About the Club
Top Recommended Reads
Keep kids reading all summer!
Here are a few of our favourite books to get your kids started on their summer reading adventures.

Whatever After: Good as Gold
A magic mirror sends Abby, Jonah and Prince into the mixed-up tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
- Age
- Ages 8-12

When You Trap a Tiger
When Lily and her family move in with her sick grandmother, a magical tiger straight out of her halmoni’s Korean folktales arrives, prompting Lily to unravel a secret family history.
- Age
- Ages 9-12

Window
In this wordless picture book, a child is making her way home from school, imagining what is behind the windows of the houses and other buildings that she passes.
- Age
- Ages 3-7

The Aquanaut
This picture book is an autobiography by an underwater explorer who was once a young girl with a big imagination.
- Age
- Ages 3-7

You Might Be Special!
In this playful interactive quiz, readers are asked a series of seemingly straightforward questions about themselves, only to have the questions become hilarious and absurd, for an upbeat message of self-acceptance.
- Age
- Ages 3-7

Hare B&B
After her parents are duped by a coyote who is a master of disguise, Harry and her seven younger siblings are left to fend for themselves. Their only resource is their parents' now-empty bedroom, so Harry and her brothers and sisters open a "hare bed and breakfast." And the coyote returns.
- Age
- Ages 6-8

Haunted Canada 10: More Scary True Stories
Read chilling ghost stories from all across Canada, with eerie illustrations and photographs.
- Age
- Ages 10-12

I Am Scary
A monster tries to scare a young child, but the child insists the monster is not scary and actually quite huggable.
- Age
- Ages 0-5

Kunoichi Bunny
In this wordless picture book in graphic novel format, Saya and her well-loved stuffed bunny, Kunoichi, go to the park. On the way, without her dad ever noticing, Saya uses Kunoichi to intervene in dangerous situations, proving that small actions can have a great impact.
- Age
- Ages 0-5

The Last Fallen Star (A Gifted Clans Novel)
After Korean-American Hattie Oh casts a dangerous spell so her adopted sister, Riley, will get a share of her inherited magic, Riley must undertake a near-impossible quest to save Hattie from death.
- Age
- Ages 9-12

Golden Threads
A storm sweeps Emi's beloved toy fox away from their mountain home. It is found, tattered and alone, on a distant shore by a kind old man who gives it to his granddaughter, Kiko. Recovering from an injury of her own, she mends the stuffed fox lovingly with golden thread before setting out, with her grandfather's help, to bring it back to its original home.
- Age
- Ages 4-8

GoldiBooks and the Wee Bear
This retelling of Goldilocks and the Three Bears
- Age
- Ages 4-8

Goldilocks: Wanted Dead or Alive
New and returning fans of the Land of Stories graphic novels will fall in love with the origin story and adventures of beautiful and tough-as-nails outlaw Goldilocks.
- Age
- Ages 11-12

A Royal Guide to Monster Slaying
Twelve-year-old Rowan is destined to be Queen; her twin brother, Rhydd, to be Royal Monster Hunter. Rowan would give anything to switch places, but the rule is, the oldest child is next in line for the throne. When a tragic event changes everything, Rowan finds herself hunting the most dangerous monster of all: a gryphon.
- Age
- Ages 10-12

Animals in the Sky
This board book helps younger children to identify six of the most recognizable animal constellations, from The Great Bear to The Southern Fish.
- Age
- Ages 0-5

Help Wanted, Must Love Books
Shailey loves bedtime, especially reading with her dad. But her dad starts a new job, and it gets in the way of their bedtime routine. So Shailey takes action! She fires her dad, posts a Help Wanted sign, and starts interviews immediately.
- Age
- Ages 4-7

Jonathan and the Giant Eagle
Jonathan’s parents have decided to let him choose a pet. They are not prepared for his choice: a giant eagle.
- Age
- Ages 4-8

Kiki Kallira Breaks a Kingdom
Drawn into the mystical world she created, Kiki Kallira must battle against her fear and anxiety to save two worlds, the real and the imagined, from the wrath of an ancient Indian deity bent on total destruction.
- Age
- Ages 9-12

