If the Shirt Fits, Wear It

I’ll never forget my excitement when I heard that the Winnipeg Public Library was hiring entry-level staff, at the time known as library pages (those folks who put books away on library shelves). I love to read, and I imagined how amazing it would be to spend my days surrounded by books. It sounded like the perfect job for me. I waited eagerly for a response after I submitted my application, fearing as time went by that I wouldn’t be hired. On the day the phone finally rang, and I was invited to an interview, my dream was realized. Fast-forward 14 years, and I was right: the library is my happy place. My bookshelves at home are always stacked high with piles of library books; my request list is usually maxed out at 50 items; and I still get excited about new authors or genres of books to enjoy. My love of books is something my family knows well. At a family Christmas party about 5 years ago, I received one of my all-time favourite Christmas presents: a t-shirt proclaiming, “IF LOST, PLEASE RETURN TO THE LIBRARY”.

I loved this t-shirt and wore it everywhere, until the colours faded, and the letters began to wear away from constant washing. In the years since, it’s become a tradition for my family to give me library-themed t-shirts for birthdays and Christmases. My collection has grown so much that I can wear a different t-shirt every day of the week – and I often do. One of the next shirts to come my way at Christmas might strike fear in the heart of the serious book lover – “A-BIBLIO-PHOBIA, the fear of running out of books”.

Working in the library means access to a seemingly endless collection of books, but the thought of not having anything to read would be truly scary! If you ever find yourself wondering what to read next, look no further: Your Next Great Read – Info Guides at Winnipeg Public Library. You can also find great titles by filling out the “Five-in-Five Book List” form on our website. One of our librarians will curate a list of five new titles – just for you.

Many books make the leap from printed page to the big (or small) screen. Some are well-adapted and others, not so much. This humorous t-shirt from my husband says it well:

One example that stands out for me is the Percy Jackson and the Olympians book series, a fantastic set of books by author Rick Riordan, which begins with “The Lightning Thief”. My kids and I loved these books, but we thought the movies were terrible. The series has since made the jump to TV, courtesy of Disney and though I haven’t had a chance to see it, the reviews have been good. Browse our catalogue for the series and movies and put my t-shirt to the test for yourself.

At least a few times a week the basket on my desk fills with a pile of new books. For every book I return to the library, it seems I take 3 or 4 (or 6) more home with me. Did I mention my bookshelves are always full? It’s fitting that this t-shirt arrived under the tree for me last Christmas:

By strange coincidence, over the weekend while I was reading “Aria’s Travelling Bookshop” by Rebecca Raisin, the main character Aria dons a shirt with the same phrase, as she plucks up the courage to ask the (possible) man of her dreams out for a drink. The “Travelling Bookshop” is a companion book to the author’s prior novel, “Rosie’s Travelling Tea Shop”. The series follows a group of nomadic “van-life/travelers”, who hit the road and stop at local fairs and festivals, selling a variety of wares from their converted vans and campers. The light-hearted semi-romance novels are a treat. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be inspired to adopt the van-life too.

If you do find yourself like me, with too many books arriving at once, did you know that you can suspend your library requests online, or with the newly restored Winnipeg Public Library app? Simply select a title from your holds list and click the box that says, “Edit/Suspend Hold(s)”. This will temporarily place your request on pause, until the date you specify. Once that date arrives, your request becomes active and your place in the queue is restored. For example, if you were 8th in line for the newest book by Kristin Hannah, “The Women”, suspending your request until June 15 means your request becomes active June 16, and you will still be 8th on the waiting list. If you are lucky enough to be number 8 for “The Women”, lucky you! The last time I checked, 520 people were waiting to read it.

When I’m not at work, I take this t-shirt’s saying very seriously:

You can find me curled up in the corner of my favourite chaise, reading for hours – periodically getting up to boil the kettle for another cup of Earl Grey, if I can successfully remove one of the cats from my lap. If this sounds like you, check out “I’d Rather Be Reading – The Delights and Dilemmas of The Reading Life” by Anne Bogel. With chapters like “Confess Your Literary Sins”; “Bookworm Problems” and “The Books That Find You”, she guides us through memories of the book that broke your heart; reassures us the “Book Police” won’t show up if we’re not reading the “right” type of books; and asks us, “if there were no due dates, would we read our library books as quickly”? Would we read them at all, or do we need that sense of urgency to motivate us?

