Tag: Zachary Hyman

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Tundra Telegram: Books That Belong in a Museum

Hello, and thanks for joining us at Tundra Telegram, the column where we dig into the burning topics floating in the ether and recommend some books to dive into and set your synapses ablaze.

This Friday (June 30), movie fans welcome back one of the film world’s greatest action heroes – Indiana Jones – with the new movie, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Harrison Ford will play the iconic daredevil archaeologist for the final time, as he seeks to recover a mysterious dial before former Nazis (he hates those guys), now working for the American space program, get their hands on it.

To celebrate the return of the swashbuckling Dr. Jones, we’re recommending some books for young readers that pair well with the Indiana Jones movies, whether it’s in their historic setting, love of archaeology, or penchant for bold adventure. Hold onto your fedora – we’re leaping into the breach once again!

PICTURE BOOKS

Picture books don’t get much more action-packed than The Magician’s Secret by Zachary Hyman and Joe Bluhm. Charlie loves when Grandpa, a magician, comes to babysit because he always tells a story, inspired by an object from his Magic Story Chest. Those stories see a younger Grandpa exploring pyramids, dogfighting with the Red Baron, and even encountering dinosaurs (!), and celebrate the importance of imagination. Plus, the cover even looks like Charlie has opened the Ark of the Covenant – with much happier results.

If you love Indiana Jones, but wish he was about six feet shorter and furry, do we have the picture book for you! Dakota Crumb: Tiny Treasure Hunter by Jamie Michalak and Kelly Murphy features a daring little mouse who scours a museum at night to find important artifacts – some of which may be food items and other litter that museum-goers have dropped.

And while we mentioned Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen’s Sam and Dave Dig a Hole in the last Tundra Telegram, there’s no other picture book that more accurately reflects the process of archaeology: fewer bullwhips and motorcycle chases, more endless digging without reward, in which the digging itself is the reward.

CHAPTER BOOKS & MIDDLE GRADE

There are a number of wonderful middle-grade series that capture a similar sense of historical adventure as the Indiana Jones films, but also a few great standalone novels. One such book is Angela Ahn’s contemporary coming-of-age Peter Lee’s Notes from the Field, with illustrations by Julie Kwon. Maybe a contemporary coming-of-age story doesn’t scream “Indy,” but eleven-year-old Peter Lee wants to be a paleontologist (which is close to an archaeologist) and – like Indiana with his father (and son, Mutt) – Peter has difficult family dynamics to contend with.

What is an archaeologist, if not a grave thief? Dee Hahn takes graverobbers and makes them heroic in The Grave Thief. Twelve-year-old Spade joins the family business of graverobbing, and he likes the work. But when his father incites an audacious plan to rob a grave in the Wyndhail castle cemetery, the family falls into a royal trap and an epic adventure begins that will take both bravery and friendship to survive.

How To Promenade with a Python (and Not Get Eaten) by Rachel Poliquin and Kathryn Durst is a nonfiction book – part of an ongoing series – in which a savvy cockroach shares tips and tricks to surviving an encounter with a charming predator (in this case, a python). The book doesn’t share a lot of similarities with the Indiana Jones movies, but we would recommend it to Dr. Jones himself, given how much he hates snakes (but nevertheless seems to continually encounter them).

A series that scratches the serial adventure itch in a very satisfying way is The Explorers by Adrienne Kress. Over three books, a risk-averse boy (Sebastian) and a girl on a rescue mission (Evie) team up with legendary adventurers The Filipendulous Five (of which Evie’s grandfather is a member) for very funny but perilous tales of danger, mystery, literal cliff-hangers, and animals in tiny hats.

Like the sound of The Explorers, but want a little more secrecy in the books you read? SJ King’s The Secret Explorers series is here to help. The Secret Explorers are a group of smart kids from all over the globe who team up to fix problems, solve mysteries, and gather knowledge (and young readers learn a few facts in the process, naturally). In thirteen books (so far), they’ve searched haunted castles, traversed the Arctic, and battled plant poachers. And even better – their adventures are available en español. 

The Escape This Book! series takes Jones-like adventures – in the tombs of Egypt, the Titanic (too soon?), and even outer space – and puts the proverbial fedora on young readers. That is, the readers themselves are in charge of their fates, and must doodle, decide, and demolish their ways out of some of history’s greatest events. It’s like you’re Spielberg himself, directing your favorite action hero into – and out of – danger.

