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New Leaves!

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Congratulations to all SCBWI Canada East members whose work was released this year! This adds many new leaves to our tree. If you are a member of SCBWI living in eastern Canada and would like us to add your book(s) to this listing, please enter your request here.

Be sure to visit our Leaves Index to view books published by our talented members in previous years.

For information about the winners of SCBWI-Canada awards, please visit our Hall of Fame.

 

Scroll down to see the latest work from:
Catherine Austen Jo Ellen Bogart Anne Marie Bourgeois Peggy Collins
Lizann Flatt Alma Fullerton Rachna Gilmore Anne Gray
HildaRose Ben Hodson Kate Jaimet Deborah Jackson
Lesley Johnson Diane Lucas Jill Murray Caroline Rennie Pattison
Caroline Pignat Debbie Spring Rebecca Upjohn  

 

Walking Backward
by Catherine Austen
Orca Book Publishers, 2009.
ISBN 9781554691470 pbk.
176 pages

When Josh's mother dies in a phobia-induced car crash, she leaves two questions for her grieving family: How did a snake get into her car? How do you mourn with no faith to guide you?

Twelve-year-old Josh is left alone to find the answers. His father is busy building a time machine. His four-year-old brother has befriended a plastic Power Ranger. His psychiatrist offers nothing more than a blank journal.

Isolated by grief in a home where every day is pajama day, Josh makes death his research project. He tests the mourning practices of religions he doesn't believe in. He tries to mend his little brother's shattered heart. He observes, records, and waits—for his life to feel normal, for his mother's death to make sense, for his father to come out of the basement.

Posted: October 2009

Big and Small, Room for All
by Jo Ellen Bogart
illustrated by Gillian Newland
Tundra Books, 2009.
ISBN 978-0-88776-891-0 (hardcover)
32 pages

"Big sky, big sky, what is bigger than the sky?"

In this clever concept book, award-winning author Jo Ellen Bogart explores the size of animate and inanimate objects and their place in the universe. She introduces children to the concept of “we”—the idea that humans are a big part of the world, but a small part of existence.

With simple words printed on the darkness, the book begins in the vastness of the universe, with galaxies swirling through space. Moving closer to our world, we see the solar system, our sun at the center. Closer still, we see the huge ball of fire that is the sun. Next, the third planet out—our blue Earth—looms huge on the page. Young readers then view smaller and smaller objects, from mountain to tree to man to child to kitten to mouse to flea to the amazing complexity of microscopic beings.

Accompanied by Gillian Newland’s lavish watercolor paintings, Big and Small, Room for All places the immensity and wonder of space in perspective to help young readers comprehend that while they are part of creation, they are only a small part of all that exists.

The book has received starred reviews in Quill & Quire and Kirkus. Illustrator Newland’s work in this, her first picture book, has been highly praised.

Posted: June 2009

"I Shall Wait and Wait"
written by Alootook Ipellie
illustrated by Anne Marie Bourgeois
Rubicon Publishing / Scholastic Press Canada Scholastic Press Canada, 2009
ISBN 978-1-55448-733-2
48 pages

This poem by Inuit writer Alootook Ipellie describes the harsh climate and isolation a seal hunter must endure as he patiently carries out the traditional search for food. This first-person account takes the reader through a day in the life of an Inuit man who ventures out looking for the seal that he hopes to bring home to feed his waiting family.

Posted: February 2009

In the Garden
written and illustrated by Peggy Collins
Cider Mill Press, 2008
ISBN 978-1-60433-026-7 (paperback)
ISBN 1-60433-026-7 (hardcover)
32 pages

A seed is planted, a garden grows, and an enchanting picture book blossoms from this lovely and timely idea.

In the Garden captures a child’s delight in cultivating his own small plot of land. As the seasons pass, a boy watches the ever-changing sights in his backyard as vegetables sprout and flowers bloom. (He even plants a few of his favorite toys!) Kids will want to join in the fun as our hero stomps through puddles, meets slimy slugs and beautiful butterflies, and enjoys tasty, just-picked treats. Before long, everything in the garden has grown bigger—even the little gardener!