Do you have a collection of book-themed tote bags, shirts, throw pillows or fridge magnets? We’d love to hear about them in the comments or on any of our social media platforms. Happy Reading and remember,

~ Joanne

Seeing the Forest for the Trees

If you are a regular Readers’ Salon visitor, you’ll know about the road trip we took to the west coast in June. You can read about it in (Library) Road Trip! We did a lot of hiking in the forests of B.C. and saw the biggest trees we’ve seen in our lives. Those towering gentle giants put the forests here in Manitoba into perspective. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love Assiniboine Forest, for example, but no matter how deep you trek into its trees, you can see the sky above. Not so in B.C. I was enamored with the lush, dense wilderness; the seemingly endless shades of green; the fragrant smells and variety of plant life; and the way the noises of the outside world disappeared entirely, giving way to the soothing sounds of branches snapping underfoot. We also encountered our first-ever logging trucks rumbling down the roads, stacked high with timber.

Forestry is a massive industry in B.C. There’s no denying its impact on the environment or our dependency on its products. The issue of logging is a contentious one: forestry provides jobs and economic benefits to many communities; it also puts the environment and biodiversity at risk. Some believe logging helps our forests stay healthy by weeding out diseased growth and keeping forest fires at bay, while others cite soil erosion, loss of habitat and climate change as major negative concerns. And what about the role of tree planters? While tree planters re-establish trees in areas that have been clear-cut, they do work on behalf of the logging industry. Many people, including me until recently, don’t realize the trees being planted will one day serve as the next trees for the saw blades.

Forest for the Trees: The Tree Planters is a documentary film from Rita Leistner, an award-winning photographer, who was a tree-planter in B.C. for nearly 20 years. It was nominated for best documentary cinematography at the Canadian Screen Awards (2022), and won the Audience Favourite Award from the Victoria Film Festival (2022), as well as the Special Jury Prize for the Spirit of Activism at the Green Film Festival in San Francisco.

Over the course of four tree-planting seasons near Prince George, B.C., Rita followed the daily lives of dozens of tree planters – photographing and interviewing them and filming them as they worked. Tree planting is grueling work in rugged, sometimes brutal, conditions. As a former tree planter, Rita knew exactly what her subjects endured: they battle bugs, rocks, fallen trees and debris, steep terrain and every kind of weather Mother Nature can throw at them. She also knew why people return year after year despite these tough conditions. Whether it’s the sense of feeling part of a community, the challenging physical work or connecting with the land itself, tree planters love what they do. They work to their breaking points; blistered, battered and bruised for 9 to 10 hours a day, only to wake up and do it all over again. And if that’s not enough to wear you down, a first-timer might plant 700 to 800 trees per day, which, at between 11 cents and 25 cents per tree, works out to less than minimum wage. Elite tree planters are known as “high-ballers”, who can plant upwards of 1,800 trees and burn more than 8,000 calories every day – the equivalent of running 2.5 full marathons. 

After you watch “Forest for the Trees”, check out some of these other great titles about trees, forest management and of course, tree planters.

Trillions of Trees: Lizzie tells the gardener she wants a trillium (the flower that is), but he thinks she says a “trillion”.  When trillions of trees arrive for Lizzie, this rhyming story really gets growing….I mean, going! and is a book of fun and facts about trees.

Big Lonely Doug tells the true story of one of the largest Douglas fir trees in Canada. In 2012, a surveyor marking out clear-cut logging boundaries came across an enormous tree and flagged it to be spared from being cut down. Doug remains standing near Port Renfrew, B.C. and has become a symbol of the importance of Canada’s old-growth forests. 

The Last Tree: One morning, Goran wakes up to discover all the trees in town have pulled up their roots and left. The animals and birds of the forest have nowhere to live. Goran pleads with the tree in his yard to stay for the winter, while he and his friends race to plant new saplings and clean up the forest. “The Last Tree” is a touching story about climate change and the importance of trees.

Tie-Hackers to Timber Harvesters documents the complete history of logging in B.C., with over 200 photographs and interviews with logging-industry workers. 

Tree Thieves: Crime and Survival in North America’s Woods: Lumber poaching is a billion-dollar industry and in this book Lyndsie Bourgon explores how and why poachers from California to the Pacific Northwest prey on endangered old-growth forests. 

