Spring 2014 – Page 6 – Tundra Book Group

April 22, 2014May 7, 2025

Tuesdays with Tundra 38

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

Nine Words Max
Written by Dan Bar-el
Illustrated by David Huyck
Hardcover | 32 Pages | Ages 5-9
ISBN: 978-1-77049-562-3
“Bar-el uses his skills as a storyteller, educator and children’s author to spin an entertaining, quirky tale that celebrates the use of language. The clever and humorous story extols the use of words at a time when today’s media emphasizes brevity and seems to rely on shortened messaging in texts, emails and abbreviated tweets. The rich vocabulary and lively text are well-served by the high energy illustrations. . . . The cartoon-like illustrations are colorful, action-packed and crammed full of riotous detail.” – Highly Recommended, CM Magazine

Becoming Holmes
The Boy Sherlock Holmes, His Final Case
Written by Shane Peacock
Trade Paperback | 264 Pages | Ages 10+
ISBN: 978-1-77049-768-9
“Peacock concludes his stellar saga with a final mystery, shaping the young boy into the man he will become. . . . This is a solid period mystery. Peacock once again uses London as a character, this time as a city deep in mourning for Charles Dickens. Holmes’s actions, decisions, and interactions all demonstrate the roots of the legendary detective he will become. Such characters as Irene Doyle, Malefactor (who will become Moriarty), Lestrade, and even a whiff of Watson all contribute to a feeling of authenticity . . . this is a strong story. The ending is exciting and unexpected. This is an excellent conclusion to a wonderful series.” – VOYA Magazine

The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen
Written by Susin Nielsen
Trade Paperback | 256 Pages | Ages 10+
ISBN: 978-1-77049-654-5
“. . . maybe it’s best that, while the story is infused with the quirkiness of Henry and the other teens, the emphasis should be on the overwhelming anguish experienced by those left behind after unnatural death. Nothing could or should remedy that agony except time, acceptance, and maybe forgiveness of oneself and others. Susin Nielsen shares the complicated nature of grief and grieving while helping the reader see the far-reaching and unpredictable consequences of bullying.” – CanLit for LittleCanadians

Pub Date Giveaway: In the comments below, please tell us which new April 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, April 28, 2014!

UPDATE: Congratulations to James, winner of Becoming Holmes by Shane Peacock.

April 8, 2014May 7, 2025

Tuesdays with Tundra 37

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

The ACB with Honora Lee
Written by Kate De Goldi
Illustrated by Gregory O’Brien
Hardcover | 128 Pages | Ages 10+
ISBN: 978-1-77049-722-1
eBook: 978-1-77049-723-8
“De Goldi’s story of an only child’s determined efforts to know and love her grandmother deserves a place in the pantheon of quiet, word-of-mouth classics . . . Perry is funny and bewitching, and all of the other characters, even the walk-ons, are equally engaging. O’Brien’s curious diagram-illustrations pay appropriate tribute to Perry’s admiration for the unconventional.” – Starred Review, Publishers Weekly

The Bambino and Me
Written by Zachary Hyman
Read by Jason Alexander
Illustrated by Zachary Pullen
Hardcover | 48 Pages | Ages 6-9
ISBN: 978-1-77049-627-9
“The tale is entirely fictional, but it manages to capture the essence of that extraordinary time and the larger-than-life persona that was Babe Ruth. Hyman invests George’s voice with boyish enthusiasm and conversational language filled with contemporary syntax. Pullen’s oddly proportioned, compelling illustrations, rendered in oil paint and walnut oil, are in perfect tandem with the nostalgic spirit of the text and wonderfully depict every aspect of the characters’ emotions. . . . Lively, fun-filled and altogether delightful.” – Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews

What We Hide
Written by Marthe Jocelyn
Hardcover | 288 Pages | Ages 14+
ISBN: 978-1-77049-642-2
eBook: 978-1-77049-644-6
“The true heart of Jocelyn’s novel is the dangerous relationship between Robbie and Luke. . . . Their occasional encounters in the woods are some of the most explicit in the book, but also the most emotionally healthy. No one in What We Hide gets a storybook ending, just a slightly better understanding of his or her predicament. . . . Jocelyn shows an ease with the vagaries of the teenage mind and a willingness to depict some very uncomfortable situations without blinking. Yes, there is a lot of sex here, but Jocelyn writes about it with more brute honesty and maturity than you’ll find in many adult books.” – Quill & Quire

