Canadian Library Association announces the 2011 Award Shortlists

The Award Committees of the Canadian Library Association / Association canadienne des bibliothèques are pleased to announce the shortlist for their 2011 Awards today. They are Canada’s largest national and broad-based library association, representing the interests of public, academic, school and special libraries, professional librarians and library workers, and all those concerned about enhancing the quality of life of Canadians through information and literacy.

2011 Book of the Year For Children Award Shortlist
This notable award recognizes a Canadian author of an outstanding book published in Canada in 2010, which appeals to children up to and including age 12.

Winter Shadows
by Margaret Buffie
Hardcover | 336 pages
ISBN: 978-0-88776-968-9
eBook: 978-1-77049-228-8
“…The alternating narratives are gripping, and the characters are drawn with rich complexity; even the stepmothers are finally humanized. Readers will be pulled in by the searing history of bigotry as well as the universals of family conflict, love, and friendship.” – Booklist

Dear George Clooney, Please Marry My Mom
by Susin Nielsen
Hardcover | 240 pages
ISBN: 978-0-88776-977-1
eBook: 978-0-88776-978-8
“Nielsen (Word Nerd) has created a narrator as sassy and candid as this memorable novel’s title….Nielsen skillfully balances her story’s keen humor…with poignancy. Especially affecting are Violet’s struggles to accept her father’s new family….” – Starred Review, Publishers Weekly

The Secret Fiend: The Boy Sherlock Holmes, His 4th Case
by Shane Peacock
Hardcover | 256 pages
ISBN: 978-0-88776-853-8
eBook: 978-1-77049-213-4
“…Peacock has added another brilliant installation to an already amazing series. Sherlock is beautifully drawn, true to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and infused with the freshness of a youthful perspective. It is a delight to watch as the young detective develops, and it is a thrill to see how the various elements of his adult persona come together. This book is more than an origin story of the famous detective, however. The mystery has a solid, fast-paced plot; the characters are carefully constructed and fully fleshed out with dynamic, complex relationships; Victorian England itself is a character, and Peacock does a wonderful job of describing the streets, the political unrest and the changing modes that mark the era. This is a truly wonderful book and belongs in any library.” – VOYA

2011 Young Adult Book Award Shortlist
This award recognizes an author of an outstanding English-language Canadian work of fiction (novel, collection of short stories or graphic novel), published in 2010, that appeals to young adults between the ages of 13 and 18.

Folly
by Marthe Jocelyn
Hardcover | 256 pages
ISBN: 978-0-88776-929-0
eBook: 978-1-77049-212-7
“… poignant story … A thoughtful, accessible and richly detailed read that moves along at a satisfying clip-this will appeal beyond just already-established fans of historical fiction.” – Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews

2011 Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Award Shortlist
This award recognizes an illustrator of a noteworthy Canadian book, published in 2010, that appeals to children up to the age of 12 years. The Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator’s Award is generously sponsored by Library Services Centre.

Counting on Snow
by Maxwell Newhouse
Hardcover | 24 pages
ISBN: 978-0-88776-985-6
“… perfectly paced: each turn of the page reveals a new level of intensity in the growing blizzard, bringing an enjoyable hide-and-seek element…. Newhouse infuses every creature’s peering black eyes with character and life…. Newhouse’s sensitive portrayal of the stark Arctic landscape creates an atmospheric chilliness that perfectly captures a winter evening north of the 49th parallel. Original without being gimmicky, Counting on Snow should come with the purchase of every crib in this country, as it has all the makings of a Canadian classic.” – Starred Review, Quill & Quire

The winners of the CLA Awards and Honour Books will be announced prior to the Canadian Library Association National Conference and Trade Show. The award will be presented at the CLA National Conference and Trade Show in Halifax on May 26.

Congratulations to our authors: Margaret Buffie, Susin Nielsen, Shane Peacock, Marthe Jocelyn, and Maxwell Newhouse. In addition, congratulations to their Editors, Kathryn Cole, Sue Tate, and Kathy Lowinger.

OLA Best Bets 2010

Each year the OLA Best Bets Committee selects the top 10 Canadian picture books, fiction and non fiction for children and fiction for teens. The list will be featured at OLA Superconference at the Child and Youth Expo session on Friday, February 4 at 2:10 pm. Here are the Tundra titles that made the 2010 lists:

Junior Fiction:
Dear George Clooney, Please Marry My Mom by Susin Nielsen
Honourable Mention to The Secret Fiend by Shane Peacock

Junior Non Fiction:
Honourable Mention to Hudson by Janice Weaver, illustrated by David Craig

Young Adult Fiction:
Folly by Marthe Jocelyn
Honourable Mention to Winter Shadows by Margaret Buffie

Tundra will also be hosting author signings at our booth: #720

Thursday, February 3, 2011:

  • 11:00 am Marthe Jocelyn will be signing chapbooks of “Scribbling Women” and F&Gs of Ones and Twos.
  • 12:00 pm Susin Nielsen will be signing Dear George Clooney, Please Marry My Mom.
  • 12:45 pm Heather Hartt-Sussman will be signing F&Gs of Noni Says No.
  • 1:30 pm Cyndi Sand-Eveland will be signing Dear Toni.
  • 3:30 pm  Rina Singh and Farida Zaman will be signing Nearly Nonsense.

