Putting the YA in FRIYAY: Penguin Teen Social #FantasyFriday Panel

On May 29th, we hosted our final #PenguinTeenSocial event – a #FantasyFriday panel! We were joined by five very special authors: Tanaz Bhathena, Patrice Caldwell, Elizabeth Lim, Nicki Pau Preto, and Kathryn Purdie. Scroll down for a list of their most recent releases check out the recorded panel on YouTube!

By Tanaz Bhathena 
384 Pages | Ages 12+
ISBN 9780735267022 | Penguin Teen Canada
Release date: June 23, 2020
 
Gul has spent her life running. She has a star-shaped birthmark on her arm, and in the kingdom of Ambar, girls with such birthmarks have been disappearing for years. Gul’s mark is what caused her parents’ murder at the hand of King Lohar’s ruthless soldiers and forced her into hiding to protect her own life. So when a group of rebel women called the Sisters of the Golden Lotus rescue her, take her in, and train her in warrior magic, Gul wants only one thing: revenge.

Cavas lives in the tenements, and he’s just about ready to sign his life over to the king’s army. His father is terminally ill, and Cavas will do anything to save him. But sparks fly when he meets a mysterious girl-Gul-in the capital’s bazaar, and as the chemistry between them undeniably grows, he becomes entangled in a mission of vengeance-and discovers a magic he never expected to find.

Dangerous circumstances have brought Gul and Cavas together at the king’s domain in Ambar Fort . . . a world with secrets deadlier than their own. Exploring identity, class struggles, and high-stakes romance, Hunted by the Sky is a gripping adventure set in a world inspired by medieval India.
 
A Phoenix First Must Burn
Edited by Patrice Caldwell
368 Pages | Ages 12+
ISBN 9781984835659 | Viking BFYR
Release date: March 10, 2020
 
Sixteen tales by bestselling and award-winning authors that explore the Black experience through fantasy, science fiction, and magic. With stories by: Elizabeth Acevedo, Amerie, Patrice Caldwell, Dhonielle Clayton, J. Marcelle Corrie, Somaiya Daud, Charlotte Nicole Davis, Justina Ireland, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Danny Lore, L. L. McKinney, Danielle Paige, Rebecca Roanhorse, Karen Strong, Ashley Woodfolk, and Ibi Zoboi.
 
Evoking Beyoncé’s Lemonade for a teen audience, these authors who are truly Octavia Butler’s heirs, have woven worlds to create a stunning narrative that centers Black women and gender nonconforming individuals. A Phoenix First Must Burn will take you on a journey from folktales retold to futuristic societies and everything in between. Filled with stories of love and betrayal, strength and resistance, this collection contains an array of complex and true-to-life characters in which you cannot help but see yourself reflected. Witches and scientists, sisters and lovers, priestesses and rebels: the heroines of A Phoenix First Must Burn shine brightly. You will never forget them.
 
Unravel the Dusk – Don’t forget to catch up with book one, Spin the Dawn!
By Elizabeth Lim
368 Pages | Ages 12+
ISBN 9780525647027 | Knopf BFYR
Release date: July 7, 2020
 
Maia Tamarin’s journey to sew the dresses of the sun, the moon, and the stars has taken a grievous toll. She returns to a kingdom on the brink of war. Edan, the boy she loves, is gone–perhaps forever–and no sooner does she set foot in the Autumn Palace than she is forced to don the dress of the sun and assume the place of the emperor’s bride-to-be to keep the peace.
 
When the emperor’s rivals learn of her deception, there is hell to pay, but the war raging around Maia is nothing compared to the battle within. Ever since she was touched by the demon Bandur, she has been changing . . . glancing in the mirror to see her own eyes glowing red; losing control of her magic, her body, her mind. It’s only a matter of time before Maia loses herself completely, and in the meantime she will stop at nothing to find Edan, protect her family, and bring lasting peace to her country.
 
