Back-to-school time brings a lot of excitement and nervousness in the air. While some students will be eager to return to class, others may feel anxious about making friends, fitting in, and keeping up with assignments. The books featured in this list encourage both self-esteem and self-reliance. Share a book with a young reader in your world who might need a boost of positive energy!
Picture Books
Written by Onome Ako
Illustrated by Ken Daley
Scholastic Canada, 2024
978-1-4431-9449-5
IL: Ages 4-8 RL: Grades 2-3
Joyful, powerful and infused with love, this proudly affirming story will resonate with every child who needs to stand up for their big, beautiful name, and encourage kids and grownups from all backgrounds to think about their own unique connection to their name.
I Love Myself
Written by Mai Wei Wong
Illustrated by Julia Vasileva
Orca Book Publishers, 2024
978-1-4598-3618-1
IL: Ages 3-5 RL: Grades 1-2,
In this sweet picture book, we accompany a child through their day, from morning to bedtime, as their inner self—portrayed as a cuddly imaginary creature—supports them in their endeavours.
The Little Regent
Written by Yewande Daniel-Ayoade
Illustrated by Ken Daley
Owlkids Books, 2024
978-1-77147-562-4
IL: Ages 4-8 RL: Grades 2-3
A little girl is tasked with ruling her West African village in this empowering story about breaking from tradition and leading with your heart.
Watch an interview with author Yewande Daniel-Ayoade.
We Need Everyone
Written by Michael Redhead Champagne
Illustrated by Tiff Bartel
HighWater Press, 2024
978-1-77492-011-4
IL: Ages 6-8 RL: Grades 2-3
We Need Everyone empowers children to identify their gifts and use them to overcome challenges, achieve goals, and strengthen communities. Inspiring and uplifting, this interactive picture book celebrates diverse cultures, perspectives, and abilities through playful illustrations. Perfect for reading aloud.
Junior Fiction
Alina in a Pinch
Written by Shenaaz G. Nanji
Second Story Press, 2022
978-1-77260-245-6
IL: Ages 6-8 RL: Grades 2-3
Moving to a new city means Alina has to make new friends, and nothing is worse than lunch at a new school. When her grandmother visits, Alina is inspired to help her cook the delicious Afro-Indian meals she’s always loved, but a cruel note from a mysterious lunchtime bully leaves a bitter taste that even Nani’s excellent cooking can’t erase.
Mortified
Written by Kristy Jackson
Illustrated by Rhael McGregor
HarperCollins Canada, 2024
978-1-4434-7220-3
IL: Ages 8-12 RL: Grades 3-4
It’s nothing short of a catastrophe when someone secretly signs up Belinda Houle, the school’s shyest kid, to audition for a play. Belinda turns to Sally—her unflappable best friend and resident witch—for help. Belinda doesn’t believe in magic, but if Sally says she has a spell for confidence... well, it couldn’t hurt to try it. Could it?
(The Salma Series, Book 3)
Written by Danny Ramadan
Illustrated by Anna Bron
Annick Press, 2024
978-1-77321-828-1
IL: Ages 6-9 RL: Grades 2-3
Salma dreams of becoming a champion swimmer like her hero, Olympian Yusra Mardini. So when she signs up for her school’s swim club, it feels like her dreams could come true... until mean comments from older girls at the pool and women at her mosque spark body image and self-esteem issues. But with the help of her close friends and family—the team that always has her back—Salma is ready to claim her place in the pool.
Sarah Ponakey, Storycatcher and Âhâsiw's Forest Powwow
Written by Sita MacMillan
Illustrated by Azby Whitecalf
Annick Press, 2024
978-1-77321-889-2
IL: Ages 6-9 RL: Grades 2-3
Sarah Ponakey has moved to the city from her home community with her mom and it’s the pits! She misses her Kôhkom, her best friend Eden, and the forests around her community. She’s had a hard time making new friends at school but at least she keeps in touch with Eden through meticulously written letters with very big words. After a particularly tough day where she nearly loses her favourite stuffed animal, Âhâsiw, and is brushed off by her mom, Sarah finds herself transported to a magical forest powwow...