Friday, February 4, 2011:

  • 10:00 am Monica Kulling will be signing F&Gs of Merci Mister Dash!
  • 12:00 pm Ed Butts will be signing Shipwrecks, Monsters, and Mysteries of the Great Lakes.
  • 1:00 pm Christopher Moore will be signing From Then to Now.

Signing times are subject to change. We are giving away a limited number of F&Gs, chapbooks, and books, it would be best to arrive on time to line-up! See you there!

Canadian Children’s Literature Awards Celebration

Last night, Tundra came out to support our finalists in the Canadian Children’s Literature Awards. It was a beautiful night of fine dining, cocktails, and children books!

Charming Garvia Bailey, host of CBC’s Big City, Small World was our Master of Ceremony. The first award to be announced was the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People. We have a short clip that you can watch by clicking here.

Drumroll please, the winner of the Geoffrey Bilson for Historical Fiction for Young People goes to…

Vanishing Girl: The Boy Sherlock Holmes, His 3rd Case
Written by Shane Peacock
Hardcover | 320 Pages
ISBN 978-0-88776-852-1
For ages 9 and up
“Peacock delves into the young mind of one of the best-known characters in literature, creating a story that is well-plotted, with plenty of action, adventure and plot twists… Beautifully written and fast-paced… Peacock’s writing has a distinctive voice and tone that is perfectly suited to the story being told.” – Jury Comments

Congratulations to Shane Peacock! The first two books in the Boy Sherlock Holmes series, Eye of the Crow and Death in the Air are all finalists of the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award.

The Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children’s Non-Fiction was next! Tundra’s A Thousand Years of Pirates by William Gilkerson was nominated. The award went to the much deserving team of Priscilla Galloway and Dawn Hunter for Adventures on the Ancient Silk Road. They received a standing ovation after Priscilla’s thank you speech.

Next up, the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award! We had two finalists in this category (Our Corner Grocery Store by Joanne Schwartz, illustrated by Laura Beingessner), but only one could win…

Timmerman Was Here
Written by Colleen Sydor, illustrated by Nicolas Debon
Hardcover | 32 Pages
ISBN 978-0-88776-890-3
For ages 4 – 8
“This is a sublimely humanistic and memorable story about the way we discover the difference between truth and appearances… Dramatic pictures equally involve the reader, while the artistic use of dark and light further affect our emotional response… This intriguing tale with a twist delves exceptionally well into values and perceptions, the rational and the irrational, achieving a conclusion that is profoundly self-affirming for the child… This emotionally rich and suspenseful story is capped by an uplifting ending that will stir hearts from 8 to 80… A perfect pairing of text and illustration.” – Jury Comments

Congratulations to Colleen Sydor and Nicolas Debon for their work on Timmerman Was Here!

Lastly, the big award we were all waiting for, the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award. Tundra has two finalists in the running!

And the winner is…

Arthur Slade for The Hunchback Assignments! Congratulations! Everyone got a copy in their gift bag and we can’t wait to read it!

A huge thank you goes out to the Canadian Children’s Book Centre, TD Bank Financial Group, the jurors, sponsors, and staff for all your work and for the amazing celebration!

Tuesdays with Tundra 5

Tuesdays with Tundra is a monthly post on our new releases. The following books are available today in stores and online!

Avalanche Dance
By Ellen Schwartz
ISBN 978-0-88776-958-0
US $9.95 / CAN $11.99
Ages 10-12
Gwen lives for dancing. When she has the chance to take an intensive – and expensive – course far from home, she knows her parents will object. She raises the subject when skiing with her father, but the discussion turns into an angry confrontation that is cut short by a sudden dreadful avalanche that almost kills her dad. She is left wracked with guilt and injuries that may end her career as a dancer. Gwen must find a way to make peace with her family, and with her own conscience if she is ever again going to experience the freedom that dancing brought her.