We have to include the Addison Cooke series by Jonathan W. Stokes, as well, as these peril-packed books have been explicitly compared to the Indiana Jones movies. With titles like Addison Cooke and the Treasure of the Incas and Addison Cooke and the Ring of Destiny, the books feature the nephew of famous researchers and museum curators who always finds himself kidnapped by some evildoer or another on the hunt for the same artifacts as his relatives.

If you take the serialized treasure-hunting of Indiana Jones and add in a bit of fantasy and magic, you have the popular Thieves of Shadow series by Kevin Sands. Five kids with special talents are brought together to commit an impossible heist – stealing something from the most powerful sorcerer in the city. But messing with magic sets off a chain of events that lead to aquatic quests, sentient artifacts, and even dragons. The third book – Champions of the Fox – hits bookshelves this November, so there’s still time to get caught up on all the thrilling adventure.

Imagine a vault so cavernous that it could contain all the world’s greatest treasures and relics, from mummified remains of ancient monarchs to glistening swords brandished by legendary warriors. Does it remind you of the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark? Well, buried amongst the treasures in Professor Brownstone’s vaults, lie a humble collection of books, each filled with legendary stories from his ancestors. Those stories form the basis of Brownstone’s Mythical Collection by Joe Todd-Stanton. Each book is a separate, but connected adventure, as different generations of Brownstone’s family try to solve the Riddle of the Sphinx or undo the Gorgon’s Curse.

YOUNG ADULT

Even if you aren’t a fan of the movies, everyone knows the iconic opening scene of Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark where Indiana risks his life to get the treasure, all while facing many booby traps. Like Indiana, Cassy and her friends in Candace Buford‘s Good as Gold spend their summer hunting down some elusive treasure buried deep within their town, in a quest to get the money and save Casey’s family and her future.

In Go Hunt Me by Kelly Devos, Alex Rush and her friends like to make creepy films, and as they set off to college, they decide to create one final epic short film together. The destination? A remote castle in Romania. But just as they get the film’s first shot rolling, one of Alex’s friends disappears. Now Alex and her friends must escape the castle and its dangers, just like Indiana Jones and his father do from Castle Brunwald in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

Pankot Palace is not necessarily a hotel, but we think the Hotel Magnifique by Emily J. Taylor is just as legendary and dangerous as that setting from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. If you’re looking to be whisked away to a location both glamorous and haunting, then you’ve found your next destination.

Almost as celebrated as the opening scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark is Indiana’s line: “That belongs in a museum.” (A line that all fans know by heart, and hope will hear again in The Dial of Destiny.) Speaking of museums, Miss Peregrine’s Museum of Wonders by Ransom Riggs is the deluxe companion guide to the Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children series. Written in a way that makes you feel like you’re actually in a museum, this essential volume is ideal for anyone curious about the world of Miss Peregrine.

One of Indiana Jones’s first adventures as a kid showed him stealing the Cross of Coronado from treasure hunters in order to give it to a museum (in true Indiana fashion). While being chased by the treasure hunters, he manages to board a train loaded with circus animals and equipment. Although The Family Fortuna don’t travel by train in the book by Lindsay Eagar, they do, however, run a circus. Get ready to step out of the shadows and shine when Avita the Bird Girl devises a plan to perform the most delightful and disturbing showdown that you’ve ever seen.

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Tundra Telegram: Books that are Top Shelf

Hello, and thanks for joining us at Tundra Telegram, the column where we skate into the topics at the very top of readers’ minds and recommend some recent great books to check out.

In reality, the topic everyone is talking about is the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion nationwide. We recommended our list of books for all ages connected to that subject back on May 12, when a leaked draft of this decision (which proved to be very accurate) was made public . . . we feel like it’s certainly a great week to revisit it! (And you can find ways to donate to help ensure safe abortion access in the United States here.)

Also happening this past weekend: the Stanley Cup Finals concluded, the National Hockey League’s championship series to determine the best team in professional ice hockey in North America. The Colorado Avalanche cross-checked their way to victory, four games to two, over last year’s winners the Tampa Bay Lightning.  So, we’re strapping on some blades and hitting this ice, with books about ice hockey or – more generally – skating!

