October 8, 2022

The Spirit of Denendeh

No one knows how a suit of samurai armour ended up in the Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, Canada museum. When a mysterious stranger turns up to claim it, Sonny, a young Tłı̨chǫ Dene boy, is eager to help. Shinobu has travelled to Fort Smith to reclaim his grandfather’s samurai sword and armour. But when he discovers that the sword was lost in a poker game, he must confront the man known as Benny the Bank. Along the way, Shinobu must rely on unlikely heroes ― Sonny, his grandmother and a visitor from the spirit world. Together, they face Benny and […]
August 5, 2022

Taproot: A Story About a Gardener and a Ghost

 4/5 Author: Keezy Young Publisher: Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group, LLC Genres: young adult, fiction, graphic novel, LGBTQ+, romance “It’s a pleasure to lose yourself in the beautiful artwork, and one of the loveliest queer romances I’ve ever read.” — K. O’Neil, author of The Tea Dragon Society  Blue has been living as a ghost for a year when he meets Hamal, a beautiful and sweet gardener who has the ability to see and communicate with ghosts. Together, their friendship develops into something more, but being a ghost, Blue can never truly be connected with Hamal.  When Blue realizes Hamal’s […]
June 3, 2022

The Nightmare Brigade #2

According to Professor Angus, Estaban was found one day outside of the Sleep Lab: a young boy lost and abandoned. Angus and his son Tristan quickly welcome him into their family and their field of work, which is exploring nightmares and allowing patients a good and safe night’s sleep. But in Esteban’s nightmares of late, he wakes up in his old house, reunited with his parents as if they were never separated. To wake up and actually return to his real life, Esteban must travel into the woods and face his own fears. Can The Nightmare Brigade help one of their own awaken from his own nightmares?

May 6, 2022

Gift of Little People: The Six Seasons of the Asiniskaw Ithiniwak

“I don’t recall seeing books when I was a little boy. But the old people, they grew up listening to stories. And so, every night, when the old people were done their evening prayers, they would sit and they would tell us stories too.”

At the time of the spring thaw, the Rocky Cree fill their canoes with furs, eager to trade with the new visitors in mistiwāsahak (Hudson Bay). But not all of the new visitors are welcome.

When the canoes return home to the shores of the misinipī river, the Rocky Cree begin to collapse one by one, drenched in sweat and slowly slipping into delirium. Kākakiw struggles to help the sick as more and more people pass into the spirit world. Exhausted physically, emotionally and spiritually, he seeks guidance through prayer.

Hope finally comes with a visitor in the night: one of the Little People, small beings who are just like us. If Kākakiw can journey to their home, he will be given the medicine his people need. All he has to do is paddle through a cliff of solid bedrock to get there.

To save his people from certain death, Kākakiw must overcome doubt to follow the traditional teachings of the Asiniskaw Īthiniwak and trust in the gift of the Little People.

In this illustrated short story for all ages, celebrated Rocky Cree storyteller William Dumas shares a teaching about hope in the face of adversity. This book is a companion story to The Six Seasons of the Asiniskaw Īthiniwak series.

March 4, 2022

Meteor men

On a summer night, Alden Baylor sits in a field watching the largest meteor shower in human history. What begins as teenage adventure becomes something more - the celestial event brings travelers who will change the world completely, and Alden discovers a connection to one of them. How does a young man who had to grow up fast handle the invasion of his planet? Can Alden keep humanity from oblivion? From writer Jeff Parker (Aquaman, Hulk) and artist Sandy Jarrell (Batman '66) comes this story of adolescence, friendship and hard decisions.

December 17, 2021
Stealing Home book cover

Stealing Home

When a boy struggles after moving to a Japanese internment camp during WWII, baseball shows him another way to approach life.