Ghost Trackers: The Unreal World of Ghosts, Ghost-Hunting, and the Paranormal
By Chris Gudegon and CCI
ISBN 978-0-88776-950-4
US $14.95 / CAN $15.99
Ages 9+
“…By the creator of the youth-oriented television reality show Ghost Trackers, this book provides young fans of the fantastic all the information and tools they’ll need for their own ghost-hunting expedition.” – VIA Destinations

Easy-to-Read Wonder Tales
It’s Not About the Apple! ISBN 978-0-88776-955-9
It’s Not About the Crumbs! ISBN 978-0-88776-953-5
It’s Not About the Hunter! ISBN 978-0-88776-948-1
It’s Not About the Pumpkin! ISBN 978-0-88776-949-8
It’s Not About the Rose! ISBN 978-0-88776-9542
By Veronika Martenova Charles
Illustrated by David Parkins
US $5.95 each / CAN $7.99 each
Ages 5-8
Here are five first books for fledgling readers that offer the enjoyment of a good story along with the thrill of accomplishment that comes from independent reading. Written in short, easy phrases with carefully selected vocabulary and plentiful illustrations, each book helps youngsters achieve success as they have fun. The series follows three friends who love to share stories. In each book, one is reminded of a well-known story: Little Red Riding Hood in It’s Not About the Hunter!, Beauty and the Beast in It’s Not About the Rose!, Snow White in It’s Not About the Apple!, Cinderella in It’s Not About the Pumpkin!, and Hansel and Gretel in It’s Not About the Crumbs! As one friend starts, the others are reminded of versions they know so each volume has three stories within one framework. The stories come from around the world, and Veronika Martenova Charles provides a note at the end of each book to describe the origins.

The Nightwood
By Robin Muller
ISBN 978-1-77049-209-7
US $18.95 / CAN $20.99
Ages 6+
“Written in true fairytale style with a passionate and soulful text that could standalone as a short story without the illustrations. But, the illustrations bring this story to a different level. Muller’s paintings are exquisite and finely detailed. Filled with emotion, atmosphere and magic they make this a book to own….” – Back to Books

Rude Stories
By Jan Andrews
Illustrated by Francis Blake
ISBN 978-0-88776-921-4
US $19.95 / CAN $21.99
Ages 6-9
Meet Mr. Mosquito, drawn from a Gypsy story. He’s cantankerous and nasty enough to raise belly laughs along with the eyebrows of the polite. In a story inspired by Australian bush tales, we meet Ella and Bella, two hilarious (and flatulent) sisters. Angelina’s earthy wit is memorialized in a story from Swahili tradition. The eight stories in Rude Stories have roots from Japan to Canada, from Africa to Eastern Europe, but they all share a sense of irreverence, and, because they are the work of a true storyteller, they beg to be read aloud, told aloud and shared.

Vanishing Girl: The Boy Sherlock Holmes, His 3rd Case
By Shane Peacock
ISBN 978-1-77049-234-9
US $9.95 / CAN $11.99
Ages 11+
Now in paperback!
“… Fast paced and filled with clues readers can follow, this is a fun read.” – School Library Journal
“… The richly descriptive prose offers a vivid sense of both Victorian life and the diverse characters, especially complex, intriguing, and sympathetic Sherlock” – Booklist

Winter Shadows
By Margaret Buffie
ISBN 978-0-88776-968-9
US $19.95 / CAN $21.99
Ages 11+
“…Buffie’s characters and the conflicts they face are deeply engaging, more than compensating for the well-worn time-travel plot device. Of special interest is the rare portrait of a multiracial community when informal marriages among British and First Nations people were common.” – Kirkus Reviews

Yes You Can! Your Guide to Becoming an Activist
By Jane Drake and Ann Love
ISBN 978-0-88776-942-9
US $12.95 / CAN $14.99
Ages 11+
Every time our society takes steps forward, segregation becomes illegal, child labor is exposed, and companies that poison our air are called to account. Behind those steps are people who identified problems, worked together, and created change. Lifelong environmental activists, Jane Drake and Ann Love present the nine steps to social change and much more. From fascinating accounts about the founding of organizations such as Amnesty International, Pollution Probe, and Greenpeace to the nuts and bolts of how to run an effective meeting or write a petition, to words of inspiration.

Pub Date Giveaway: Which book would you love to get your hands on? Leave us a comment below and one lucky reader will receive a copy of their requested book (the Easy-to-Read Wonder Tales count as one request for all 5 books in the series), courtesy of Tundra! One request per person and please read our rules. This offer ends on Wednesday, October 13th, 2010!

Eden Mills Writers’ Festival 2010

This year, the 22nd Eden Mills Writers’ Festival is being held on Sunday, September 19, 2010 from noon to 6:00pm. Where is Eden Mills you may ask? It is 15 minutes east of the city of Guelph and 5 minutes west of Rockwood. The festival is outdoors, so we would recommend bringing a lawn chair (fold-up ones work best) or blanket for seating, an umbrella (just in case!), a water bottle, and cash (there’s no bank machine) to buy books, souvenirs, and food. Parking is free!

Keep an eye out for our authors participating in the festival this year:


Young Adult Authors
Shane Peacock, author of The Secret Fiend: The Boy Sherlock Holmes, His 4th Case
Marthe Jocelyn, author of Folly


Children’s Writers
Jo Ellen Bogart, author of Big and Small, Room for All
Ann Love and Jane Drake, sisters and co-authors of Talking Tails: The Incredible Connection Between People and Their Pets

Click here for some photos from last year’s festival!

Tundra Book Group