Congratulations to Nancy Hartry

The Canadian Library Association has selected the 2010 winning title for the Book of the Year for Children Award.  This year’s winner is Watching Jimmy by Nancy Hartry!

Tundra gave a quick congratulatory toast to Nancy when she popped into the office today. Here she is with Editorial Director, Kathryn Cole:

“Though frugal with her words,” commended Helen Kubiw, Chair of the Book of the Year for Children Award Committee, “Nancy Hartry packs much intensity into them, superbly depicting the hardships of her characters’ lives without demanding sympathy from her readers.”

The CLA Children’s Book of the Year Award will be presented to Nancy Hartry on June 3, 2010 during the CLA National Conference and Tradeshow in Edmonton.

Two Honour Books for the CLA’s Book of the Year for Children Award were also selected. Congratulations to Shane Peacock for Vanishing Girl and R. J. Anderson for Faery Rebels: Spell Hunter!

CBA Libris Awards 2010 Shortlist

The Canadian Booksellers Association (CBA) announced the 2010 CBA Libris Awards shortlist. The great news is that Bradley McGogg, The Very Fine Frog and Vanishing Girl have both been nominated for an award. Congratulations to Tim Beiser, Rachel Berman, and Shane Peacock! What a very fine birthday present this must be for Tim Beiser!

CHILDREN’S PICTURE BOOK OF THE YEAR

Bradley McGogg, The Very Fine Frog
Written by Tim Beiser
Illustrated by Rachel Berman

Tim Beiser was born on April Fools’ Day in Los Angeles, California. Tim has had many day jobs: a pastry chef, an architectural draftsman, a college teacher, a waiter, a nightclub performer, a computer repairman, and, lastly, an emergency medical technician for the Fire Department of New York, driving an ambulance. His work has appeared in such publications as National Post Business, Toronto Life, Elm Street, Reader’s Digest, and Saturday Night, Tim has been nominated for four National Magazine Awards. Bradley McGogg, the Very Fine Frog is his first book for children. Tim Beiser is the proud dad of twins Rowan and Daniel, and he and his family split their time between Toronto, Canada and Grignan, France.

Rachel Berman is a self-educated painter who has lived and worked in Canada, the United States, and Ireland. Born in New Orleans, Rachel has worked as a professional artist for over thirty years. Her paintings have been likened to the poems of Leonard Cohen. The mysterious figures and hidden stories glimpsed in her paintings are a reflection of the mysteries Berman has unraveled in her own life. Once known as Susan King, she discovered her original birth name, birth date, and the names of her biological parents only ten years ago. This experience led her to reclaim her long-lost name. Rachel Berman lives in Victoria, British Columbia.

Also nominated in this category:
Perfect Snow by Barbara Reid
When Stella Was Very, Very Small by Marie-Louise Gay

YOUNG READERS’ BOOK OF THE YEAR

Vanishing Girl
The Boy Sherlock Holmes, His Third Case

Written by Shane Peacock

Shane Peacock was born in Thunder Bay, Ontario, and grew up in Kapuskasing. A biographer, journalist, and screenwriter, he is also the author of several novels and plays. He has received many honors for his writing, including the prestigious Arthur Ellis Award for Eye of the Crow, the first of his Boy Sherlock Holmes series. Shane Peacock lives with his wife and three children near Cobourg, Ontario.

Also nominated in this category:
The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong
The Uninvited by Tim Wynne-Jones

The Winners will be announced at the CBA’s Libris Awards Ceremony on May 29, 2010. Good luck to all the nominees!

Keep Toronto Reading 2010

Keep Toronto Reading starts tomorrow! You can view the full schedule of  programs on the Toronto Public Library’s website. Here are some events featuring Tundra authors and illustrators:

Media and Graphic Techniques in Children’s Books

North York Central Library
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
1:30 pm – 2:45 pm

Learn how to make illustrated books. Artist Dušan Petričić will teach you to look at picture books in a new way. Classes will be invited. Ages 9-12. Drop in.

Meet Shane Peacock

Highland Creek
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm

Shane Peacock, the author of the popular Boy Sherlock Holmes series, shares his love for the sleuth.

Books We Love with Dave Bidini

Bloor/Gladstone
Thursday, April 22, 2010
7:00 pm – 8:30 pm

Author and musician Dave Bidini reads from his favourite books. A founding member of the acclaimed band The Rheostatics, Bidini has published several books about sports and music for adults and youth.

