We are excited to announce that Gail Sidonie Sobat’s Chance to Dance for You was picked as a starred selection in the Spring 2013 edition of Best Books for Kids & Teens.  Congratulations Gail!

Sometimes keeping a secret is harder than telling the truth.

Ian lives in a suburb where everything’s the same. The houses are the same, the cars are the same, and their aspirations are the same. But Ian is different. Openly gay in his bigoted high school, Ian doesn’t exactly fit in. But he’s not worried – he’s been training in dance for a long time and soon he’ll be able to leave town and train to become a professional. Then he falls in love with Jess, the high school quarterback…

More exciting news here at Great Plains Publications!

Our spring YA titles continue to shine, with a fantastic review of The Fall just in from CM Magazine:

“The theme of how grief is handled by men and boys permeates this novel and makes it a must-read for teachers and older teens, both boys and girls. The physical and emotional absence of men in the novel’s demographic will raise many passionate discussions, but it is the boys’ pain and grief that will engage students who will have strong opinions on the issues raised in this timely Canadian novel.”
— Highly recommended, CM Magazine

May 7, Anne Mahon’s The Lucky Ones: African Refugees’ Stories of Extraordinary Courage launches at McNally Robinson at 7 pm.  Storytellers from the novel will be present and some will read.  We are excited to hear that Lloyd Axworthy will also take part, reading a story submitted by “Anonymous.”  Excerpts of the novel have been featured in the Winnipeg Free Press and on CBC.  We hope to see you there!

The Manitoba Book Awards were handed out in front of a full house at the West End Cultural Centre, and Enfield & Wizenty is delighted to announce that Méira Cook’s The House on Sugarbush Road took home the McNally Robinson Book of the Year.  In the McNally Robinson Book for Young People category, Kevin Marc Fournier’s The Green-Eyed Queen of Suicide City published by Great Plains Teen Fiction, was named the winner.

Congratulations Méira and Kevin!

We are delighted to announce that two of our Enfield & Wizenty titles have been shortlisted for the Georges Bugnet Award for Fiction as part of the Alberta Literary Awards.

I KNOW WHO YOU REMIND ME OF by Naomi Lewis

“Full of sympathy and hilarity, the absurd and the unexpected, I Know Who You Remind Me Of is a treat to read.” - Saleema Nawaz

“From its title onward, the debut story collection by Naomi K. Lewis is about forging a future in order to spite one’s past.” – The Edmonton Journal

 
GODLESS BUT LOYAL TO HEAVEN by Richard Van Camp

“Hard-nosed but thin-skinned, sturdy yet totally off the wall, Richard Van Camp’s Godless but Loyal to Heaven is such a vibrant story collection that I’m kicking myself for only getting around to it now” – Edmonton Journal

“Gripping, graphic and insightful, Godless but Loyal to Heaven opens up the human heart and lets the reader watch it pumping. Van Camp slips in and out of characters like a shapeshifter, introducing poetry and the fantastic into a brutal landscape” — Eden Robinson, author of Monkey Beach

Congratulations to all of the nominees!

We are excited to announce that our spring season is off to a strong start here at Great Plains, with Jan Andrews’ THE SILENT SUMMER OF KYLE MCGINLEY receiving a glowing review from CM Magazine.

“Andrews has created a character with whom young readers will have empathy, with whom they will laugh and cry, and someone they will not soon forget.”

Read the full review here.

Happy as flying frogs around here today, after we got the word that three GP books have been nominated in multiple categories for the Manitoba Book Awards!

The House on Sugarbush Road by Meira Cook, Green-eyed Queen of Suicide City by Kevin Marc Fournier, and I Know Who You Remind Me Of by Naomi K. Lewis, have all been short-listed in their categories. To read the complete  list, click here.  Here’s the low-down on the talented crew of E & W and Great Plains Teen Fiction:

The House on Sugarbush Road by Meira Cook has been nominated in two categories: McNally Robinson Book of the Year, and The Margaret Laurence Award for Fiction.

Green-eyed Queen of Suicide City by Kevin Marc Fournier has been nominated twice: McNally Robinson Book for Young People, and Fournier for the John Hirsch Award for Most Promising Manitoba Writer.

I Know Who You Remind Me Of by Naomi K. Lewis, has been nominated for Manuela Dias Book Design of the Year, design by Relish New Brand Experience, of Winnipeg.

 

Congratulations to all our authors!

 

The stories in author Naomi K. Lewis’ tremendous collection, I Know Who You Remind Me Of have been called “raw,” and “luscious” and “first rate.”

We’ve discovered recently that “eerie” can be added to those accolades. A novella-length feature in the popular collection is called “Attachment.” It’s  the hilarious and poignant story of sisters Bonnie and Blythe and their long-standing rivalry. It’s also the story of a soft drink company that would like to put someone in space, sponsored by Bottle Rock-it Soda Pop. Does this sound familiar, perhaps like a recent ad campaign? Embrace the eerie, here.

The staff at Enfield & Wizenty like to encourage self-esteem and joy. The kind of joy that we get from reviewers like Michael Hingston of the Edmonton Journal, who wanted to kick himself for not reading the wonderful Godless but Loyal to Heaven sooner. Don’t do that, Michael! Read the great review here.

It’s rare for an anthology to be so across the board great, although you could call us at Enfield &Wizenty biased. If you’d prefer a more objective view, we recommend the Telegraph-Journal. You can see the review here.