Novels Now

Mrs. Kaputnik’s Pool Hall and Matzo Ball Emporium by Rona Arato
Pages: 188 pages
Ages: 8+
First Published: Apr. 13, 2010
Publisher: Tundra Books
Rating: 3/5
First sentence:
Shoshi Kapustin clapped her hands over her ears to shut out the pitying voices.
Reason for Reading: The combination of the time period (1898) and a dragon intrigued [...]

An Elephant in the Garden by Michael Morpurgo. illustrated by Michael Foreman
Pages: 233 pages
Ages: 8+
First Published: May 27, 2010, UK (Jun 28, 2010 CAN)
Publisher: Harper Collins UK
Rating: 3.5/5
First sentence:
To tell the truth, I don’t think Lizzie would ever have told us her elephant story at all, if Karl had not been called Karl.
Acquired: Received a [...]

Half Brother by Kenneth Oppel
Pages: 377
Ages: 12+
First Published: Aug. 16, 2010 CAN (Sept. 1 USA)
Publisher: Harper Collins Canada
Rating: 5/5
First sentence:
This is how we got Zan.
Acquired: Received a review copy from the publisher.
Reason for Reading: Oppel is my favourite YA author and I read every new book he publishes.
This book is something completely different from [...]

Ghostopolis by Doug TenNapel
Pages: 268
Ages: 12+
First Published: July 1, 2010
Publisher: Graphix
Rating: 4/5
First sentence:
Ladies and gentlemen, we’re having a little engine trouble.
Acquired: Received a review copy from Scholastic Canada.
Reason for Reading: I’m always intrigued by stories that take place in the “afterlife”.
Frank Gallows is a ghost wrangler. He hunts down ghosts who’ve escaped the [...]

Bink & Gollie by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee. illustrated by Tony Fucile
Pages: 81 pages
Ages: 7+
First Published: Sept. 14, 2010
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Rating: 5/5
First sentence:
“Hello, Gollie,” said Bink.
Acquired: Received a review copy from the publisher.
Reason for Reading: I’m a fan of Kate DiCamillo.
An adorable book suitable for children who are reading on their own but [...]

Room by Emma Donoghue
Pages: 321 pages
First Published: Sept. 7, 2010 CAN (Sept. 13, 2010 USA)
Publisher: Harper Collins Canada
Rating: 4/5
First sentence:
Today I’m five.
Acquired: Received a review copy from the publisher.
Reason for Reading: With this subject matter, who is *not* wanting to read this book?
A 26 year old woman has been kidnapped and held captive in [...]

Immanuel’s Veins by Ted Dekker
Pages: 367
Ages: 18+
Finished: Sept. 25, 2010
First Published: Sept. 7, 2010
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Genre: christian fiction, paranormal
Rating: 3.5/5
First sentence:
My name is Toma Nicolescu and I was a warrior, a servant of Her Majesty, the empress of Russia, Catherine the Great, who by her own hand and tender heart sent me [...]

The Fossil Hunter of Sydney Mines by Jo Ann Yhard
Pages: 169
Ages: 8+
First Published: Apr. 29 2010 CAN (Oct.1 2010 US)
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing
Rating: 3.5/5
First sentence:
Grace double-checked her gear: flashlight, matches, pocket-knife, caving rope, rock hammer, and gloves — all there.
Acquired: Received a review copy from the author.
Reason for Reading: I liked the whole caves/fossil hunting angle [...]

Velocity by Alan Jacobson
Karen Vail, #3
Pages: 388 pages
First Published: Oct. 5, 2010
Publisher: Vanguard Press
Genre: thriller, suspense
Rating: 5/5
First sentence:
He was not going to kill her immediately.
Acquired: Received a review copy from the book’s publicist.
Reason for Reading: Next in the series.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary defines “velocity” as “The speed and direction of motion of [...]

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games, Book 3
Pages: 400 pages
Ages: 13+
First Published: Aug. 24, 2010
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Rating: 5/5
First sentence:
I stare down at my shoes, watching as a fine layer of ash settles on the worn leather.
Acquired: Received a review copy from Scholastic Canada.
Reason for Reading: Next (and final) book in the trilogy.
There’s no point [...]

