TD Summer Reading Club 2015

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TD Summer Reading Club is an inclusive program that strives to engage all children in the joy of reading during the summer months while championing Canadian writers and illustrators. The program helps connect families with books and build confidence in reading through the delivery of free incentives and fun, accessible library activities. All summer long across Canada, libraries aim to inspire a sense of adventure and wonder, nurture children’s imaginations and celebrate their accomplishments.

Children who register for the TD Summer Reading Club at their local library receive free program materials and are encouraged to earn twelve collectible stickers by reading books over the summer. They are also invited to participate in programs organized at their local library and share their love of reading with children across the country through the TD Summer Reading club website. Sign up anytime from June 26 to September 7!

Here are some of the Tundra titles that are being featured in the reading lists this year, make sure you check them out at your local library:

Bob's Hungry GhostBob’s Hungry Ghost
Written by Geneviève Côté
Hardcover | 32 Pages | Ages 3-7
ISBN: 978-1-77049-713-9
“… [a] zany take on a ghost story…. In keeping with the hyperactive mood of the story, Côté’s illustrations practically sail off the page.” – The New York Times

I Like To PlayI Like to Play
World Vision Early Readers
Written by Marla Stewart Konrad
Hardcover | 24 Pages | Ages 3-7
ISBN: 978-0-88776-998-6
“…full of gorgeous photographs and simple text…. The pictures are thought provoking and will prompt many questions from young readers…. There is so much joy and focus in these pictures… highly recommended….” – Excellent, Resource Links

Nancy KnowsNancy Knows
Written by Cybèle Young
Hardcover | 40 Pages | Ages 3-7
ISBN: 978-1-77049-482-4
“This story is told in simple, evocative language and is illustrated in minimalist style. Nancy appears as a blank slate drawn in graphite on plain white backdrops. Her elephantine shape is filled with colorful Japanese paper sculptures that reflect what’s on her mind. Nancy is a charming protagonist with a memory like an elephant. She won’t be soon forgotten.” – Starred Review, School Library Journal

Reality Check in DetroitReality Check in Detroit
Written by Roy MacGregor
Trade Paperback | 208 Pages | Ages 9-12
ISBN: 978-1-77049-422-0
Reality Check in Detroit, the latest in Roy MacGregor’s Screech Owls hockey series, delivers the goods: robust players, playful banter, zippy descriptions of hockey games, and a troubling mystery for the team to solve. With an affectionate homage to the hockey legends associated with the Detroit Red Wings and some thoughtful social commentary, it makes a satisfying read for kids who love hockey.” – National Reading Campaign

SplintersSplinters
Written by Kevin Sylvester
Hardcover | 40 Pages | Ages 6-9
ISBN: 978-0-88776-944-3
“…Sylvester’s puckish (sorry) take on the Cinderella story is reflected in squiggly, exaggerated watercolor-and-ink pictures. Most of them float on the page as if on the ice, and this works wonderfully, from Cindy’s parents’ frozen basement apartment to the wide rink. The Fairy Goaltender, by the way, works her magic by whacking Cindy across the legs with her magic hockey stick. Goal!” – Kirkus Reviews

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
“The numerous black-and-white comic panels help bring the story to life for traditional and graphic novel fans, also bridging the two settings and the story-within-a-story narrative structure. Comic geeks or not, many are likely to enjoy this humorous and action-packed adventure.” – School Library Journal

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This program is a joint initiative between TD Bank Group, Toronto Public Library, and Library and Archives Canada. Every year a theme is selected from suggestions made across the country. Supporting materials for the program are developed by a team of children’s librarians from Toronto Public Library with the francophone component developed by librarians from Ottawa, Quebec City, and Montreal.
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Please click here for more information about Josée Bisaillon, the illustrator who created the artwork for this year’s Reading Club!

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

2014 Holiday Gift Guide: The Explorers

Listed by age range:

An Armadillo in ParisAn Armadillo in Paris
By Julie Kraulis
Hardcover | 32 Pages
For Ages: 5-9
ISBN: 978-1-77049-526-5
Arlo is an armadillo who is always up for adventure. His grandfather, Augustin, loved adventure too. When Arlo was born, Augustin wrote travel journals about his favorite places for Arlo to use when he was hold enough to go exploring on his own. When Arlo reads about Paris and the one the French call La Dame de Fer, or Iron Lady, he decides it’s time to strike out on his first adventure. He travels to France and, guided by Augustin’s journal, discovers the joys of Paris: eating a flakey croissant at a café, visiting the Louvre, walking along the Seine and, of course, meeting the Iron Lady… But who is she?

