Books & Audiobooks
The Forest of Reading is the largest recreational reading program in Canada. It is designed to showcase Canadian authors and illustrators and get children excited about books. There are categories for different age groups, each with ten different nominations. They are a great resource for parents looking to encourage their child to read. There is always a title that will grab the interest of even the most reluctant readers.
The Silver Birch Fiction Award nominees feature titles geared for Grades 5 and 6. Here are three of my favourite titles from this year’s category. (See a full list of nominees below or visit our Forest of Reading page.)
Game Face
by Shari Green
Jonah and Ty have dreams of playing hockey professionally. But Ty is the only one who knows that Jonah is worried. And not just about hockey. He is worried about everything, all the time. The ‘what-ifs’ fill Jonah’s mind until he’s physically ill. After Ty experiences a medical event, Jonah is sent further into a spiral until it is hard for him to function at all. It takes a lot of courage and some outside help, but he manages to face his anxiety and take back control of his life.
This book goes beyond being either a ‘sports story’ or a ‘mental health story’ to encompass the idea that there are many things that make us who we are. Anxiety is not Jonah’s identity. He is a hockey player, a son, a grandson and a friend who just happens to have anxiety. Written in verse, the format and length of the story makes it a quick read while leaving a big impression.
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Gamerville
by Johnnie Christmas
Max is a gamer. Headphones on. Lights off. He is in the zone. He spends most of his time developing strategies and planning the best route to victory. He dreams of being Champion at the Gamerville Video Game tournament. Unfortunately, his parents have different plans. They want him to get out from behind his gaming console and experience camp. It’s game-over for Max until he discovers the tournament is being held right across the lake. He just needs to find a way to escape from camp – gamer style.
Written by the same author as Swim Team, the story combines humour with the theme of friendship and self-discovery. Readers will find Max very relatable and the story easy to follow.
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Eerie Tales from the School of Screams
by Graham Annable
Turn off the lights. Grab a flashlight. Hide under the covers. There is nothing better than a collection of scary stories right before Halloween. Each student in Ms. Nomed’s class is tasked with sharing the most terrifying story they can imagine. One-by-one each person tells an eerie tale with a twist … until one story gets a little too close to the truth.
The art in this story does an excellent job of increasing the eerie factor of the book. Each scary story is drawn in its own muted colour scheme until the twist at the end. It is a quick read and leaves lots of room to speculate what happened to the characters.
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