Here are 16 books by Canadian authors that examine themes of racial and social justice and the experience of being Black in Canada and beyond.

Coming September 28th, 2023 Three reasons Stella shouldn’t fall for Leland: 1. He’s her brother’s best friend 2. She’s a bit of a disaster, and he deserves better 3. He’s her fake boyfriend Ever since the car accident that dashed her dreams of skating professionally, Stella has made countless bad decisions. At almost thirty-five, she has a failed marriage under her belt, no job, and she’s living rent-free with her best friend after returning to her hometown. Her latest bad decision? She agreed to go to the high school reunion hosted by a former friend…and she roped her brother’s best friend Leland into being her fake boyfriend so she wouldn’t have to attend said reunion alone. The timing is perfect, though: with Stella’s past mistakes and disastrous dating history haunting her, a fake relationship is exactly what she needs to prevent her from continuing her journey down the Hot Mess Express. Bonus points for the fact she actually enjoys Leland’s company while they spend time together in order to ensure their ruse is believable. With Leland’s help, along with the love and encouragement of her three lifelong best friends, Stella starts to feel less lost and aimless. She also begins to feel more than friendly feelings for her fake boyfriend. If only she could get past the old fears that prevent her from believing she deserves more. As the reunion approaches and the deadline for their fake relationship looms, Stella will need to decide whether to remain ‘just friends’ with Leland or pursue what her heart truly yearns for: the real, lasting love she’s never experienced, but that she thinks might be possible with Leland. Reunions & Ruses is a fake dating, friends-to-lovers romantic comedy set in the fictional town of Bellevue, Ontario, Canada. Full of banter, crackling chemistry, and plenty of swoons, this is a kissing-only romance with mild language. It's the second book in the Best Friends & Birthdays series, and can be read as a standalone. Add Reunions & Ruses to Goodreads Get the ebook for $3.99: Amazon US Amazon Canada Amazon UK Kobo Canada Kobo US Apple Books Nook Buy the paperback: Amazon US Amazon Canada Amazon UK

Reading about the Canadian wilderness is just as good as exploring it yourself. These are some of the best stories from experienced adventurers.

Willow Stewart’s lifelong dreams are coming true. She’s opened a café in her hometown, and it’s thriving. Sure, maybe she doesn’t have much of a life outside of work and she’s almost completely broke, but she’s taking off weekends—plural—to celebrate her best friend’s upcoming wedding and that’s progress, right? She’s also flirting with Jasper Perry, the brother of the groom, whenever he’s within ten feet. And, even though Jasper is a bit stiff and overly formal, she’s pretty sure he’s flirting with her too. He’s also showing her a side of himself he doesn’t seem to show many other people. The only problem is, Jasper's life and job are in Toronto, and that’s a place and a lifestyle Willow gave up and has never looked back. Will she have to give up Jasper too? ***** Buy A Very Perry Wedding for just $3.99: Amazon US Amazon Canada Amazon UK Kobo Apple Nook Buy the paperback: Amazon US Amazon Canada Amazon UK Add A Very Perry Wedding to Goodreads Check out the A Very Perry Wedding Pinterest board

Coming September 28th, 2023 Three reasons Stella shouldn’t fall for Leland: 1. He’s her brother’s best friend 2. She’s a bit of a disaster, and he deserves better 3. He’s her fake boyfriend Ever since the car accident that dashed her dreams of skating professionally, Stella has made countless bad decisions. At almost thirty-five, she has a failed marriage under her belt, no job, and she’s living rent-free with her best friend after returning to her hometown. Her latest bad decision? She agreed to go to the high school reunion hosted by a former friend…and she roped her brother’s best friend Leland into being her fake boyfriend so she wouldn’t have to attend said reunion alone. The timing is perfect, though: with Stella’s past mistakes and disastrous dating history haunting her, a fake relationship is exactly what she needs to prevent her from continuing her journey down the Hot Mess Express. Bonus points for the fact she actually enjoys Leland’s company while they spend time together in order to ensure their ruse is believable. With Leland’s help, along with the love and encouragement of her three lifelong best friends, Stella starts to feel less lost and aimless. She also begins to feel more than friendly feelings for her fake boyfriend. If only she could get past the old fears that prevent her from believing she deserves more. As the reunion approaches and the deadline for their fake relationship looms, Stella will need to decide whether to remain ‘just friends’ with Leland or pursue what her heart truly yearns for: the real, lasting love she’s never experienced, but that she thinks might be possible with Leland. Reunions & Ruses is a fake dating, friends-to-lovers romantic comedy set in the fictional town of Bellevue, Ontario, Canada. Full of banter, crackling chemistry, and plenty of swoons, this is a kissing-only romance with mild language. It's the second book in the Best Friends & Birthdays series, and can be read as a standalone. Add Reunions & Ruses to Goodreads Get the ebook for $3.99: Amazon US Amazon Canada Amazon UK Kobo Canada Kobo US Apple Books Nook Buy the paperback: Amazon US Amazon Canada Amazon UK