We Love Detectives

Lillian H. Smith
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
10:00 am – 11:30 am

Meet Shane Peacock, the author of the popular Boy Sherlock Holmes series. Followed by a tour of the Osborne Collection of Early Children’s Books.

Meet Joanne Schwartz

Davenport
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Local Davenport author Joanne Schwartz talks about her latest children’s book, Our Corner Grocery Store, which is based on a real grocery store in the area.

2009 Book of the Year Award Finalists

ForeWord Reviews announced the finalists in the 2009 Book of the Year Awards. We would like to congratulate the following authors and illustrators on their nominations!

Juvenile Nonfiction Finalist:

A Thousand Years of Pirates
By William Gilkerson
ISBN 9780887769245
96 Pages
“… A Thousand Years of Pirates, manages to preserve the historical reality of pirates while still maintaining the captivating image of pirates that so strongly interests people, especially children…. At the same time, Gilkerson captures the adventure of the high seas in his illustrations. …a great example of how history can be made interesting to young readers….” – ForeWord Reviews

Juvenile Fiction Finalist:

Jacob Two-Two on the High Seas
By Cary Fagan
Illustrated by DuÅ¡an Petričić
ISBN 9780887768958
112 Pages
“Fagan has produced a lively tale of pirates, transatlantic voyages, and the usual heedless parents…” – Books for Young People: Books of the Year,  Quill & Quire

YA Fiction Finalist:

Vanishing Girl
By Shane Peacock
ISBN 9780887768521
320 Pages
“… The richly descriptive prose offers a vivid sense of both Victorian life and the diverse characters, especially complex, intriguing, and sympathetic Sherlock….” – Booklist

CLA Announces 2010 Award Finalists

The Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator’s Award Committee of the Canadian Library Association announced the shortlist for the 2010 Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator’s Award. This award recognizes an illustrator of a noteworthy Canadian book, published in 2009, that appeals to children up to the age of 12 years.

Congratulations to our illustrators, Bill Slavin and Nicolas Debon!

It’s a Snap! George Eastman’s First Photograph
Written by Monica Kulling
Illustrated by Bill Slavin
ISBN 978-0-88776-881-1
Hardcover
32 Pages
Introducing our Great Idea Series, a first biography for young readers!

Timmerman Was Here
Written by Colleen Sydor
Illustrated by Nicolas Debon
ISBN 978-0-88776-890-3
Hardcover
32 Pages
Timmerman Was Here is a charming tale of mystery, perception, and the gift of friendship.

The Young Adult Services Interest Group of the Canadian Library Association announced the shortlist for the 2010 Young Adult Book Award. This award recognizes an author of an outstanding English-language Canadian work of fiction, published in 2009, that appeals to young adults between the ages of 13 and 18.

Congratulations to Shane Peacock!

Vanishing Girl
The Boy Sherlock Holmes, His Third Case
Written by Shane Peacock
ISBN 978-0-88776-852-1
Hardcover
320 Pages
The third case in the compelling Boy Sherlock Holmes series is full of as many twists and turns as the backstreets of Victorian London.

The Canadian Association of Children’s Librarians, Section of the Canadian Association of Public Libraries announced the shortlist for the 2010 Book of the Year for Children Award. This award recognizes a Canadian author of an outstanding book published in Canada in 2009, which appeals to children up to and including age 12.

Congratulations to Nancy Hartry, Eva Wiseman, and Shane Peacock!

Watching Jimmy
Written by Nancy Hartry
ISBN 978-0-88776-871-2
Hardcover
160 Pages
A novel of danger, warmth, and dark humor – about a brain-damaged young boy and the friend who knows a terrible secret. Click here for the teacher guide.

Puppet
Written by Eva Wiseman
ISBN 978-0-88776-828-6
Hardcover
252 Pages
This powerful fictionalized account of one of the last blood libel trial in Europe is told through the eyes of Julie, a friend of the murdered Esther, and a servant at the jail where Morris is imprisoned. Once again, Eva Wiseman illuminates a heartbreaking episode in history for young readers.

Vanishing Girl
The Boy Sherlock Holmes, His Third Case
Written by Shane Peacock
ISBN 978-0-88776-852-1
Hardcover
320 Pages
The third case in the compelling Boy Sherlock Holmes series is full of as many twists and turns as the backstreets of Victorian London.

The winners will be announced prior to the Canadian Library Association National Conference. The awards will be presented at the CLA National Conference and Trade Show at the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton on June 3, 2010.

Tundra Book Group