Who’s Who
Anna Mouat
A is for Anna
This collection for ages 8-11, Amelia Daydreams (Vintage Ink Books $19.99) by Anna Mouat, follows the daydreams of Amelia, a lively young woman from the 1920s, as she embarks on fantastical adventures. From playing tennis on the moon to pet-sitting a dragon and riding a peacock, Amelia’s journeys are brought to life through sixteen rhyming verse vignettes, accompanied by vibrant full-page illustrations. The book showcases vintage Art Deco Vogue magazine covers from 1911 to 1924, illustrated by artists, adding a touch of 1920s glamour. 9781068804403
David Beers
B is for Beers
Take a journey across British Columbia with this collection of essays from thirty local writers, celebrating The Tyee’s 20th anniversary. This anthology, Points of Interest: In Search of the Places, People, and Stories of BC (Greystone $24.95), edited by David Beers and andrea bennett, offers unique insights into the province through personal tales and reflections rooted in its diverse landscapes and cultures. Featuring celebrated authors like J.B. MacKinnon, Alisa Smith and Arno Kopecky, along with illustrations by Nora Kelly, the book provides a rich tapestry of stories and perspectives. 9781778401381
Maia Caron
C is for Caron
In a captivating dual-timeline narrative, The Last Secret (Doubleday $25.00) by Maia Caron intricately weaves the stories of two remarkable women across decades. Set in Ukraine in 1944, Savka Ivanets serves as a medic for the Ukrainian resistance during World War II, navigating the chaos of war and the kidnapping of her son, Taras, by the KGB. Decades later, in 1972 on Salt Spring Island, Jeanie Esterhazy struggles with isolation following a traumatic accident that left her scarred and with no memory of the event. When a mysterious stranger prompts flashbacks from her wedding night, Jeanie uncovers unsettling truths about her past. The novel artfully weaves together their journeys, exploring themes of love, hope, and the remarkable resilience of women. 9780385688826
David M. McGowan
D is for David
Author David M. McGowan’s collection, People of the West: A short story timeline (self-published $9.95), features nine short stories spanning 170 years of North American history, interwoven with fourteen poems. The first story provides a fictional account of the experience of the first European to reach Canada’s Pacific coast. The following stories portray imagined snapshots of the various winners and losers who helped shape North America—whether by choice or circumstance—ultimately becoming the architects of the modern world we know today. 9798870124803
Eileen Delehanty Pearkes
E is for Eileen
The revised and updated edition of A River Captured: The Columbia River Treaty and Catastrophic Change (Rocky Mountain Books $25.00) by Eileen Delehanty Pearkes delves into the Columbia River Treaty, examining its impact on ecosystems, Indigenous peoples, culture, and cross-border politics in the Pacific Northwest. The Columbia River Basin, spanning parts of the U.S. and Canada, is key to hydroelectric projects but has created significant ecological and social disruption. The treaty is often praised for international cooperation to address displaced communities, destroyed archaeological sites, and damaged fisheries. Delehanty Pearkes’ investigative work emphasizes the consequences of Canada selling water rights to the U.S. and reflects on the past to address future treaty changes set for 2024. 9781771605236
Frank Wolf
F is for Frank
Join adventurer Frank Wolf on his journeys through Canada’s northern wilderness in his latest book, Two Springs, One Summer (Rocky Mountain Books $28.00). In under a year, he skied 280-km across Baffin Island, completed a 1750-km canoe trip through the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, and retraced a 550-km historic expedition. These challenging trips took Wolf and his teams through glaciers and wild rivers in harsh, remote landscapes. Beyond the physical trials, Wolf also confronts personal struggles, finding that the inner battles of modern life can be more difficult than the wilderness adventures that define his explorations. 9781771606844
Kallie George
G is for George
The third installment of the Sounds of Nature series by Kallie George, I Hear You, Mountains (Greystone $22.95), due out in September, is a nature-themed book for children ages 3-7 that invites readers to explore the sounds of the mountains. The book follows a group of friends embarking on a hiking adventure, discovering the rush of waterfalls, chattering chipmunks and mischievous birds along the way, encouraging kids to engage with nature through listening, fostering connection, empathy, mindfulness and imagination. It’s a resource for outdoor education and social-emotional learning, teaching children to appreciate and respect the natural world. 9781771647427
