Quill & Quire has shared their Books of the Year 2018: Kids’ Books of the Year. We’re so happy to see Bloom, Megabat, No Fixed Address, Sweep, and Very Rich included. In addition, thank you to the Vancouver Kidsbooks for choosing Anne Arrives and Goodnight, Anne in the Kidlit Aficionados section! Congratulations to our authors and illustrators!
Bloom:
A Story of Fashion Designer Elsa Schiaparelli
By Kyo Maclear
Illustrated by Julie Morstad
Hardcover | 40 Pages | Ages 5-9
ISBN 9781101918562 | Tundra Books
“‘I plant flower seeds in my ears, mouth and nose,’ says Elsa Schiaparelli in this charming picture book. ‘I sit and wait. Wait to bloom.’ Pink flower petals, frocks, and a feverish imagination are at the heart of Kyo Maclear and Julie Morstad’s kidlit biography of the radical Italian fashion designer known as Schiap. Portraying artistic life in early 20th-century Europe, Bloom celebrates resilience and self expression with the elegant prose and delicate illustrations readers expect from a Maclear and Morstad collaboration.” – Quill & Quire
Megabat
By Anna Humphrey
Illustrated by Kass Reich
Hardcover | 192 Pages | Ages 7-10
ISBN 9780735262577 | Tundra Books
“In the first installment of what is likely to be a very popular early-middle grade series, Megabat slurps up juice boxes, watches Star Wars movies, and subsequently uses his juice box straw as a light saber. This talking fruit bat charms everyone he meets: a young boy named Daniel, a pigeon love interest, and discerning young readers.” – Quill & Quire
No Fixed Address
By Susin Nielsen
Hardcover | 288 Pages | Ages 10+
ISBN 9780735262751 | Tundra Books
“No Fixed Address is a charming wonder of a book, a breezy read that’s far more significant – and skilled – than it might appear from the surface. Nielsen demonstrates a powerful command in developing her young characters, lifting even secondary players (like high-achiever Winnie) well away from any hint of cliché. Felix balances on the thin edge between childhood and adolescence with an open-hearted sense of right and wrong, struggling not only against circumstances well beyond his control but well above what should be his responsibility.” – Starred Review, Quill & Quire
Sweep:
The Story of a Girl and Her Monster
By Jonathan Auxier
Hardcover | 368 Pages | Ages 8-12
ISBN 9780735264359 | Puffin Canada
“The theme of anti-Semitism is part of what lifts Sweep beyond a merely charming mash-up of Dickens and Brad Bird’s film The Iron Giant. Auxier is constantly showing readers the brute economic and cultural forces that shape Nan’s adventures with Charlie…. Sweep‘s ambition and sophistication are impressive, and Auxier’s storytelling is never less than readable.” – Quill & Quire
Very Rich
By Polly Horvath
Hardcover | 304 Pages | Ages 10-14
ISBN 9780143198611 | Puffin Canada
“Horvath is having a ball with this story. It’s fast-paced and filled with witty asides, creative scenarios, and a ridiculously entertaining cast. She pulls from Dickens, but Rupert’s parents have qualities akin to Roald Dahl’s despicable adult characters, and Uncle Henry’s time machine is a whirring cardboard box reminiscent of Dorothy’s flying house and the hot-air balloon in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Plus, there is a gravity-defying restaurant scene similar to the laughing-gas chapter in Mary Poppins. It wouldn’t be surprising if, like Wizard of Oz and Mary Poppins, Very Rich became a kidlit favourite, complete with a magical Technicolor big-screen adaptation.” – Starred Review, Quill & Quire
Anne Arrives
By Kallie George
Illustrated by Abigail Halpin
Hardcover | 36 Pages | Ages 6-8
ISBN 9781770499300 | Tundra Books
“We love Kallie George’s Anne of Green Gables-inspired books, Anne Arrives (with illustrator Abigail Halpin) and Goodnight, Anne (with illustrator Geneviève Godbout). George’s works (both published by Tundra Books) capture the inimitable ‘Anne’ spirit and will bring a whole new audience to L.M. Montgomery’s novels.” -Kidsbooks, Vancouver
Goodnight, Anne
By Kallie George
Illustrated by Geneviève Godbout
Hardcover | 40 Pages | 3-7 Ages
ISBN 9781770499263 | Tundra Books
“We love Kallie George’s Anne of Green Gables-inspired books, Anne Arrives (with illustrator Abigail Halpin) and Goodnight, Anne (with illustrator Geneviève Godbout). George’s works (both published by Tundra Books) capture the inimitable ‘Anne’ spirit and will bring a whole new audience to L.M. Montgomery’s novels.” – Kidsbooks, Vancouver
Clara can’t believe her no-nonsense grandmother has just up and moved to Florida, leaving Clara and her mother on their own for the first time. This means her mother can finally “follow her bliss,” which involves moving to a tiny apartment in Kensington Market, working at a herbal remedy shop and trying to develop her so-called mystical powers. Clara tries to make the best of a bad situation by joining the newspaper staff at her new middle school, where she can sharpen her investigative journalistic skills and tell the kind of hard-news stories her grandmother appreciated. But the editor relegates her to boring news stories and worse . . . the horoscopes.