Author and illustrator Peggy Collins charms readers with cheery, colorful artwork and endearing text that perfectly captures a young child’s unique view of nature.

Posted: March 2009

There's A Spider in the Bath!
written by Neil Griffiths
illustrated by Peggy Collins
Red Robin Books, 2008
ISBN 978-1-905434-15-2
32 pages

There's a spider in the bath!

When bathtime beckons, Stanley always has an excuse to try and get out of it. But tonight he doesn't need to spin a yarn.

This is a super suspense story that weaves its way to a spidacular conclusion.

Posted: July 2008

Tallula's Atishoo!
written by Neil Griffiths
illustrated by Peggy Collins
Red Robin Books, 2007
ISBN 9781905434121
24 pages

Tallula was doing what she liked to do most of all: wallowing in mud! She loved the stuff, the stickier the better. But she soon discovers that you can have too much of a good thing, when she overstays her welcome in the muddy depths.

A marvellously mucky adventure!

Posted: December 2007

Cities and Statecraft in the Renaissance
by Lizann Flatt
Crabtree Publishing, 2009.
ISBN 13: 978-0778746157
ISBN 10: 0778746151
32 pages

Cities and Statecraft in the Renaissance looks at the rise of trade, commerce, guilds, and the merchant and ruling classes in northern Europe. This influenced the growth of towns, cities, states, and regions, who competed with one another for power, artistic talent, and creativity. At the same time, people rich and poor were struggling to establish new forms of society and government.

Posted: October 2009

Life in a Farming Community
by Lizann Flatt
Crabtree Publishing, 2009.
ISBN 13: 978-0778750840
ISBN 10: 0778750841
32 pages

People first domesticated wild animals and plants more than 10,000 years ago. The first peoples of North America quickly learned to farm using hand- and animal-power. As technology developed, farming machines were invented. These helped develop farming in many regions of North America previously too difficult to cultivate. From 1840 to 1880, the state of Wisconsin became the breadbasket of America, and crop- and livestock-farming developed quickly.

The village of Monticello, which is famous for its dairy farming and cheese, still revolves around this industry. This community of about 1,200 people is the focus of this book about life in a farming community.

Posted: October 2009

Life in a Forestry Community
by Lizann Flatt
Crabtree Publishing, 2009.
ISBN 13: 978-0778750864
ISBN 10: 0778750868
32 pages

Trees were one of the first natural resources used by man. In North America, most native and early European settlements were set up near forests where wood was harvested for firewood, for building homes and boats, and for fortifying villages. Western Canada had, and continues to have, huge coniferous forests. McKenzie in British Columbia, Canada, (population: 5,450) is a community based on timber mills, timber supply, and tourism.

Posted: October 2009

Libertad
by Alma Fullerton
Fitzhenry and Whiteside
ISBN 978-1-55455-106-4
244 pages

With their father gone to America to make money for his family, Libertad, his little brother Julio, and their mother scrape a living out of a dump in Guatemala City. Although it is too late for him, Libertad is determined that his little brother should go to school. Taught to play the marimba by his father, Libertad uses his talent as a street musician to raise enough money for his brother's school supplies. But his dreams for their future are destroyed when their mother is killed in a freak accident. Libertad must face the inevitable truth; they cannot survive on the streets of Guatemala City alone. There is only one thing to do. They must set out on the long and lonely journey to the Rio Grande River, where they plan to cross the water and enter the United States to find their father.

A moving story about determination and hope, Libertad is a stunning free verse novel by the author of In the Garage and Walking on Glass.

Posted: Sept. 2008

The Trouble With Dilly
by Rachna Gilmore
HarperCollins Canada, 2009.
ISBN 9781554684571
176 pages

Dilly can’t believe her eyes. That new kid, Gedion (“Sulky-face”) is shoplifting from her family’s store, and her mom is just letting it happen. No wonder her parents can’t afford to buy her those new hockey skates she’s always wanted. But as soon as Dilly tells on Gedion, she realizes that some things are better left unsaid, especially since Gedion’s father has just lost his job. Anxious to make up for her thoughtlessness, Dilly comes up with the most fabulous, beautiful, wonderful idea in the whole wide world. She’ll throw a Christmas party for Gedion’s family.

