“All of the titles in Best Books for Kids & Teens have been handpicked by expert committees of educators, booksellers, and school and public librarians from across Canada. The reviewed materials include picture books, junior/intermediate fiction, graphic novels, and powerful teen fiction, in addition to a wide array of non-fiction, magazines and audio/video resources.” —Canadian Children’s Book Centre website

The following Orca titles were selected for the list this season. Congratulations to all the authors on their achievement!

Close to the Heel, Norah McClintock
Dead Run, Sean Rodman
Edge of Flight, Kate Jaimet
High Wire, Melanie Jackson
I, Witness, Norah McClintock and Mike Deas
Jump Cut, Ted Staunton
Kiss, Tickle, Cuddle, Hug, Susan Musgrave
Oracle, Alex Van Tol
Pieces of Me, Darlene Ryan
Prince for a Princess, Eric Walters
Pyro, Monique Polak
Redwing, Holly Bennett
Seeing Orange, Sara Cassidy
Shallow Grave, Alex Van Tol
Three Little Words, Sarah N. Harvey
Uncle Wally’s Old Brown Shoe, Wallace Edwards

CCBC members receive a copy of Best Books for Kids & Teens as part of their membership package, as do subscribers to Canadian Children’s Book News.

Best Books for Kids & Teens can be purchased at select bookstores or online at: www.bookcentre.ca.

He recently sat down (online) with Curtis LeBlanc to answer nineteen questions about books, writing and his life as an author. Some highlights: who are Richard’s top three authors? Which bands does he listen to while writing? And what will he be working on next?

Read the full 19 Questions interview here.

William Kowalski, author of three titles in Orca’s Rapid Reads series is running a fantastic new contest through his website. The winner will have Kowalski’s fourth Rapid Read title, Just Gone, dedicated to them.

Contest Details (from William Kowalski’s website):

Have you ever wanted to have a book dedicated to you? Not just signed by the author, but actually dedicated to you, with your name in print for all eternity?

Well, your time has come. Your ship has come in. Your Eagle has landed. I’m running a contest for my readers, and the winner will receive this fabulous prize: my fourth Rapid Reads novel, JUST GONE, which is coming out later this year, will be dedicated to them and them alone. By name. Exciting? You betcha.

What’s the contest, then?

Simple:

Take a picture of yourself, reading any one of my novels, in the most unlikely place or situation you can think of. Then, post it on my Facebook author page by May 1.

That’s it. How to define ‘unlikely’ is up to you. (Just be safe, please.) The title of the book must be clearly visible. You may not use Photoshop or any other kind of enhancement or alteration tool. Other than that, the sky’s the limit.

Then, post your picture on my Facebook author page. Tell your friends to come like it and lol at it. The winner will be the submission with the most likes.

Whoever is featured in that picture or owns the rights to it will earn the right to have JUST GONE dedicated to them by name.

I reserve the right to remove any pictures that are cruel or insulting to anyone. I won’t put anything obscene or disrespectful in the dedication. I really want this to be dedicated to YOU, the winner. So, you agree, by entering the contest, that if you win, you have the right to have the book dedicated to you by first and last name, or first name only if you prefer, and perhaps a brief message, such as “To John Smith, the hoopiest frood in England.”

Capiche?

Go forth and photograph yourselves. Have fun. Don’t get hurt. And make us lol.

Check out Karen’s reviews on her website.

You can find the Deakin Review (and read it online) here: http://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/deakinreview/issue/view/1394/

Listen to Titles and Tate here.

Slick: Liza, determined to prove that her mother’s boyfriend is no good, starts researching the oil company he works for. Liza discovers a lawsuit against the company for compensation that is long overdue to Guatemalan farmers. She starts a group at school called GRRR! (Girls for Renewable Resources, Really!) and launches an attack on Argenta Oil. As her activism activities increase, her objections to her mother’s boyfriend become political. She is learning to separate the personal from the political, but when her mother discovers her plans for a demonstration outside the Argenta Oil head office, the two collide in ways Liza least suspected.

