News from the Canadian Children's Book Centre & Friends
October Book List: Chills & Thrills
Creator's Corner: Catherine Little
Illustrator's Studio: Braden Hallett
Experts' Picks
News from the Canadian Children's Book Centre & Friends
Tickets available now. Please join us at the CCBC Book Awards, in celebration of the finalists of the:
- Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award
- Sharon Fitzhenry Award for Canadian Children's Non-Fiction
- Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People
- Amy Mathers Teen Book Award
- Jean Little First-Novel Award
- Arlene Barlin Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy
- Richard Allen Chase Memorial Award
CCBC members receive 30% off the ticket price! For those unable to attend in person, the event will be live streamed.
The Canadian Children's Book Centre (CCBC) is excited to announce the tour roster for Canadian Children's Book Week 2026. Thirty-nine authors and illustrators have been selected to take part in this hybrid tour, with 34 touring in person and five dedicated to offering virtual presentations. The upcoming national tour will take place from Sunday, April 26 to Saturday, May 2, 2026.
Our friends at IBBY Canada have announced that submissions are now open for Celebrating Young Indigenous Voices: From Sea to Sea to Sea, a writing contest for Indigenous youth ages 8-12.The winner of the contest will be invited to read their work at the Celebrating Indigenous Voices evening at the Canadian Museum of History during the 40th IBBY World Congress. The deadline to submit is January 26, 2026.
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.
October Book List: Chills & Thrills
Do you feel that chill in the air? It's time to bring out the scary stories!
We believe horror is for everyone. Whatever your age and whatever your preferred level of freight—there's a book for you. That's why this book list features all kinds of stories from slightly spooky picture books to action-packed middle-grade horror-comedies to teen gothic romances. All perfect for cozying up and reading under the full moon!
Picture Books
Aggie and the Ghost
Written and illustrated by Matthew Forsythe
Simon & Schuster Canada, 2025
IL: Ages 4-8 RL: Grades 2-3
Aggie is very excited to live on her own—until she finds out her new house is haunted. But no fear, the situation is nothing that can’t be fixed with a carefully considered list of rules: No haunting after dark. No stealing socks. No eating all the food.
But the ghost doesn’t like playing by the rules and challenges Aggie to an epic game of tic-tac-toe—winner gets the house.
***
Beverly, Bat Your Service
Written and and illustrated by Kelly Collier
Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2025
IL: Ages 4-8 RL: Grades 2-3
Beverley the Bat loves having guests at his big, old house—or he would, if anyone ever stopped by. Then one day a human family moves in. Beverley rolls out the welcome mat by filling the house with eau de rotten egg (Grandma’s favourite), cooking delicious Bolognese de millipede for dinner, and thoughtfully shredding the clothes the family brought to make comfy nests.
But for some reason the humans don’t seem to appreciate Beverley’s gestures. How can the little bat become the host with the most?
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Chicka Chicka Tricka Treat
Written and illustrated by Julien Chung
Beach Lane Books, 2025
IL: Ages 4-8 RL: Grades 2-3
The classic alphabet chant gets a Halloween twist as the letters sneak their way up the tree, all donning their spiffiest costumes. But when a witch swoops in, and the letters come tumbling down, will that be the end of their Halloween fun…or just the beginning?
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Into the Goblin Market
Written by Vikki VanSickle
Illustrated by Jensine Eckwall
Tundra Books, 2024
IL: Ages 4-8; RL: Grades 2-3
A picture book ode to Christina Rossetti's classic poem and a clever homage to familiar fairy-tale villains, this story about two sisters will enthrall readers with its beautifully detailed art and enchanting writing.
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Vampire Jam Sandwich
Written by Casey Lyall
Illustrated by Nici Gregory
Tundra Books, 2025
IL: Ages 3-7 RL: Grades 1-2
You may not have heard of the Vampire Jam Sandwich. But it's time you learned the truth. Once upon a time, a vampire (maybe his name is Terrence) took a bite of a jam sandwich (maybe he thought the jam was... something else). And you know what happens when a vampire bites you...