Middle-Grade Fiction
Written by David A. Robertson
HighWater Press, 2024
978-1-77492-101-2
IL: Ages 9-12 RL: Grades 4-5
Everything is changing for 11-year-old Alex Robinson. After his father accepts a new job, Alex and his family move from their community to the city. For the first time in his life, he doesn’t fit in. Things begin to look up after Alex tries out for a local hockey team. Playing for the Kodiaks, Alex proves himself as one of the best, but he becomes a target because he’s Indigenous. Can Alex trust his teammates and stand up to the jerks on other teams? Can he find a way to fit in and still be who he’s meant to be?
Watch an interview with author David A. Robertson.
The Legendary Mo Seto
Written by A.Y. Chan
Aladdin, 2024
978-1-6659-3732-0
IL: Ages 9-12 RL: Grades 4-5
Twelve-year-old Modesty “Mo” Seto dreams of being a taekwondo champion. Lately, Mo has been on a losing streak, and it doesn’t help that she keeps losing to her archnemesis, Dax, who’s much bigger than her. If only she were faster, stronger, not so petite. When Mo learns about the chance to audition to star alongside her idol and legendary martial artist and movie star Cody Kwok, she knows this is her chance to prove to the world, and to herself, that she can compete with anyone, no matter her size.
Little by Little: You Can Change the World
Written by Sonya Ballantyne
Illustrated by Rhael McGregor
HighWater Press, 2024
978-1-77492-098-5
IL: Ages 9-12 RL: Grades 4-5
When Michael finds out about an upcoming youth conference, he sees his chance to learn more about helping others. But when he gets to the conference, he’s the youngest person there! And the speaker on stage is saying things about his community that aren’t true. Will Michael be brave enough to use his voice to stand up for what he knows is right?
Queenie Jean Is in Trouble Again
Written and illustrated by Christine Read
Wandering Fox Books, 2024
978-1-77203-479-0
IL: Ages 9-12 RL: Grades 4-5
When 10-year-old Queenie and her family move from small-town Ontario to a glitzy suburb of Vancouver, she is desperate to fit in and make a best friend for the first time in her life. With her creativity and bubbly personality, Queenie arrives at Western Canada Preparatory School ready to win over her classmates and conquer the world. But even before the first bell rings, she finds herself in trouble.
Young Adult Fiction
Written and illustrated by Rosena Fung
Annick Press, 2024
978-1-77321-833-5
IL: Ages 12 and up RL: Grades 7-8
When Roz’s estranged por por abruptly arrives for a seemingly indefinite visit, three generations are now under one roof. Delicate relationships are suddenly upended, and long-suppressed family secrets begin to surface. Rosena Fung pulls from her own family history in her YA debut to give us an emotional and poignant story about how every generation is affected by those that came before, and affect those that come after.
Iz the Apocalypse
Written by Susan Currie
Common Deer Press, 2023
978-1-988761-84-8
IL: Ages 12 and up RL: Grades 7-8
A spark ignites inside 14-year-old Iz Beaufort when she hears school music group Manifesto perform. Even though she hasn’t written a song since That Place, she recognizes herself in the moving performance and longs to be part of the group, certain that they might actually understand her. But Manifesto is based at the prestigious Métier School, and there’s no way Dominion Children’s Care would ever send a foster kid to a private school. So Iz does what any passionate, broken, off-the-chart wunderkind might and takes matters into her own hands...
Something More
Written by Jackie Khalilieh
Tundra Books, 2023
978-1-77488-213-9
IL: Ages 12 and up RL: Grades 7-8
Fifteen-year-old Jessie, a quirky loner obsessed with the '90s, is diagnosed as autistic just weeks before starting high school. Determined to make a fresh start and keep her diagnosis a secret, Jessie creates a list of goals that range from acquiring two distinct eyebrows to getting a magical first kiss and landing a spot in the school play. Within the halls of Holy Trinity High, she finds a world where things are no longer black and white, and quickly learns that living in colour is much more fun. But Jessie gets more than she bargained for when two very different boys steal her heart, forcing her to go off-script.
Wrong Side of the Court
Written by H.N. Khan
Tundra Books, 2022
978-0-7352-7087-9
IL: Ages 12 and up RL: Grades 7-8
Fifteen-year-old Fawad Chaudhry loves two things: basketball and his mother's potato and ground beef stuffed parathas. Both are round and both help him forget about things like his father, who died two years ago, his mother’s desire to arrange a marriage to his first cousin, Nusrat, back home in Pakistan, and the tiny apartment in Regent Park he shares with his mom and sister. Not to mention his estranged best friend Yousuf, who's coping with the shooting death of his older brother. But Fawad has plans...