Heart of Flames -Don’t forget to catch up with book one, Crown of Feathers!
By Nicki Pau Preto
640 Pages | Ages 12+
ISBN 9781534424654 | Simon Pulse
Release date: February 11, 2020
 
The world is balanced on the edge of a knife, and war is almost certain between the empire and the Phoenix Riders.

Veronyka finally got her wish to join the Riders, but while she’s supposed to be in training, all she really wants to do is fly out to defend the villages of Pyra from the advancing empire. Tristan has been promoted to Master Rider, but he has very different ideas about the best way to protect their people than his father, the commander. Sev has been sent to spy on the empire, but maintaining his cover may force him to fight on the wrong side of the war. And Veronyka’s sister, Val, is determined to regain the empire she lost-even if it means inciting the war herself.

As tensions reach a boiling point, the characters all find themselves drawn together into a fight that will shape the course of the empire-and determine the future of the Phoenix Riders. Each must decide how far they’re willing to go-and what they’re willing to lose in the process.
 
Bone Crier’s Moon
By Kathryn Purdie
480 Pages | Ages 14+
ISBN 9780062798770 | Katherine Tegen Books
Release date: March 3, 2020
 
Bone Criers are the last descendants of an ancient famille charged with using the magic they draw from animal bones to shepherd the dead into the afterlife-lest they drain the light from the living.

Ailesse has been prepared since birth to become their matriarch, but first she must complete her rite of passage: to kill the boy she’s destined to love.

Bastien’s father was slain by a Bone Crier and he’s been seeking revenge ever since. Now his vengeance must wait, as Ailesse’s ritual has begun and their fates are entwined-in life and in death.

Special thanks to our friends at HCC Frenzy and Simon Teen Canada for helping us put together this amazing panel!


Did you miss any of our #PenguinTeenSocial events this month? You can catch up here! And keep an eye on our Twitter to be the first to learn about upcoming events with the Penguin Teen Canada team.

Tuesdays with Tundra

Tuesdays with Tundra
Tuesdays with Tundra is an ongoing series featuring our new releases. The following books are now available in stores and online!

RayRay
By Marianna Coppo
40 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780735265776 | Tundra Books
“Readers who love Petra (2018) are in for a treat with Coppo’s newest picture book about a cheerful light bulb named Ray…. Children will easily identify with Ray’s feelings of timidity when faced with a large, unfamiliar world, but they will also light up as he finds a way to connect with his new surroundings. Ray is an unexpected, endearing hero who shines brightly in this tale.” – Starred Review, Booklist

Fairy Unicorn WishesFairy Mom and Me #3: Fairy Unicorn Wishes
By Sophie Kinsella
Illustrated by Marta Kissi
176 Pages | Ages 7-10 | Paperback
ISBN 9780735266384 | Puffin Canada
Fairies, unicorns, and magical wishes combine in this third book of the Fairy Mom and Me series from New York Times bestselling author Sophie Kinsella! Ella’s one wish is to become a fairy like her mom. She dreams of the day she will have her sparkly crown and Computawand. Ella even imagines what her first spell would be: a glittery unicorn of her very own. But Ella knows that spells are often harder than they look, even with the special fairy apps available . . . and being a fairy in waiting is not all rainbows and butterflies.

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

PROUD to Read

June is Pride month when we honor all types of love – to celebrate, here’s a list of everything from picture books to YA that recognize people’s different orientations.

Ages 0-3

My Two Dads and Me
By Michael Joosten
Illustrated by Izak Zenou
22 Pages | Ages 0-3 | Board
ISBN 9780525580119 | Doubleday Books for Young Readers
Families with same-sex parents are celebrated as we follow busy dads and their kids eating breakfast, getting dressed, heading out to the park, and settling back in at night with a bubble bath and a good-night lullaby.

My Two Moms and Me
By Michael Joosten
Illustrated by Izak Zenou
22 Pages | Ages 0-3 | Board
ISBN 9780525580126 | Doubleday Books for Young Readers
Families with same-sex parents are celebrated as we follow busy moms and their kids going on a playdate, heading to the pool for a swim, and settling back in at night with a bedtime story and a good-night lullaby.