Marcus Hondro
H is for Hondro
Marcus Hondro’s book, The Keeley Miller Finding Club (self-published $13.57) for ages 10-18, follows two strangers, Norman and Koey, who are forced to solve a mystery rooted in a family’s tragic past. Norman, a timid small-town reporter who prefers routine and avoids adventure, begins to lose family members one by one. Koey, an adventurous aspiring detective from Vancouver who was adopted from China, is seeking belonging. Together, they must outsmart a rapture-obsessed cult leader, Reverend Vernon Bloom, and his eccentric son, while also learning to work together despite their differences. 9798359859332
Anosh Irani
I is for Irani
In Behind the Moon (Talonbooks $21.95), award-winning playwright, Anosh Irani, explores the character of Ayub, a man haunted by his past and isolated in a cold, unfamiliar Toronto. Ayub works in a Mughlai restaurant, where his routine is disrupted by a late-night visit from a mysterious stranger, forcing him to confront the family he left behind and the dreams he abandoned. Through this lens, Irani delves into themes of love, loss, brotherhood and the complexities of starting anew. The play reflects Ayub’s emotional struggles, intensified by the harsh winter, as Irani examines the inner lives of his characters, embracing their strangeness and woundedness to uncover deeper truths about identity and resilience. 9781772016383
John Grain
J is for John
This historical fiction novel, The Silver Pocket Watch: A British Home Child’s Journey (Tadpole Publishing $24.95) honors the children affected by the British Home Children Program, which sent over 100,000 children to Canada as indentured laborers between 1869 and 1939. The story reimagines the life of the author John Grain’s grandmother. The story follows Winnie Ormsby, who struggles to raise her infant niece, Millie, in Victorian London’s slums. After a series of tragic events, Winnie marries Captain Thomas Turtle. But their children are kidnapped and sent to Canada by a spiteful family member, where they face many years of forced child labour. Central to the story is a silver pocket watch, a family heirloom symbolizing their enduring connection. 9780973863437
David Korinetz
K is for Korinetz
In the land of Coronus, the bodiless Warlock Gamel has possessed King Brian and launched an invasion of the city of Balor with warships, aiming to conquer the entire land, even if it means its destruction, in David Korinetz’s book, Necromancer: Chronicles of the Daemon Knights (self-published $19.95). At the same time, Magdalen, freed from magical chains, is determined to find and punish Al-Farid for kidnapping her and stealing her newborn child. Meanwhile, Magdalen’s husband, Sir Rodney Vincent, a Daemon Knight resurrected with dragon venom and magic, must protect his child from being possessed by Gamel. But stopping Gamel, who can jump from body to body, seems nearly impossible. 9780978382432
Dawn Lo
L is for Lo
During a visit to the ocean, a curious little girl searching for a seashell discovers an octopus instead. Their encounter leads to an afternoon of play and discovery, revealing that while octopuses have some similarities with us, they also have unique traits. What About an Octopus?: A Fact-Filled Underwater Adventure (Owlkids $21.95) for ages 3-7, illustrated by Dawn Lo, humorously notes that instead of shaking an octopus’s hand, a friendly wave is more appropriate and explains that octopuses have eight arms and can regrow lost ones. Fun sidebars offer intriguing facts about octopuses, and Lo’s vibrant, lively illustrations bring the underwater adventure to life, blending charm with educational content. 9781771475716
Minelle Mahtani
M is for Mahtani
Author Minelle Mahtani’s memoir, May It Have a Happy Ending (Doubleday $34.95) explores the emotional complexities of motherhood, grief and self-discovery. As she begins a new chapter as a radio host, she faces the devastating news of her Iranian mother’s tongue cancer. While finding her own voice in a predominantly white newsroom, she struggles with the loss of her mother’s. Through lyrical prose, Mahtani examines themes of superstition, caregiving and the tension between speaking out and silence, capturing the painful balancing act of caring for both a parent and her own child. 9780385675208
Samantha Nock
N is for Nock