PICTURE BOOKS

Not many better ways to celebrate the Stanley Cup than by books connected to a hockey player who held that trophy more than one time. Great, and its followup, Great Too, are picture books written by Glen Gretzky (brother to Wayne), and Lauri Holomis, and illustrated by hockey fan (and celebrated children’s author-illustrator) Kevin Sylvester. Both books celebrate teamwork and building on the ice, featuring depictions of a young Wayne Gretzky and Coach Wally (Wayne’s late beloved dad, Walter Gretzky). We follow Taylor, who plays hockey with The Great One as a kid, and learn the important lessons that Coach Wally imparts. Both books feature a foreword from four-time Stanley Cup winner Wayne Gretzky himself!

Bobby Orr only won a mere two Stanley Cups (which is far more than I ever will!), but he also wrote a great picture book based on his own childhood called Bobby Orr and the Hand-Me-Down Skates, co-authored by Kara Kootstra and illustrated by Jennifer Phelan. Young readers will learn that even future hockey legends start with hand-me-downs, as young Bobby, at first disappointed, grows to love the used blades he receives for a birthday.

And while Zachary Hyman hasn’t made it to the Stanley Cup championships (yet – he’s still young!), he’s certainly an NHL star with a few playoff appearances. He’s also an accomplished children’s author to boot, with his most hockey-themed book being Hockey Hero, illustrated by Zachary Pullen. In it, an awkward young player who finds his hockey chutzpah in the midst of a Pee Wee tournament.

Of course, you can’t talk about hockey picture books – or even Canadian picture books – and leave out Roch Carrier and Sheldon Cohen’s classic The Hockey Sweater. The quintessential hockey book is also the quintessential book about the English-French Canada divide. If you’re unfamiliar with this story of a boy in small-town Quebec who gets a Toronto Maple Leafs sweater instead of one from his beloved Montreal Canadiens, the 30th anniversary edition is readily available for your reading!

From the “the Wayne Gretzky of hockey writing” Roy MacGregor and Geneviève Després comes The Highest Number in the World, in which 9-year-old Gabe (Gabriella) Murray is disappointed to not get the jersey number 22 (her hero Hayley Wickenheiser’s number). But her grandmother informs her of the storied history of Number 9 in hockey (including its connection to another author on our list, Bobby Orr).

And the Governor General’s Award-winning When the Moon Comes by Paul Harbridge and Matt James proves you don’t need a league or a rink or a jersey to enjoy hockey. All the kids need in this lyrical and atmospheric story is a frozen lake and a full moon.

And finally, we’ll recommend a few picture books about non-humans on the hockey rink. Like Glory on Ice by Maureen Fergus and Mark Fearing, in which a centuries-old vampire (Vlad) brings his crushing-and-destroying skills to the ice in this hilarious story about the newest (and oldest) member of a local peewee hockey team.

Haven’t been interested in vampires since Twilight? Well, how about a polar bear playing hockey? Like Lorna Schultz Nicholson and Kelly Findley’s Puckster books, in which a hockey mascot experiences the dizzying highs and crushing lows of junior hockey. There are eight books in the series, but perhaps the most relevant one to last weekend’s events is Puckster’s First Hockey Tournament.

And what about the machines on the ice? Clean Sweep: Frank Zamboni’s Ice Machine by Monica Kulling and Renné Benoit tells the story of how one skating rink owner, with the help of his brother and cousin invented the now-famous (and ubiquitous) ice-resurfacing machine.

CHAPTER BOOKS & MIDDLE GRADE

Need a crash-course in this whole NHL championship thing? What Is the Stanley Cup? by Gail Herman and Gregory Copeland is here to help! Young readers can learn about the oldest sports trophy in the world, from the formation of the leagues and the crowning of the first championship-winning team, to the Rangers’ Stanley Cup curse and more.

Though the title of Jay Versus the Saxophone of Doom by sometime-Bobby-Orr-collaborator Kara Kootstra (and illustrated by Kim Smith) may sound more about music than slapshots, we assure you Jay is all about hockey and is very good at it. If only playing woodwinds was as easy as handling a hockey stick!