Ages 3-7

Heather Has Two Mommies
By Leslea Newman
Illustrated by Laura Cornell
32 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780763690427 | Candlewick
Heather’s favorite number is two. She has two arms, two legs, two pets-and two mommies. When Heather goes to school for the first time, someone asks her about her daddy, but Heather doesn’t have a daddy.

Princess Puffybottom … and Darryl
By Susin Nielsen
Illustrated by Olivia Chin Mueller
32 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781101919255 | Tundra Books
What’s a pampered cat to do now that she has to compete for attention with an ill-mannered puppy? Award-winning author Susin Nielsen delights in this laugh-a-minute twist on the classic sibling rivalry story.

Ages 4-8

Big Bob, Little Bob
By James Howe
Illustrated by Laura Ellen Anderson
32 Pages | Ages 4-6 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781536215922 | Candlewick
Big Bob likes trucks and throwing balls and being loud. Little Bob likes dolls and jingling bracelets and being quiet. No matter what they do, they do not do it the same. Could they be friends despite these differences?

Ho’onani: Hula Warrior
By Heather Gale
Illustrated by Mika Song
40 Pages | Ages 4-8 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780735264496 | Tundra Books
Based on a true story, Ho’onani: Hula Warrior is a celebration of Hawaiian culture and a girl who learns to lead and learns to accept who she really is – and gains the respect of all those around her.

Julián Is a Mermaid
By Jessica Love
40 Pages | Ages 4-8 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780763690458 | Candlewick Press
All Julián can think about is dressing up just like the ladies he sees at the pool in his own fabulous mermaid costume. But what will Abuela think about the mess he makes – and even more importantly, what will she think about how Julián sees himself?

Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag
By Rob Sanders
Illustrated by Steven Salerno
48 Pages | Ages 5-8 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780399555312 | Random House Books for Young Readers
In this deeply moving and empowering true story, young readers will trace the life of the Gay Pride Flag, from its beginnings in 1978 with social activist Harvey Milk and designer Gilbert Baker to its spanning of the globe and its role in today’s world.

Skinnamarink
By Sharon Hampson, Lois Lilienstein, and Bram Morrison, with Randi Hampson
Illustrated by Qin Leng
40 Pages | Ages 4-8 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780735264496 | Tundra Books
Based on the classic folk song made famous by a beloved trio of children’s entertainers, this picture book is best sung aloud! “Skinnamarink” is a timeless anthem of love and inclusion.

Stonewall: A Building. An Uprising. A Revolution
By Rob Sanders
Illustrated by Jamey Christoph
40 Pages | Ages 5-8 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781524719524 | Random House Books for Young Readers
This powerful and timeless true story  will allow young readers to discover the rich and dynamic history of the Stonewall Inn and its role in the LGBTQ+ civil rights movement that continues to this very day.

Ages 10+

Middle School’s a Drag, You Better Werk!
By Greg Howard
304 Pages | Ages 10+ | Hardcover
ISBN 9780525517528 | Putnam Books for Young Readers
When kid drag queen Coco Caliente (aka Julian Vasquez) walks in looking for an agent, Mikey Pruitt thinks he’s finally found his million-dollar idea. As newly out Mikey prepares Julian for the gig of a lifetime, he realizes there’s no rulebook for being gay-and if Julian can be openly gay at school, maybe Mikey can tell his crush how he feels.

The Ship We Built
By Lexie Bean
288 Pages | Ages 10-14 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780525554837 | Dial Books
Rowan has too many secrets to write down in the pages of a diary. He’s not the “right kind” of girl, and he’s not the “right kind” of boy. But Rowan discovers another way to share his secrets: letters. Letters he attaches to balloons and releases into the universe, hoping someone new will read them and understand.

Where the Heart Is
By Jo Knowles
304 Pages | Ages 10-14 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781536200034 | Candlewick
Micah seems to want their relationship to go beyond friendship, and though Rachel almost wishes for that, too, she can’t force herself to feel “that way” about him. In fact, she isn’t sure she can feel that way about any boy – or what that means. If home is where the heart is, what would happen if you lost it? Compassion and humor infuse the story of a family caught in financial crisis and a girl struggling to form her own identity.

