News from the Canadian Children's Book Centre & Friends
November Book List: Making Music
Creator's Corner: Elizabeth Macleod & Mike Deas
Experts' Picks
News from the Canadian Children's Book Centre & Friends
The winners of the 2025 CCBC Book Awards were announced at a special ceremony in Toronto on October 27th. Highlights of the evening included a special slideshow celebrating 20 years of the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award, as well as the inaugural presentation of the Sharon Fitzhenry Award for Canadian Children’s Non-Fiction. In total, $52,500 in prize monies was awarded. Discover the winners.
The CCBC is now accepting submissions for the spring 2026 selection period for Best Books for Kids & Teens (BBKT). The submission deadline is December 1, 2025.
We receive hundreds of submissions each year. Expert committees of educators, booksellers and school and public librarians from across Canada handpick the materials listed in the guide. Committees look for excellence in writing and illustration. Most importantly, these committees focus on selecting materials that will appeal to children and young adults.
To learn more, click here.
The Ontario Book Publishers Organization (OBPO) is campaigning to have the government create a dedicated pocket of funds for Ontario schools and libraries to purchase books published by Ontario indies. Learn more and voice your support.
Canadian Authors & Illustrators Against Book Bans (CAIABB) has launched a petition to Tell the Alberta Government: No Book Bans.
For more information, you can also read the CCBC's Statement on Alberta Book Bans.
November Book List: Making Music
Music gets us through the bad days. It connects us with the people around us. It helps us explore the deeper parts of ourselves. These books from Canadian creators explore the many ways music enriches our lives.
Picture Books
It Began with a Buzz IL: Ages 4-7 RL: Grades 1-2
The buzz is constant and distracting, but no one else seems to hear it. It’s as if a bee has chosen the girl’s ear as its home. She tries to make it go away, but the buzzing is relentless—and the more it buzzes, the lonelier she feels. When a doctor diagnoses the girl with tinnitus, a condition that’s incurable, it seems all hope is lost.
Then, the girl discovers an old music box in her attic. Magically, listening to the music quiets the buzz and helps her to cope with her condition. With music as her constant companion, she’s able to stay resilient, even on the toughest days.
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Levi’s Gift Levi's violin tells stories. It quietly sings the tragic song of how Levi lost his home and family to war. It also celebrates happy times, as Levi plays a lullaby for his newborn son. From the moment Levi buys his violin with his hard-earned money, he is rarely apart from it.
As the years pass, Levi's hands grow stiff and his violin gathers dust on a shelf. One day, he hears that a local school is looking for donations of instruments. Can he bear to part from his beloved violin?
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The One About the Blackbird A young boy learns to play guitar from his grandfather, and the one about the blackbird is their favourite song. Years later, the boy visits his grandfather, and while his grandfather doesn't recognize him, now grown-up, he does still remember how to hold a guitar.
A beautiful full circle moment ensues when the boy plays his grandfather their favourite song.
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Ra! Ta! Ma! Cue!
Months have passed since the Grown-Ups were taken captive, forced to brush the teeth and scratch the backs of the Growlies. One day the children make a decision: Ratamacue! It means “no more waiting.” It means it’s time for a rescue mission! They set off on a wild and uncertain journey, forming a drumline to overcome the many obstacles in their way. In the end, the Growlies’ meanness is no match for the children’s magic: their collective music.
Junior and Middle Fiction
After the Wallpaper Music Celebrated author Jean Mills utilizes her musical talents in this uplifting novel that showcases the joys of music, and the power it has to bring people together.
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The Club
Jax has big plans for Grade 8: seeing if his maybe-girlfriend, Samantha, will become his actual girlfriend, and being first trumpet in the school band. Enter Liv, the new girl Jax meets at band auditions. Liv’s a star on the trumpet too. In fact, she might be better than Jax.
When Jax and Liv start rehearsing together, they go from duet partners to fast friends. Soon, they learn that they share something more than a love of music—something that will change their whole world and make them rethink what it means to be “family.”
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Free Piano (Not Haunted)
On the sleepy streets of Cascade Cove, lonely Margot knows that when she stumbles across a discarded synthesizer with a “not haunted” sign, she’s discovered the key to realizing her dreams. Determined to become a real songwriter and earn her absent father’s admiration, Margot dives headfirst into trying to gain followers and fans online. But her musical journey takes an unexpected turn when she realizes the (not haunted) piano is very much… haunted.
