Hello, this is Evan Munday (he/him) from Penguin Random House Canada. (If you regularly get emails from me, you’ll be familiar with that phrase.) I work as the Publicity Manager for Tundra Books.
There are few things I love more than reading comic books (the X-Men are my surrogate family) or competing in (or writing for) trivia contests. You can often find me watching movies of questionable taste – don’t hesitate to email for bad movie recommendations that may change your life. I sometimes write a moderately entertaining book series for young readers called The Dead Kid Detective Agency (ECW Press). I grew up in beautiful New Jersey (so I’m a dual citizen), but have lived in Toronto since 2003.
I’ve worked in publishing for nearly twenty (?) years, having worked at esteemed publishing organizations like Coach House Books and The Word On The Street festival. I’ve been with Tundra since September 2017. As Publicity Manager, I work on a number of our Tundra titles, doing my best to get them reviewed and featured, and the authors interviewed, profiled, or invited to events. The authors and I work together to make sure their books become young readers’ favorites, and my favorite aspect is working on live events, though they fill me with bottomless dread.
5 Random Facts About Me
- I was named one of the Globe & Mail’s Best Dressed in 2018.
- I am allergic to various skin adhesives (such as on bandages and in spirit gum).
- Though I am a fan of many different musical artists, my undying fandom for Carly Rae Jepsen is best known amongst friends and coworkers.
- I am father to one four-year-old, and cat father to two kitties (Remington and Gustav).
- There were three incidents in my childhood that necessitated getting stitches in my head: my mother (accidentally) closed the hatchback of our car on my head, I smashed my head against a doorframe, and my friend (?) threw me down his stairs.
Favorite Penguin Random House Titles
Little Witch Hazel
By Phoebe Wahl
96 Pages | Ages 4-8 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780735264892 | Tundra Books
Little Witch Hazel is a tiny witch who lives in the forest, helping creatures big and small. She’s a midwife, an intrepid explorer, a hard worker and a kind friend. In this four-season volume, Little Witch Hazel rescues an orphaned egg, goes sailing on a raft, solves the mystery of a haunted stump and makes house calls to fellow forest dwellers. But when Little Witch Hazel needs help herself, will she get it in time? Little Witch Hazel is a beautiful ode to nature, friendship, wild things and the seasons that only Phoebe Wahl could create: an instant classic and a book that readers will pore over time and time again.
The Barnabus Project
By The Fan Brothers
72 Pages | Ages 5-9 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780735263260 | Tundra Books
Deep underground beneath Perfect Pets, where children can buy genetically engineered “perfect” creatures, there is a secret lab. Barnabus and his friends live in this lab, but none of them is perfect. They are all Failed Projects. Barnabus has never been outside his tiny bell jar, yet he dreams of one day seeing the world above ground that his pal Pip the cockroach has told him about: a world with green hills and trees, and buildings that reach all the way to the sky, lit with their own stars. But Barnabus may have to reach the outside world sooner than he thought, because the Green Rubber Suits are about to recycle all Failed Projects . . . and Barnabus doesn’t want to be made into a fluffier pet with bigger eyes. He just wants to be himself. So he decides it’s time for he and the others to escape. With his little trunk and a lot of cooperation and courage, Barnabus sets out to find freedom – and a place where he and his friends can finally be accepted for who they are. This suspenseful, poignant and magical story about following your dreams and finding where you truly belong will draw readers into a surreal, lushly detailed world in which perfection really means being true to yourself and your friends.
Pluto Rocket: New in Town (Pluto Rocket #1)
By Paul Gilligan
88 Pages | Ages 6-9 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780735271906 | Tundra Books
Meet Pluto Rocket, a friendly alien, and Joe Pidge, a wise-cracking pigeon, in the first book of this hilarious new early graphic novel series, for fans of Narwhal and Jelly and Pizza and Taco! Joe Pidge, not just a pigeon but also the stylish king of the neighborhood, is bobbing his way down the street one day when, all of a sudden, Pluto Rocket enters the scene. It turns out, Pluto is from another planet, and is disguising herself for her secret mission – to find out what life in the neighborhood is really like. Lucky for Pluto, Joe Pidge has seen it all before, eaten it all before, and pooped on it all before, so he takes her under his wing and the two become fast friends. But Joe is the one who actually learns a thing or two and whose mind is blown by the out-of-this-world Pluto in this hilarious graphic novel series from Paul Gilligan, creator of the syndicated comic strip Pooch Cafe!
The Montague Twins: The Witch’s Hand
By Nathan Page
Illustrated by Drew Shannon
352 Pages | Ages 12+ | Hardcover
ISBN 9780525646761 | Knopf BFYR
Pete and Alastair Montague are just a couple of mystery-solving twins, living an ordinary life. Or so they thought. After a strange storm erupts on a visit to the beach, they discover there is more to their detective skills than they had thought. Their guardian, David Faber, a once prominent professor, has been keeping secrets about their parents and what the boys are truly capable of. At the same time, three girls go missing after casting a mysterious spell, which sets in motion a chain of events that takes their small town down an unexpected path. With the help of David’s daughter, Charlie, they discover there are forces at work that they never could have imagined, which will impact their lives forever. An exciting new graphic novel from innovative creators Nathan Page and Drew Shannon that is at once timely and thrilling.
Scout Is Not a Band Kid
By Jade Armstrong
272 Pages | Ages 8-12 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780593176238 | Random House Graphic
When Scout learns that her favorite author is doing an exclusive autograph session at the end of the year, she’s determined to be there! She officially needs a plan . . . and when she finds out that her school’s band is heading to the same location for their annual trip, an idea takes shape. Being a band kid can’t be that hard, right? As it turns out, learning how to play an instrument when you can’t even read music is much, much, MUCH tougher than expected. And it’s even harder for Scout when her friends aren’t on board with her new hobby. Will she be able to master the trombone, make new band friends, and get to her favorite author’s book signing? Tackling everything seems like a challenge for a supergenius superfriend supermusician – and she’s just Scout.
Favorite Non Penguin Random House Titles
- Pokko and the Drum by Matt Forsythe
- The Mighty Muskrats Mystery Series by Michael Hutchinson
- P.S. Tell No One by Vikki VanSickle
- Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang
- The Case of the Missing Men by Kris Bertin and Alexander Forbes
Anticipated Penguin Random House Titles
- Lockjaw by Matteo L. Cerilli
- Métis Like Me by Tasha Hilderman and Risa Hugo
- Roy Is Not a Dog by Esmé Shapiro and Daniel Newell Kaufman
- Viewfinder by Christine D.U. Chung and Salwa Majoka