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Top 11 holiday reads for children & adults

Oakville News book reviewer Kate Barlow makes her selection of the top books for children, young adults, and adults encompassing both fiction and non-fiction.
Mel Poole on Unsplash
Mel Poole on Unsplash

My sisters and I had a tradition as children, one we kept going long after we were grown up! Each Christmas, we gave each other a book, on the clear understanding that we were allowed to read each of them, sometimes in advance!  

Prowling the bookshelves of a local bookstore to a background of carols and the scent of fresh pine tickling our noses should never be hurried. A tip of the hat to that excellent bookstore, Different Drummer in Burlington, for making my browsing such a pleasure.

These are my suggestions for books that will make great reading for each family member. There is some rhyme, but much less reason to these choices of close to a dozen ‘good reads’, colourful, entertaining, informative, scary, or just plain fun. 

The majority are Canadian authors, with a sprinkling of Australian and American writers.

Top books for children

BOARD BOOK:  

Pajama Press
Pajama Press

The Cow Said BOO! 

Author: Lana Button 

Illustrator: Alice Carter

‘A stuffed-up cow, a rogue bedsheet, and a silly refrain.’ This silly read in playful rhythm will have small listeners chiming in as well as chuckling at the watercolour illustrations by Alice Carter of Ottawa. Tough enough to be handled by tiny fingers, as well as wipeable, this amusing book by this well-known Burlington author is sure to make every storytime lively.

Suggested Retail: $14.95


PICTURE BOOKS:  

Pajama Press
Pajama Press

While You Sleep

Author: JENNIFER MARUNO

Illustrator: Miki Sato

What happens while we sleep? Fantastical dreams and magic in order to prepare for the coming day, that’s what!

Soothing rhythming couplets by this Burlington author and collage art illustrations created using paper, textiles, and embroidery silk by Toronto illustrator Miki Sato, conjure up a comforting dream world bound to make bedtime a pleasure.  

Suggested Retail: $22.95 


Owl Kids
Owl Kids

THE DIGGER DANCE

Author: Judy Ann Sadler 

Illustrator: Yong Ling Kung

I simply could not resist this one; a grandmother tells her grandson that diggers can dance! But the diggers are parked because it is raining. The two decide to bake until the skies clear, and the boy discovers that baking and diggers have a lot in common—a wonderfully whimsical tale with illustrations by Torontonian Yong Ling Kang that bring the rhythmic text to life.

The author lives in London, Ontario.

Suggested Retail: $19.95


Top Book for Grades: 9-12  
Kids Can Press
Kids Can Press

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? 

How to Spot Fake News and Find the Facts 

Author: Joyce Grant 

Illustrator: Kathleen Marcotte

This is undoubtedly a book for today’s tech-savvy kids, a veritable go-to helpline for navigating what they see and read on the internet.

What is the difference between real journalism and ‘fake news’?  

Even more importantly, how to tell one from the other.  

An invaluable resource conveyed in manageable chunks of text accompanied by playful illustrations by American Kathleen Marcotte.

Joyce Grant is a Humber College professor who lives in Hamilton.

Suggested Retail: $19.99


Dundurn Press
Dundurn Press

What the Dog Knows 

Author: Sylvia McNicoll 

This well-crafted story is about a girl and a dog who get the chance of a lifetime for a do-over. 

It is the worst summer Naomi has ever known. Her dog, Diesel, has died, her dad has lost his job, and her parents are splitting up. And because the family is broke, Naomi must babysit when what she wants to do is have swimming lessons. 

The twist is that Naomi and her beloved dog die – hence the chance to do a lifetime do-over – and thus learn about loyalty, love and trust.

Widely recommended, but I would add a caution; the premise might be tough for some families, even in the capable hands of this well-known Burlington author. 

Suggested Retail: $13.99


Top book for young adults
Orca Book Publisher
Orca Book Publisher

BLOOD DONOR 

Author: Karen Bass

Jo McNair is barely a minute after curfew, yet her parents lock her out with no money and nowhere to go.

In this short but powerful story, Jo walks into a trap and finds herself held captive with other teens, then drugged and forced to donate their blood.  

This YA thriller will certainly get pulses racing and intrigue even the most reluctant reader, as well as shining a light on the dangers faced by impressionable teens.

Karen Bass is an award-winning author living in Hamilton.

Suggested Retail: $10.95


Top books for adults

FICTION

Coach House Press
Coach House Press

THE SLEEPING CAR PORTER 

Author: Suzette Mayr SUZETTE MAYR

We need to mention this year’s winner of the prestigious Giller Prize because this slim volume deserves all the plaudits it is receiving.  

The book explores the life of a black sleeping car porter on cross-Canada runs in the early 1900s.

A gay man who yearns to be a dentist but must instead cater to unruly guests and self-important actors and witness seances with almost no sleep during the four days run.

Mayr has six novels to her name and lives in Calgary.

Suggested Retail: $20.00


At Bay Press
At Bay Press

BEACH BLONDE

Author: John Lawrence Reynolds

And now for a tough, gritty page-turner, as one would expect from this prolific Burlington author (born and brought up in Hamilton, the ultimate Canadian city of gritty). 

Beach Blonde reunites readers with Josie, the resourceful heroine of a previous book Beach Strip.  

This sequel has Arden released on bail after serving time for breaking the neck of the man who assaulted his sister.

Finding work at a bar on the beach strip with his former cellmate no less, life begins to take a turn for the better until. . . now find out what happens next in what many say is a nod to Elmore Leonard.

Suggested Retail: $29.95


Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster

The Dickens Boy 

Author: Thomas Keneally

If you know someone who reveres Charles Dickins, consider placing this engaging tale under the tree. It is based on that paterfamilias’ habit of dispatching his sons to faraway places, in this case, the author’s tenth child Edward Bulwer Lytton Dickens, known as Plorn.

Plorn is sent to Australia, where he leads a life of rollicking adventure. Australian author Keneally is a previous Booker prize winner and a master of reimagining historical figures.

Hardcover Suggested Retail: $37.00


NON-FICTION

Biblioasis
Biblioasis

BIG MEN FEAR ME

The fast life and quick death of Canada's most powerful media mogul

Author: Mark Bourrie

This is the remarkable story of the meteoric rise and fall of George McCullagh, one of Canada and North America's most influential media moguls.  

Now all but lost to history, McCullagh was the man responsible for combining The Globe with The Mail. Wittily written by award-winning Canadian journalist Bourrie, this book also gives us an understanding of today’s populist politics. 

Suggested Retail: $24.95


AND LASTLY, WHAT COULD BECOME THE ‘SLEEPER OF THE SEASON

Penguin Random House
Penguin Random House

NASTY BRUTISH AND SHORT

Adventures in Philosophy with My Kids 

Author SCOTT HERSHOVITZ

This University of Michigan professor and Rhodes scholar explores the fundamentals of philosophy with his young sons, believing young children are born natural philosophers who look at our world without assumptions and ask the questions many of us adults shy away from for fear of appearing dumb.

Quote: 

‘We can’t wash our hands of (segregation) just because we aren’t responsible. We should take responsibility. Why? There’s an old common law formula: Qui sentit commodum, sentire debet et onus. It means: He who enjoys the benefit ought also to bear the burden.’ 

Suggested Retail: $37.00



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