That's right. The jam sandwich has become... A VAMPIRE JAM SANDWICH. Terrifying, stalking the streets at night, sneaking into people's homes in an endless search for MORE JAM!
Junior Fiction
Bog Myrtle
Written and illustrated by Sid Sharp
Annick Press, 2024
IL: Ages 6-11 RL: Grades 2-3
Two sisters, one stubbornly cheerful (Beatrice) and one relentlessly grumpy (Magnolia), live in a drafty old house with a family of helpful spiders. When Beatrice is gifted magic yarn from a giant forest spider obsessed with sustainability named Bog Myrtle, she and the spiders set to work knitting up a perfectly warm sweater. But greedy Magnolia sees only the opportunity for profit, and quickly converts the old house into a magic sweater factory. The exhausted spiders are driven to strike, and Bog Myrtle is not pleased...
***
Ghost Girl
(Orca Echoes)
Written by Brooke Carter
Illustrated by Alyssa Waterbury
Orca Book Publishers, 2023
IL: Ages 6-8 RL: Grades 2-3
It’s Samhain, a time when the spirits can cross over into the living world, and the old mansion has secrets whispering in the rafters and unused rooms. When Sly and their grandmother hear a voice calling, Sly unlocks a cabinet that reveals a ghost girl who is trapped in a mirror. Then they accidentally speak the words of the spell that enchanted the girl in the first place, and Sly and their grandmother risk being imprisoned in the mirror as well. With the clock ticking until the end of Samhain, it’s up to Sly to solve the ghost’s riddles and puzzles and locate a long-lost book of spells in hopes of freeing them all.
***
The Skull: A Tyrolean Folktale
Written and illustrated by Jon Klassen
Candlewick Press, 2023
IL: Ages 6-9 RL: Grades 2-3
In a big abandoned house, on a barren hill, lives a skull. A brave girl named Otilla has escaped from terrible danger and run away, and when she finds herself lost in the dark forest, the lonely house beckons. Her host, the skull, is afraid of something too, something that comes every night. Can brave Otilla save them both?
***
Teddy vs. the Snuggle Menace
(Secrets of Ravensbarrow, Book 3)
Written and illustrated by Braden Hallett
Annick Press, 2025
IL: Ages 8-12 RL: Grades 3-4
In Book 3, Teddy is being tormented by the adorable horror known as Hashbrown—a frightful corgi who gnaws on his frazzled nerves with “unfettered corgish malice.” Thank goodness Teddy’s beloved cat, Mr. Fuzzikins, knows how to soothe an anxious soul—that is, until Mr. Fuzzikins transforms from a snuggly floof into the indomitable Hunter Hollowfang.
Determined to protect Teddy at any cost, Hunter disappears into the forest with a promise to confront its most formidable forces. Before long, he’s built a fearsome reputation for taking on the ravenous giant trainyard dog; the odorific, shape-shifting alien worm; and even the mutinous hamsters of doom. But Teddy can't accept that his cuddly buddy is gone for good, so with the help of his misfit friends, he sets off on a perilous quest to bring Mr. Fuzzikins home.
***
Wednesday Wilson Looks on the Fright Side
(Wednesday Wilson, Book 4)
Written by Bree Galbraith
Illustrated by Morgan Goble
Kids Can Press, 2025
IL: Ages 6-9 RL: Grades 2-3
How does a girl get trick-or-treaters to come to her house? Leave it to Wednesday Wilson to find a way in this fun and innovative early-reader Halloween story!
Wednesday Wilson is devastated to learn her house is on the Do-Not-Knock List for Halloween trick-or-treaters because her moms don't give out candy. Thankfully, Wednesday has come up with an awesome idea for a treat that's sure to draw crowds to her house despite the list: slime! Even better, she's got a plan to turn slime into her next business venture. There are just a few things she'll have to overcome first to pull off Halloween, such as a haunted house, a giant robot spider and the scariest thing of all—the Emmas!