Christmas at the Mysterious Bookshop edited by Otto Penzler

Pages: 230
First Published: Oct.12, 2010
Publisher: Vanguard Press
Rating: 3.5/5
First sentence:

It was hard to run, Dortmunder was discovering, with your pockets full of bronze Roman coins.
Acquired: Received a review copy from the book’s publicist.
Reason for Reading: The book was sent to me unsolicited. I read several [...]

All Aboard! Elijah McCoy’s Steam Engine by Monica Kulling. Illustrated by Bill Slavin
Great Ideas Series
Pages: 32 pages
Ages: 5+
First Published: Aug. 10, 2010
Publisher: Tundra Books
Rating: 4/5
First sentence:
Summer days were mowing days in Colchester, Ontario.
Acquired: Received a review copy from Tundra Books.
Reason for Reading: Taking my turn before handing it over for a bedtime read [...]

The Body at the Tower by Y.S. Lee
The Agency, Book 2
Pages: 337 pages
Ages: 13+
First Published: Aug. 10, 2010
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Rating: 5/5
First sentence:
A sobbing man huddles on a narrow ledge, clawing at his eyes to shield them for the horror far below.
Acquired: Received a review copy from the publisher.
Reason for Reading: Next in the series.
I [...]

Brain Camp by Susan Kim and Laurence Klavan. Artwork by Faith Erin Hicks
Pages: 151 pages
Ages: 13+
First Published: Aug. 3, 2010
Publisher: First Second Books
Rating: 3.5/5
First sentence:
“Elevation, 18 degrees… angle, 38 degrees… going north by north-west, it should be right over…Bingo.”
Acquired: Received a review copy from First Second Books.
Reason for Reading: I really enjoy Canadian Faith [...]

The Dark Deeps by Arthur Slade
The Hunchback Assignments II
Pages: 314 pages
Ages: 12+
First Published: May 3, 2010 Canada (Sept. 14, 2010 USA)
Publisher: Harper Collins
Rating: 5/5
First sentence:
The boy hadn’t always been yellow.
Acquired: Received a review copy from Harper Collins Canada.
Reason for Reading: Next in the series. I’m a fan of the author’s and I read every [...]

The Thin Executioner by Darren Shan
Pages: 410
Ages: 14+
First Published: May 21, 2010 (UK, Can) Aug. 1, 2010 USA
Publisher: Harper Collins
Rating: 3.5/5
First sentence:
The executioner swung his axe - thwack! - and another head went rolling into the dust.
Acquired: Received a review copy from Harper Collins Canada.
Reason for Reading: I’m a big fan of the author’s. I [...]

City of the Snakes by Darren Shan (Canada) - (USA)
The City Trilogy, Book 3
Pages: 375
Ages: 18+
Finished: Aug. 28, 2010
First Published: Mar. 29, 2010 (UK, Can)
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Genre: urban fantasy
Rating: 5/5
First sentence:
‘The Cardinal is dead - long live the Cardinal!’
Acquired: Received a review copy from Harper Collins Canada.
Reason for Reading: Next and last in the series.
Starting [...]

A Family Affair by Caro Peacock
Liberty Lane Mysteries, #3
Pages: 440 pages
First Published: 2009 UK (Jun, 22, 2010 US)
Publisher: Avon A
Rating: 4/5
First sentence:
London, June 1839
At one end of the lists the Knight of the Green Tree was fighting to control his horse, a raw-boned chestnut hunter of sixteen hands or so, over bitted- [...]

Death on the River by John Wilson

Pages: 193
Ages: 15+
First Published: Oct.1, 2009
Publisher: Orca Books
Rating: 4/5
First sentence:
I pull back the thin blanket and swing my legs over the edge of the bed.
Acquired: Received a review copy through LibraryThing’s Early Review Program.
Reason for Reading: John Wilson is a Canadian author whom I have read a few [...]

Trackers by Patrick Carman
Trackers, Book 1
Pages: 224
Ages: 10+
First Published: May 11, 2010
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Rating: 4/5
First sentence:
How far back can you go Adam?
Acquired: Received a review copy from Scholastic Canada.
Reason for Reading: I became a huge fan of Carman’s after reading the Atherton series and was excited to read another book by him.
A book [...]