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Tundra Reading Club: March 2015

Hi everyone!

Another month, another book!

Just to remind you:

Each month, we’ll post a book and a sign-up form for bloggers. Then we’ll randomly choose the lucky five who will receive a copy (in some cases, an advance copy) in exchange for a review on their blog!

Of course, everyone is free to participate via tweets (@TundraBooks) or in the comment section on the monthly post.

To make it easy to work into your busy schedules, we’ve chosen picture books so it shouldn’t take you too long to read the book of the month (or like me, you might pore over it for hours and be distracted by the illustrations).

TundraReadingClubSince the hockey season is ending next month, our pick for March, The Highest Number in the World by Roy MacGregor, is perfect for any hockey fan. It’s also a lovely inter-generational tale about a grandmother and her granddaughter, and includes wonderful illustrations by Geneviève Després.

The Highest Number in the WorldNine-year-old Gabe (Gabriella) Murray lives and breathes hockey. She’s the youngest player on her new team, she has a nifty move that her teammates call “the Gabe,” and she shares lucky number 22 with her hero, Hayley Wickenheiser. But when her coach hands out the team jerseys, Gabe is stuck with number 9. Crushed, Gabe wants to give up hockey altogether. How can she play without her lucky number? Gabe’s grandmother soon sets her straight, though – from her own connection to the number 9 in her hockey-playing days to all the greats she cheered for who wore it, she soon convinces Gabe that this new number might not be so bad after all.

Also, if you know any middle grade hockey lovers, make sure you check out Roy’s successful Screech Owls series.

Visit your local library or bookstore to get reading! If you’re interested, fill in the form below and we’ll randomly select five bloggers to read and review a copy of The Highest Number in the World and join our discussion. You have until Monday March 9 at 3 pm EST to sign up, so don’t delay!

SIGN-UP FORM CLOSED!

UPDATE: Congratulations to Lee Ann, Mary-Esther, Stephanie, Adrienne, and Ann Marie! We look forward to your reviews!

Check back in on Monday, March 23, 2015 for our reading club discussion of The Highest Number in the World!

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Pink Shirt Day

Stand up against bullying! Today is Pink Shirt Day, a day when we wear pink to show that we are all working together as a community to prevent bullying in all forms.

Not only are we wearing pink and spreading the word, we’re also hosting a giveaway! And what better author to talk about bullying than our very own Susin Nielsen? Her upcoming book, We Are All Made of Molecules, deals with themes of bullying and the power of having someone stand up for another person.

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Two lucky winners will receive: one We Are All Made of Molecules T-shirt, one signed ARC of We Are All Made of Molecules, one signed paperback of Dear George Clooney, Please Marry My Mom, one signed paperback of The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen, and one signed paperback of Word Nerd.

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Ooo, comfy T-shirt! (Person not included in giveaway.)

Pink Shirt Day was started by two Nova Scotia students in 2007 when a younger boy was bullied for wearing pink. You can read a full account of the story here.

Fill out the entry below to enter our giveaway! One entry per person and please make sure you review our rules. This giveaway is open to residents of Canada only (sorry, US fans!) and ends on Wednesday March 4, 2015. We Are All Made of Molecules will be released on May 12, 2015, so this is your chance for an early read!

Entry form closed!

Update: Congratulations Karen and Sharon, we hope you enjoy your signed books! Thanks to everyone who participated! #PinkItForward

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Tundra Reading Club: An Armadillo in Paris Reviews

Hi everyone!

Happy Monday!

I’m thrilled to share our five reader reviews for our February reading club pick, Julie Kraulis’ An Armadillo in Paris.

TundraReadingClub

An Armadillo in Paris

An Armadillo in Paris
Written and illustrated by Julie Kraulis
Hardcover | 32 Pages | Ages 5-9
ISBN: 978-1-77049-526-5
“…Julie Kraulis’s sophisticated oil-and-graphite artwork is chic, with elegant lines and a muted palette…Informative and charming, An Armadillo in Paris is sure to please armchair travelers who will eagerly await more of Arlo’s globe-trotting adventures.” – Quill & Quire

  • Danielle at This Picture Book Life loves the “unexpected choice of an armadillo as [a] main character” and comments on Arlo’s “sweet, shiny eyes.” She’s also hosting a giveaway!
  • Tanya at Pass the Damn Ham, Please thinks this is a book “meant to be pored over again and again.”
  • Jules at curtains for the windows says that “this story is for anyone who longs for adventure and finds wonder in everything.”
  •  Emilie at Not So Impossible Things suggests that “reading the book felt like a mini-adventure prelude to the real thing.”
  • Jo Ann at The Book Faerie calls it a “charming tale” and a “grand tour.”