Shortlisted for the 2024 Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize and the BC and Yukon Book Prizes, A Family of Dreamers (Talonbooks $18.95) by Samantha Nock redefines the concept of “home.” This debut poetry collection explores the complexities of growing up in rural northeast British Columbia, capturing the love and grief that emerge there. Nock weaves together themes of fat liberation, desirability politics, and heartbreak as she navigates her identity as a young Indigenous woman coming of age in the city. 9781772015478
Stephen Osborne
O is for Osborne
In his essay collection exploring topics like civic monuments, family history and end times in the Arctic, Stephen Osborne, founder of Geist magazine and a CBC Literary Award winner, highlights everyday coincidences within the broader scope of life in The Coincidence Problem (Arsenal Pulp Press $24.95), due out in October. From city centers to the Arctic’s edges, Osborne’s essays cover subjects such as global terrorism and the 1884 lynching of Indigenous youth Louie Sam (declared in the 21st century as an historical injustice). As a modern flaneur, Osborne investigates the city, translates the ordinary, and deflates the pretentious. 9781551529653
Maureen Palmer
P is for Palmer
Offering a new approach to helping a loved one with a drinking problem, Maureen Palmer moves away from the traditional abstinence-only mindset in her book, You Don’t Have to Quit: 20 Science-Backed Strategies to Help Your Loved One Drink Less (Page Two $21.95). Instead, she advocates for harm reduction and positive change through empathy and compassion. Drawing from her own experience and interviews with world experts, she provides twenty practical, science-backed strategies to reduce or stop drinking, while also maintaining healthy boundaries. Palmer debunks myths that foster shame and conflict, promoting a collaborative approach to improving both relationships with drinkers and their drinking behavior. 9781774584668
Shahnaz Qayumi
Q is for Qayumi
“You are a man now, take care of your mother,” Zia’s father whispered to Zia just as he is arrested–never to return home. Kabul born author, Shahnaz Qayumi’s debut novel, Zia’s Story (Tradewind Books $14.95) due out in June, is set in the aftermath of the Russian withdrawal from Afghanistan in 1989, as the country descends into civil war. The Taliban’s rule brings restrictions to women working and girls attending school. The story follows Zia and his young mother fleeing war-torn Afghanistan from Pakistan to Canada. Qayumi writes of what she knows as she was also an Afghani refugee who found sanctuary in Canada. She now lives in Vancouver and teaches at Langara College. This book is illustrated by Nahid Kazemi. 9781990598142
Meneka Repka
R is for Repka
Marianne is excited to eat the mangoes from her family’s tree, but when she and her cousin Zoe check it out, they discover the lower branches have been picked clean. Suspecting a “mango monster” might be the thief, the girls set traps to catch it in the act. Their imaginative and adventurous efforts lead to surprising results. The Mango Monster (Owlkids $21.95) for ages 4-7, illustrated by Meneka Repka, showcases Marianne’s problem-solving skills through colourful artwork. Repka is a Sri Lankan-Canadian illustrator and teacher living in Victoria. She is passionate about children’s art and literature that emphasizes themes of justice and compassion towards humans, animals, and the Earth. 9781771475693
Sophie Kohn
S is for Sophie
Katrina, a spotted hyena, loves to laugh because she finds the world hilarious, but this frustrates her clan since hyena laughter is supposed to signal danger. Every time Katrina laughs, the others think there’s a threat, like Gary the Lion, and rush to help her. In Sophie Kohn’s latest book, Katrina Hyena, Stand-up Comedian (Owlkids $21.95) for ages 5-8, due out in October, Katrina dreams of becoming a stand-up comedian and decides to lighten her clan’s constant worry by hosting a comedy show. This early chapter book encourages readers to embrace their differences and shows that being unique is something to be celebrated. 9781771475655
Tiziana La Melia
T is for Tiziana
Author Tiziana La Melia’s lettuce lettuce please go bad (Talonbooks $24.95) is a poetic exploration of transformation, drawing on the metaphor of compost as composition. The book intertwines divination systems, herbal healing, lunar cycles, and experiences of stress and grief with agricultural practices like picking, pruning and planting. La Melia reflects on familial migration and agrarian labor while addressing issues of colonization, land ownership and food production. By using vegetables and fruits as symbols for complex emotions and situations, the author advocates for a return to love as a way to navigate both personal and collective crises. 978-1772016086
