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Awards news for Groundwood Books from the American Library Association

January 26, 2012

Last weekend and early this week marked the American Library Association Midwinter Conference and the announcement of the ALA Youth Media Awards and ALA Notable Books. We were happy enough to be in Dallas for the conference (hello, warm weather!) but even more thrilled to see Groundwood Books recognized. Congratulations to all the authors, illustrators, and publishers involved.

Stonewall Honor Book

(given annually to English-language works of exceptional merit for children or teens relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experience)

Money Boy by Paul Yee

ALA Notable Books

Migrant, written by Maxine Trottier and illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault
No Ordinary Day by Deborah Ellis
Queen of Hearts by Martha Brooks
Sita’s Ramayana, written by Samhita Arni and illustrated by Moyna Chitrakar

 

The Year of the Dragon: Chinese-themed books we love

January 24, 2012

The official Year of the Dragon started yesterday, considered to be the luckiest year in the Chinese Zodiac. That’s great news for all of us! To celebrate, we thought we’d feature a few of our favourite Chinese-themed books. Happy New Year!

Under the Hawthorn Tree
by Ai Mi, translated by Anna Holmwood
Forthcoming February 2012

A bestseller in China with more than 1 million copies sold and adapted for film by internationally acclaimed director Zhang Yimou, Under the Hawthorn Tree is a story of first love and forbidden love, set against the backdrop of the final days of the Cultural Revolution.

Money Boy
by Paul Yee

* 2012 ALA Youth Media Awards Stonewall Honor Book
A frank, gritty novel about a sixteen-year-old Chinese immigrant who is trying to fit in at his suburban high school. But when his father learns his son is gay, he kicks him out, leaving the teen to cope with life on the street in downtown Toronto.

The Blue Dragon
by Robert Lepage and Marie Michaud, illustrations by Fred Jourdain

An evocative, beautifully illustrated tale of a Canadian expatriate in China from legendary theatre director and visionary Robert Lepage.

Tales from Gold Mountain
by Paul Yee, illustrated by Simon Ng

*Winner of the Sheila A. Egoff Children’s Literature Prize, the IODE Violet Downey Book Award and the IODE National Chapter Award

This landmark collection of eight stories describes the extraordinary circumstances of the Chinese who came to build the railroad in Canada and the United States.

The Wild Beasts of Wuhan
by Ian Hamilton

In the third installment in the wildly popular Ava Lee series, The Wild Beasts of Wuhan, butt-kicking Chinese-Canadian forensic accountant Ava Lee uncovers the secret world of art fraud.

Chin Chang and the Dragon’s Dance
by Ian Wallace

*Winner of the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator Award

Chin Chiang has dreamed of dancing the dragon’s dance but now the first day of the Year of the Dragon has arrived, and he is so scared that he wants to melt into his shoes.

Spring/Summer 2012 catalogues now available!

January 20, 2012

Happy Friday, all! Are you looking for a way to while away the afternoon? Our Spring/Summer 2012 catalogues are now available! Please take a moment to download the PDFs and check out what we have on offer for the upcoming season. Feedback welcome! We’d love to hear which books sound good to you — leave us a comment below!

Here they are:

 

Download the Anansi catalogue                  Download the Groundwood catalogue

Two spring Canadian fiction titles we’re excited to share

January 18, 2012

Hi everyone,

Today we’re taking a look at two Canadian fiction titles we’re about to publish that we can’t wait to share with you. One is by a bestselling author who may be well known to you, especially if you’ve read his blockbuster hit The Final Confession of Mabel Stark. The other is from an emerging Canadian writer with one critically acclaimed book under her belt and the proprietor of a hugely popular blog about writing and motherhood. Read on for more!

Dr. Brinkley’s Tower by Robert Hough
Available February 2012

The fourth novel from one of Canada’s most critically acclaimed writers, Dr. Brinkley’s Tower is a sensational, passionate story of jealousy and greed set against the backdrop of Mexico in the 1930s.

We’re recommending this book to fans of Gabriel García Márquez, Patrick deWitt, Mark Twain, and anyone who loves to disappear into a great story with memorable characters and a fantastic sense of humour. Find out more about Robert Hough by visiting his newly redesigned website and by following him on Twitter — and don’t miss Robert’s article on finding the “real” Dr. Brinkley for a bit of fascinating backstory.

The Juliet Stories by Carrie Snyder
Available March 2012

A stunning new novel-in-stories set against the backdrop of the political turmoil in 1980s revolutionary Nicaragua by one of Canada’s brightest emerging writers.

We’re recommending this book to fans of Barbara Kingsolver, Elizabeth Strout, Alice Munro, and anyone who loves to read about motherhood, coming-of-age stories, or just appreciates breathtakingly beautiful writing. Find out more about Carrie Snyder by visiting her blog Obscure CanLit Mama, following her on Twitter, or by joining the Facebook page for The Juliet Stories!

Stay tuned over the next few months as we continue to preview our Spring/Summer 2012 titles!