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Tegan and Sara: Crush(Tegan and Sara, Book 2)
Tegan and Sara may have survived seventh grade, but their junior high jams are just beginning. Offstage, school is officially back in session. Between Sara’s growing feelings for her dream girl and Tegan’s falling out with her former BFF, eighth grade might prove to be even messier than last year. Onstage, the twins are swept up in a battle-of-the-bands contest to open for their favourite musical artist, landing them with a new manager, new opportunities, and new challenges, too. But stepping into the spotlight—and into their true selves—means colliding over fame, family, and finding their sound.
Young Adult Fiction
Fierce Voice Fierce Voice is the sequel to the White Pine Award-nominee Iz the Apocaylpse.
Iz has everything she's ever wanted: she’s found the foster home of her dreams and is attending the prestigious music school she moved heaven and earth to get into. But secrets from her past keep threatening to spill into the present, and Iz is sure that her newfound loved ones will abandon her if they learn of her terrible history.
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Song of Freedom, Song of Dreams
Song of Freedom, Song of Dreams is a historical YA novel in verse that centres around a young pianist in East Germany trying to make sense of love, duty, and the pursuit of dreams during the unsettled months of protest that led to the fall of the Berlin Wall in the late 1980s. Written in stunning lyrical verse, Song of Freedom, Song of Dreams is a story of hope, courage, romance, and the power of music not only to change lives, but to save them.
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Under All the Lights
After one of his songs goes viral, Ollie Cheriet gets the opportunity of a lifetime: a cross-country tour, an album deal, and a chance to help his family with their financial struggles. The only problem? Ollie has major stage fright, a symptom of his anxiety disorder. As pressure from performing, social media rumours, and his romantic life rises, his mental health starts to spiral. So he’s surprised at how grounded he feels when he collaborates with his wildly talented—and distractingly cute—touring partner, Jesse. Music has always helped Ollie through hard times, but he’s going to have to be more vulnerable than he ever thought possible to find self-acceptance in the glow of the spotlight.
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Wavelength
Seventeen-year-old pop sensation Sasha may be famous, but they’ve always kept a layer of anonymity by covering their face to perform. Facing pressure to unmask in public, Sasha runs away to a nowhere Midwestern city, planning to finish senior year and come out as nonbinary away from the limelight. But their plan falters from the moment they meet Wavelength, an alt-rock band, and their lead singer.
Lillian is struggling to keep the band together, caught in a mess of lyrics, late-night texts and ill-conceived love notes. She’s torn between feelings for her ex-girlfriend (and ex-bandmember) and her new infatuation with Sasha. Maybe this stranger is the new singer and the new love she’s looking for—even though Sasha’s stories don’t seem to quite add up.
Non-Fiction
The Heartbeat Drum: The Story of Carol Powder, Cree Drummer and Activist
Whenever young Carol Powder sang along to her family’s music, her heart felt light and full of joy. Learning from her grandfather, Moshum, Carol listened closely to the drums’ heartbeat until one day Moshum made her a drum of her very own.
As Carol grew up, she passed down her songs to her children, grandchildren, and many women in her community, just as Moshum taught her—even as women and children became increasingly excluded from sitting at the drum. Despite those who disapproved, she formed her own drumming group called Chubby Cree.
Today, Carol and her group share their music to advocate at climate events, to honour residential school survivors at special ceremonies, and to spread healing for anyone who needs it.
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Kid Musicians: True Tales of Childhood from Entertainers, Songwriters, and Stars
Every superstar musician started out as a kid—and many discovered their love of music early on. Before leaving their mark on the world, these groundbreaking performers, songwriters, and musicians were regular kids. Tune in to the childhood stories of musical legends such as: Beyoncé, Dolly Parton, Louis Armstrong, and Taylor Swift. Featuring kid-friendly text and full-colour illustrations, Kid Musicians will inspire readers to express themselves and march to the beat of their own drum.
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Maakusie Loves Music
Maakusie loves music! But what makes music in the Arctic so special? Join Maakusie as he practises katajjaniq (throat singing) and learns ajaja songs, drumming, and more!
