Social Issues
Animalphabetical Adventures
Illustrated by Kinga White
Blue Knight, The
By Raymond McGregor
"The Blue Knight" reveals problems in our society related to racism and bullying, which is an important topic that is currently at the forefront of many lives and is being discussed at great lengths around the world. The main character, a teenage boy named Owen, lives in a small ... Read more
Cancer is a C Word
By Sunita Pal
By (artist) Cody Andreasen
Teaching tough and scary topics to children, especially to the very young, is not easy. Dealing with Cancer is a sad reality that many families have to face and explaining it to little children can be very difficult--and hard to do without creating a Monster of Fear. Cancer ... Read more
Chasing Freedom
By Gloria Ann Wesley
The American Revolutionary War is being waged, and the fate of slaves in the colonies is on the line. Sarah Redmond, a slave on a South Carolina plantation, watches with a heavy heart as her father steals away in the dead of the night to join the British army, enticed by promises ... Read more
Cursed by the Sea God
By Patrick Bowman
The second volume in the trilogy that revisions Homer’s Odyssey is once again told from the viewpoint of Alexi, the young Trojan boy. Captured by Odysseus after the fall of Troy, Alexi is forced to accompany the Greeks on their sea journey home to Ithaca. Cursed by the Sea ... Read more
Dancing with the Cranes
By Jeannette Armstrong
Illustrated by Ron Hall
Dancing with the Cranes gives an understanding of birth, life and death. Chi's momma is soon to have a baby, but Chi is having a hard time being happy about it. Chi misses Temma (her grandma), who has passed away. Chi's momma and daddy help ease the pain of losing Temma and help ... Read more
Dark Times
Edited by Ann Walsh
The result of a cross-Canada contest for the best short stories about young people's experience of loss and grief, Dark Times is a superb anthology about a topic that often remains hidden but is crucial in the development of a child's sense of identity.
Dear Black Girls
By Shanice Nicole
By (artist) Kezna Dalz
Dear Black girls all around the world, this one is for you -- for us.
Dear Black Girls is a letter to all Black girls. Every single day poet and educator Shanice Nicole is reminded of how special Black girls are and of how lucky she is to be one. Illustrations by Kezna Dalz support ... Read more
Follow the Elephant
By Beryl Young
What thirteen-year-old boy wants to travel on a hopeless quest to India with his grandmother? Not Ben Leeson, whose anger about his father’s recent death has led him to escape into the isolated world of computer games. India is the last place Ben ever thought of visiting and ... Read more
Frankie Zapper and the Disappearing Teacher
By Linda Rogers
Illustrated by Rick VanKrugel
In a warm-hearted novel with over 40 illustrations, Linda Rogers and Rick Van Krugel have created a magical children's book that will appeal especially to young readers aged 6 to 13. The story tells of Jen and Odie who discover that their First Nations friend Frankie Zapper ... Read more