Viminy Crowes Comic BookViminy Crowe’s Comic Book
Written by Marthe Jocelyn and Richard Scrimger
Illustrated by Claudia Dávila
Hardcover | 336 Pages
For Ages: 9-12 years
ISBN: 978-1-77049-479-4
When chubby, geeky Wylder Wallace spills lunch on cool and aloof Addy Crowe at Toronto’s Comicon, she dashes to the bathroom, leaving behind the latest issue of her uncle’s steampunk comic hit: Flynn Goster in Gold Rush Train. Wylder, a fan of the Flynn comics, opens this new one eagerly, astounded to see the girl who was just yelling at him inside the comic. Fascinated, he follows Addy into the bathroom, and the adventure begins …

The World OutsideThe World Outside
Written by Eva Wiseman
Hardcover | 240 Pages
For Ages: 12 and up
ISBN: 978-0-88776-981-8
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?

First Descent_paperbackFirst Descent
Written by Pam Withers
Trade Paperback | 272 Pages
For Ages: 12 and up
ISBN: 978-1-77049-412-1
Montana-born Rex dreams of following in his grandfather’s footsteps and making a first descent down one of the world’s last unconquered wild rivers. When he finally gets enough sponsors, Rex heads to South America to tackle the well-named El Furioso. And while he anticipates the river’s challenges, he finds himself in a situation where the real danger is human.

Shadows_PaperbackShadows
The Rephaim, Book 1
Written by Paula Weston
Trade Paperback | 400 Pages
For Ages: 14 and up
ISBN: 978-1-77049-769-6
It’s almost a year since Gaby Winters watched her twin brother die. In the sunshine of a new town her body has healed, but her grief is raw and constant. It doesn’t help that every night in her dreams she fights and kills hell-beasts. And then Rafa comes to town. Not only does he look exactly like the guy who’s been appearing in Gaby’s dreams, he tells her things about her brother and her life that cannot be true, things that are dangerous. Take a quick tour and follow the Rephaim as they shift from Pandanus Beach to Greece and to Italy.

HazeHaze
The Rephaim, Book 2
Written by Paula Weston
Hardcover | 448 Pages
For Ages: 14 and up
ISBN: 978-1-77049-550-0
Gaby Winters’ life used to be pretty normal. She lived with her best friend. She worked in a library. She was slowly getting over the death of her twin brother, Jude. And then Rafa came looking for her. Take a quick tour and follow the Rephaim as they shift from Pandanus Beach to Los Angeles to Dubai to Iowa and to Melbourne.

ArloPacking

Indigo’s Best Books of 2014 for Kids & Teens

Indigo Best of 2014

For Ages 3-5 | Laugh Out Loud
If You Happen to Have a DinosaurIf You Happen to Have a Dinosaur
Written by Linda Bailey
Illustrated by Colin Jack
Hardcover | 40 Pages
ISBN: 978-1-77049-568-5
“There aren’t many books that have the courage to be this silly…. Simply wonderful.” – The Globe and Mail

For Ages 3-5 | Cuddle Up & Read
The Hockey Sweater_30th AnniversaryThe Hockey Sweater, 30th Anniversary Edition
Written by Roch Carrier
Illustrated by Sheldon Cohen
Translated by Sheila Fischman
Hardcover | 48 Pages
ISBN: 978-1-77049-762-7
“It’s a classic… you can’t really be a Canadian and not read it. It’s become part of our cultural lexicon.” – Canadian Children’s Book News

The Highest Number in the WorldThe Highest Number in the World
Written by Roy MacGregor
Illustrated by Geneviève Després
Hardcover | 32 Pages
ISBN: 978-1-77049-575-3
“MacGregor’s writing packs an emotional punch without relying on sentimentality (“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 hockey, the story’s context becomes broader, more complex, and more meaningful. A memorable, intergenerational picture book perfect for sharing.” – Starred Review, Booklist

For Ages 9-12 | Contemporary Adventures
Viminy Crowes Comic BookViminy Crowe’s Comic Book
Written by Marthe Jocelyn and Richard Scrimger
Illustrated by Claudia Dávila
Hardcover | 336 Pages
ISBN: 978-1-77049-479-4
eBook: 978-1-77049-480-0
“A harmonious blend of narrative and intertwined graphic sequences finds two preteens at a comics convention closer to the action than they ever imagined…. The book’s creators clearly had a grand time, filling it with fantastic steampunk creations…. This wholly imagined fantasy is well-fleshed out and keeps the pages flying with its extremely clever story within a story. As it embraces so many different genres and formats-comics, steampunk, adventure-expect this to resonate with a wide readership. A thrilling and imaginative reminder that adventure and magic can be found anywhere, especially where one least expects it….” – Starred Review, Kirkus