Explore everything from traditional instruments to dances to the origin of the brass bands in the Arctic today. Grab your instruments or sing along. This journey through the history of music in the Arctic is sure to get your toes tapping!
Written by renowned Canadian indie rock duo Jaaji and Chelsey June of Twin Flames, this vibrant and engaging book introduces young readers to the exciting world of traditional and modern music in the North.
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Rise Up and Sing! Power, Protest, and Activism in Music
In Rise Up and Sing!, Andrea Warner explores how music has contributed to the fight for social justice. Across eight areas of activism—the climate emergency, Indigenous rights, civil rights, disability rights, 2SLGBTQIA+ rights, gender equality, the peace/anti-war movement, and human rights—Warner introduces some of the artists, past and present, who have made a difference both on stage and off.
Through ground-breaking artists and iconic moments, Rise Up and Sing! shows us that a song is never just a song, and that music really does have the power to change the world.
Creator's Corner: Elizabeth MacLeod & Mike Deas
At the 2025 CCBC Book Awards in Toronto, author Elizabeth MacLeod and illustrator Mike Deas took home the inaugural Sharon Fitzhenry Award for Canadian Children's Non-Fiction for their book Meet Jim Egan (Scholastic Canada).
The award, named in honour of Sharon Fitzhenry, former President & CEO of Fitzhenry & Whiteside, recognizes excellence in Canadian children’s non-fiction books for Grades 4-12. Meet Jim Egan, a Scholastic Canada Biography, tells the life story of a courageous Canadian journalist and 2SLGBTQ2IA+ activist. Through Jim's story, young readers are introduced to the history of 2SLGBTQ2IA+ rights in Canada.
We caught up with Elizabeth and Mike to ask them about crafting biographies and the recent recognition of their book.
Meet Jim Egan is part of the Scholastic Canada Biography series that highlights the lives of influential Canadians. What has it been like working together on the series?
Elizabeth MacLeod (EM): I love working on this series with Mike. We’re both lucky to be working with editor Erin O’Connor and designer Andrea Casault.
Mike’s characters are fun and they draw in readers. He’s terrific at showing their emotions, whether it’s anger or sadness, etc. I also love the way Mike makes the characters work with their speech balloons.
I think Mike gets a lot of directions and comments from Erin and Andrea and me. I get the sense that he pays attention to them, but when he has a good idea, he’s not afraid to give an illustration his own touch. That’s what makes the characters real and alive.
Mike Deas (MD): This has been an amazing series to work on from the start. We have a genuinely, fantastic team working together on these projects. Elizabeth MacLeod has an ability to weave these important Canadian stories into something that is both exciting and digestible. From Scholastic, our editor, Erin O’Conner and art director, Andrea Casault, add their own dedication and knowledge to these books. Their efforts aim to keep these stories honest and consistent, which as historical books, is a substantial task.
When researching the remarkable individuals in this series for my portion of the work, I always find myself so inspired and telling anyone who will listen all about what I have learned. It has been wonderful to immerse myself in these histories and hopefully encourage young readers to also be inspired.
Elizabeth, why did you choose to write about the life of activist Jim Egan? What makes him a compelling subject for a biography?
EM: Jim is the first openly gay person in the series. It’s important that kids see themselves in the people we profile. The famous Canadians in the series come from diverse cultures and live in various parts of the country. With Jim, 2SLGBTQIA+ readers can see themselves reflected in this book.
Kids, and most adults, don’t know that it was illegal to be gay in Canada until 1969. That’s hard to imagine: that you could go to jail just for loving the person you loved. Readers need to know that.
We also included Jim in the series because he’s got many parts to him. He was a merchant seaman, writer, husband, gay rights activist and more. So there are lots of fascinating things to write about him. As well, there are interesting things for Mike to illustrate—check out Jim’s and his partner Jack’s Chihuahuas on page 20!
Mike, how did you approach illustrating the different stages of Jim’s life?
MD: Jim’s life was fun to dive into. As much as I could, I tried to see the world from his eyes. As his early life growing up in an urban area in the 1930s was so different than my own childhood, I spent time digging through photographic archives making sure the details and feelings lined up.
Jim always seemed to have a positive and outgoing approach to life, which made his adventures, from his time in the Navy or writing his groundbreaking newspaper letters and articles, a treat to illustrate.