If you read the book as well, please let us know what you thought about it in the comments below! Did you guess the Iron Lady’s identity before Arlo? Did the book bring back memories of a Parisian trip? Or maybe it reminded you to add Paris to your bucket list!

I’m also very excited to announce our March reading club book: The Highest Number in the World by Roy MacGregor and illustrated by Geneviève Després. Make sure you check back here next Monday to sign up for your chance to win a review copy.

Thanks for participating and see you next week!

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Thursday Travels: Paris

Bonjour!

For our first Thursday Travels segment, we’re taking you to Paris! And our guide is none other than Arlo, the adorable armadillo from Julie Kraulis‘ picture book, An Armadillo in Paris! He was kind enough to share some of his favourite photos from his recent trip.

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The first monument Arlo saw was the Arc de Triomphe, at the centre of the Place Charles de Gaulle. He was surprised at how fast the cars drove, but he was still able to catch a ride. Before he did, he made sure he visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier under the vault.
arlo and the arc

It wouldn’t be a trip to Paris without stopping at a French cafe! Cafe Gustave is on a street corner, so Arlo was able to observe the locals while eating a croissant fresh from the oven. This cafe is named after Gustave Eiffel, the architect who designed the – you guessed it – Eiffel Tower.
arlo and the cafe

Even though macarons are considered a French delicacy, they get their name from the Italian word for meringue. The most famous place to get macarons in Paris is Ladurée, which was created in 1862. The recipe for Paris macarons dates from 1930, but it has its roots in a recipe that can be traced back as far as 791!
arlo and laduree

Arlo had to stand really far away to take a picture of Notre Dame de Paris – the towers are 226 ft tall! The entire cathedral took over 180 years to officially complete, but it was worth it: it’s one of the most well-known churches in the world.
arlo and the church

Like all of us here, Arlo loves to read, so he popped into Shakespeare and Company. The original Shakespeare and Company bookstore was opened in 1919 and served as a gathering place for writers including Ernest Hemingway and James Joyce. It closed down in 1940 during the German occupation and it never re-opened. This “newer” store has been around since 1951 and it specializes in English-language books.
arlo and his books

Thanks for joining us on our Thursday Travels trip to Paris! You can read more about Arlo’s adventures in his book, An Armadillo in Paris, out now. It’s also our February pick for our Reading Club!

Thanks Arlo (and Julie) for the photos! Make sure you visit Julie’s website for more pictures and amazing art.

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Top Shelf Fiction for Middle School Readers 2014

TopShelf2014The Top Shelf Fiction for Middle School Readers list is published in the February 2015 issue of VOYA Magazine. Thank you to the committee members for their hard work in compiling this list. We’re so happy to share that two of our titles were included, so please congratulate our authors and illustrator: Charis Cotter, Marthe Jocelyn, Richard Scrimger, and Claudia Dávila!!

The SwallowThe Swallow: A Ghost Story
Written by Charis Cotter
Hardcover | 320 Pages | Ages 9-12
ISBN: 978-1-77049-591-3
eBook: 978-1-77049-593-7
“In 1960s Toronto, only-child Rose lives next door to ignored middle-child Polly, and they become friends by whispering through an adjoining attic wall. Polly is thrilled when Rose reluctantly divulges she can see ghosts, but when they find a cemetery gravestone bearing Rose’s name, both girls start to question reality. This creepy story will thrill and surprise burgeoning horror fans.” – VOYA

Viminy Crowes Comic BookViminy Crowe’s Comic Book
Written by Marthe Jocelyn and Richard Scrimger
Illustrated by Claudia Dávila
Hardcover | 336 Pages | Ages 9-12
ISBN: 978-1-77049-479-4
eBook: 978-1-77049-480-0
“Addy and Wylder, two kids who meet and don’t exactly become friends at a comic convention, are pulled into ‘Flynn Goster Comic #3,’ a rollicking wild-west steampunk train escapade complete with villains and mayhem. Can Addy and Wylder fix the havoc they have wreaked on the storyline? Can they ever escape the comic and return to their ordinary lives?” – VOYA

Tundra Book Group