At the Cutting Edge: The Crisis in Canada’s Forests is a warning from author and politician Elizabeth May, and a call to join forces against the devastating effects of deforestation. She provides background information on clear-cut forestry practices, and her team of researchers analyze facts, figures and maps of the current logging status in every Canadian province.

Highballer: David Nolan, like Rita Leistner, was a tree-planter for over twenty years, during which time he planted over 27 million trees and became known as a “highballer”. His encounters with black bears, brushes with landslides and other hair-raising tales make for a great read. 

In Eating Dirt, author Charlotte Gill recounts her years as a million-tree planter, writing about both sides of the logging debate but also taking time to celebrate the wonder of trees. 

Check out Step By Step: A Tree Planter’s Handbook, which has everything you need to know if you catch the tree-planting bug and are ready to pack your bags and head for the trees.      

Rita concludes her documentary by saying, “you plant trees for 10 years and you’ve planted a forest”. It’s a stunning image. During the course of filming, the tree planters in her film planted 45 million trees in the Prince George area; over 26,000 hectares or 64,200 acres of land. That’s the equivalent of 48,000 football fields!

You don’t have to become a tree planter to “plant a forest,” but you can make a difference. The One Million Tree Challenge by Trees Winnipeg and the City of Winnipeg calls on all Winnipeggers to help plant a million new trees in Winnipeg by the time the city’s population reaches one million people. Plant a tree (or more than one) and register your trees online. You can also see where other trees have been planted in Winnipeg and view the current status as the city plants its way to one million trees. As of today, 31,863 newly planted trees have been registered. You can do your part. One tree at a time.

~ Joanne

(Library) Road Trip!

This summer we headed out on what would be, at least to us, an epic road trip. In October 2020, in the early days of the pandemic, our daughter and her fiancé moved to B.C. in search of adventure and meaning in a time of loss and uncertainty. They found work on farms in Pemberton and later in Halfmoon Bay, B.C. and they thrived working the land and tending animals. As “city kids” it was an entirely different way of life and they were as happy as they had dreamed.

After nearly two and a half years of farm work, they packed up their truck and trailer for new adventures on the Sunshine Coast in Powell River, B.C. Although Powell River is technically on the B.C. mainland, there are no roads into the town from the east. It’s a significant investment in travel time: after a 24-hour drive from Winnipeg, we would have to take two different ferries and then travel the twists, turns and hills of the Sunshine Coast Highway. But it had been nearly a year since we had seen the kids in person so we decided it was the perfect time for a road trip.

Once we were serious about our plans, I devised a mission to visit or at least photograph local libraries along the way. Luckily, my husband was (mostly) on board with my idea. We set off from Winnipeg in mid-June and I made my first library pit-stop almost by accident.

What would a road trip be without a few missed turns and wrong directions? After hours of driving under crystal blue skies, with sun-drenched prairies stretched out for miles on either side of the road, I understood why people dread the long stretch of Highway #1 through Saskatchewan. I blame Siri for leading us off the highway, but we found ourselves making a U-turn in the town of Herbert, Saskatchewan. It was completely unexpected that we drove by the local library. “Stop,” I hollered at my husband, “look, there’s the library!” I practically dove onto the sidewalk to take a few pictures. When I got back into the car, my husband said, “Aren’t you going to go inside?” I hadn’t really thought this part through to be honest, but I climbed back out of the car and went inside. I couldn’t help noticing their branch hours: Monday and Wednesday from 6-9 p.m.; Tuesday 8-11 a.m. and 1:30-5 p.m.; Friday 1:30-5 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m.-12 p.m. The library was about the size of my living room and three people were browsing the space when I arrived. Staff at the check-out counter were busy so I took some photos and we got back on the road.

The bright blue skies of the prairies followed us as we drove west. I always thought of myself as a prairie girl, but there really was something about seeing the mountains come into focus down the highway that took my breath away. In Calgary we stayed right downtown, steps away from the Calgary Tower. After checking into our hotel, the viewing deck of the tower was our first stop. The city was laid out below us in stunning colours. A thunderstorm in the east displayed towering white clouds and eventually a rainbow arced across the sky.

We loved our stay in Calgary. The hotel was within easy walking distance to shops, restaurants, the pedestrian mall and the downtown plaza area with its gorgeous fountain. The next day, sunny skies turned grey and gloomy as we set out to find the Central Library which serves as the main branch of the Calgary Public Library. The area was under construction and the library was closed. The building is a modern design with glass panels and many windows, built one story above street level to accommodate the light-rail tracks below. Travelers can access the library via the C-Train City Hall Station at the nearby municipal building complex. I would have loved to go inside but it was not to be.

