The best Canadian YA and middle-grade books of 2020

Here areCBC Books's picksfor the top Canadian YA and middle grade booksof 2020.

The Barren Grounds by David A. Robertson

The Barren Groundsis the first book of a new middle-grade series by David A. Robertson. It is set in Winnipeg where two Indigenous kids, Morgan and Eli, are placed in a new foster home. The pair feel out of place and disconnected in their new surroundings until they uncover a secret portal in the attic that opens up to a magical reality. The frozen barren grounds they find set the pair on a mission of survival and self-determination.

The Barren Groundsis for ages 10 and up.

• How David A. Robertson manages to write as much as he does

Robertson is an author andgraphic novelist based in Winnipeg.The multi-talented writer of Swampy Cree heritage has published 25 books across a variety of genres, including the graphic novelsWill I See?andSugar Falls, aGovernor General's Literary Award-winning picture book calledWhen We Were Alone,illustrated by Julie Flett and the YA bookStrangersand the memoir Black Water.

Unreserved43:38'I have so much to say': Cree author David A. Robertson on writing everything from graphic novels to a memoir

To say Cree author David A. Robertson is prolific is a bit of an understatement. He started his writing career in 2009, and has already published more than 20 titles. This fall he has three books being released. This week on Unreserved, an extended conversation with the author.

Barry Squires, Full Tiltby Heather T. Smith

Set in St. John's during the 1990s,Barry Squires, Full Tiltis about a 12-year-old boy and his dreams to become a dancer. When a dance troupe performs a thrilling set at the new bingo hall in town, Finbar (Barry) Squires must convince his parents that, although he has a temper and is a bit rough around the edges, he dreams to dance and that dreams do come true.

Barry Squires, Full Tiltis for ages 12 and up.

• How sea glass inspired Heather Smith to write a timeless children's story

Heather T. Smith is a writer fromWaterloo, Ont.Her 2018 novel-in-verseEbb & Flowwas a finalist for theGovernor General's Literary Award for children's literature textandwonthe2019 TD Canadian Children's Literature Award, a $50,000 prize that recognizes the best Canadian children's book of the year.

Don't Stand So Close to Me by Eric Walters

Don't Stand So Close to Meis one of the first middle-grade novels set during the era of Covid-19.Quinn is a 13-year-old teen living during the worldwide pandemic. When spring break is extended an extra two weeks due to the virus, Quinn and her teen friends must quickly adapt to a new reality of virtual classroom and social distancing.Quinn's home life is also affected as her doctor father is forced to self-isolate, and her friends' families lives are changed in similar ways.

Don't Stand So Close to Meis for ages 8 to 12.

• 100 young adult books that make you proud to be Canadian

Eric Walters is one of Canada's most prolific and successful writers for young people. Inspired by reluctant readers when he was a grade five teacher, he decided to write them a story they couldn't put down. Since then, he's penned almost 100(!!) books, includingCamp X,The Power of ThreeandRun. He's reaching more readers than ever: his 2006 novelWe All Fall Downcame inat #88 on the list ofthe bestselling 150 Canadian books of the past 10 years.

Eric Walters on creating 'I Read Canadian' Day

5 years ago

Duration 2:44

Children's author Eric Walters says he heard from multiple struggling Canadian authors before he decided to start an annual day to promote them.

Arlo & Pips: King of the Birds by Elise Gravel

Arlo & Pipsis a chapter-book series all about Arlo the crow and his tiny friend Pips.Arlo & Pipsfollows the funny adventures of the two birds as they head to the beach and the big city for food and fun.

Arlo & Pipsis for ages 6-10.

Elise Gravel is an award-winning Canadian children's book author and illustrator from Montreal. Her other books includeThe Bat,The Mushroom Fan Club,I Want a Monster!andThe Worst Book Ever.

The Candy Palmater Show10:41Quebec author-illustrator Elise Gravel teaches kids that it's okay to be cranky

Author-illustrator Elise Gravel uses humour to subvert gender roles and teach children about frustration in her new book, "The Cranky Ballerina."

Screech! Ghost Stories from Old Newfoundlandby Charis Cotter, illustrated by Genevieve Simms

Screech! Ghost Stories from Old Newfoundlandfeatures stories about ghosts and spectres haunting the East Coast. The 10 ghost storiesare all set in and around Old Newfoundland and are based on family tales passed down over generations.

Screech! Ghost Stories from Old Newfoundlandis for ages 8-12.

Charis Cotter is a Newfoundland author known for books such asThe Ghost Road.

Genevieve Simmsis an illustrator from Toronto. Her work has appeared in Quill & Quire, the Walrus, Readers' Digest Canada, the Globe and Mail and McSweeney's.