With her best friends on board, Dilly’s plan grows and grows. Soon, the whole community is involved—from pipsqueak Simon, to Dilly’s grandmother, a.k.a. The Great White Hen—with hilarious and unexpected results. But will the party be possible without Dilly having to dip into the money she’s been saving for her skates? Or will everyone say that the trouble with Dilly is she’s always starting something she can’t finish?

Posted: October 2009

Healer's Touch
by Anne Gray
Sumach Press, 2008.
ISBN 9781894549776 pbk.
288 pages

Sixteen-year-old Dovella discovers formidable new abilities, as she takes on a power-hungry sorcerer in her latest mission to protect her people. The plains tribe sorcerer Fvlad is gathering forces to conquer the lands and enslave the minds of the Villagers. There is no time to lose for the young healer Dovella. She must travel to a nearby Forester village of skilled shagines to learn how to harness her extraordinary gifts to resist the invading sorcerer. Only if she can master these skills quickly will she be able to save
her village from disaster. But an ancient prophecy alerts the sorcerer Fvlad to the existence of a many-gifted one. This is the key his plans for conquest. Believing that Dovella is needed to fulfill the prophecy, he captures and imprisons her while he tries to bend her will to his own ends. But do even Fvlad’s own followers know the true extent of his ambitions? When Dovella learns that the sorcerer has traitors working for him in the Village, she is desperate to get word back home to the Security Master. But under the fierce eye of her fanatical guard Maleem, she sees no possibility of escape.

Posted: October 2008

Hey Freddy, It's Canada's Birthday
by Susan Chalker Browne
illustrated by HildaRose (Kathy Kaulbach)
Tuckamore Books, 2009.
ISBN 978-1-897174-39-5 Paperback
32 pages

It's Canada Day, and Freddy is dressed up as a Mountie. Up on Signal Hill in St. John's, he's all set for the Sunrise Ceremony. But Freddy's baby sister is cranky from getting up so early, and Freddy and his friend George set off on a wild race to make her stop crying. But then something amazing happens, something Freddy never expected. Join Freddy the small Mountie as he enjoys an incredible Canada Day adventure.

Posted: September 2009

Johnny and the Gipsy Moth
by Deannie Sullivan-Fraser
illustrated by HildaRose (Kathy Kaulbach)
Orca Book Publishers, 2009.
ISBN 978-1-897174-40-1 Paperback
32 pages

Johnny and his family have just moved from the big city to Grand Falls. When Johnny finally goes outside to ask the new boys to play, his worst fears are realized. They make fun of him and his "fancy" clothes! Thankfully, the postman interrupts, giving Johnny a parcel to bring in to his father. His father shows him a picture of a biplane, Newfoundland’s very own Gipsy Moth. He then hands Johnny a white silk scarf. The rest, Johnny’s father promises, will be a big surprise. And oh, what a surprise it is!

Posted: September 2009

Hear My Roar
by Gillian Watts
illustrated by Ben Hodson
Annick Press, 2009.
ISBN 9781554512027 Hardcover
ISBN 9781554512010 Paperback
56 pages

Papa loves little Orsa—but sometimes it’s hard to tell.

It seems to Orsa Bear that Papa is angry all the time—especially after he’s had a lot of jack-berry wine. If Papa’s not yelling at Mama about the weeds in their garden, he’s roaring at Orsa for being clumsy at his chores. Orsa is scared, and doesn’t understand why his father acts this way. After a long winter’s sleep, things get worse, but with the help of Dr. Owl, Mama and Orsa bravely take steps to break the cycle of violence.

Told in an easy-to-read, graphic narrative format, Hear My Roar provides a gentle, non-threatening approach to talking with children about family violence. The book includes a foreword and afterword to help parents, teachers, and caregivers use the story to help young readers.

Posted: October 2009

Jeffrey and Sloth
by Kari-Lynn Winters
illustrated by Ben Hodson
Orca Book Publishers, 2007.
ISBN 9781551433233 Hardcover
ISBN 9781551439747 Paperback
32 pages

Discover the awesome powers of the written word.