The World Outside
Written by Eva Wiseman
Hardcover | 240 Pages | Ages 12+
ISBN: 978-0-88776-981-8
eBook: 978-0-88776-982-5
Seventeen-year-old Chanie Altman lives the protected life of a Lubavitcher Hasidic girl in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York, in 1991. Religion is the most important aspect of her life, and, like other Lubavitcher girls, she is expected to attend a seminary and to marry as soon as she graduates from high school. But Chanie has a beautiful voice and dreams of becoming an opera singer – a profession forbidden to a Hasidic girl. When she meets David, a non-Hasidic Jewish boy, he opens the portals to the world outside her fundamentalist community. The Crown Heights riots break out, and the Lubavitchers are put under siege by their African-American neighbors. A tragedy occurs. Will Chanie stay in the fundamentalist community she has always known in a life that has been prescribed for her, or will she leave it behind to follow her dreams?

Going Up!
Elisha Otis’s Trip to the Top
Written by Monica Kulling
Illustrated by David Parkins
Trade Paperback | 32 Pages | Ages 5-8
ISBN: 978-1-77049-516-6
“Kulling engages readers with her narrative style and fast-paced storytelling. She keeps the story moving without leaving out important details. . . . Detailed pen, ink and watercolor illustrations depict history while also being kid-friendly. Parkins effectively captures the expressions on the faces of people throughout the book. . . . It is sure to captivate readers while teaching them something new.” – Nonfiction Detectives

Pub Date Giveaway: In the comments below, please tell us which new April 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, April 14, 2014! What We Hide by Marthe Jocelyn is only open to Canadian residents. The rest of the titles above are open to both Canada and the United States.

UPDATE: Congratulations to Mary-Esther, winner of The World Outside by Eva Wiseman.

March 11, 2014May 7, 2025

Tuesdays with Tundra 36

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

The 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
Seventeen-year-old Luke’s older sister, Pat, has always been his moral compass, like a voice inside his head, every time he has a decision to make. So when Pat disappears on a tiny island off the coast of Honduras and the authorities claim she’s drowned – despite the fact that they can’t produce a body – Luke heads to Honduras to find her because he knows something the authorities don’t. From the moment of her disappearance, Pat’s voice has become real, guiding him to Utila, where she had accepted a summer internship to study whale sharks. Once there, he meets several characters who describe his sister as a very different girl from the one knows. Does someone have a motive for wanting her dead? Determined to get to the bottom of Pat’s disappearance, Luke risks everything, including his own life, to find the answer.

The Fly
Written by Elise Gravel
Hardcover | 32 Pages | Ages 6-9
ISBN: 978-1-77049-636-1
The first in a series of humorous books about disgusting creatures, The Fly is a look at the common housefly. It covers such topics as the hair on the fly’s body (requires a lot of shaving), its ability to walk on the ceiling (it’s pretty cool, but it’s hard to play soccer up there), and its really disgusting food tastes (garbage juice soup followed by dirty diaper with rotten tomato sauce, for example). Although silly and off-the-wall, The Fly contains real information that will tie in with curriculum.

The Worm
Written by Elise Gravel
Hardcover | 32 Pages | Ages 6-9
ISBN: 978-1-77049-633-0
The second in a series of humorous books about disgusting creatures, The Worm is a look at the earthworm. It covers such topics as the worm’s habitats (sometimes they live inside other animals), its anatomy (its muscle tube is slimy and gross), and its illustrious history (worms have been on earth for 120 million years). Although silly and off-the-wall, The Worm contains real information that will tie in with curriculum.

A Tinfoil Sky
Written by Cyndi Sand-Eveland
Trade Paperback | 224 Pages | Ages 10+
ISBN: 978-1-77049-510-4
“. . . this touching picture of a child torn between her need for a stable home and her love for her troubled mother feels deeply authentic . . . this depiction of wounded people forming healing bonds goes straight to the heart.” – Booklist

Pub Date Giveaway: In the comments below, please tell us which new March 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 17, 2014!

UPDATE: Congratulations to Kris who has won a copy of The Voice inside My Head.

February 28, 2014May 7, 2025

You’re Invited to the Launch of The Highest Number in the World

You are invited to the launch of The Highest Number in the World. Please join award-winning author, Roy MacGregor, as he celebrates his newest book with the fantastic staff at Kaleidoscope Kids’ Books!