Sandy Saito is a happy boy who reads comic books and is obsessed with baseball --- especially the Asahi team, the pride of his Japanese Canadian community. But when the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor, his life, like that of every other North American of Japanese descent, changes forever. His family is forced to move to a remote internment camp, and his father must spend months away from them. Sandy, his mother and his brother cope as best they can with the difficulties at the camp. Over time, Sandy comes to realize that life is a lot like baseball. It's about dealing with whatever is thrown at you, however you can. And it's about finding your way home.

In this emotionally gripping graphic novel, J. Torres has artfully woven a fictional story into a historically accurate, thoroughly researched account of the events surrounding the internment of Japanese Canadians during World War II. Using the approachable graphic novel format, the story of this grave chapter in North American history is gently told with sensitivity and insight, and the theme of baseball runs through the story as a message of hope and renewal. The time and place are evocatively rendered in David Namisato's detailed sepia-toned art. Along with its links to social studies and history lessons, this book offers a perfect lead-in to discussions about differences, inclusion and empathy, and about why this history is relevant today. The book includes extended background information in an afterword by Susan Aihoshi and resources for learning more.

December 17, 2021
The Montague Twins book cover

The Montague Twins

Brothers. Detectives. Witches? Meet Pete and Alastair Montague in the first installment of a new graphic novel duology that is the Hardy Boys meets Paper Girls. Pete and Alastair Montague are just a couple of mystery-solving twins, living an ordinary life. Or so they thought. After a strange storm erupts on a visit to the beach, they discover there is more to their detective skills than they had thought. Their guardian, David Faber, a once prominent professor, has been keeping secrets about their parents and what the boys are truly capable of.

At the same time, three girls go missing after casting a mysterious spell, which sets in motion a chain of events that takes their small town down an unexpected path. With the help of David's daughter, Charlie, they discover there are forces at work that they never could have imagined, which will impact their lives forever. An exciting new graphic novel from innovative creators Nathan Page and Drew Shannon that is at once timely and thrilling.

December 3, 2021

Crushing: An Illustrated Misadventure in Love and Loneliness

She’s lonely and searching for connection. He’s lonely and afraid to reach out. Life in the big city means being surrounded by connections—making them, missing them and longing for them. But is finding someone else really the answer to their problems?

Crushing, the stunning debut graphic novel from Sophie Burrows, is a story told in silence; a story without words but bursting with meaning; a story about loneliness and love.

Achingly beautiful, quietly defiant and full of subtle wit and wisdom, Crushing is a unique meditation on the human condition in the twenty-first century, and a timely examination of young adult life in an age of isolation.

October 21, 2021

World Class

Life’s a pitch for teen football star Adrian "Colombian Cannon" Molina. With his powerful shot, he seems a shoe-in for the European junior league. When a Regents United elite prep school scout offers him a full scholarship, the news seems too good to be true. Adrian's celebration is short lived thanks to his meeting with team star, Titan Evans. Titan is everything Adrian is not; rich, powerful and connected. Despite that, Titan sees the Colombian Cannon as a threat to his domination on the pitch. Hallway brawls, threatening notes and constant bullying from Titan and his cronies consume Adrian’s new life along with crippling anxiety attacks thanks to the fear of losing his spot on the team.

Soccer and graphic novel fans will love the excellent illustration and high-action story.

They’ll also smile over some good lines like an announcer’s “Someone ring the Royal Air Force. Regent’s captain just turned the ball into a UFO!”

August 23, 2021

Hockey Super Six: On Thin Ice

Will the Hockey Super Six thwart their enemy’s plans for world domination in book two of this action-packed series?.

In the second book pitting six ordinary kids with super hockey skills against the forces of evil, Jenny, Benny, Mo, Starlight, DJ and Karl desperately need to stay out of Crosscheck’s grasp!

Their last run-in revealed to evil scientist (and former mediocre goalie) Clarence Crosscheck the scope of some of their secret powers — powers he can use in his never-ending quest for world domination. Hard at work on a robot army to do his bidding, Crosscheck underestimates how strong the Super Six can be when they work together as a team Get ready for high-stakes ice battles, non-stop hijinks and never-before-seen hockey action (it’s kids vs robots, and some giant lizards too)!