Quill & Quire is the magazine of the Canadian book trade. The print edition, published 10 times per year (monthly except for joint January/February and July/August issues), includes author profiles, news about upcoming books and developments in the Canadian industry, and reviews of new adult and children's titles. The magazine reviews around 400 new titles

Audiobooks, self-publishing and Instagram authors were on the rise. #MeToo had an effect. And it got harder to buy Canadian books, but bookstores and print aren’t dead, writes Deborah Dundas.

National BestsellerFrom one of our nation’s most beloved and iconic authors comes a lyrical 150th birthday gift to Canada. Jane Urquhart chooses 50 Canadia...

Welcome to 2011, everyone! I hope you've had a great New Year's and Christmas holiday and are settling back into the regular routines of your week. As I mentioned in my last post, there are going to be a few changes to Bloomingwriter in the coming weeks, especially as the end of this month will mark 5 years of me bathering on here. One of the changes I have been sort-of implementing of late is the publishing of book reviews and author interviews. Although these will mostly be of books pertaining to gardening, botany, and such, I also plan to drop in the occasional review of a favourite fiction book, and a talk with its author. CBC Radio has a program on each winter called Canada Reads, where five 'celebrity judges' debate the merits of five recent works of Canadian fiction. The show will run in early February, but there's been a lot of hype and chatter in recent weeks and days. This year marks ten years of the show, and the books were selected from works published in the past ten years. To my great delight, one of the books in the top five is The Birth House, by Scotts Bay resident Ami McKay! This is one of my favourite novels of all time, and not just because it's by a writer who is a friend and is set in my community. It simply reads like a dream. Chapters/Indigo included it as one of their best books of the decade, and it's been published in numerous other countries, including the USA, Great Britain, Germany and the Netherlands. The Birth House tells the story of young Dora Rare, only daughter in a family of seven children, and her development into the apprentice, and ultimately the successor of the community’s midwife, the Acadian wise woman Marie Babineau. Set at a time when so-called modern medicine had some less than modern ideas about women’s health and wellbeing, and limned by the war in Europe and of the Halifax explosion at home, The Birth House is a lyrical and provoking exploration, written with courage and tenderness. It's one of those novels that you can read over and over again, and gain something more from it with each reading. It’s a long way from either the corn belt of Indiana where McKay was born and raised or the bustling pace of downtown Chicago to a rural Nova Scotian community of some 150 people. But Scots Bay has become the place that Ami McKay wants to live for the rest of her days, with her husband Ian and sons Ian and Jonah. So much does she love her community, that when she began writing her novel, she never considered changing its name or setting her book elsewhere. The Birth House even mentions our famous landmark, Cape Split, and the mighty riptides that roar around it twice daily in what some call 'the voice of the moon.' Writers draw inspiration for their works from any number of people, events, or locations. In McKay’s case, her journey from private writer to published author began before she moved to the house that inspired her novel. Like many of us, Ami had kept journals, written poetry and short stories since she had been a child, but “had kept them secret forever.” In 2000, after a series of life events led her from Chicago to Nova Scotia to marry a longtime friend, she decided to write a note to the Oprah Winfrey show, about a book she had read while recovering from a terrible car accident several years earlier. This note led to an appearance on the Oprah show, focusing on when bad things happened to good people. “I learned from that accident that you can’t just put things off; you’ve got to do it now because you probably won’t do it next week or next year. So I walked away from that experience determined to devote myself to my writing. I knew that I needed to get out and tell stories in my own way.” Having recognized, through support by friends and family and positive responses to her writing, that she needed and wanted to be doing more, she felt drawn to the story of Mrs. Rebecca Steele, a longago former midwife who had lived in the house where Ami and her family now make their home, and wondered more about her story and the stories of women in small rural communities in the early part of the twentieth century. “There’s a modest history of Scots Bay, written by a Mr. Jess,” she says, “which talks about the things men were interested in at the time. But there’s very little recorded in that book about women’s interests, cares, concerns. How did they manage in such isolated communities? How did they care for each other, look out for their health? I felt that the women’s’ voices were unheard.” Initially, driven by her interest in the former midwife, she thought she would do a book of nonfiction. But as she researched and wrote, she found her words sculpting themselves into a novel. She never considered changing the community's name in her novel. “Geographically, this place is like no other, and to change its name was to do a disservice to the community," she told me back when I first interviewed her for several articles I wrote about the book and its author. "People have been very generous in sharing their lives and their stories, and I’ve been honoured to listen and reflect some of what I learned. I didn’t want to capture one person or an individual character, but I wanted to capture the heart of the community so I’ve used family names that founded Scotts Bay. The names I didn’t change in any way, however, are those veterans who were killed in World War 1; I mentioned them in the novel as a tribute to the sacrifice they made.” What I loved most about The Birth House is the very realness of its characters. Perhaps I recognized echoes of personalities from the present in some of the characters, and perhaps in a small part it was knowing the landscape as intimately as I do that brought the novel even closer to my heart. But above all, it is Ami's ability as a storyteller that seals the deal. Other readers and reviewers have talked about how fresh and honest the book is, playful at times, chilling at others, celebratory of women's lives and abilities at all times without ever descending into earnestness or political correctness. Dora, the apprentice midwife and only daughter in generations of the Rare family, isn't a perfect character, but she feels like someone we have all met. Her battles with the obnoxious obstetrician Dr. Gilbert Thomas, who has his own ideas about women's bodies and health, will cause readers to chuckle in one spot and grit their teeth in outrage at others...and ultimately cheer with glee at the struggle's outcome. Even though I've read the book numerous times, each time I've picked it up again I haven't wanted the story to end. Like the rest of Ami's legion of fans around the country and beyond, I'm waiting patiently for her next novel to come out, which hopefully will be later this year after a delay by the publishing house. Although I've only read one other of the five finalists in this year's Canada Reads--Unless by the late, great Carol Shields--I wish all the authors and their defending judges the best of luck in the competition. They're all winners because more people will become acquainted with their works, of course. But naturally, I hope our hometown Ami McKay carries the day!

