Unsinkable: Titanic, Book One

April 15, 2012, will mark the centennial of the sinking of the Titanic in the frigid waters of the Atlantic. There are few who do not know the story: the unsinkable ship, the iceberg, the ... Read More »

June 29, 2011 | Filed under: Children and YA Fiction

City Numbers

By Joanne Schwartz; Matt Beam, photog.

A sequel to City Alphabets (a Q&Q book of the year in 2009), City Numbers again finds Torontonians Joanne Schwartz and Matt Beam exploring the variety of signs and messages to be found and enjoyed ... Read More »

June 29, 2011 | Filed under: Picture Books

★ That Boy Red

By Rachna Gilmore

In the first story of Governor General’s Literary Award winner Rachna Gilmore’s new collection, young Red MacRae complains about his crotchety grandmother’s penchant for showing off an ancient swatch of her long red hair, preserved ... Read More »

June 29, 2011 | Filed under: Children and YA Fiction

The Next Day

By Paul Peterson and Jason Gilmore; John Porcellino, illus.

Suicide and the mental illnesses that lead to it are not often discussed publicly, save for the occasional sober current affairs piece in the media. This is problematic because the conditions that lead people to ... Read More »

June 27, 2011 | Filed under: Graphica

Reinventing the Rose

By Kenneth J. Harvey

If there isn’t a category of literature known as Maritime Postmodern, Kenneth J. Harvey continues to make a case that there should be, with himself as its leading proponent. Like 2006’s Inside, about a wrongly ... Read More »

June 20, 2011 | Filed under: Fiction: Novels

How Shakespeare Changed Everything

By Stephen Marche

It is clear from the opening paragraphs of this charming tribute that novelist and culture columnist Stephen Marche is besotted by the Bard. This highly accessible paean to someone whom Marche describes as “the world’s ... Read More »

June 13, 2011 | Filed under: Criticism & Essays

Alone in the Classroom

By Elizabeth Hay

For many, the title of Elizabeth Hay’s new novel will resurrect unpleasant memories. Who among us did not suffer cruel teasing, bullying, or punishment in the classroom for sins such as failing to master math, ... Read More »

June 9, 2011 | Filed under: Fiction: Novels

Can Hens Give Milk?

By Joan Betty Stuchner; Joe Weissmann, illus.

Shlomo and Rivka live on a small farm with their five children and numerous hens. Unfortunately, they cannot afford to buy a cow to provide the fresh milk and cheese they dream of. Reason might ... Read More »

June 6, 2011 | Filed under: Picture Books

The Divided Realms,Book II: The Darkening

By Maggie L. Wood

Children and teens who discover they’re really from another world – one that is magical and endangered and can only be saved by them – have been around in fiction for generations. It’s a variation ... Read More »

May 30, 2011 | Filed under: Children and YA Fiction