Unlike Jay, Miles Lewis is not into hockey – he’s more into science and sports that don’t involve skates. But in Miles Lewis: King of the Ice by Kelly Starling Lyons and illustrated by Wayne Spencer, Miles may have to learn how to ice skate when is teacher announces a class field trip to a rink to learn about physics – and that’s just the beginning of his troubles!

The fifth installment of kids’ sports writer extraordinaire Mike Lupica’s Zach and Zoe Mysteries is The Hockey Rink Hunt, and – as you may have guessed – it follows the eight-year-old twins as they try to find the missing lucky necklace of the Boston Bruins’ star player. It’s a perfect book if you love Stieg Larsson as much you do Steve Stamkos.

And there are literally dozens of books in Roy MacGregor’s Screech Owls series, which read like a team full of Hardy Boys and Nancy Drews who know how to deke. But the one to read to celebrate the Stanley Cup is Screech Owls: The Ghost of the Stanley Cup. The book follows our favourite junior hockey team as they travel to Ottawa to play in the Little Stanley Cup peewee tournament, and find it pestered by a phantom! Or check out Screech Owls: The Night They Stole the Stanley Cup, in which the team uncovers a plot to lift the trophy from the Hockey Hall of Fame!

YOUNG ADULT

Being Sloane Jacobs by Lauren Morrill features two girls named Sloane Jacobs: one a high-anxiety figure skater, the other an aggressive hockey player. When they meet on their way to skating camps in Montreal, they decide to switch places and escape their lives for a summer – with flirty results!

So, it’s not hockey, but it’s YA on ice! On Top of Glass by Karina Manta is an insightful memoir from a figure skating champion about her life as a bisexual professional athlete. A story about ice athleticism that spotlights queerness, as well as struggles with body image, panic attacks, and first crushes – that’s a hat trick most people would rather avoid!

Finding Her Edge by Jennifer Iacopelli is also more about figure skating – we don’t have too many YA novels about hockey – but we think you’ll have few complaints about this sweeping romance that follows elite ice dancer Adriana Russo as she finds herself drawn into an (ice) love triangle with dance partners old and new. If you love it, make sure to check out our Q&A with the author from earlier this year!

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Tundra Telegram: Books That Are Real Dingers

We’re back with another edition of Tundra Telegram, a column in which we look at the subjects on readers’ minds and recommend some recent great books to continue the discussion.

Last weekend in cities across North America, baseball season began. Baseball: America’s pastime, a thing to watch while eating a few chili dogs. Readers could hear the crack of the bat, smell the aroma of Cracker Jacks, taste the awkwardness of crowds doing half-hearted waves. And if you, like so many others, have been knocked flat by a case of baseball fever, we prescribe a few of these books and plenty of rest!

PICTURE BOOKS

If you think your child is showing sure signs of infielding and arm strength before they can even walk, you should pick up the board book Baseball Baby by Diane Adams and Canadian illustrator Charlene Chua in which a toddler is introduced to baseball for the first time.

A Ticket to the Pennant by Mark Holtzen is a story of baseball in Seattle, back when the Seattle Mariners were the Seattle Rainiers. (We have heard it’s rainier in Seattle.) Huey searches for his lost ticket to the big game, and wanders through the city’s diverse communities – all united by their love of the sport.

But if it’s the characters of baseball you love, you’ll want Barb Rosenstock and Terry Widener’s Yogi, a picture book tribute to Yankee catcher Yogi Berra, an all-star and true personality who coined such classic wisdom like, “It ain’t over ‘till it’s over,” and “Always go to other people’s funerals, otherwise they won’t come to yours.”

And if you like baseball AND hockey, check out NHL player and author Zachary Hyman’s The Bambino and Me, about a boy in 1920s New York and his quest to watch Babe Ruth face off against the dreaded Red Sox.

CHAPTER BOOKS

Mac Barnett and Greg Pizzoli’s Jack at Bat may not have the history or the literary pedigree of a “Casey at the Bat,” but it does have a mischievous rabbit, a cranky old lady, a lovable dog, and baseball teams named the Lady Town Ladies and the Big City Brats, so kids seem to like it more.

Jack and Annie have encountered dinosaurs, mummies, dolphins, and pirates, but in Magic Tree House #29: A Big Day of Baseball, they meet Jackie Robinson, the first Black player in Major League Baseball, as they are whisked back to 1947 to see Number 42 and learn about a longer-held American pastime than baseball. (Spoiler: it’s racism.)