Lalani of the Distant Sea
To save her mother, Lalani Sarita must find the riches of the legendary Mount Isa. Generations of men and boys have died on the same quest, so how can an ordinary girl survive the epic tests of the archipelago? This fantasy novel is inspired by Filipino folklore.
- Age
- Ages 10-12

Mangoes, Mischief, and Tales of Friendship: Stories from India
In these eight stories inspired by traditional Indian folktales, Prince Veera and his best friend Suku outwit the kingdom's greediest, wiliest subjects.
- Age
- Ages 8-12

Meranda and the Legend of the Lake
Meranda, who uses crutches to walk, is excited to visit Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, where her parents grew up. Upon arrival, Meranda begins to uncover family secrets and soon finds herself in danger.
- Age
- Ages 9-12

Moon Pops
This picture book is based on a traditional Korean folktale and translated by Jieun Kiaer. On a sweltering summer night, it is so hot that the moon begins to melt!
- Age
- Ages 3-8

The Barnabus Project
In a world built for Perfect Pets, Barnabus is a Failed Project: half mouse, half elephant, and kept out of sight until his dreams of freedom lead him and his misfit friends on a perilous adventure.
- Age
- Ages 5-9

The Battle for the Crystal Castle (Geronimo Stilton and the Kingdom of Fantasy #13)
Geronimo embarks on a mission to find an ancient crown, defeat the Invisible Army and restore harmony to the Kingdom of Fantasy.
- Age
- Ages 6-12

The Book of Mythical Beasts and Magical Creatures
You'll meet an incredible cast of mind-boggling fictional animals from all around the world and learn about the societies that spawned these legendary creatures.
- Age
- Ages 8-12

The Okay Witch
Moth Hush loves all things witchy. But she is about to discover that witches are not just the stuff of movies, books and spooky stories. A half-witch finds out the truth about herself in this hilarious, one-of-a-kind graphic novel.
- Age
- Ages 9-12

The School for Good and Evil
This year, best friends Sophie and Agatha are about to discover where all the lost children go: the fabled School for Good and Evil, where ordinary boys and girls are trained to be fairy-tale heroes and villains.
- Age
- Ages 9-12

The Dragon in the Library
Kit Spencer can't stand reading. She'd rather be outside playing and getting muddy than stuck inside with a book. But when her best friends drag her to the local library, Kit makes an incredible discovery: she's a wizard, and books are the key to her abilities.
- Age
- Ages 7-10

The Dragon Who Didn't Like Fire
Everybody knows that dragons can breathe fire, but unlike her brothers and sisters, this little dragon is different.
- Age
- Ages 3-6

The Egg
In this wordless picture book, imagination is a must to interpret a story that begins when a crane's egg is blown away from its nest.
- Age
- Ages 0-6

The Fabled Life of Aesop
Each of Aesop's stories has a lesson to tell, but Aesop's life story is perhaps the most inspiring tale of them all. The book includes 13 of Aesop's most child-friendly fables in addition to a biography of the slave who turned storyteller 2,500 years ago.
- Age
- Ages 6-10

Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Book
When Ben's mum gets distracted halfway through his bedtime story, he decides to finish the tale himself. There's only one problem: he can't quite read yet. Some unexpected guests arrive to help in this playful rhyming story.
- Age
- Ages 4-8

Bold Tales of Brave-Hearted Boys
There are many ways to be strong and save the day! Discover the gentle giant who forgives the troublesome thief who climbed his beanstalk, Hansel and Gretel as they work together to escape an evil witch, a young boy who tells the truth about the emperor’s clothes despite the consequences, and a prince who fights to help a sleeping princess in need.
- Age
- Ages 6-12

Brothers Grimm: The Most Beloved Fairy Tales
This collection has eight of the most popular stories from the Brothers Grimm: The Frog Prince, Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Briar Rose, Snow White, and The Six Swans.
- Age
- Ages 10-12

Cece Loves Science: Push and Pull (I Can Read! Level 3)
Cece and her friend Isaac learn about the opposite forces of push and pull, and use their new knowledge to create a treat dispenser for Cece's dog, Einstein.
- Age
- Ages 4-8

