For those who prefer to read a post rather than watch a video, we are pleased to present a written transcript of the Fall 2024 Middle Grade selections!
Hello everyone and welcome back to Top Grade. My name is Spencer Miller and today I'm so excited to introduce you to a selection of brand new Canadian middle grade books for the Fall 2024 Season.
Today's books explore identity and mystery and horror and activism. These are books perfect for middle readers who are figuring themselves out, overcoming their fears, finding their place in the world.
Alright, so let's talk about some books.
Danica Dela Torre, Certified Sleuth published by Annick Press is written by Mikaela Lucido and illustrated by Joanna Cacao. This is the first book in a brand new paranormal mystery series.
In the story, kid detective Danica and her partner Jack have competition when another kid detective — named Kennedy — moves in across the street. When Kennedy becomes convinced his house is haunted, Danica and Jack are hesitant to team up on the case, especially because Danica's Tita has forbidden her from meddling with the spirit realm.
For middle readers there's a lot to love in this series debut, including its intrepid Filipina-Canadian protagonist, its humorous storytelling, and the eye-catching illustrations.
Middle readers love a series and so do I. I'm so excited to see where this series goes next.
Izzy Wong's Nose for News, published by Orca Book Publishers, is written by Marty Chan. This book about a sixth grade journalist challenges middle readers to think deeper about where we get our news.
When Izzy Wong finds out the girl's bathroom was purposely flooded, she thinks she's found the perfect subject for her investigative podcast. But her drive to gain podcast listeners challenges her ethics as a reporter and Izzy learns the difference between news and gossip. Two things I found that really get middle schoolers talking are ethical dilemmas and main characters who make mistakes.
Ask your students to put themselves in Izzy's shoes. Ask them what they would do in Izzy's position and you're going to have some great conversations about truth and honesty and journalistic integrity.
These conversations are a great starting point for a project where you can invite students to choose a topic and investigate on their own and record their own podcast episode.
Ghosts of Gastown, published by Great Plains Publications, is written by Jessica Renwick. This supernatural story has more than enough twists and turns and spooky spectres to satisfy middle-grade readers.
Nobody believes that 12-year-old Hope Graves can see the dead. Hope barely believes it herself. But when hope and her mom, a popular horror novelist, move to the Gastown area of Vancouver and into an ancient apartment that sits over a weird crystal shop, Hope's encounters with the beyond escalate.
This gripping ghost story is doing a lot under the surface. More than a chilling tale, it is a meditation on grief and its haunting depiction of Vancouver will encourage young readers to think about the history and all of the previous occupants of the places that they live.
After the Wallpaper Music published by Pajama Press is written by Jean Mills. This is a feel-good story about growing up and growing relationships with extra appeal for young musicians and fans of music.
The story follows 12-year-old violinist Flora as she prepares to compete in a battle of the band's competition. Flora faces the many challenges of being in the 8th grade including changing interests and balancing new and old friendships.
What impressed me most in the writing was the careful weight given to the relationships the characters form in the story. For Flora, it's hard to stay connected to her old friends. It's hard when she feels anxiety over her aunt's health. It's hard to make friends with the new kid at school.
There is a subtle but really valuable message here for middle readers: while building and maintaining good relationships is difficult, it's always worth it.
Waltraut from Heritage House publishing is written by Gabriele Goldstone. This historical fiction novel set in the shadows of World War II empathetically examines the experiences of a first-generation Canadian girl navigating two cultures.
Set in 1960s Winnipeg, the story follows 11-year-old Waltraut who wishes she had a different name that wouldn't stick out. Waltraut feels a great divide between her life at home and her life at school and worries her and her German family will never fully fit in in Canada.
What sets this book apart is in the details. The details of the historical setting have a lot to say about what life was like in Canada after World War II. And the details in Waltraut's thoughts and feelings have a lot to say about what it's like growing up a first-generation Canadian.
Pages of Doom published by Orca Book Publishers is written by Jeff Szpirglas and illustrated by Andrew P. Barr. This is the second volume of short horror stories from author Jeff Szpirglas who I just found out is a middle school teacher, which explains how he knows exactly how to keep middle readers turning pages.
In this volume, stories feature such twisted ideas as sentient ink that steals people's dreams, a ray of sunshine that kills, and a teddy bear that possesses its owner. These stories are perfectly bite-sized, ideal for a fun afternoon activity. Just dim the lights and flip to any story in the collection.
I love reading horror with a classroom of students and watching them anticipate what happens next or gasp at a sudden reveal. It's so much fun. I love these stories in this collection because so many of them have a school setting which I think really sparks a young person's imagination.
So when you're done reading, challenge your students to write a short horror story of their own set at your school and see what they come up with.
Our final book for today is a non-fiction title from Kids Can Press. You Can Be an Activist: How to Use Your Strengths and Passions to Make a Difference is written by Charlene Rocha & Mary Beth Leatherdale and illustrated by Drew Shannon.
This resource is everything students need to know about making the world a better place from a real life youth activist. It covers everything from choosing a cause and doing the research to deciding on a goal and then making a plan to get it done.
The illustrations bring a sense of fun to the topic as in information is presented in chunks and sidebars with engaging quizzes, prompts, lists, templates, profiles, and interviews throughout.
What stands out about this resource is the practical advice from real life youth activists who have been there before, including really important advice for putting safety first, working together, dealing with self-doubt and discouraging days, and pacing yourself so that you can stay committed for the long term. These are all really important lessons for young activists to learn, so I'm so glad that this book places emphasis on these important points.
And those are all of our books for today.
On behalf of the Association of Canadian Publishers, thank you so much for watching. We really appreciate your viewership and support. We invite you to comment on this video, like it, and please share it with a teacher friend. We also want to give a big thank you to Ontario Creates for their continued support of the Top Grade program.
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What's next?
• Find out more about the Top Grade program
• Sign up to receive email updates
• Download the book list of the Fall 2024 Middle Grade books (.csv file)