Udayana Lugo
U is for Udyana
Illustrator Udayana Lugo’s latest work, No Huddles for Heloise (Orca $21.95) follows the story of Heloise the penguin, who enjoys sledding, giving rocks to friends and eating fish popsicles, while disliking crowds, close-talkers and huddles. However, huddling is essential for penguins to stay warm and avoid leopard seals. Seeking others like her, Heloise encounters unfriendly animals and has a close call with a leopard seal. Through colorful illustrations, the story concludes after Heloise returns to her community after realizing its importance. But can she figure out how to be a penguin and fulfil her need for personal space at the same time? Written by Deborah Kerbel. 9781459839106
Vanessa Winn
V is for Vanessa
Victoria based author, Vanessa Winn, has contributed to writing Métis Matriarchs: Agents of Transition (University of Regina Press $34.95), due out in September, edited by Cheryl Troupe and Doris Jeanne MacKinnon. The book explores the crucial roles Métis women played in preserving their communities during the transition from the fur trade era to a more industrialized and agrarian economy in Western Canada. Covering the late 19th to mid-20th century, this collection highlights the lives of prominent Métis women who were respected for their knowledge and leadership. It sheds light on how they navigated colonial and settler interventions to sustain their cultural heritage, challenging traditional views on Western Canadian settlement and Indigenous displacement. 9781779400116
Sarah Marie Wiebe
W is for Wiebe
In Hot Mess: Mothering Through a Code Red Climate Emergency (Fernwood Publishing $25.00), due out in September, Sarah Marie Wiebe reflects on her personal experience with the 2021 heat dome in British Columbia, the deadliest weather event in Canadian history. After giving birth, Wiebe and her baby faced extreme heat, leading to her hospitalization and separation from her nursing infant. This crisis, along with subsequent fires and floods, deeply influenced her approach to parenting and her political views on climate change. Wiebe uses her experiences to discuss intimate issues like informed consent, emergency medical procedures, and reproductive mental health, while advocating for ecofeminist perspectives and ethical relationships with the environment and each other. 9781773635668
Xiran Jay Zhao
X is for Xiran
They’ve got over 250,000 YouTube subscribers, 65,000 Twitter followers, 25,000 Instagram followers and a website that averages 5,000 unique visitors per month. Now, non-binary Xiran Jay Zhao of Vancouver is publishing their first sci-fi/fantasy novel Iron Widow (Penguin $21.99) for ages 14 and up. Using a blend of Chinese history and futuristic mecha (humanoid mobile robots) science fiction, the book features a heroine inspired by China’s only legitimate female sovereign, Wu Zetian (who is credited with reducing corruption and revitalizing the country’s culture and economy). Xiran is a first-generation Chinese immigrant who lives and works in Vancouver where they are training to become a biochemist. 9780735269934
Yolanda Ridge
Y is for Yolanda
“Poop can’t fight the climate crisis alone, of course. But the truth is that healthy ecosystems rely on poo-producing animals and the plants that benefit from their excrement,” writes Yolanda Ridge in her latest book for ages 9-12, What Poo Can Do: How Animals Are Fighting the Climate Crisis (Orca $21.95). From whales to dung beetles, Ridge educates children about animals fertilizing plants, storing carbon, preventing fires, reducing methane and much more – one poop at a time! 9781459835412
Zazie Todd
Z is for Zazie
Author of popular books Wag and Purr, Zazie Todd’s latest book, Bark!: The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog (Greystone $36.95), due out in October, is a comprehensive guide for dog owners dealing with anxious, fearful or reactive behaviors in their pets. Todd, a certified dog trainer and animal behaviorist, uses the latest canine science to help readers understand and address the root causes of their dog’s fear-based behaviors, such as biting, food guarding and aggressive barking. The book offers practical tips on managing common fears—like loud noises, vet visits, and separation anxiety—using positive reinforcement. Todd also provides advice on keeping dogs safe, creating secure environments, and building trust. 9781778401367