Jeffrey can't think of a thing to write, so he doodles instead, only to have his doodle begin to order him about. Jeffrey struggles with the situation until he discovers that the most strong-willed doodle is powerless against a well-told tale.

Posted: February 2009

Slam Dunk
by Kate Jaimet
Orca Book Publishers, 2009.
ISBN 9781554691326 pbk.

Sixteen-year-old Salvador "Slam" Amaro thinks being the assistant coach of the Brookfield High School girls' basketball team will be an easy gig. Show up, run a few drills, and pad his resumé so he can win a spot on the Ontario Provincial Under-17 team. But Slam's job suddenly gets a lot harder when the girls' coach and her daughter, the star point-guard, vanish after being threatened. Getting to the bottom of their disappearance puts Slam in confrontation with a mysterious stalker. But that’s not his only problem. With the girls facing playoff elimination, Slam has to come up with new coaching strategies while he battles some tough competitors for a place on the Ontario squad.

The Junior Library Guild chose Slam Dunk as a spring pick in 2009, saying, “Kate Jaimet deftly mixes sports and mystery in this appealing and quick read.”

Posted: October 2009

Time Meddlers Undercover
by Deborah Jackson
LBF Books, 2009
ISBN 9781897562437
135 pages

One of Canada’s top scientists has found the secret to time travel. But something has gone horribly wrong . . . again.

Dr. Barnes’s son, Matt, learns that his time-travelling father is trapped in war-ravaged Holland. With his best friend, Sarah Sachs, he travels to occupied Holland—in that time-period a hornet’s nest of danger and intrigue—to rescue his father. Everything runs amuck when they have difficulty convincing others they’re telling the truth. They encounter courageous pilots, determined spies, gallant members of the Dutch resistance, and ordinary heroes. Amazing circumstances even bring Matt and Sarah face to face with legendary Anne Frank.

Can Matt and Sarah rescue the Allied spies and others destined for terrible fates? Dare they interfere with history . . . again?

Ultimately, Matt faces a choice that could mean a sacrifice greater than he ever dreamed. Will Matt be able to live with his decision, or will it rip his heart in two?

Posted: February 2010

The Banana Story of Agony
written and illustrated by Lesley Johnson
Conundrum Press, 2009.
ISBN 978-1-894994-42-2 Pbk.
70 pages

Collected here are four of Lesley Johnson's illustrated stories. The book straddles the line between children's book, graphic novel, and art book.

Like myths and allegories, Lesley’s stories touch upon the essence of human experience, while being specific and quirky and simple.

Posted: March 2010

Boog the Bug
written by Cynthia Genaille
illustrated by Diane Lucas
Pemmican Publications, 2008.
ISBN 978-1-894717-46-5
20 pages

Little Boog is heartbroken when his parents separate, and he worries that it's his fault. Through his parents' love, however, he understands that while they have to live apart they each love him more than ever.

This enchanting story, with its wonderfully imaginative illustrations by Diane Lucas, was created to help young children deal with divorce.

Posted: April 2009

Break on Through
by Jill Murray
Doubleday Canada, 2008.
ISBN 978-0-385-66490-5
304 pages

Welcome to the worst day of Nadine "Lady Six Sky" Durant's life. Just as she's getting used to the idea of a new baby sister squeezing her out of her family, her parents drop the real bomb—they're moving out of Parkdale, the downtown neighborhood they've always called home, to cheesy Rivercrest, a million miles away in the middle of nowhere.

Is this a conspiracy to keep Nadine from breakdancing? Are her parents trying to force her to break up with her boyfriend Sean, a.k.a. Ruckus, a.k.a. the leader of their crew, Tha Rackit Klub, a.k.a. the sickest crew in all of Toronto? And just when they finally had a shot at the Hogtown Showdown, the biggest b-boy battle in town!

How's she going to get any respect in Rivercrest, when everywhere she turns another hater is waiting to smack her down, her parents only want her to focus on her grades, and her old friends back home won't even give her the time of day?

But b-girling is hers. And with the Showdown just months away, nobody is going to keep her from dancing, no matter how hard anyone tries.

