (excluding Quebec) who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory of residence at time of entry. Void where prohibited or restricted by law. See Official Rules here for full details.

Based on a True Story Contest Winner

We are thrilled to share the winning story from our writing contest. But first, here’s what one of our judges had to say about it:

“It was humorous, cheeky, filled with true facts and very cleverly strung together! [He] also managed to create a believable voice for his young narrator, which was great.”

Without further ado, here is the winning story:

Congratulations to Joah! He will receive a signed copy of Sergeant Billy from author Mireille Messier as well as $50 worth of Penguin Random House Canada Young Readers books.

There were two other stories that we felt came very close – so we want to give a shout out to these aspiring writers

  • Malala’s Dream by Ashley
  • The Childhood Of An Author by Sumal

YA Mondays: Witch, Please Contest

Make sure your week leading up to the summer solstice is off to a spooktacular start by entering our Witch, Please contest over on Instagram! You could win a prize pack featuring four of our favourite witch-themed books (Akata Witch, The Lost Coast, A Shadow Bright and Burning, and These Witches Don’t Burn) plus a set of self-love crystals from Happy Soul (including Rhodochrosite, Rainforest Rhyolite, Rose Quartz, and Desert Rose). All you have to do is follow @PenguinTeenCa, like the contest photo, and let us know what your favourite element is (earth, water, air, or fire)!

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Enter between June 17, 2019 and June 21, 2019. Open to residents of Canada (excluding Quebec) who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory of residence at time of entry. Void where prohibited or restricted by law. See Official Rules here for full details.

Tundra Book Group