Dinosaurs: Fact and Fable
Scientists have uncovered many facts about dinosaurs—and in the process, they have come across many myths. This picture book digs deep into the Age of Dinosaurs, covering topics such as fossilization, plate tectonics, dinosaur diets, paleontology, extinction theories, dinosaur relatives and more!
- Age
- Ages 6-10

The Fabled Stables: Trouble with Tattle-Tails
Sometimes the Fabled Stables, a magical place full of one-of-a-kind creatures, change to make room for a new beast. Then it becomes Auggie's job to go out and rescue that beast from danger. In this second instalment, a new stall appears with the sign "Tattle-Tail."
- Age
- Ages 6-10

The Fabled Stables: Willa the Wisp
The Fabled Stables, where Auggie works, house the rarest creatures in existence. One day, the stables rearrange themselves out of the blue, creating a new stall. The sign over the gate says, "Wisp." But what is a wisp, and where is it?
- Age
- Ages 6-10

Encounter
Based on an actual journal entry by French explorer Jacques Cartier from his first expedition to North America in July 1534, this story imagines the first encounter between a European sailor and a Stadaconan fisher.
- Age
- Ages 4-10

The Fabulous Zed Watson!
When Zed Watson discovered the mystery surrounding an unpublished novel called The Monster’s Castle, they were completely hooked. Zed becomes a member of a small but dedicated legion devoted to finding the long-buried text.
- Age
- Ages 8-12

Fairy Science
Esther the fairy takes it upon herself to resuscitate a dying tree with the scientific method, some hypothesizing and a few experiments.
- Age
- Ages 4-8

Fairy Science: Solid, Liquid, Gassy
Esther the fairy teams up with her pals Clover and Fig, and Albert the bird, to help create a more science-oriented entry for their school's "Magic Fair."
- Age
- Ages 4-8

The Girl and the Wolf
A young girl becomes lost in the woods after wandering too far away from her mother. Scared because she is lost, she encounters a large grey wolf who helps her realize that she has the ability to survive and find her mother.
- Age
- Ages 4-9

Unicorns 101
This picture book has everything you ever wanted to know about the "science" behind unicorns: biology, history, diet, habitat and more. Join renowned unicorn scientists to learn the facts about this elusive species.
- Age
- Ages 3-7

The Barren Grounds
Morgan and Eli, two Indigenous children forced away from their families and communities, are brought together in a foster home in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They struggle to fit in at school and at their new home, until a portal opens in an unfinished attic bedroom, leading them to a frozen reality.
- Age
- Ages 10-12

Come, Read with Me
Two young children are swept through an imaginary world where they interact with characters from classic fairy tales.
- Age
- Ages 3-5

Myths and Legends of the World
Twenty-one extraordinary myths and legends will transport you to every corner of the globe and link you to the people who preserved these tales through oral tradition.
- Age
- Ages 9-12

On the Trapline
A boy and his Moshom (grandpa) take a trip together to visit a place of great meaning to Moshom. A trapline is where people hunt and live off the land, and it was where Moshom grew up.
- Age
- Ages 4-8

Once Upon a Dragon's Fire
In a magical kingdom where a fearsome dragon stalks the land, two brave children set out to stop him. But he was not what they expected.
- Age
- Ages 4-7

Out Into the Big Wide Lake
Kate, a young girl with Down syndrome, is visiting her grandparents at their lakeside home on her own for the first time. She is nervous but excited about the adventure ahead.
- Age

ParaNorthern and the Chaos Bunny A-hop-calypse
A witch named Abby and her three friends—a wolf-girl, a ghost and a pumpkinhead—band together to try and save their supernatural town from an invasion of rabid (but adorable!) chaos bunnies in this graphic novel.
- Age
- Ages 9-12

Pierre & Paul: Dragon!
In this bilingual adventure, French-speaking Pierre and English-speaking Paul set out to find hidden treasure.
- Age
- Ages 4-8

Playing Wicked
When Dante plays make-believe with his friends, he is the wizened wizard or regal ruler, but when he is by himself he would rather be the wicked queen.
- Age
- Ages 4-8

