Category: Tundra Books

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Cover Reveal: The Kiss of the Nightingale

Tundra is very excited to be publishing The Kiss of the Nightingale on October 1, 2024! Written by Adi Denner, The Kiss of the Nightingale is a young adult romantasy novel set in an alternative historical Paris.

Scroll down for the full cover plus an excerpt from Adi Denner’s essay, “The Nightingale’s Legacy in Classical Music”.

Cover Design: Tim Byrne

The Kiss of the Nightingale
By Adi Denner
384 Pages | Ages 14+ | Hardcover
ISBN 9781774885253 | Tundra Books
Release Date: October 1, 2024
1890, Lutèce: In this city, Talents are everything: precious gems that gift unrivaled skills to their owners. The most coveted, Elite Talents, are claimed by the aristocracy, passed through generations by blood magic. Cleodora dreamed of inheriting her father’s Tailoring Talent, but when he died, the magic died with him. Now she’s left with empty promises, a dress shop she can’t keep afloat, and her bedridden younger sister. But everything changes when she meets the dark-eyed Lady Dahlia Sibille. Dahlia offers Cleodora a Singing Talent – a chance to save her beloved sister and rewrite her own fate. From the first instant, Cleodora is bewitched . . . There’s just one catch: she needs to steal an Elite Talent from the prestigious Lenoir family. As Lutèce’s nightingale, Cleodora is the star of the opera’s galas and balls, worlds away from the darkness and dust of home. But the handsome yet infuriating Vicomte Lenoir is nothing like she expected. Soon, the Vicomte’s teasing smiles win her over, even as Dahlia’s seductive whispers linger in her ears. Torn between Dahlia, who gave her everything, and the Vicomte, who holds the price of her freedom, is Cleodora in danger of losing it all? Or can she prove that magic isn’t the only gift that counts?

“The Nightingale’s Legacy in Classical Music”
By Adi Denner

The nightingale’s timeless song has soared through the ages, each note a heartbeat in literature and each trill a permanent mark on the pages of musical history. Its voice, at once both a whisper and a cry, has resonated through the ornate halls of the Baroque, the grand theaters of the Romantic era and beyond, echoing the human condition in a symphony of endless melodies. Tracing the nightingale’s passage through the realms of classical music uncovers a story not just of a bird, but of humanity’s ceaseless quest to find beauty in expression, to sing against the silence, to turn life’s vast experiences into art.

When I first sat down to write The Kiss of the Nightingale and started to think about names for the book, I knew I wanted to showcase the Nightingale and its deep symbolism within the world of classical music and opera.

CONTINUE READING

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Tuesdays with Tundra

Tuesdays with Tundra is an ongoing series featuring our new releases. This title is now available in stores and online!

Roys Is Not a Dog
By Esmé Shapiro and Daniel Newell Kaufman
48 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780735265967 | Tundra Books
On Lilypod Lane, everyone knows everything about everybody . . . or so they believe! When curious paperboy Weasel encounters his mysterious neighbor Roy on his route, he becomes convinced that Roy is actually a dog! But when his friend Pam Pam disagrees, Weasel must put on his detective cap and do his best sleuthing to reveal Roy’s extraordinary secret, and prove that not everything is as it seems, once and for all! An endearingly offbeat picture book that celebrates neighbors and neighborhoods, Roy Is Not a Dog delivers laughs and lessons about accepting others for who they are as well as the risks and rewards of showing your true self.

We can’t wait to see you reading this title! If you share this book online, remember to use #ReadTundra in your hashtags so that we can re-post.

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Creator Spotlight: Tasha Hilderman

At Tundra Books, we want you to get to know and love our authors as much as you know and love their books. Our creator spotlight series will introduce you to the people behind some of your favorite titles . . . this week, say hello to Tasha Hilderman!

About the Author:

TASHA HILDERMAN graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Saskatchewan. A member of SCBWI and co-owner of a home retail store and garden café in Lloydminster, Tasha has been a panelist and featured speaker at numerous business-industry events, including the 2019 Facebook Communities Summit at Facebook’s Menlo, California headquarters. She is of Métis descent through her mother’s side and a registered member of the Métis Nation of Alberta, and lives with her husband and three children in Alberta.

Fast Five with Tasha Hilderman:

If you could live anywhere, where would it be?

I haven’t found the perfect place yet. I’m looking for somewhere sunny (we get over 300 days of sunshine on the Canadian prairies) with the charm and comforts of a European town, lush natural beauty with lots of trees and flowers, all 4 seasons (but winter is only 3 months long), kind and happy residents and a pleasant average temperature of 25°C with a gentle breeze. If you’ve found this wonder, please let me know. 

What’s one thing that can instantly make your day better?