Middle-Grade Fiction
Death by Whoopee Cushion
Written by Vicki Grant
Tundra Books, 2025
IL: Ages 10-14 RL: Grades 5-6
The best Halloween costumes. The funniest pranks. An endless supply of chocolate fudge that looks exactly like dog poo. Most kids would love it if their parents owned a joke shop.
One day Manya finds two police officers in the store. A trick cigar bought at Pranks-A-Million burned off a customer’s eyebrows. Later, one of their Toe Jam Donuts makes someone sick. Just a couple of pranks gone wrong? Maybe. But when a whoopee cushion kills an innocent person, the joke is over. The cops swoop in and arrest Manya’s parents for murder.
Suddenly, it's up to Manya to prove their innocence.
***
Haunted Canada Graphic Novel, Volume 2: Four More Terrifying Tales
Written by Joel A. Sutherland
Illustrated by Hannah Barrett, Mike Feehan, Maya KcKibbin and Matt Salisbury
Scholastic Canada, 2025
IL: Ages 9-12; RL: Grades 4-5
Perfect for those who love graphic novels and fans of the bestselling series, these four stories have it all: creepy Canadian settings, hair-raising history and super-scary storytelling. Illustrated in full colour, these blood-curdling tales are sure to keep any reader turning the pages—and awake at night...
***
The Mystery of the Haunted Dance Hall
Written by Charis Cotter
Tundra Books, 2025
IL: Ages 9-12 RL: Grades 4-5
Bee's mom has a job in New York City for the summer, so Bee is being sent to summer camp. She's not excited about it. Being around other people is hard for her, plus she knows nothing about campfires, she's not a good swimmer and she's never even been in a canoe.
When she first arrives, things go pretty much as she expected. The other girls either make fun of her or ignore her, and the woods surrounding the camp give her the creeps: she keeps hearing elusive music coming from somewhere in the distance, and there's something unearthly about it...
***
Nightmare Jones: Poems
Written by Shannon Bramer
Illustrated by Cindy Derby
Groundwood Books, 2025
IL: Ages 9-12 RL: Grades 4-5
Shannon’s 28 poems in Nightmare Jones send delightful shivers down the spine. Written in a variety of styles and forms, they encompass magic realism and influences from fairy tales, folklore and ghost stories, alongside more contemporary explorations of unusual creatures, misunderstood monsters and commonplace human fears (both ridiculous and sublime!). Cindy Derby’s evocative line and watercolour illustrations inhabit these weird and wonderful works with her characteristic flair for the strange and witchy wonders of the world.
***
Waking the Dead and Other Fun Activities
Written by Casey Lyall
Greenwillow Books, 2024
IL: Ages 8-12 RL: Grades 3-4
Finalist for the 2025 Arlene Barlin Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy.
Sometimes it’s hard to rest in peace. A young trainee witch, a family power gone haywire, a dearly departed grandma, an undead boy, and an evil witch—that’s a recipe for the perfect summer vacation. Both hilarious and heartfelt, this fast-paced mystery about life and death (and afterlife) is for fans of Spirit Hunters and The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl.
Young Adult Fiction
Bad in the Blood
Written by Matteo L. Cerilli
Tundra Books, 2025
IL: Ages 14 and up RL: Grades 9-10
Matteo L. Cerilli's debut novel Lockjaw is a finalist for the 2025 Arlene Barlin Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy.
In a world where magical beings, fey, are mistrusted and often institutionalized, a human brother and fey sister must team up to solve a bizarre murder in this 1920s-inspired queer teen fantasy novel.
***
Beast
Written by Richard Van Camp
Douglas & McIntyre, 2024
IL: Ages 14 and up RL: Grades 9-10
This latest feat of storytelling magic by celebrated author Richard Van Camp blends sharply observed realism and hair-raising horror as it plays out against a 1980s-era backdrop replete with Platinum Blonde songs and episodes of Degrassi Junior High. Unfolding in the fictional town of Fort Simmer—the setting of previous Van Camp stories—Beast delivers a gripping, spirited tale that pits the powers of tradition against the pull of a vengeful past.