Skunk and Badgerby Amy Timberlake, illustrated by Jon Klassen

Skunk and Badgeris the first book in a new illustrated chapter-book series about a pair of unlikely animal friends. When set-in-his-ways Badger gets a new roommate, the easygoing Skunk, both are changed forever by the new friendship that follows.

Skunk and Badgeris for ages 8-12.

• Read an excerpt and see the cover of the Jon Klassen-illustrated middle-grade novel, Skunk and Badger

Amy Timberlakeis the American author of the Newbery Honor bookOne Came Home, as well as the middle-grade novelThat Girl Lucy Moonand picture bookThe Dirty Cowboy.

Jon Klassen is an award-winning Toronto author and illustrator now based in Los Angeles.His long list of honours includes the American Caldecott Medal and CILIP Kate GreenawayMedal(both forThis Is Not My Hat,which he wrote and illustrated), as well as the Governor General's Literary Award for children's literature illustration forCats' Night Outwritten by Caroline Stutson.He has also frequently collaborated with American author Mac Barnett on books likeThe Wolf, the Duck, and the Mouse,Triangle,SquareandSam and Dave Dig a Hole.

Q22:06Jon Klassen on children's stories and stealing hats

In a special treat, Jon Klassen -- one of the most acclaimed new talents in children's literature -- joins guest host and illustrator Kevin Sylvester to discuss storytelling, stealing hats and when it's okay to scare kids.

Hockey Super Six: On Thin Iceby Kevin Sylvester

Hockey Super Six: On Thin Icefeatures six young hockey players on a quest to vanquish the forces of evil by way of a mean slapshot.This title, which is the sixth in the series,sees the gang batter the evil scientist Clarence Crosscheck and attempt to foil his plans to rule the world. This mission involves teamwork and beating the odds.

Hockey Super Six: On Thin Iceis for ages 8-12.

Kevin Sylvester is a broadcaster, occasional CBC Radio hostand the award-winning illustrator and writer of middle-grade books such as the Neil Flamb Capers series and the MiNRS space adventure series.

Salvationby Caryn Lix

InSalvation, the third and final book in the Sanctuary trilogy, protagonist Kenzie and her friends fear their luck may have run out when they are trapped on a strange new planet. After encountering alien attacks and bounty hunters, Kenzie must use her newly acquired superpowers to solve a dark mystery and save Earth from destruction.

Salvationis for ages 14and up.

• The epic novel that gives YA sci-fi writer Caryn Lix courage

Caryn Lix is a YA fantasy writer based in Alberta. She is the author of the Sanctuary sci-fi YA series, which includes the booksSanctuaryandContainment.

Facing the Sunby Janice Lynn Mather

Facing the Sunis a coming-of-age story set in the Bahamas. It's about four young girls Eve, Faith, KeeKee and Nia and the choices they are forced to make one fateful summer. Whena hotel developer makes a move to buy the community's beloved beach, all four teens are faced with decisions that might change them forever.

Facing the Sunis for ages 14and up.

• Janice Lynn Mather wanted to show readers the real side of paradise in her latest novel

Janice Lynn Matheris a a novelist and short story writer, who was born and raised in Nassau, Bahamas, and is nowbased in Vancouver. In 2018, she released her debut novel,Learning to Breathe. The book wasa finalist for the2018 Governor General's Literary Award for young people's literature text.

The Next Chapter13:18Janice Lynn Mather on Facing the Sun

Janice Lynn Mather writes about the tight-knit friendship of four teenage girls in her Bahamas-set YA novel Facing the Sun.

The Girl of Hawthorn and Glassby Adan Jerreat-Poole

The Girl of Hawthorn and Glassdepicts a fantasy world of witches and the assassins they created to hunt down ghosts in the human world. A group of renegades are in an ongoing battle to capture the Heart of the Coven. Eli is a teenage girl and trained assassin taught to kill with her seven living blades. Eli starts to question all she was taught about her world and the human world, when an assignment goes awry.

The Girl of Hawthorn and Glassis for ages 15 and up.

Adan Jerreat-Poole is a writer and a PhD candidate in English and cultural studies at McMaster University. They are also the author of the YA novel The Boi of Feather and Steel. They live inKingston, Ont.

Confessions of a Teenage Drag Kingby Markus Harwood-Jones

Set in Toronto,Confessions of a Teenage Drag Kingtakes a colourful and lighthearted look at gender, sexual orientation and identity. Lauren is a 17-year-old LGBTQ teen who breathlessly maintains two public personas alternating between being a drag king and an unassuming high school student as they look for romance in the city.

Confessions of a Teenage Drag Kingis for ages 13and up.

MarkusHarwood-Jones is a writer, artist and filmmaker based in Toronto. His other teen romances includeWe Three,Just JulianandRomeo for Real.