Tea! I love iced tea and hot tea. I love the smell. I love the color. We actually had a pet alpaca we named “Pekoe” after the color of Orange Pekoe tea. One of my favorite childhood memories is my Baba brewing a pot of Red Rose in her clear Pyrex teapot. 

Which meal is your favorite: breakfast, lunch, or dinner?

My favorite meal is not a meal, it’s a snack. We have a print in our house that says “Snacktime is kind of a big deal around here.” Snack is fun to say and fun to eat and you can do it whenever you want.  But if I had to pick a meal my favorite would be “midnight lunch.” If there is a wedding or a party and they are serving a midnight lunch, I am a happy girl. Midnight lunch is a snack in disguise. 

What’s your “dance like nobody’s watching” song?

I don’t have a “dance like no one’s watching” song but I am fond of “singing like no one is listening!” I don’t have a genre, it could be something from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, or an 80’s commercial jingle or a country song. And, if my children happen to be not listening to me, they will likely receive the request via song, typically something like “please pick up your socks! [uptempo] I have asked you a thousand times [operatic baritone]. Just do it, do it, do it, do it, do it [youth improv theatre style] pick.. up.. your SOCKS!” [crescendo]. [Fin].

What do you look for in a friendship?

Thoughtfulness, a shared sense of humor, wit, a good listener and a good storyteller, someone I can be my true self with, someone that helps me see the world in a different way.

Books by Tasha:

Métis Like Me
Written by Tasha Hilderman
Illustrated by Risa Hugo
40 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781774881125 | Tundra Books
Are you Métis like me? A group of children of Métis descent share and explore all the ways they celebrate and experience their heritage – enjoying traditional foods like bannock bread and Saskatoon berries; crafting with beads; sharing stories, dance, music and songs. Each child shares a different way they enjoy honoring their backgrounds and weaving parts of the rich tapestry that makes up Métis culture. One child, though, has grown up disconnected from their history, and can’t join in with the others in the same way. But they soon see it’s never too late to learn, celebrate or become a part of a community in which Métis and non-Métis alike can discover the richness of an often-overlooked culture. This rhythmic, jubilant book will encourage young readers of all backgrounds to celebrate their own heritage and learn more about Métis history, and contains back matter including an author’s note, recipe and dictionary to further inspire.

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Tuesdays with Tundra

Tuesdays with Tundra is an ongoing series featuring our new releases. This title is now available in stores and online!

Mile End Kids Stories
By Isabelle Arsenault
136 Pages | Ages 6-9 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781774885369 | Tundra Books
In these three heartwarming, funny and colorful adventures, the neighborhood kids of Montreal’s Mile End navigate the ups and downs of friendship. This striking omnibus edition includes:
Colette’s Lost Pet: Colette is self-conscious about making friends. When she meets the Mile End gang, she doesn’t know what to say – so she hastily invents a lost pet! What will happen when her new friends catch on? Maya’s Big Scene: Maya’s latest theatrical work is almost ready for a public performance, but she quickly learns that her actors’ visions for the show might not match hers. Can Maya learn to lead by example? Albert’s Quiet Quest: Albert just wants to read his book in peace . . . but there are so many distractions in the neighborhood – what’s a book-loving introvert to do? Will Albert ever find a moment of quiet?

We can’t wait to see you reading this title! If you share this book online, remember to use #ReadTundra in your hashtags so that we can re-post.

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2024 Ezra Jack Keats Award

Each year since 1985, the Ezra Jack Keats Award has been given to early career authors and illustrators who create children’s books that reflect our diverse culture. We would like to congratulate Sarah Gonzales who won this year’s award for her illustrations in the picture book, The Only Way to Make Bread!

On winning the Illustrator Award, Sarah Gonzales said: “The EJK Award illuminates human uniqueness and togetherness, the traits of  Keats’ work that inspire me.  In my resilient  immigrant family, we were strong, as individuals and as a group. With Cristina’s beautiful words I hoped to represent the strength of sharing as a community, and the happiness of baking bread.”

The Only Way to Make Bread
Written by Cristina Quintero
Illustrated by Sarah Gonzales
40 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780735271760 | Tundra Books
A delicious exploration of all kinds of breads, from sourdough to bannock to bao, that will tickle your taste buds and warm your heart.
What’s the only way to make bread?
You might use white flour in your bread, or whole wheat flour or corn flour.
You might use water or milk, maybe an egg or two.
You’ll use a handful of this, a dash of that, a bit of this and a splash of that.
Some dough will rise, some dough will bubble. Sometimes it will be sticky, sometimes it will be shaggy.  
What’s the only way to make bread?
Your way!
This tasty celebration of all kinds of bread will tempt bread lovers big and small. No matter what kind of bread YOU like to make, this book is for you!

Click here for a The Only Way to Make Bread recipe and art card!

Tundra Book Group