The Canadian Children’s Book Centre (CCBC) recently announced the finalists for eight major awards celebrating Canadian books for young readers! These are the top selections for young adult readers, with fiction and non-fiction.
Thanks a Lot, Universe by Chad Lucas
Serious issues on the rocky road to adolescence are wrapped up in a winning package of quips, coded emails, sports talk and snappy dialogue.
Borders by Thomas King
Borders explores the importance of acceptance and recognition and the institutions that create obstacles for people who do not adhere to colonial notions of citizenship.
Boy from Buchenwald: The True Story of a Holocaust Survivor by Robbie Waisman with Susan McClelland
Heartbreaking, hopeful and hard to put down, this is a reminder that there is goodness in people, and the human spirit is astonishingly resilient.
The Power of Style by Christian Allaire
This book beautifully centres the voices of many diverse and intersectional individuals as they use fashion and beauty to honour, respect, celebrate and reclaim their cultures and traditions.
Blood Like Magic by Liselle Sambury
Disguised as a book about witches, Blood Like Magic is a dizzying dystopian dive into the forces of classism, generational trauma, and family bonds.
If I Tell You The Truth by Jasmin Kaur
This book addresses the painful topic of sexual assault and the two different coming-of-age experiences in Canada as South Asian women.
Hunting by Stars by Cherie Dimaline
Through the dystopian setting, Dimaline brilliantly parallels a future world with history, including a portrayal of residential schools that is equally as nightmarish and horrifying as the real world.
The Project by Courtney Summers
Many of us don’t believe we’d be caught up in a cult, but in The Project, Summers does a masterful job underlining the reasons some folks do.
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
Zhao showcases institutional oppression while blending Chinese history with a futuristic setting and giant robots.
Sisters of the Snake by Sarena and Sasha Nanua
The Nanua sisters weave a tale of captivating magic, characters, history and adventure that leaves the reader wishing for more.