***
The Dark Cove Theatre Society
Written by Sierra Marilyn Riley
Annick Press, 2025
IL: Ages 12 and up RL : Grades 8-9
In this captivating YA debut, The Dark Cove Theatre Society illustrates both the intoxicating and insidious nature of success and the price we are often forced to pay for it. Passages of found text—glimpses of the school’s handbook, secret letters, and other peeks into life at the Academy—seamlessly woven into the plot will immerse readers even further into the lush, magnetic world of Dark Cove.
***
Qallupilluit: The Takers of Children
Written by Louise Flaherty and Neil Christoper
Illustrated by Megan Kyak-Monteit
Inhabit Media, 2025
IL: Ages 12 and up RL: Grades 8-9
David heads to the beach to play on the ice. But he quickly realizes he’s not alone. A webbed hand emerges from the water, and soon David finds himself cornered by sea monsters. David uses his wits and agility to escape them. But when he makes it back to his family, he learns that his little brother is missing—and had followed him to the ice. David races back to the ice to look for his brother, but will he be able to find him and escape the menacing qallupilluit a second time?
Based on creatures from traditional Inuit stories, Qallupilluit: The Takers of Children is a chilling cautionary tale.
***
Songs for Ghosts
Written by Clara Kumagai
Tundra Books, 2025
IL: Ages 14 and up RL: Grades 9-10
Seventeen-year-old Adam has just broken up with his boyfriend Evan and is not looking forward to the excruciating awkwardness at school for the rest of term or a whole summer stuck at home with his dad, stepmom and baby brother, Benji.
But then Adam discovers a diary in some boxes in the attic and is quickly enthralled by their poignant story. They were written by a young woman living in Nagasaki in 1911. Adam is enraptured by her life and loves, becoming totally absorbed in her story. And then he starts to be haunted by her ghostly presence...
***
Where the Dark Stands Still
Written by A.B. Poranek
Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2024
IL: Ages 14 and up RL: Grades 9-10
Finalist for the 2025 Arlene Barlin Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy.
Liska knows that magic is monstrous, and its practitioners are monsters. She has done everything possible to suppress her own magic, to disastrous consequences. Desperate to be free of it, Liska flees her small village and delves into the dangerous, demon-inhabited spirit-wood to steal a mythical fern flower. If she plucks it, she can use its one wish to banish her powers. Everyone who has sought the fern flower has fallen prey to unknown horrors, so when Liska is caught by the demon warden of the wood—called The Leszy—a bargain seems better than death: one year of servitude in exchange for the fern flower and its wish.
***
The Whisperings
Written by Joel A. Sutherland
Tundra Books, 2025
IL: Ages 14 and up RL: Grades 9-10
Joana and her younger brother Peter aren't used to setting down roots. Ever since the violent murder of their mother, their father can't stay in one place for long, haunted by the literal ghosts of the past. He has what he calls "the Whisperings," and will do anything to protect his children from the horrors that torment him.
When the family moves to Burlington, Vermont, Joana thinks they've finally found a place to call home. They rent the lower half of a creepy yet comfortable mansion downtown, and Joana actually begins to fit in at school, thanks in part to Willem, a handsome (and single) classmate.
But a near-death experience awakens the Whisperings in Joana, and she soon realizes her family isn't the only family living in the house...
Creator's Corner: Catherine Little
Catherine Little is an educator, consultant and writer living in Toronto, Ontario with her husband and son. She has a passion for picture books and often used them in the classroom to enhance her mathematics, science and history lessons.
Her recent picture books Anne of the Library-on-the-Hill and Jane and the Blue Willow Princess nod to the characters and stories of famous women writers, Lucy Maud Montgomery and Jane Austen.
We caught up with Catherine Little to learn more about her writing journey and making history come alive in picture books.
What inspired you to become an author, and what drew you to creating books for young people?
My first foray into writing was as an educational writer (textbooks, levelled readers, teacher resource materials) but I’ve always loved picture books. As a junior high school mathematics and science teacher, I often used picture books to introduce a topic or inspire inquiry. My first picture book manuscript, however, was inspired by my son. I wanted to introduce him to the Chinese Zodiac story of The Great Race but couldn’t find a suitable book. It took me about 15 years to find a publisher interested in my manuscript but after Twelve in a Race was published by Plumleaf Press in 2022, I had four more books published in quick succession.