Clouds and rain plagued our drive through the mountains of Alberta and B.C. At times we had to reduce our speed to see through the mists at higher altitudes. Due to highway closures we were travelling an alternate route which snaked back and forth and up and down the mountains. Sheer cliffs rose up on one side of us while on the other side the views of tree-filled valleys below gave me shivers.

Driving into Vancouver was a wild ride. Six lanes of traffic travelling at highway speeds was stressful and we nearly missed our exit. I used to think Winnipeg was a big city. It isn’t. We took our first ever ferry ride from Horseshoe Bay to Langdale, B.C. and after a short drive along the Sunshine Coast Highway, we arrived in Gibsons Landing. I wish we could have spent more time here. It’s the perfect little seaside town. We wandered along the main street, enjoying cute shops, a multitude of art galleries, and the waterfront with its colourful sailboats and squawking seagulls.

When I arrived at the Gibsons and District Public Library, a jazz concert was in full swing, and the library was packed with music lovers. I received a warm welcome from a friendly staff member when I told her I was from Winnipeg on a quest to visit libraries. She gave me stickers, bookmarks and a programming schedule of upcoming events for the summer.

Our second ferry ride from Earl’s Cove to Saltery Bay brought us within shouting distance of Powell River and my excitement to see our daughter and her fiancé skyrocketed. Now that we were officially on the Sunshine Coast, like a scene out of a movie the clouds parted, and sunshine rained down upon us. It was almost too good to be true.

Powell River is a beautiful little city, where steep-pitched streets lead down to the water and its beaches. Walking in Powell River is not for the timid, and E-bikes are the norm here due to the sharply sloping streets. On our first full day in Powell River we headed straight to the beach for my husband’s first-ever plunge into the ocean. The delightfully salty water was mind-numbingly cold, and our daughter laughed when we hollered in shock. Once we recovered from our swim, I visited the Powell River Public Library. My favourite thing was the statue of a leaping frog outside. The library boasts a Smart Locker for holds pickup, a native plant garden complete with log “benches” and a walking path, as well as The Nook: a café featuring local products in support of local organizations. The second floor of the library is a separate art gallery space, where our daughter often attends art workshops including life drawing classes with live models.

My next library visit was the Vancouver Island Regional Library in Courtenay, B.C. Inside we found a jigsaw puzzle station and puzzle swap shelf, a display containing Grab & Go book bundles, and a bright and cheery space. Staff here were also very engaging when they heard about my Library Road Trip. I walked away with more bookmarks and stickers as well as some general tourist information about the Courtney/Comox area.

Still on Vancouver Island, we stayed in an oceanside town called Qualicum Beach. It was late in the evening when we arrived and most businesses had closed at 8 p.m. As we walked through town, we came across a Little Free Library nestled into the vines growing along someone’s fence. The tiny house was decorated with a sign that read “Carpe Diem” – Seize the Day. We walked along the beach until the sun set behind Texada Island across the Strait of Georgia.

My final library of the trip was inside the Townsite Mall in Powell River. The United Way of Powell River sponsors a Little Lending Library. The Lending Library makes use of good quality used books. At the time of our visit it was empty but as the sign indicated, donations of books are greatly appreciated. What I liked about this concept was that the Lending Library had a return slot, just like a public library. It was decorated with adorable handprints.

The rest of our road trip was packed with hiking, swimming, more hiking, restaurants and spending time with family. After 17 days on the road, 6000 kilometers and seven road trip libraries, we arrived home. We’ve already started talking about another trip. I wonder where the road will take us next?

~Joanne

Picture this

When I was a kid, there was no better way to spend the summer than high up the branches of my favourite tree reading comics. Fast forward a few decades and those comics I loved are now graphic novels but I had never read one until recently. A co-worker suggested I read Giant Days, a young adult graphic novel by John Allison. The premise sounded good: three roommates at university become friends as they adjust to adulthood and life away from home. For whatever reason, I couldn’t get into the series. Before I knew it, my co-worker was challenging me with all kinds of graphic novels. She seemed determined to help me find something I liked and with her help, I did. 