Aggie Morton, Mystery Queenby Marthe Jocelyn, illustrated by Isabelle Follath

Aggie Morton, Mystery Queenis a new middle-grade mystery seriesset in a small town on the coast of England in 1902. It follows a young detective named Aggie Morton. The story is inspired by the imagined childhood of Agatha Christie and her most popular creation, the character of Hercule Poirot. When Aggie discovers a dead body on the floor of the Mermaid Dance Room,the murder threatens to tear the town apart. Aggieusescuriosity, deductive skills and some help from herfriends to solve the case before an innocent person is charged with a crime Aggieis confident they didn't commit.

Aggie Morton, Mystery Queenis for ages 10 and up.

Marthe Jocelyn is the author of over 20 books, includingThe Invisible EnemyandMayfly.

Isabelle Follathis an illustrator from Switzerland.

The Case of the Missing Auntieby Michael Hutchinson

InThe Case of the Missing Auntie, the latestinstalment of The Mighty Muskrats Mystery series, the four cousins from the Windy Lake First Nation head to the city to visit the Exhibition Fair. There, theylearn about their grandfather's little sister, who was scooped up by the government and adopted out to strangers without her parents' permission many years ago. They launch a search for their auntie and,along the way, they learn aboutthe treatment of First Nations people in Canada.

The Case of the Missing Auntieis for ages 9 to 12.

• Michael Hutchinson's Mighty Muskrats Mystery series reflects diversity within Indigenous communities

Michael Hutchinson is a novelist and member of the Misipawistik Cree Nation. He currently lives in Ottawa and works at the Assembly of First Nations. He is the author ofThe Case of Windy Lake.

The Next Chapter3:44Michael Hutchinson on his Mighty Muskrats Mystery series

Michael Hutchinson talks about his Mighty Muskrats Mystery series for middle grade readers.

Music for Tigersby Michelle Kadarusman

Music for Tigersis a middle-grade novel and coming-of-age story about a young violinist who finds out that her mother's family secretly has a sanctuary for extinct Tasmanian tigers the island's most beloved and lost, creature in the remote Australian rainforest.

Music for Tigersis for ages 8 to 12.

• 18 books for the music fan this holiday season

Michelle Kadarusman is a Canadian Australian Indonesian author of novels for children and teens. She is the author ofThe Theory of HummingbirdsandGirl of the Southern Sea, which wasa finalist for the2019 Governor General's Literary Award for young people's literature text.

A Boy is Not a Birdby Edeet Ravel

A Boy is Not a Birdis a middle-grade novel set during the Second World War.In 1941, tensions arehigh in Eurpoe. Even though Natt knows that there's a war going on, he's still frustrated that his family treats him like a child. But when the Russians move into his small town of Zastavna and local authorities start to round up deportees bound for Siberia, Natt witnesses and experiences harsh events that force himto grow up faster than he'd like.

A Boy is Not a Birdis for ages 9 to 12.

• Edeet Ravel, Elana Wolff among winners of the 2020 Canadian Jewish Literary Awards

Edeet Ravel is anovelist born in Israel and raised in Montreal. She is also the author of the novelA Wall of Light, which was a finalist for the 2005Giller Prize.

Shirley & Jamila Save Their Summerby Gillian Goerz

Shirley & Jamila Save Their Summeris about two girls, Jamila and Shirley, who become friends one summer. They don't have much in common, but summer is lonely, so they bond to make this one unforgettable. When a boy named Oliver asks them for help to find his pet gecko, Jamila learns something amazing about Shirley: she's a kid detective. And she's really good at it.

Shirley & Jamila Save Their Summeris for ages 9 to 12.

Gillian Goerz is anillustrator, writerand cartoonist from Toronto.Shirley & Jamila Save Their Summeris her first book.

Charming as a Verbby Ben Philippe

Charming as a Verbis a YA novel about Henri "Halti" Haltiwanger, a teen with swagger who is convinced he can charm just about anyone.As one of the most popular kids in his prestigious high school and as the operator of a highly successful dog walking business Henri has it made and his dream of attending his top college choice awaits. But when Henri meets Corinne Troy, a girl who sees right through his charms and exposes his less-than-ethical business practices, it becomes a battle of wits with potential love looming on the horizon.

Charming as a Verbis for ages 12and up.

• Why Ben Philippe wrote a YA novel about being a black French Canadian kid in Texas

Ben Philippeis a writer who was raised in Montreal and currently lives in New York. He published his debut novelThe Field Guide to the North American Teenagerin 2019.CBC Booksnamed Philippea writer to watch in 2019.