When: Saturday, March 1, 2014
Time: 1:30 – 3:00 PM
Where: Kaleidoscope Kids’ Books
Address: 1018 Bank Street, Ottawa, ON K1S 3W8
Telephone: (613) 232-7406

Praise for The Highest Number in the World:
“The story’s ending, in which Gabe dreams of her number 9 retired and raised to the rafters, is uplifting in every way. MacGregor’s writing packs an emotional punch without relying on sentimentality (when the coach hands her the disappointing jersey, ‘Gabe’s heart felt as if a skate had just run across it’). Expressive pencil drawings, brightened with color washes, perfectly capture the characters’ feelings. From the moment Grandma begins to share her past and her passion for hockey, the story’s context becomes broader, more complex, and more meaningful. A memorable,
intergenerational picture book perfect for sharing.” – Starred Review, Booklist

“As pleasing as a warm memory.” – Kirkus Reviews

“MacGregor’s text climbs to a heartwarming conclusion, is wonderfully illustrated by St-Lambert’s GeneviÃ¨ve Després (I especially liked the views from the arena’s rafters), and makes for a great companion piece to The Hockey Sweater, Roch Carrier’s Canadian classic.” – The Montreal Gazette

February 11, 2014May 7, 2025

Tuesdays with Tundra 35

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

The Highest Number in the World
Written by Roy MacGregor
Illustrated by GeneviÃ¨ve Després
Hardcover | 32 Pages | Ages 6-9
ISBN: 978-1-77049-575-3
“MacGregor’s writing packs an emotional punch…. Expressive pencil drawings, brightened with color washes, perfectly capture the characters’ feelings. From the moment Grandma begins to share her past and her passion for hockey, the story’s context becomes broader, more complex, and more meaningful. A memorable, intergenerational picture book perfect for sharing.” – Starred Review, Booklist

The Mystery of the Russian Ransom
Written by Roy MacGregor
Trade Paperback | 176 Pages | Ages 9-12
ISBN: 978-1-77049-420-6
The Screech Owls have never had such a wonderful surprise. A famous Russian billionaire has offered to pay and fly the whole team to his country. He wants the Owls to visit his homeland so the Russians can learn from the Screech Owls’ style of play. The team will play in a tournament while they are there, but even before their first practice on Russian ice, Sarah is taken off the snowy streets. Her kidnappers want ten million rubles in exchange for her safe release! The billionaire wants to pay for Sarah’s safe return, but Travis and his teammates decide to take matters into their own hands.

First Descent
Written by Pam Withers
Trade Paperback | 272 Pages | Ages 12+
ISBN: 978-1-77049-412-1
“…From the first page, when Rex hears a crack of river ice, sees an eight-year-old in peril, and enacts a dramatic rescue in which he must out-paddle an advancing mountain of ice, Withers flings the reader from one perilous adventure to another….” – Booklist

Ella May and the Wishing Stone
Written by Cary Fagan
Illustrated by GeneviÃ¨ve CÃ´té
Trade Paperback | 32 Pages | Ages 4-6
ISBN: 978-1-77049-410-7
“CÃ´té’s…illustrations drive the story along with light and expressive outlines and wash effects… children won’t have any difficulty following the action, and they’ll recognize Ella’s conflicting impulses.” – Publishers Weekly

Peace Walker
The Legend of Hiawatha and Tekanawita
Written by C.J. Taylor
Trade Paperback | 48 Pages | Ages 7-9
ISBN: 978-1-77049-778-8
“In a style reminiscent of oral storytelling, the author weaves the legend of the Confederacy of the Five Nations.” – The Horn Book Guide

Baseball Animals
Written by Christopher Jordan
Hardcover | 24 Pages | Ages 3-7
Fenn / Tundra
ISBN: 978-1-77049-474-9
In MLB Animals, children will learn about the various animals specific to professional baseball and discover why each team selected the particular animal when naming their club.

Baseball Opposites
Written by Christopher Jordan
Hardcover | 32 Pages | Ages 3-7
Fenn / Tundra
ISBN: 978-1-77049-518-0
In MLB Opposites, children will be introduced to an array of familiar opposites clearly defined through bright and colorful photographs from the world of Major League Baseball.

Pub Date Giveaway: In the comments below, please tell us which new February 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, February 17, 2014!

UPDATE: Congratulations to Joy, winner of First Descent by Pam Withers.