Grade 3 Ontario Social Studies unit: Early Canada 1780-1850 for new 2023 social studies. The unit includes photos of artifacts, mapping connections, research organizers and more to cover the Ontario Curriculum. IMPORTANT UPDATE!* *Now updated for 2023 curriculum changes!!** Slides version updated as well! Student pages are included in google slides! Previously: March 7, 2021 a large portion of the unit was changed. Please reprint and discontinue use of the previous version. This item is frequently updated, so please check back frequently for further updates! Now Includes Google Slides!* DID SOMEONE SAY *DIGITAL*! Newly updated!! Select student pages are now included for use with Google Slides! 150 Interactive Slides to help with virtual learning! Check out the preview VIDEO for digital samples and details. (Please note: some pages, teachers notes and others are only available in the PDF). Student ready (locked text) and Editable (unlocked where allowed/possible) options provided. DIGITAL UPDATE redownload to get the goodies! Force Copy Links are on page 3 of the PDF*. Included you will find: Unit Overview: A unit overview explains key learning goals, assessment tips, differentiation, lesson sequence, materials needed and teacher notes. Perfect to help you plan out your unit in a snap! Intro Activities: Question prompts, partner talk cards and conversation ‘cootie-catcher’. I’ve also included information for a ‘time-line’ to help students create an understanding of this time period. Read Alouds & Videos: A variety of read alouds and videos are suggested with follow up activities and discussions to help your students understand how successfully the Indigenous People of Early Canada were living before the settlers arrived. Some information about Indigenous way of life, beliefs and history are included. Also, a read aloud about a Black Loyalist Community has been added. (Please note: many of these books are available through the author's official YouTube which are linked, but some do require finding a copy of the book. Copies of the books are not included with this file. That would be against copyright and unethical). **I have added read-aloud and video suggestions for Treaties and Wampum Belts to accommodate the new 2023 curriculum changes! The other points were already included in the previous unit materials!** Early Settler Animated Shorts: Using films created by the National Film Board (free to watch), I have created a follow-up activity for each video which focuses on comparing life in early settler times to life today as well as some key elements of daily life. Period Pieces Paintings: A variety of art pieces from 1780-1850 are provided for students to view and analyse. Two discussion prompts and a reflection sheet are included. Mapping: 3 student friendly maps are included as well as a 'making connections' response page as well as a general 'mapping reflections' sheet. Extension activities for discussing 'push and pull' factors for settlers is included. Questioning & Research: With the inquiry focus of the new curriculum, students are expected to ask questions and research in a variety of ways to find answers and make connections. I have provided some anchor charts, a Q-chart, samples of our “Question” brainstorm sheets and ‘Big Questions”. Students will work in small groups (4 or 5 students) to research some of the questions on their chart and the ‘big question’ associated with their topic. NEW: More structured graphic organizers are provided to assist students who need additional support. Research Product- Kiosks & Brochure: To share their research findings and connections, students will create a ‘kiosk’ in their groups using the foldable templates and create a brochure to go with their kiosk. Artifact Exploration: Pictures of artifacts and definitions to match are provided as well as a "what this may be" sheet and a "comparison to now" activity to consolidate their learning after the activity. Artifact Final Project: Students ‘create’ an artifact and exhibit for our ‘classroom museum’ and write a written piece about their artifact. Planning sheets and a sample success criteria checklist is provided. **DIGITAL GOOGLE SLIDES NOW INCLUDED!*** I try to update my items as quickly as possible when I can, but I cannot commit to unlimited lifetime updates of units. I will do my best, but I am a full-time teacher and mom to a young child. Please note that the purchase is for the CURRENT curriculum (as of August 2023). If future updates are made, they will be added as a 'bonus', but I cannot commit to lifetime updates. Thank you for understanding :) If you feel something is missing or you have an idea for an addition I'd love to hear from you, please note not all requests/suggestions can be accommodated. My email is [email protected] *This unit was updated with consultation from 3 Indigenous Education Experts to help ensure the material, language and photos included are culturally sensitive and in alignment with the truth and reconciliation commission Canada expectations. I strive to ensure that the unit is sensitive and accurate. Of course, please check your board's specific instructions as they may differ. Also, please consider your classroom community of learners and the specific backgrounds of your students as well as your level of comfort with the topics when discussing sensitive areas such as the racism found in Early Canada. There are many activities to pick and choose from, so there should be plenty of options to suit your classroom. Please pre-read all texts and view all videos before showing them to your students to ensure they work for your situation. Board expectations can vary as do expectations from community to community and family to family. Please exercise extreme caution in discussing the traumatic events of the past. If you are not sure about an activity, please check with your board's Indigenous Education Liaison or Admin. As always, tailor these to your class and seek input from local Indigenous groups, Elders, and other important voices as you teach about these important topics. * If you are looking for more grade 3 social studies for the 2020 Ontario curriculum, check out my Living and Working in Ontario Unit Or for guided math activities, check out my Ontario guided math bundles for all strands! For sample report card comments for this unit, click here Thanks for stopping by: ~Tina's Teaching Treasures Inc.