From the Roots Upby Tasha Spillett-Sumner, illustrated by Natasha Donovan

From the Roots Upisthe sequel toSurviving the Cityandcontinues the stories of characters Dez and Miikwan.Dez is grieving the death of his grandmother and with nowhere else to go, she stays in a group home. All while also navigating a new relationship and learning to embrace her Two-Spirit identity. Meanwhile, Miikwan has a crush on the school's new kid, Riel, but doesn't understand what Dez is going through. Elder Linda is doing her best to be supportive, but finds it challenging when the gendered protocols she grew up with are put into question.

From the Roots Upis for ages 12 and up.

Tasha Spillett-Sumner is an educator, poet and scholar of Nehiyaw and Trinidadian descent. She is also the author of the graphic novelSurviving the City.

Natasha Donovanis a Vancouver-based illustrator whose work has appeared inThe Other SideandThis Place: 150 YearsRetold.

Bloomby Kenneth Oppel

Bloomis the first book in a series by Kenneth Oppel aboutthree teenagers, Anaya, Petra and Seth, who live on Salt Spring Island. After a rainfall, black plants spring up and take over the island, spouting toxic pollen that onlyAnaya, Petra and Seth are immune to. The triomust work together to figure out how to stop the invasion from taking over the planet.

Bloomis for ages 10 to 14.

• Kenneth Oppel on weird research and amazing readers

Oppelis a bestselling author whose books include the Silverwing trilogy, which has sold over a million copies worldwide, andAirborn,which wonthe Governor General's Literary Award for children's literature text. His most recent books includeInkling,Every Hidden ThingandThe Nest.

The Next Chapter11:41Sheena Kamal on No Going Back and Fight Like a Girl

Sheena Kamal talks about the third instalment of her Nora Watts mystery series No Going Back and debut YA novel Fight Like a Girl.

Cielby Sophie Labelle, translated by David Homel

Cielis about a gender non-conforming trans kid determined to make their way in the world. Ciel loves using their YouTube channel as a form of expression and they desperately need a new camera to take things to another level. Ciel's best friend Stephie is a trans girl but desires to be less visible now that they're both in high school. The friends are growing apart, even while Ciel is trying to navigate a long-distance relationship with their boyfriend and a new potential love interest.

Cielis for ages 9-12.

Sophie Labelle is a trans cartoonist, public speakerand writer from Montreal. She is the creator of the webcomicAssigned Male and has illustrated several comic books.

Sara and the Search for Normalby Wesley King

InSara and the Search for Normal,a young girl named Sara joins a therapy group. She hopes she can learn to quiet her mind and figure out how to be normal. Instead, she learns that there are other kids out there just like her. And that it's more important to be yourself than it is to be what is considered "normal."

Sara and the Search for Normalis for ages 8 to 12.

• Wesley King on writing about OCD

Wesley King is a children's book author from Nova Scotia. His previous books includeOCDanielandA World Below.He also co-wrote theThe Wizenard Seriesseries with Kobe Bryant.

He Must Like Youby Danielle Younge-Ullman

He Must Like Youfollows high school senior Libby.Her older brother fled to a Greek island, her dad tells her she's going to be cut off after she graduates, she hooks up with a co-worker and there's a customer at the restaurant where she works who harasses her. As Libby struggles with how to deal with the men in her life, as well as figuring out what her future plan is, she has an outburst at work that makes everything worse.

He Must Like Youis for ages 14 and up.

• How Danielle Younge-Ullman overcame the heartbreak and rejection that come with being a writer

Danielle Younge-Ullman is Toronto-based novelist, playwright and freelance writer. She is the author of adult novelFalling UnderandYA novelsEverything Beautiful is Not RuinedandCarlyle's 12 Step Romance.

Hunted by the Skyby Tanaz Bhathena

Hunted by the Skyis a YA adventure novel set in medieval India. Gul, a young girl, has a birthmark on her arm that makes her a mark. Her parents were murdered because Gul is marked. A group of female rebel warriors take Gul in and train her to become one of them. Gul has one thing on her mind: revenge.

Hunted by the Skyis for ages 12 and up.

Tanaz Bhathena is a YA novelist based in Mississauga, Ont. She is also the author ofThe Beauty of the MomentandA Girl Like That.

Fight Like a Girlby Sheena Kamal

In thriller writerSheenaKamal's firstYA novelFight Like a Girl,Trisha grew up with an abusive father who would come and go as he pleased. In an effort to break the chain of violence in her family, Trisha chooses to channel her violent impulses into Muay Thai kickboxing.

Fight Like a Girlis for ages 14 and up.

• Sheena Kamal writes fiction so she and others can feel seen

Kamalis a Vancouver-based writer of crime novels includingThe Lost Oneswhich won the2018Kobo Emerging Writer Prize, andIt All Falls Down.She Fights Like a Girlis her firstYA novel.