Windfall: Life is full of challenges for thirteen-year-old Liza. She is already having trouble coping with the death of a local homeless man when she learns that her family’s apple tree will need to be chopped down. If that wasn’t enough, the new principal at school keeps blocking her attempts for a positive outlet by refusing permission for every project that GRRR! (Girls for Renewable Resources, Really!) and BRRR! (Boys for Renewable Resources, Really!) proposes. Liza starts to feel like she needs to create change in her world without seeking permission. When she chooses the school grounds as the site for her latest endeavor, she may have gone too far.

Seeing Orange: Seven-year-old Leland has trouble writing, but he loves drawing. He so dislikes his teacher that he conjures up Delilah, an imaginary seeing-eye dog to help him into class each day. When a neighborhood painter recognizes Leland’s gifts as an artist, Leland grows more confident about the world as he uniquely sees it. And when his family’s cat goes missing, it is Leland’s keen observation skills that lead to finding him. Leland’s newfound confidence helps him both confront and sympathize with his teacher, who only wishes Leland could be a bit more focused.

The National Reading Campaign’s “What Did You Read Today?” contest winners have been chosen! Read on for the message shared with us today from the National Reading Campaign.

What did you read today? Public Campaign

Congratulations to the 10 winners of the contest for the general public: Josh Siemens, Waldheim, SK; Kathy Whelan McNiff, London, ON; Jill Dean, Saskatoon, SK; Mark Young, London, ON; Charlotte Brotschi, Toronto, ON; Margaret MacDonald, Lethbridge, AB; Michael Donnelly, Toronto, ON; Natalie Brea Van Apeldorn, Vancouver, BC; and Dave Binsette, Tecumseh, ON.   They had been invited to tweet their answer to #whatdidyoureadtoday? for a chance to win a Glo e-reader, generously provided by Kobo. In recognition of the thousands of enthusiastic entries, Kobo donated an additional $10,000 to the National Reading Campaign.

The contest for children involved thousands of kids from Nanaimo to Halifax. The winning schools & libraries are: Taylor Evans Public School in Guelph, ON; Woodhaven Middle School, Spruce Grove, AB; Vancouver Island Regional Library (Nanaimo Harbourfront Branch), Nanaimo, BC; Cardiff Elementary School, Cardiff, ON; Maple Leaf School, Winnipeg, MB; Torquay Elementary School, Victoria, BC; James McQueen Public School, Ajax, ON; Shediac Library, Shediac, NB; Montreal Children’s Library (Jean Rivard Branch), Montreal, PQ; and Lord Elgin Public School, Fergus, ON.

Each winner will receive $1000 worth of Canadian books for their school or library. The National Reading Campaign is grateful to the following publishers for contributing prizes: Annick Press, Cormorant Books, Fitzhenry & Whiteside Publishers, Groundwood Books, Hachette Canada, Harper Collins Canada, Kids Can Press, Nimbus Publishing, Orca Book Publishers, Pajama Press, Penguin Canada, Scholastic, Second Story Press, Simon & Schuster, and Tradewind Books. We’re working on the public campaign, and will launch the advertising element in the fall.

The #whatdidyoureadtoday? contest may be over, but the National Reading Campaign is just beginning!!

And, if you’re looking for a great gift set for mom or baby, check out our new board book bundle! Three books for only $24.95 with a beautiful inscription band for personalizing your gift.

Event Details:
January 21, 2013
7:30 pm

The VCLR is open to the public. Members free, drop-ins $5, students $4. Meetings are held at the Nellie McClung Branch Library, 3950 Cedar Hill Road. Doors open at 7 pm.

For more information about the Roundtable, call 250-598-3694, find it on Facebook, or visit: www.victoriachildrensliteratureroundtable.blogspot.com.