Oh, those early (slow) reading sessions when your son or daughter labors to sound out each and every phoneme…. It seems to take forever to listen to one page, doesn’t it? And what should they be reading when the process starts to become just a little bit easier for them? Your friendly RedeemedReader librarians have…

Noooo... Not sales taxes! Ugh!! I have been hearing a lot about the sales tax changes in the US lately, and I thought it would be helpful to discuss how things work in Canada when it comes to sales taxes and your book sales. This is for Canadian authors who sell their books directly to customers, w

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Wartime knitting was more than a hobby – it was an act of patriotism.

Giller award nominee and University of Toronto professor says he won't teach books written by women or Chinese authors

It has always been a challenge to find books and resources that give an accurate portrayal of Indigenous history and Indigenous life. However the number of books published about Indigenous Peoples written by Indigenous authors has exploded in recent years – especially for elementary-aged children. It’s an honour to read about different perspectives and experiences […]

To celebrate Canada 150, we stayed true to our book-reading, data-loving selves and pulled together a list of 150 bestselling Canadian books from the last 10 years.

Sometimes Facebook really nails it. That poster says it all, doesn’t it? In eight months, one week (as of the date of this post), that’s going to be me! And I can’t wait for glorious retirement. While I’m waiting, though, I’ve heard from both sides of the early retirement versus the “What would I do if I retired? I’d be bored to death! And broke!” factions. “But…but…you’re only 62! Why don’t you wait and retire when you can get full benefits?” That’s the most common question. My answer? “Because, sugar. By then I might be dead.” I hope I’m not, you understand. I certainly don’t expect to be, but then, I don’t think anybody does. I’m blessed in not having any health issues, neither does my already retired husband (well, that’s not exactly true on the already retired part, seeing as how he’s “Granddaddy Day Care”, the man really earns his keep) and trust me, I know how fortunate I am to be able to say that. It’s cause for celebration, and what better way to celebrate it than to retire and enjoy it? “But…but…nobody else can do my job the way I can! I don’t know what my boss/company/firm would do without me!” My response to that? “Darlin’, I don’t care what my boss/company/firm is going to do without me.” Let’s face it. If I (or anyone else) should be killed in a car accident this afternoon, another warm body would be at my desk (or anyone else’s) the next day. Because no one is irreplaceable. I’ve spent the last forty years in a law office as a legal secretary/paralegal. I’m good at my job. I’ll go further than that. I’m very good at my job. I do the best job I can under all any circumstances. I always have, and I’ll do that until the day I walk away. That doesn’t mean nobody else can step in after me and do the same thing. Maybe not as well, not at first. But they’ll learn. Who knows? Maybe they’ll even be better at it than I am. And the world will keep right on turning in its assigned orbit, now won’t it? “But…but…I’d be bored!” Really? My sympathies. Because I won’t be. Oh, granted, I have the small advantage of being a writer, and being a retired Seenager will finally give me the time I don’t have now to dive right into that next plot waiting over the horizon, or that one over on the side that’s been brewing for these last few years, or that one that just sprang up, full-blown, from a chance conversation overheard in the check-out line at the grocery store. I have not one but two coming soons, covers over on the side of this paragraph, that have been coming soons so long my fans (yes, I really do have one or two) don't even ask when anymore. (But before I retire, I promise, I'm workin' on 'em, I'm workin' on 'em,) But even without that—because writing’s definitely not the only way I’ll be spending my time—I have growing grandchildren two miles away to play with, a