Welcome to our mid-summer newsletter! Summer is the perfect time of year to get lost in a book. Looking to keep your kids reading this summer? Explore the reviews, book lists, author interviews, and more on kidsbooknews.ca for top-tier Canadian children’s book recommendations. Scroll down, and you’ll find some links to what’s new on the site.

If you find yourself in Toronto this summer, make sure to stop by Nuts and Shells, a cozy new independent children’s bookshop for readers ages 0–YA. Behind this new space is Nadia Alam, an illustrator and CCBC Book Week alumni. We want to wish Nadia and her team the best of luck with this exciting new venture. 

We also want to offer our heartfelt thanks to all those who made a donation in honour of Amy and in support of the Amy Mathers Teen Book Award. So far, over a hundred donors from across 12 provinces and states have raised $13,422 to help keep the award going for future years. This outpouring of support is a testament to Amy’s kindness, humour, and reach and how a love of reading leaves a lasting impact.

This list was developed by the CCBC staff team based on various considerations. We selected books that have a history with the CCBC (they may have been reviewed or recommended, the author or illustrator might have toured for Book Week, perhaps the book was a finalist for one of our awards or appeared in one of book lists).

We also thought about lots of other things, like geographical representation, including stories that are important to Canadian identity in all its many forms, diverse experiences, body of work and so much more. Ultimately, we had to love them. These are just 50 must-read middle-grade books, there are lots and lots of other must-read Canadian books!

As you read our list, we invite your to think "what about ...?" We want to know what books YOU would include on the list!

Nominate your picks for Canada’s 50 Favourite Kids’ Books through our anniversary FUNdraising campaign.

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What's new at kidsbooknews.ca?

• Queer Life is Ordinary Life: Em Hunter shares the middle-grade books they wish had been available to them during their tween years.
• Disability Pride Month Book List: 11 new books that put disabled kids and teens at the centre of the story
• The Golden Age of Non-Fiction: Author Erin Silver speaks with seven authors whose books introduce kids to fascinating topics.
• Keep You Eye On: Helen Liang's books in the Orca Think series explore the role engineering plays in our communities and on our planet.
• From Silicon Valley to Bedtime Stories: Krista Jorgensen chats with author Vicky Fang about how her background in theatre and her experience as a product designer at Google inspired her to create STEM-based books for kids.
• Meet Curtis Campbell, whose books for teens feature queer protagonists navigating friendship, identity, and social activism in a small fictional town in Ontario.
• Creator's Corner: Robin Stevenson crafts a cult thriller for middle-grade readers
  
• We Recommend: Reviews of 12 new Canadian books by Joel Sutherland, Monica Arnaldo, Farah Heron, Bunmi Laditan and more!
• Bookmark! Discover the latest releases in Canadian children’s literature.