Zenobia July
By Lisa Bunker
320 Pages | Ages 10+ | Hardcover
ISBN 9780451479402 | Viking Books for Young Readers
When someone anonymously posts hateful memes on her school’s website, Zenobia knows she’s the one with the abilities to solve the mystery, all while wrestling with the challenges of a new school, a new family, and coming to grips with presenting her true gender for the first time.

Ages 12+

Again Again
By E. Lockhart
304 Pages | Ages 12+ | Hardcover
ISBN 9780385744799 | Delacorte Press
After a near-fatal family catastrophe and an unexpected romantic upheaval, Adelaide Buchwald finds herself catapulted into a summer of wild possibility, during which she will fall in and out of love a thousand times–while finally confronting the secrets she keeps, her ideas about love, and the weird grandiosity of the human mind.

Beyond the Gender Binary
By Alok Vaid-Menon
Illustrated by Ashley Lukashevsky
64 Pages | Ages 12+ | Paperback
ISBN 9780593094655 | Penguin Workshop
Pocket Change Collective is a series of small books with big ideas from today’s leading activists and artists. Taking from their own experiences as a gender-nonconforming artist, Alok Vaid-Menon shows us that gender is malleable.

Chicken Girl
By Heather T. Smith
240 Pages | Ages 12+ | Hardcover
ISBN 9780143198680 | Penguin Teen Canada
After being body shamed, Poppy accepts a job as an anonymous sign waver outside a restaurant. There, she meets six-year-old girl Miracle, who helps Poppy see beyond her own pain, opening her eyes to the people around her including Lewis, a teen caring for an ailing parent, while struggling to reach the final stages of his gender transition. 

Girl Crushed
By Katie Heaney
352 Pages | Ages 12+ | Hardcover
ISBN 9781984897343 | Knopf BFYR
When Jamie dumps Quinn a month before their senior year, Quinn is suddenly girlfriend-less and best friend-less. Enter a new crush: Ruby, the gorgeous lead singer of Sweets. But the closer Quinn grows to Ruby, the more she misses Jamie, and the more Jamie misses her. Who says your first love can’t be your second love, too?

The Boy in the Red Dress
By Kristin Lambert
368 Pages | Ages 12+ | Hardcover
ISBN 9780593113684 | Viking Books for Young Readers
New Year’s Eve, 1929: Millie is running the show at the Cloak & Dagger, a swinging speakeasy in the French Quarter. All of New Orleans is out to celebrate, but no one can outshine the boy in the red dress: Marion, the club’s star performer. Then a girl turns up dead outside the club and Marion becomes the number one suspect.

This Coven Won’t Break
By Isabel Sterling
336 Pages | Ages 12+ | Hardcover
ISBN 9780451480354 | Razorbill
In this gripping, romantic sequel to These Witches Don’t Burn, Hannah must work alongside her new girlfriend to take down the Hunters desperate to steal her magic. When Hannah learns the Hunters have gone nationwide, armed with a serum capable of taking out entire covens at once, she’s desperate to help at any cost.

Ages 14+

Date Me, Bryson Keller
By Kevin Van Whye
336 Pages | Ages 14+ | Hardcover
ISBN 9780593126035 | Random House Books for Young Readers
Everyone knows about the dare: Each week, Bryson Keller must date someone new–the first person to ask him out on Monday morning. Few think Bryson can do it. He may be the king of Fairvale Academy, but he’s never really dated before. Until a boy asks him out, and everything changes.

Followers
By Raziel Reid
336 Pages | Ages 14+ | Hardcover
ISBN 9780735263802 | Penguin Teen Canada
When Lily’s mom kicks her out of their trailer home in the Valley, her estranged aunt invites her to live with her, her movie-star husband, and their daughter, Hailey. Lily is set up in the pool house and thrust into the company of reality-star offspring — kids who are born with silver spoon emojis on their feed.