I found myself hooked on the Heartstopper series by Alice Oseman. This beautifully drawn teen series follows Charlie and Nick as they meet, become friends and Nick begins to realize his true feelings for Charlie. The series was followed by the Heartstopper Yearbook in 2022. (For more 2SLGBTQQIA+ reads, visit our 2SLGBTQQIA+ Information Guide and Your Next Queer Read.) 

My next great find was Pumpkinheads: a graphic novel by Rainbow Rowell and illustrated by Faith Erin Hicks. It follows Deja and Josiah, teenagers who have worked at the Pumpkin Patch at Halloween every year during high school. This season is different: Deja and Josiah will soon graduate and move on to university. As their last shift together draws to a close, the two friends take a whirlwind tour of “The Patch” and Josiah races against time to meet the girl of his dreams. Anything can happen on Halloween…

The adorable graphic novels by Bree Paulson, Garlic and the Vampire and Garlic and the Witch, are a fun way for young readers to dive into graphic fiction. Garlic and her vegetable friends Carrot, Celery, Potato and more, have been magicked into life to help Witch Agnes take care of her vegetable garden. The two novels show Garlic overcome first her fear of vampires and then a trip into the unknown as she travels to the Magic Market to gather supplies for Witch Agnes’s latest potion. Both are easy reads and lots of fun (I mean, Garlic really is …garlic!) As we find out in both stories, sometimes our fears aren’t nearly as scary as we expect them to be, especially when we have friends like Garlic does. 

My kids are both artists and the colourful spray painted cover of this next book grabbed my interest right away.  Ashley is a foster child, a spray paint artist and oh yeah, she’s a superhero too. Her foster mom is a scientist working on a special project. When Ashley mistakes some mysterious vials as spray paint to use for her murals, she develops some pretty awesome superpowers. But when the military discovers their secret project is missing, Ashley must defend her foster family from a dangerous villain. Will she get in trouble and lose her new foster parents? Or will she finally find her forever home? Find out in Primer: a superhero graphic novel.

A genie who just wants to grant his three wishes to a frog? A witch who turns music-makers and singers into farm animals? A wizard who tries to steal another wizard’s magic powers by giving him a pet parrot? Nathaniel Lachenmeyer and Simini Blocker present four unique and hilarious new stories in their collection of fairy tales for young readers, The Singing Rock (and other brand-new fairy tales).  

Once I started writing this post, I realized I hadn’t read any adult graphic novels. Did you know there are plenty of non-fiction graphic novels in the library? As a gardener, The Comic Book Guide to Growing Food was a big hit for me. The book takes you through everything you need to know to get started with your own garden and includes great tips on how to plant (and when to plant it), how to test and fertilize your soil and whether sowing seeds or buying plants is best for different types of vegetables. The easy-to-read format features an avid gardener giving a helping hand to his neighbour who wants to start a garden of her own. It’s a great choice for new and experienced gardeners and graphic novel fans too.

I think the graphic novels I liked the most came from author Debbie Tung. Quiet Girl in a Noisy World: an introvert’s guide is full of sweet, relatable cartoons about the perils of socializing, dating and working in a crowded office, but finding out that surprise – lots of people struggle with social anxiety. The black and white cartoons are amazing and I like the way she draws great big eyes on her characters when they are happy or excited. Book Love is just that: a book about books; why the author loves them (more than people), the things she uses as bookmarks (old receipts, junk mail, clothing tags), and alternative uses for books such as “a way to avoid small talk with strangers”. As a book lover and library worker this one speaks directly to my heart. I also loved that she dedicated “Quiet Girl” in part to her husband for letting her “turn him into a cartoon every day”. 

I’m currently reading my way through Toil and Trouble, the adorable Marshmallow & Jordan and Flawed. Toil and Trouble is a wonderful re-imagining of MacBeth, told from the points of view of the three witches. As someone who never enjoyed Shakespeare very much, I highly recommend the graphic novel version. Not only is the play told in a more story-like way, the graphic novel format really helps me see the events unfold – literally!

In Marshmallow & Jordan, a young basketball athlete suffers an injury that leaves her in a wheelchair. One day she befriends a mysterious baby elephant and takes her home to her mother who’s a vet. Although Jordan loves basketball, she misses playing alongside her friends. Is Marshmallow the answer she’s been looking for?   

Flawed, which was made into a stop-motion short film, is a true story of a woman who falls in love with a plastic surgeon, despite her strong reservations about cosmetic surgery. It challenges everyone to love themselves exactly as they are. 