Posted: March 2008

The Law of Three: A Sarah Martin Mystery
written by Caroline Rennie Pattison
Dundurn, 2008.
ISBN: 978-1-55002-733-4
228 pages.

When Sarah is teamed up with Byron Hopper for a geography project, she discovers that she's had an easier time being accepted in her new town than some long-time residents. Byron's family has long been the subject of nasty rumours. The most sinister one surrounds Byron's sister Garnet, who many believe committed murder. Sarah resolves to get closer to Byron to find out more about his mysterious family . . . and to get to the bottom of the alleged murder. In doing so, she learns that the family has another secret: They're Wiccan. As Sarah learns more about the family, she also cuts through popular misconceptions about Wicca and its beliefs, how Wiccans worship, and what values they hold dear.

Caroline has published two Sarah Martin Mysteries: The Whole, Entire, Complete Truth and The Law of Three. She is currently working on a third.

Posted January 2008

Egghead
by Caroline Pignat
Red Deer Press, 2008.
ISBN 978-0-88995-399-4
173 pages

Will Reid is a gawky kid who is obsessed by his ant farm project and is lousy at gym. In other words, he’s the perfect target for Shane, the Grade 9 bully.

Katie has been Will’s friend since elementary school, but defending him in high school comes at an unforeseen cost. She dreads the rumors that link them in a boyfriend-girlfriend way she’s never considered. Devan has been part of Shane’s bullyboy team until now, when he has come to realize that it’s not so smart to mindlessly back up each nasty attack of Shane’s. Together, the three teens struggle to find their way out of a classic dilemma: how not to be a bystander to bullying, how to stand up for your friends, and how to deal with consuming rage.

Each character takes a turn at telling the story, Will in free-verse poetry, Katie in clear-eyed prose as she wrestles with her own demons, and Devan through the sensitive narrative of his slowly awakening compassion for Will and his growing attraction to Katie.

For more information and excerpts from the book please visit www.carolinepignat.com

Posted: January 2008

Greener Grass
by Caroline Pignat
Red Deer Press, 2008.
ISBN 978-0-88995-402-1
276 pages

Ireland, 1847. Kit Byrne's family struggles as the Great Famine enters its second year. Landlords raise rents and tumble cottages, leaving thousands homeless and overcome with hunger and disease.

When her family is slated for eviction, Kit will do anything she can to save her family. But how far will she go? Is stealing allowed if it's done to feed her family? Is murder?

Written by an Irish immigrant 160 years after the Famine, Greener Grass is a heroic story of courage, family, and survival. It stokes the memory of a time that many have forgotten and captures the spirit of a people who deserve to be remembered.

"Ride with the powerful lilt of style and you'll feel the terrible heartbeat of old famine Ireland herself! Pignat is a winner!"
— Brian Doyle, author of Boy O'Boy and Pure Spring.

Posted: October 2008

Breathing Soccer
by Debbie Spring
Thistledown Press, 2008.
ISBN 978-1-897235-42-3
140 pages

Lisa has asthma. Her family doctor has warned her that the aggressive demands that soccer places on her breathing could be lethal. Her soccer coach decides not to play her. Just when it seems that the world has conspired against her, Lisa discovers a new source of strength in the example of Olympic medallist Silken Laumann, who was told that her career was over after a terrible accident, yet who went on to win the bronze medal for Canada. Breathing Soccer is a realistic account of the plight of asthmatics who hunger for the challenge and thrill of sports but must weigh their desire against serious health concerns.

Posted: April 2008

Lily and the Paper Man
by Rebecca Upjohn
illustrated by Renné Benoit
Second Story Press, 2007.
ISBN 978-1-897187-19-7
24 pages

Walking with her mother on the way home from school one day, Lily encounters a man in a raggedy coat selling papers on the street. Lily is afraid of the Paper Man but when the weather turns cold, she begins to see him differently. As she lies in bed one night, she wonders how the Paper Man stays warm and what she can do to help. She wakes in the morning knowing what to do.

Posted December 2007

 

 

Be sure to visit our Author / Illustrator Index or Title Index to view books published by our talented members in previous years.

If you are a member of SCBWI living in eastern Canada and would like us to add your book(s) to this listing, please enter your request here.

 


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