Later in his life when he was living on Vancouver Island, I found myself in more familiar territory as I was growing up in BC not far away at a similar time.
Can you share your perspective on the importance of Canadian children’s non-fiction? Why should kids read about Canadian history?
EM: Many people have said it, but I agree that if you don’t know where you’ve come from, it’s hard to know where you’re going. So kids need to read about Canadian history. I also feel it’s important for kids to know that we have a very different history from other countries, especially the nation that has a lot of influence on us, the United States.
I love Canadian history. Not only is it full of amazing stories but those stories are all true. It’s important for kids to feel proud of the country where they live and reading Canadian history can give them that pride.
When the people I write about were kids, they weren’t famous. No one knew they’d grow up to change history. That’s just like the kids reading this series of biographies. I hope what they read will inspire them to do something world shaking!
MD: Canadian children’s non-fiction is so important as it allows young readers to learn about the world around them. With it becoming harder to discern fact from fiction, I feel that it is so critical that the youth learn the ability to curate the information presented to them.
Canadian history can be so inspiring, especially reading about people, like Jim Egan, who have managed to improve the world we live in. I believe it allows kids learn from the past and see their own ability to change the world around them in positive ways.
As the first ever winners of the Sharon Fitzhenry Award for Canadian Children’s Non-Fiction, what does it mean to you to have your work recognized?
EM: It’s wonderful of the Fitzhenry Family Foundation to recognize Canadian children’s non-fiction. Non-fiction often seems to be forgotten. There are many fewer awards for non-fiction than there are for fiction.
I’m near the end of my writing career and this is a lovely pat on the back and a reminder that there’s still room for older writers like me. As well, this is the 15th book in the Scholastic Canada Biography series so it’s great to know that reviewers and judges are still reading these books and they appreciate what Mike, Erin, Andrea and I are creating for kids.
MD: Meet Jim Egan winning the first ever Sharon Fitzhenry Award for Canadian Children’s Non-Fiction means so much to me. After spending long days in a studio, it’s easy to forget the reach some books can have. This honour from the Fitzhenry Family Foundation allows the important topics in these books to be amplified. This recognition is inspiring and I feel very grateful.
Experts' Picks
Expert booksellers and librarians share their top picks for young readers. Check out what our experts are reading this November!
The One About the Blackbird
written by Melanie Florence
illustrated by Matt James
Tundra Books, 2025
IL: Ages 4-8 RL: Grades 2-3
Jack grows up in a house filled with music. His grandfather, an avid record collector and multi-instrumentalist, patiently teaches the child how to play guitar. Their favourite song is “the one about the blackbird.” In affecting, full-circle fashion, when a grown-up Jack returns home for a visit years later, he helps his grandfather remember the love they share.
Matt James’ signature acrylic and collage paintings are full of harmonious details and connections, from the vast vinyl collection lining the walls to the moving scene of Jack gently guiding his grandfather’s hand over his guitar.
The One About the Blackbird is a tender picture book that sings with the power of music to stir emotions and evoke memories.
Recommended by Linda Ludke, Collections Management Librarian, London Public Library
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Kindred Dragons IL: Ages: 9-13 RL: Grades 4-5
With all of her heart, Alice longs to be a Kindred, one of the lucky ones who receive a dragon egg from the fairies. Staying on Prince Edward Island with her stern, no-nonsense grandmother, Alice fervently hopes and dreams of receiving an egg... to no avail. And with her vivid imagination and fiery passion, she seems to be constantly at odds with her disapproving grandmother. But then Alice meets and bonds with Brim, an elderly dragon in the forest. When she eventually discovers who this dragon is, she enlists her grandmother's help to reunite him with his Kindred one last time. In the process, Alice discovers her own very special connection to dragons.
With plenty of nods to Anne of Green Gables, this utterly charming tale is emotionally rich and a pure delight of its very own! Alice is a tender-hearted, compassionate protagonist and her story is as original as it is reminiscent of L.M. Montgomery's beloved tale. The watercolour artwork is fine-lined and luminous, bringing the setting vividly to life and capturing a range of emotions in the expressions on the faces of each character (dragon and human alike). A nuanced and compelling plot, multi-faceted characters and their evolving relationships, and a beautiful setting are deftly rendered in this outstanding graphic novel.
Recommended by Lisa Doucet, Manager, Woozles Children's Bookstore