Can you tell us about your process for writing a book? Do you follow a routine, or does it change with each project?
Many of my picture books are inspired by folktales or true events so I often spend a lot of time reading and researching before I make an attempt to write a first draft. I have a small group of friends who are always willing to look at my drafts and offer suggestions.
What are some challenges you've faced while working on a specific book? And how did you overcome them?
Sometimes it is challenging to do research because a lot of the time cold calls and emails go unanswered. When I was working on Endgame: The Secret Force 136, I couldn’t reach anyone at the Chinese Canadian Military Museum until a chance encounter lead me to someone who knew the president. After that, they were a great help and allowed me to use the information they had in my historical notes section. It’s important to keep reaching out in different ways when you don’t find the information you need.
What do you hope young readers take away from your books?
I hope young readers will enjoy my books for their stories, their art and come back to them again and again. I hope they see themselves in my protagonists and learn some history and/or culture along the way.
What advice would you give to a new or emerging author?
It’s important to be patient. I tell them how it took 15 years to find a publisher for Twelve in a Race but once I did, it was a shorter time frame for my subsequent books. I also tell them it might be necessary to pursue writing while working at something else. Many of the authors and aspiring authors I know have full time jobs in other fields.
What does it mean to you to be part of a community of Canadian children's book creators?
I hadn’t realized how many Canadian children’s book creators there are until I joined organizations like the CCBC and CANSCAIP. Being part of the community is amazing. Everyone I’ve met has been supportive and encouraging.
Keep up with Catherine Little by following @books.beyond.bedtime.
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Written by Tatiana Huong
Illustrator's Studio: Braden Hallett
Braden Hallett is a teacher-turned-freelance-illustrator from British Columbia. He aims to combine words and pictures in new and shocking into books that kids think are neat. He draws and writes to create the kinds of books his younger self would have enjoyed. In his spare time he plays pen-and-paper role-playing games (like Dungeons & Dragons!) and runs around outside.
In this interview, Braden leads us on a deep dive into Secrets of Ravenbarrow, his vividly illustrated, action-packed horror comedy series for kids!
The illustrations in the series are both creepy and laugh-out-loud funny (often at the same time!). How do you balance the laughs and scares in your illustrations?
Good question! I DON'T try to balance the laughs and scares. When you have five different characters, each with drastically different reactions to danger, fear, and terror, at least one of them is going to respond in a way that is funny or absurd to a scary/toothy/monstrous/evil scenario.
No matter what, I try to exaggerate whatever the emotion is in the text with the illustrations as much as I can. When you dial terror and hilarity up to 10 at the same time, sometimes you get emotional noise, but sometimes you get a new synthesis of emotions like terror AND hilarity. Terrarity. Hilaror? Something like that. It's hard naming new emotional elements.
With the dogged effort of my ever-patient sleepless editors—it seems to work out. Sometimes it doesn't, but you don't get to see those images! My studio is littered with failed synthesized emotions. Makes a terrible mess.
Teddy faces off against all kinds of creatures in this series (including horrible hamsters, weird worms, and fiendish felines). How do you approach designing the creatures of Ravensbarrow?
Creature design is something I love and also need to learn much more about!
There are lots of neat choices that can go into designing monsters. Different shapes tell different tales, and if you pick the right shapes your monsters can tell stories to the audience with just a quick glance. 
The hamsters needed to be cute and cuddly, but ALSO terrifying. Rounded shapes such as circles, ovals, beans and such are often read immediately as safe, soft, and approachable. Think of Mickey Mouse. All circles. Pointy shapes such as triangles, or anything jagged, are often read as sharp, predatory, and dangerous. So the hamsters are made up of a soft bean-shape and rounded ears, but jagged teeth and pointy little claws. I REALLY exaggerate their razor claws.
I always try to do 50-100 little thumbnail designs before I land on the one I want.
