Anna M. Donnelly‘s flow chart about what contemporary realistic fiction is and what it deals with is pretty neat and revealing about the genre: And all the books we’re discussing this month fall within this genre. Okay, I lie. Some of the books may be out of theme but generally all the …
We here at The Book Wars work by monthly themes because it keeps our reading and reviewing somewhat in focus (unless powerful forces like Publishing Houses request our attention and then… we sell out because we love them). This generally allows us to delve into some interesting niche topics and …
So if you’re not in Vancouver, chances are your teachers are not on strike and Elementary/MG/High School students are all returning to school tomorrow. In the spirit of school starting once again, we have decided that our theme for September is School Stories. School is such a major part of …
What’s the first thing that springs to your mind when you hear someone say “historical fiction”? Admit it, the first image was something from the middle ages, peasants wallowing in hovels or nobles garbed in silk and velvet, riding noble steeds or strolling down the marble halls of a palace. Or …
We have arbitrarily designated the month of May as The Crossover Month. Now that we have the dancing out of the way, let’s talk about what you can expect during this month! First of all, “crossover” just in case you are not familiar with the term is used to …
Love Letter to the Picturebook Why oh why do I love picturebooks? Is it for their magic? For their illusions of movement? For their familiar and strange worlds? For their mysteries and surprises? For their ever evolving shapes? For their stories, words and pictures? For their joys and despairs, their …
So, romance month has finally* given way to March and the allure of comics! Now, I am not quite sure why I have been asked to make this month’s introductory post. Well, actually, on hindsight, I may have gotten Janet addicted to a web comic or two, but really, that’s …
Spring is (almost) in the air. Cherry blossoms are (almost) blooming. Birds and other animals are (probably) looking for mates and YA protagonists are exchanging smouldering looks in science class instead of dissecting guinea pigs like good science students. What is this blush in cheeks? What is this flutter of …
This month, Canadian literature month, we thought we’d interview the chair of our Master’s in Children’s Literature program and favourite lecturer, Professor Judith Saltman (known to us as Judi). Judi specializes in Canadian children’s literature and is the founder the Canadian Children’s Illustrated Books (English) website/archive which is a wonderful resource …
Yep, that’s right – January’s theme is Canadian children’s literature. Welcome to Canada! Canada is home to a wealth of authors and illustrators, and our discussion of all things Canadian children’s literature may or may nor include mention of such authors/illustrators extraordinaire as Ann Blades Paulette Bourgeois Elizabeth Cleaver Stefan …