Prince & Knight: Tale of the Shadow King
When a dark and mysterious Shadow King causes a fog of darkness to spread across their kingdom, the prince and the knight, now happily married, set out to find and stop him.
- Age
- Ages 4-8

Princesses Versus Dinosaurs
An argument ensues about what kind of book this is: a princess book or a dinosaur book.
- Age
- Ages 3-7

Read to Your Toddler Every Day: 20 Folktales to Read Aloud
Soothe your toddler with these short retellings of traditional folk tales, fairy tales and fables from around the world, paired with images of hand-embroidered illustrations on cloth.
- Age
- Ages 0-5

Rumaysa: A Fairytale
For as long as she can remember, Rumaysa has been locked away in a tall tower, forced to spin straw into gold for the evil witch and unable to leave. One day, after dropping a hijab out of her small tower-window, Rumaysa realizes how she might be able to escape.
- Age
- Ages 9-12

Ten Little Dumplings
As a little girl grows up in the shadow of her 10 brothers, her determination and persistence help her to create her own path in the world.
- Age
- Ages 3-8

Once Upon an Hour
A child is told a bedtime tale about how the 12 animals of the Korean zodiac came together to save a young character on a quest for a plant known to have healing properties.
- Age
- Ages 3-8

Oshun's Book of Mirrors
In a forest devoid of light, where all the beauty of life has seemingly faded away, a young girl named Oshun sets out on a journey to discover herself.
- Age
- Ages 6-9

Redlocks and the Three Bears
When the Three Bears answer the door, it's not Goldilocks they meet, but a stranger from a different story: Little Red Riding Hood, and the Big Bad Wolf is close behind her!
- Age
- Ages 3-8

Sonata for Fish and Boy
This wordless picture book celebrates the joy to be found in music, friendship, dreams and adventure as it follows a fish that hears the sounds of a violin and is drawn out of the water.
- Age
- Ages 3-8

The Paper Boat: A Refugee Story
Collage art tells the wordless story of one family’s escape from Vietnam—a journey intertwined with an ant colony’s parallel narrative.
- Age
- Ages 6-9

The Singing Rock & Other Brand-New Fairy Tales
For young readers who enjoy comics, here are four original and charming fairy tales: A genie wants to grant a wish to the frog who accidentally let him out of his lamp, but the frog wants to be left alone. A witch is tormented by the cheerful (and awful) singing of a persistent bard, but when she finally snaps and turns him into a rock, he just keeps on singing. A wizard wants a pet. An ogre wants to make beautiful art.
- Age
- Ages 8-12

When Stars Are Scattered
Omar and his younger brother Hassan live in a refugee camp in Kenya. When an opportunity comes along for Omar to get an education, he must decide between going to school every day or caring for his non-verbal brother.
- Age
- Ages 9-12

Wings of Olympus
Once every hundred years, the gods and goddesses descend to the mortal realm to choose jockeys for their winged horse race. Pippa, a poor orphan who has spent her life working in stables, is one of the lucky children chosen to ride. But does she have any chance to win with undersized, impetuous winged steed Zephyr?
- Age
- Ages 9-12

The Orphan & the Giant
Follow a little orphan as he travels across the land in search of a place to call home. In this journey, he meets a friendly giant who teaches him many new things.
- Age
- Ages 6-9

The Tossy-Turny Princess and the Pesky Pea : A Fairy Tale to Help You Fall Asleep
After a pea accidentally gets between her mattresses, a busy princess has trouble falling asleep. With help, she is able to calm her mind, relax her body and finally get some rest.
- Age
- Ages 4-8

Upside-Down Magic: Night Owl
Tonight is the big sleepover at Dunwiddle Magic School, when all of the fifth graders stay overnight at school and participate in a special scavenger hunt.
- Age
- Ages 8-12

Wildflower
An old woman’s wish for a child is granted in the form of a thumb-sized girl born inside a flower. Though the child brings the woman much joy, Wildflower cannot be planted in one place; she must go where the wild wind blows.
- Age
- Ages 3-7

Treasury of Magical Tales from Around the World
A flower-spouting princess, gobbling prince, emerald-winged fairy, foolish giants, fearsome ogres, and talking frog and fish are just a few of the captivating characters found in this anthology of beloved stories from 29 places around the world.
- Age
- Ages 8-12