MIDDLE GRADE

If you loved A League of Their Own and like your baseball stories with a dash of history and civil rights, you’ll love Out of Left Field by Ellen Klages. In 1957 small-town America, Katy Gordon proves that even if you’re the best ten-year-old pitcher in town, people will try to stop you from playing Little League. (And for this reader, there was, in fact, crying in baseball.)

But don’t just stop there, as you’ll also want to follow along the journey of Shenice Lockwood and her Fulton Firebirds as they go to the regional softball championship in New York Times bestselling author Nic Stone’s coming-of-age softball page turner Fast Pitch. Not only will you cheer their triumphs, you’ll also learn a little about baseball history!

If you like classic books just as much as you like baseball, Alan Gratz’s Fantasy Baseball is probably for you. If you’ve ever wondered what a baseball game would look like with Dorothy Gale, The Big Bad Wolf, and Pinocchio in the infield, search no further!

Learn about Vancouver’s legendary Asahi baseball team in Ellen Schwartz’s Heart of a Champion, in which Kenny and his brother and local baseball star Mickey’s worlds are turned upside-down when Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, and a dark period in Canadian history follows.

And maybe Paolo Bacigalupi’s Zombie Baseball Beatdown doesn’t have that much to say about the game (and is more about a zombie apocalypse caused by corrupt food producers) but no one can deny baseball bats do get swung frequently.

YOUNG ADULT

Matt de la Peña’s Mexican WhiteBoy tells the story of Danny, a biracial kid with a killer fastball. When he spends a summer with his father’s family in Mexico, he faces personal demons tougher than any slugger.

And including Karen M. McManus’s blockbuster One of Us Is Lying (now a successful television series) is a stretch, but may we remind you that Cooper, one of the Bayview Four (and one of our murder suspects) is an all-star pitcher. So, we’re keeping it!

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Lace Up Your Skates for #TundraOnIce

Winter is coming so it’s time to break out your skates and hit the ice! From a beloved classic to a vampire-filled adventure, curling up with these books is the perfect way to unwind after an energetic game of hockey (even if you’re just a spectator!). 

Bobby Orr and the Hand-me-down Skates
By Kara Koostra and Bobby Orr
Illustrated by Jennifer Phelan
40 Pages | Ages 4-8 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780735265325 | Tundra Books
Bobby eats, sleeps and breathes hockey. So, with his birthday is coming up, he only wants one thing: new skates. He’s seen the exact pair he wants in the shop window: sparkling blades, shiny leather, clean new laces tied in perfect bows. But when Bobby opens his gift, he’s dismayed to find hand-me-down skates: scuffed leather, nicked blades, floppy laces. Once Bobby breaks them in, though, he and the hand-me-down skates become inseparable, and he can’t imagine life without them . . . until the brand-new skates come into his life. How can he leave his hand-me-down skates behind? Log Driver’s Waltz illustrator Jennifer Phelan brings this classic story to life with timeless, gorgeous art, and Kara Kootsra’s words evoke the joy and dedication that Bobby Orr brought to his favorite sport. 

Glory on Ice: A Vampire Hockey Story
By Maureen Fergus
Illustrated by Mark Fearing
40 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781524714512 | Knopf BFYR
After centuries alone in his old castle, Vlad is ready to try something new. When he hears the local hockey team gushing about how they’ll crush and destroy their opponents in the next game, he knows he’s found the activity for him! Vlad immediately gives the game his all, but he soon realizes that super-human powers don’t mean much in hockey without a mastery of the basics. After weeks of practice, he’s finally ready for the big game . . . but can a hundreds-of-years-old vampire really learn new tricks? This hilarious, energetic picture book encourages teamwork, perseverance, and a love of hockey that will last a lifetime, even for an immortal being.

Great
By Lauri Holomis and Glen Gretzky
Illustrated by Kevin Sylvester
Foreword by Wayne Gretzy
32 Pages | Ages 4-8 | Paperback
ISBN 9780735265134 | Puffin Canada
A story of teamwork with a positive message, featuring Wayne Gretzky and Coach Wally (Wayne’s dad, Walter Gretzky). Taylor is so excited when he makes the hockey team — and not just any team, but HIS team. The boy they are already calling The Great One. Taylor wants to be great too, but he’s still got a lot to learn. Lucky for him, Coach Wally is in his corner, guiding him through the ups and downs of being part of a hockey team, and being the best player he can be. As Coach Wally says, if you have a good time, work hard and do your best, “that is all that matters.”