TD Summer Reading Club 2014

EurekaThe TD Summer Reading Club is an inclusive, bilingual program that strives to engage all children in the joy of reading during the summer months. This program is a joint initiative between TD Bank Group, Toronto Public Library, and Library and Archives Canada. Every year a theme is selected from suggestions made across the country. This year’s theme is EUREKA!

Children who register for the TD Summer Reading Club at their local library receive a free promotional reading kit and are encouraged to earn nine collectible stickers by reading books over the summer. They are also invited to participate in programs organized at their local library and share their love of reading with children across the country through the TD Summer Reading club website.

Here are some of the Tundra titles that are being featured in the reading lists this year, make sure you check them out at your local library!

Ella May and the Wishing StoneElla May and the Wishing Stone
Written by Cary Fagan
Illustrated by Geneviève Côté
Trade Paperback | 32 Pages | Ages 4-6
ISBN: 978-1-77049-410-7
“…Fagan believably captures the delicate balance of friendship in the very young and lets the story play out with welcome complexity. Côté’s illustrations are simple without being cartoonish, demonstrating the same warm understanding of childhood. Thoughtful and Touching” – Kirkus Reviews

I Like To PlayI Like to Play
World Vision Early Readers
Written by Marla Stewart Konrad
Hardcover | 24 Pages | Ages
ISBN 978-0-88776-998-6
“…full of gorgeous photographs and simple text…. The pictures are thought provoking and will prompt many questions from young readers…. There is so much joy and focus in these pictures… highly recommended….” – Excellent, Resource Links

In the BagIn the Bag!
Margaret Knight Wraps It Up

Written by Monica Kulling
Illustrated by David Parkins
Trade Paperback | 32 Pages | Ages 5-8
ISBN: 978-1-77049-515-9
“…a delightful picture book biography of a little known inspiring woman…. I love stories about smart and determined young women and Kulling’s lively text tells an inspiring story about this determined woman who ‘never gave up without a fight.’ David Parkins’ charming illustrations are filled with carefully drawn period details and engaging humor…. Don’t miss this really excellent book that opens the door to a multitude of curricular uses.” – Bookends, a Booklist Blog

Mr Zingers HatMr. Zinger’s Hat
Written by Cary Fagan
Illustrated by Dušan Petričić
Hardcover | 32 Pages | Ages 4-6
ISBN: 978-1-77049-253-0
“A charming, marvelous tale surrounding the art of creating and telling stories, Mr. Zinger’s Hat celebrates the budding friendship between an elderly writer and a young boy who discovers a storyteller within … Fagan’s writing is beautifully crafted … Petričić’s engaging artwork deftly juxtaposes two distinct styles which portray a real-life setting and an imaginary world … The illustrations vividly depict the storyteller’s wry humour and the boy’s wide-eyed innocence.” – Jury Members (Winner of the 2013 Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award)

Sweet!Sweet!
The Delicious Story of Candy

Written by Ann Love and Jane Drake
Illustrated by Claudia Dávila
Trade Paperback | 64 Pages | Ages 9-12
ISBN 978-0-88776-962-7
“…reading their new book is a little like dipping into a grab bag from the candy store: the experience is fun, varied, and relatively cheap, considering the pleasure it gives. The difference is that you can take in the whole book at a single sitting and feel the better for it. Underneath its whimsical exterior – the humorous cartoon illustrations, the fun bits of trivia – there’s a centre of solid research. The writing is clear and engaging…. This thoughtfully constructed book is a treat to read.” – Starred review, Quill & Quire

What Am IWhat Am I?
Written by Linda Granfield
Illustrated by Jennifer Herbert
Hardcover | 32 Pages | Ages 2-5
ISBN: 978-0-88776-812-5
“Little ones will be kept on their toes as they guess which item is being described by a series of clues. Straightforward descriptions and bright, simple illustrations help kids figure out the right answers.” – Today’s Parent

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Please click here for more information about John Martz, the illustrator who created the artwork for this year’s Reading Club!

TD Summer Reading Club

Tundra Book Group