husband to go shopping with in the middle of the day if we want to, pets to nuzzle my face with wet noses, television shows and movies to watch, sunsets to marvel over, hoot-owls and crickets to listen to in the evening twilights. Again, I’m blessed. And I know it. And again, what better way to celebrate such blessings than to enjoy them? “But…but…I can’t afford to retire!” I’ll admit that’s a personal decision no one can make for another, and whether that statement’s true or not for any individual depends to a great extent on personal preferences and lifestyles. Me, I’m a simple country girl. I always have been. If my dream retirement consisted of world travel, well, no, I couldn’t afford to retire. Of course, I couldn’t afford to do that if I didn’t retire, either, so that’s kind of a moot point. Fortunately for me, I don’t even like to travel. We have the home we always wanted which is comfortable, but not fancy, set squarely in the middle of a fifty-acre wood we couldn’t have afforded if we lived in any other area of the country. In short, I have everything I ever wanted and I don’t want anything I don’t already have. Blessed. Would I turn back the hands of time and do things differently if I had that magical power? Change my life? Nope. I wouldn’t be a day younger than I am right now if you paid me. Because everything that’s ever happened in my life has made me who I am, right now, at this precise moment in time. And being a Seenager is going to be a lot more fun than being a teenager! Bring it on! my name be Cain...and my color be Se'ben Find all Gail Roughton titles at Books We Love Amazon Barnes & Noble Kobo Smashwords You can also visit at her Blog and on Facebook Gail Roughton at Books We Love

In literature, as in almost any other category, Canadian voices often get lumped in with those from the U.S. There are plenty of distinct Canadian authors everyone should read, however, and the list of great Canadian novels goes far beyond Anne of…

This new edition of Canadian History For Dummies takes readers on a thrilling ride through Canadian history, from indigenous native cultures and early French and British settlements through Paul Martin's shaky minority government. This timely update features all the latest, up-to-the-minute findings in historical and archeological research.

Include books by Indigenous authors in your classroom all year round. Come get started with this list of books for your Canadian classroom.

A cheerful story from a renowned Canadian children's book author and an award-winning illustrator "Radiant picture book" -Quill & Quire Set in the Nicola Valley, British Columbia, in Canada's westernmost province, a First Nations family goes on an outing to forage for herbs and mushrooms. A grandmother passes down her knowledge of plant life and the natural world to her young grandchildren. | Author: Nicola I. Campbell | Publisher: Crocodile Books | Publication Date: October 31, 2017 | Number of Pages: 32 pages | Language: English | Binding: Hardcover | ISBN-10: 1566560411 | ISBN-13: 9781566560412

This post may contain affiliate links which earn me a commission at no additional cost to you. Jump to: Fantasy | Romance | Sci-Fi | LGBT Fantasy January 2nd, 2024: Dark Star Burning, Ash…

David A. Robertson's graphic novel, illustrated by Scott B. Henderson, recounts the horror Indigenous children experienced in residential schools.

Interested in writing or illustrating children’s books? The Canadian Children’s Book Centre produces the following publications to help get you started. Get Published: The Writing for Children Kit Our bestselling kit includes Writing and Illustrating Children’s Books: A Guide to Getting Published, which includes information on submitting manuscripts and portfolios, copyright procedures, and the children’s … Continue reading Get Published: The Writing for Children Kit →

I like Eckhart Tolle’s take on how to make your child feel truly loved and cherished.

Provides educators with resources and recommendations for using picture books with upper elementary and middle school students.

The Culture Trip has created a list of the top French-Canadian authors that you should add to your reading list.