Indonesian Children's Favorite Stories: Fables, Myths and Fairy Tales
Set in tropical rainforests, on balmy beaches, and in the remote highlands of the Indonesian islands, this book offers a taste of how universal values of bravery, cleverness, true love, kindness and loyalty are transmitted to Indonesian children.
- Age
- Ages 6-12

The Legend of the Maze (Thea Stilton and the Treasure Seekers #3)
The search for the seven secret treasures continues. In this incredible adventure, the Thea Sisters come across the legendary Jewel of the Queen. They cross rivers of ice, deserts of fire, and other fascinating places on their journey to find it.
- Age
- Ages 6-12

The Lunch Club: The Curse of the Scarewolf
Tia and Leo narrowly escaped the clutches of the alien Zaralgax, only to face the terror of the . . . Pleasantwood Elementary Science Fair? But when a werewolf takes off with the school principal, it's up to Tia and Leo to get Mr. Peabody out of a particularly hairy situation.
- Age
- Ages 7-12

Magical Beings of Haida Gwaii
Haida Gwaii, a group of islands off the northwest coast of what is now called British Columbia, is home to a rich and vibrant culture whose origins date back thousands of years. This book features 10 ancient supernatural figures and presents them as visually engaging, empowering and meaningful examples of how to live in balance with nature.
- Age
- Ages 4-8

Amy Wu and the Patchwork Dragon
Amy loves craft time at school, but when her teacher asks everyone to make their own dragon, Amy finds it difficult to create something that feels special to her.
- Age
- Ages 4-8

Journey of the Midnight Sun
In 2010, a Winnipeg-based charity raised funds to build and ship a mosque to Inuvik, one of the most northern towns in Canada's Arctic.
- Age
- Ages 6-10

Lark and the Dessert Disaster
Lark and Connor are judges for the annual baking contest at the community centre. When they arrive, they discover that someone has destroyed a contestant's entry. Lark and Connor begin an investigation to find the culprit.
- Age
- Ages 6-8

Meet Your Family = Gikenim Giniigi'igoog
Presented in English and Objiwe, this rhythmic poem will enlighten readers on how to view Mother Earth, Father Sky, Grandfather Sun and Grandmother Moon.
- Age
- Ages 6-12

Meg and Greg: The Bake Sale
Meg and Greg are off on a series of summer adventures around their neighbourhood, along with some four-legged companions. This book contains four stories with a focus on phonics, designed for shared reading between a child learning to read or struggling to read and an experienced reader.
- Age
- Ages 6-8
Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox
In this introduction to the Anishinaabe tradition of totem animals, young children explain why they identify with different creatures such as a deer, beaver or moose.
- Age
- Ages 4-7

Tales from Beyond the Brain
These 13 spooky stories are as outrageous as they are terrifying. The collection is a throwback to the weird tales of yesteryear but with contemporary characters and settings.
- Age
- Ages 9-12

The Amazing Zoe: A Queen Like Me!
Zoe and Kaitlyn love playing dress-up. One day, Kaitlyn refuses to let Zoe be a princess because she has never seen one who looks like her. The girls have a regal tea party after Zoe's family shares stories of real African princesses and queens with Kaitlyn's family.
- Age
- Ages 3-8

The Magic Boat
While visiting the beach, Ellie makes friends with Piper, and they have some amazing imaginative adventures in a blue rowboat abandoned in the sand.
- Age
- Ages 3-5

The Origin of Day and Night
The actions of a hare and a fox change the Arctic forever by creating day and night. Passed orally from storyteller to storyteller for hundreds of years, this beautifully illustrated story weaves together elements of an origin story and a traditional animal tale, giving young readers a window into Inuit mythology.
- Age
- Ages 6-8

Three Little Yogis and the Wolf Who Lost his Breath: A Fairy Tale to Help You Feel Better
In this twist on the classic fairy tale, a wolf who lost his huff and puff consults with three yogis to help him find his breath.
- Age
- Ages 4-8