Hockey Hero
By Zachary Hyman
Illustrated by Zachary Pullen
40 Pages | Ages 6-9 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781770496309 | Tundra Books
A heart-warming, intergenerational story about an awkward young boy who finds his hockey chutzpah at a PeeWee tournament. Tommy goes from timid observer to essential player – as we readers cheer him on! Illustrated by Zachary Pullen whose inimitable style blends perfectly with Zachary Hyman’s inspiring text.

Jay Versus the Saxophone of Doom
By Kara Koostra
Illustrated by Kim Smith
Afterword by Bobby Orr
192 Pages | Ages 8-12 | Paperback
ISBN 9780735268692 | Puffin Canada
Jay Roberts loves hockey. He’s good at it. He also loves his hockey hero, Bobby Orr, considered a legend by Jay’s grandfather. In fact, even though they may bicker, when it comes to the Bruins, the whole family agrees that they are the team to root for. When it comes to hockey, Jay’s a team player. But there’s one person who seems determined to make life hard for Jay: his classmate and fellow team member, Mick Bartlet. It’s a good thing Jay can usually stickhandle his way out of his bullying. But something else is determined to make Jay’s life difficult, something far harder for Jay to play: the saxophone. Sixth grade just became a whole lot more challenging . . .

Splinters
By Kevin Sylvester
40 Pages | Ages 6-9 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780887769443 | Tundra Books
Cindy Winters loves to play hockey. When her family’s basement apartment is flooded and the floor freezes, she’s even happy to skate on the concrete. Her parents are too poor to enroll her in a league, but she’s resourceful and does odd jobs until she has earned enough money to play. Armed with her mother’s old equipment, she is thrilled to join a team. But her happiness doesn’t last long. Among her teammates are the horrible Blister Sisters. They make her life miserable. And worse, Cindy’s sidelined by the coach, who just happens to be Mrs. Blister. It looks like she’ll be spending the season cleaning equipment, instead of playing on the ice. Cindy’s luck changes when her Fairy Goaltender appears and saves the day. With its great humor and hilarious illustrations, Kevin Sylvester’s Splinters is bound to become a favorite.

The Highest Number in the World
By Roy MacGregor
Illustrated by Geneviève Després
32 Pages | Ages 6-9 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781770495753 | Tundra Books
9-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 a lucky number with her hero, Hayley Wickenheiser: number 22. 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. A lovely intergenerational tale and a history of the storied number 9 in hockey, The Highest Number in the World is a must-have for any hockey fan.

The Hockey Sweater
By Roch Carrier
Illustrated by Sheldon Cohen
Translated by Sheila Fischman
24 Pages | Ages 0-3 | Board Book
ISBN 9780735268685 | Tundra Books
In the days of Roch’s childhood, winters in the village of Ste. Justine were long. Life centered around school, church, and the hockey rink, and every boy’s hero was Montreal Canadiens hockey legend Maurice Richard. Everyone wore Richard’s number 9. They laced their skates like Richard. They even wore their hair like Richard. When Roch outgrows his cherished Canadiens sweater, his mother writes away for a new one. Much to Roch’s horror, he is sent the blue and white sweater of the rival Toronto Maple Leafs, dreaded and hated foes to his beloved team. How can Roch face the other kids at the rink?

When the Moon Comes
By Paul Harbridge
Illustrated by Matt James
40 Pages | Ages 4-8 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781101917770 | Tundra Books
The beaver flood has finally frozen–perfect ice, without a bump or a ripple. For the kids in town, it’s Christmas in November. They wait, impatiently, for the right moment. Finally, it arrives: the full moon. They huff and puff through logging trails, farms, back roads and tamarack swamps, the powdery snow soaking pant legs and boots, till they see it – their perfect ice, waiting. And the game is on. When the Moon Comes is steeped in tradition and nostalgia: for hockey, for childhood, for a simpler time. The beauty of the text is matched by the brilliant, rich illustrations that wonderfully capture the magic of a moonlit night in winter.

Make sure to pick these up from your favourite bookstore and check out our website for even more suggestions!