The Afterward
By E.K. Johnston
352 Pages | Ages 14+ | Paperback
ISBN 9780735231917 | Dutton BFYR
Apprentice Knight Kalanthe Ironheart may be forced to betray not her kingdom or her friends, but her own heart as she seeks a stable future for herself and those she loves. Olsa Rhetsdaughter is a beggar and thief, who lived hand to mouth on the streets until fortune–or fate–pulled her into Kalanthe’s orbit. And now she’s reluctant to leave it.

The Mermaid, The Witch, and The Sea
By Maggie Tokuda-Hall
368 Pages | Ages 14+ | Hardcover
ISBN 9781536204315 | Candlewick
The pirate Florian, born Flora, has always done whatever it takes to survive. Lady Evelyn Hasegawa, a highborn Imperial daughter, is on board as well-accompanied by her own casket. Both Florian and Evelyn have lived their lives by the rules, and whims, of others. But when they fall in love, they decide to take fate into their own hands.

The Stars and the Blackness Between Them
By Junauda Petrus
320 Pages | Ages 14+ | Paperback
ISBN 9780525555490 | Dutton Books for Young Readers
Told in two distinct and irresistible voices, Junauda Petrus’s bold and lyrical debut is the story of two black girls from very different backgrounds finding love and happiness in a world that seems determined to deny them both.

For more YA titles, check out our list from last year! And don’t forget to pick up one of these wonderful books at your local bookstore in June (or any month, really!).

Putting the YA in FRIYAY: Penguin Teen Movie Night

Ever wanted to watch a movie with one of your favourite YA authors? What if the movie was based on that author’s work? Penguin Teen Canada and Indigo are here to make your self-isolation movie-watching dreams come true.

Watch the film adaptation of All the Bright Places with author Jennifer Niven! Things start with an #IndigoTeenChat, on Twitter with @IndigoTeen at 7pm EST. Then we’ll all switch over to Netflix Party for a viewing of the movie with the author at 8pm.

7pm EST – Twitter chat with @IndigoTeen and @JenniferNiven
8pm EST – Netflix Party – All the Bright Places – with Jennifer Niven

RSVP at this link!

*Please register by 12 noon EST, as Netflix Party ‘seating’ is limited. Attendees must already have a Netflix US or Netflix Canada account.

All The Bright Places
By Jennifer Niven
416 Pages | Ages 14+
ISBN 9780593118924 | Ember
 
Theodore Finch is fascinated by death. Every day he thinks of ways he might kill himself, but every day he also searches for-and manages to find-something to keep him here, and alive, and awake.

Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her small Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s recent death.
 
When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school-six stories above the ground- it’s unclear who saves whom. Soon it’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink. 
 

Can’t make it tonight? Don’t worry, you’ll have another chance to catch up with the Penguin Teen Canada team and talk YA books – check out our full schedule of #PenguinTeenSocial events coming up this month!

Tuesdays with Tundra


Tuesdays with Tundra is an ongoing series featuring our new releases. The following books are now available in paperback editions today in stores and online!

Carson Crosses Canada-boardCarson Crosses Canada
By Linda Bailey
Illustrated by Kass Reich
32 Pages | Ages 4-8 | Paperback
ISBN 9780735266353 | Tundra Books
“Figures are full of expression and the sheer joy of living, and children will chuckle aloud at the plentiful detail and humour. This is a wonderful read-aloud and a perfect book for Canada’s sesquicentennial that introduces the variety of flavours that make up Canada.” – Canadian Children’s Book News

Innocent Heroes-paperbackInnocent Heroes
Stories of Animals in the First World War
By Sigmund Brouwer
208 Pages | Ages 9-12 | Paperback
ISBN 9780735267978 | Tundra Books
“Brouwer uses the assault on Vimy Ridge during World War I to highlight the bravery of both Canadian troops and the animals that served . . . a worthy introduction to the Great War.” – Kirkus Reviews

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

Tundra Book Group