This Is the Path the Wolf Took
Gabe doesn’t like the scary parts of stories. He leaves those parts out when he reads books to his little sister, but she objects.
- Age
- Ages 3-8

We Learn from the Sun
An Indigenous rhythmic poem with Woodland-style paintings about the spiritual lessons that can be learned from the sun and the Seven Sacred Teachings.
- Age
- Ages 6-12

Arnold the Super-ish Hero
Nice guys finish first in this endearing story about a humble kid in a family of superheroes who discovers his superpower may not be what everyone (even him!) is expecting.
- Age
- Ages 4-7

Call of the Sound Dragon (Dragon Masters #16)
In this book for newly independent readers, the city of Remus is being torn apart by a duel between two wizards. To save the city, Drake and Petra team up with a Dragon Master named Tessa, who is blind and has a special connection with her Sound Dragon, Sono.
- Age
- Ages 6-8

Chicken Little: The Real and Totally True Tale
Chicken Little is not afraid of anything. Well, okay, maybe a mysterious bonk to the head can produce panic. But only momentarily. It's not as though she meant to send the barnyard into a tailspin, thinking that the sky was falling. How ridiculous! But can she calm her feathered friends with facts and reason?
- Age
- Ages 4-8

Death & Sparkles
This zany-yet-philosophical graphic novel buddy comedy features an unlikely friendship between Death, a grim reaper who has never had a friend, and Sparkles the Last Unicorn, a celebrity influencer who is somehow immune to Death's touch.
- Age
- Ages 10-12

Dragon Assassin
Carmen is top of the class at assassin school. She is an expert with bladed weapons and poisons, and a skilled rider of the giant black swans that assassins use for their missions. But in a practice sword fight, her twin brother "accidentally" blinds her in one eye. Even worse, the assassin school is under attack and her brother may have betrayed them. Can she save the school after making a pact with a dragon?
- Age
- Ages 10-12

Faerie Woods Book 1: The Crosswood
Blue Jasper takes his younger siblings, Indigo and Violet, out for a hike. One moment the twins are scampering in the trees right ahead of him, and the next moment they are gone. Blue must find his way into the magical forest known as the Crosswood and through the dangerous Faerie lands beyond it to bring them home before the next sunset.
- Age
- Ages 9-12

Fairylight Friends: A Magic Spark
Ruby, Iris and Pip met on their first day of fairy school, and they immediately became best friends, testing their wings and enjoying magical adventures.
- Age
- Ages 5-8

Finders Keepers
Macy is an amateur treasure hunter who looks for lost things along the southern Saskatchewan shores of Buffalo Pound Lake. While searching for treasure, she finds a mermaid kidnapped from the West Coast and brought to the Prairies by a monster known only as "The Beast." To help the mermaid, can Macy locate a missing magic shell before the Beast does?
- Age
- Ages 9-12

Forgotten Fairy Tales of Kindness and Courage
This illustrated collection of stories features diverse, inspiring and empowering characters that celebrate kindness, courage and the importance of being true to yourself.
- Age
- Ages 6-12

Grandmother School
Every morning, a young girl walks her grandmother to the Aajibaichi Shala. Also known as the Grandmother School, it opened in 2016 in the remote village of Phangane, India, to teach local grandmothers how to read and write.
- Age
- Ages 6-8

White Raven
Little Wolf moves from the big city to the island of her ancestors. She wants to share the beauty and mysteries of nature with her children, and she wants them to learn as much about their culture as possible. One day, Little Wolf’s mother, White Raven, visits and begins to tell her grandchildren stories from her own childhood, which include attending a residential school.
- Age
- Ages 3-7

Amari and the Night Brothers
Amari has never stopped believing that her missing brother, Quinton, is alive. When she finds a ticking briefcase in his closet with an invitation for a summer tryout at the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, she is certain that the secretive organization holds the key to locating Quinton.
- Age
- Ages 9-12

Ara the Dream Innovator
Ara is a young girl who loves to dream big. Many of her amazing ideas come to her in her dreams, so Ara builds a Dream Decoder to capture them. But other kids have big dreams too, and Ara embarks on a quest to make a Dream Decoder for the world!
- Age
- Ages 5-10