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…

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!

Congratulations Méira and Kevin!

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!

“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.

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!

 

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.