Thanks to my co-worker D.F. for introducing me to a new genre of books. Until next time, happy reading!

~ Joanne                  

“Oh, grow up!”

What does it mean to be a grown-up? How do you know when (or if?!) you’re ever truly “grown up”? Is it when you turn 18? Buy your first car? Move out of your parents’ house? Graduate and start working full-time? If you’re like me, maybe you still feel like a kid sometimes even though my own kids are in their twenties – I mean, how the heck did that happen?! Surely it was just yesterday when I was 15 and learning to drive, 17 and travelling through Europe, or twenty and moving into my first apartment. Yet here I am decades later, and still find myself making questionable choices, practicing bad habits and even getting into childish arguments. Hopefully this is because I’m so young at heart!

It’s fitting then that over the winter I’ve been reading a lot children’s fiction. These amazing authors introduced me to characters who were dealing with some pretty grown-up issues – things I couldn’t imagine having to contend with now never mind as a child. There are all kinds of things that go on behind the scenes in a family. Sometimes kids are forced to be the grown-ups, long before they actually grow up. It’s easy to see why some of these titles were also named Manitoba Young Reader’s Choice Award (MYRCA) winners.

Birdspell by Valerie Sherrard

Corbin Hayes doesn’t want to have friends over to his apartment. He’s afraid of what they’ll say when they see there isn’t any furniture. Corbin’s mom isn’t like other moms either but when his friend Izelle begs him to look after her pet parakeet, he can’t refuse. What follows is a heart wrenching look at a young boy desperately trying to keep his family together, while keeping his mother’s bipolar disorder a secret. He just might find out he’s not alone after all.

Elvis, me and the Lemonade Stand Summer by Leslie Gentile

Truly Bateman is shocked (and excited!) when Elvis Presley comes to stay at the Eagle Shores Indian Reserve trailer park where she and her mom, Clarice, live. Truly is convinced he’s the real King of Rock ‘n’ Roll – even though everyone knows Elvis died last year. This summer, Truly is trying to earn enough money with her lemonade stand to pay for a trip to the mainland in search of her real dad, since her mom won’t ever talk about him. She clings to the idea that he can bring much needed stability to her fragile home life. When Truly’s mom takes off (for good?), Truly finds out it’s not only genetics that make a family.

The Undercover Book List by Colleen Nelson

Jane and her best friend, Sienna, bonded over the love of reading. Now Sienna is moving across the country with her family and Jane can’t imagine ever finding another close friend. But before she leaves Sienna hatches a plan for Jane to meet another book-loving friend. She hides a secret note inside a school library book. When Tyson the class-clown and sometimes bully, discovers the note, he and Jane unexpectedly start The Undercover Book List club. Neither knows who the other one is: will they become fast friends or will Jane discover Tyson only joined the club as a prank? This great title also contains a suggested reading list for young readers.

Ban this Book by Alan Gratz

Amy Anne Ollinger’s favourite book in the whole world is “From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler”. But when concerned parents begin a campaign to have it and other “inappropriate” books banned from the school library, Amy Anne secretly launches a book loaning program from her own locker – featuring all the books the school board has removed. As more and more books become banned, word of Amy Anne’s library spreads among the students of her school. Suddenly Amy Anne finds herself thrust into the spotlight at the school board meeting. Ban this Book challenges all of us to ask who should decide what we can or can’t read?

Roll with it by Jamie Sumner

Lily, aka Ellie, loves baking. In fact some day she’s going to be a professional baker. She might even be good enough to win The Great British Bake-off series on tv. And she’s definitely not going to let her wheelchair or her cerebral palsy get in her way. But then her mom moves them to Oklahoma when her grandfather’s Alzheimer’s disease worsens. Now Ellie isn’t just the new kid; she’s the new kid in a wheelchair – in a school that’s not designed for accessibility. Not only that, she’s looked down upon for living in the local trailer park. Ellie wonders if she can overcome her outcast status and find a way to make friends in a new town. Who says being different is a bad thing?

Growing up is tough. It’s not something I would want to go through again. I read a lot of books as a child and it’s good to know that there are such incredible authors writing children’s fiction today. What I loved about the kids in these books was how true-to-life they felt. The library has such a diverse selection of titles for children, kids can see people just like themselves come alive on the pages. So whether you’re young or just young at heart, happy reading!

~Joanne

For more information on MYRCA titles, please visit http://www.myrca.ca/.