Illustrations and text blend together in the pages of the series. What is your process for designing a page? Do you create the layouts yourself or work with an editor?
There are three moments in time that I always try to keep in mind when designing a page as an illustrator. The moment before something happens (suspense) the moment during the event (ACTION!) and the moment after (consequences). The suspense should always be right before the reader turns a page. ACTION after suspense should always try to be AFTER the reader turns the page (known as a page-turner).
If I had infinite pages to work with, that's how I'd always do it. BUT I DON'T! Such is the struggle of an author/illustrator. I'll hold back the tears somehow.
What follows is a lot of teamwork between me, the editor, and the designer, to try to finagle the text in such a way that the really important illustrations are in the right place. Things get shifted around. Spot illustrations are added to bump pictures to the right place. Big illustrations are cut to give everything some breathing room. Whole groups of pictures that are really REALLY cool are cut to serve the ever-demanding page count. There are dogs and cats living together. MASS HYSTERIA!
In the end, our powers combined, we have designed the pages. Then, with EVERYTHING figured out, I get to illustrating. Then sometimes change again. The whole process is fun in its own frustrating way!
The illustrations carefully depict Teddy working through his fears and emotions. What do you hope young readers take away from reading about Teddy’s experiences with anxiety?
I hope that readers know that lots of people can feel the way Teddy does, and that's okay.
I hope that readers know that it's okay to ask for help from friends, family, or even perhaps a doctor if they feel the way Teddy does all the time, or if it gets in the way of them living their life. Anxiety is a natural thing (it helps us avoid becoming food for other things), but sometimes it can be overwhelming!
I also hope they know to stay away from dog-haunted trainyards and to always approach hamsters with caution.
Finally, what can you tell us about the latest book, Teddy vs. the Snuggly Menace?
I think by far it's the funniest, scariest book out of the three. Everything got ramped up. It was SO much fun to write and illustrate!
Experts' Picks
Expert booksellers and librarians share their top picks for young readers. Check out what our experts are reading this October!
It Began with a Buzz
Written and illustrated by Shiva Delsooz
Owlkids Books, 2025
IL: Ages 4-7 RL: Grades 1-2
A constant buzzing sound plagues a young girl and she is the only one who can hear it. The relentless noise clouds her thoughts and makes her feel “very alone.” An ever-present big bumblebee pesteringly flits and flies on every page, illustrating the intrusive impact it has on the child’s life. A doctor makes a diagnosis of tinnitus, but offers no cure. Spare first-person narration cuts to the heart: “It seemed hopeless.” Through a serendipitous discovery of a music box, the creative girl finds a way to cope that provides relief as well as joy.
Shiva Delsooz brings her exuberant, emotionally resonant artwork and her own experiences growing up with hearing loss and tinnitus to this buzz-worthy picture book about resilience.
Recommended by Linda Ludke, Collections Management Librarian, London Public Library
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Messy Perfect IL: Ages 13 and up RL: Grades 8-9
In an effort to assuage her guilt over an incident from the past, Cassie joins forces with the students from a neighbouring public school to form an underground Gay Straight Alliance, a group that she knows will be very important to many students from her own conservative Catholic private school. Insisting that she wants to be a good ally, Cassie is secretly struggling to accept the truth about herself and what that will mean. Will acknowledging the thing that she keeps trying to bury about herself mean that she will no longer be the perfect student, daughter, church-goer that she has tried so hard to be?
As she continues to try to be the person everyone else wants her to be, she wrestles with big questions about faith and forgiveness, family and friendship, and how to be true to yourself and embrace imperfection... in oneself and others. Boteju provides readers with a thoughtful, nuanced exploration of these topics and more. She raises insightful, meaningful questions and doesn't provide pat answers but instead offers heartfelt and relatable grappling with these questions. Many readers of a wide range of ages will identify with Cassie's unrealistic expectations of herself, as well as her profound desire to feel seen and loved for who she is... in all her messy, complicated imperfection.
Recommended by Lisa Doucet, Manager, Woozles Children's Bookstore