Author: williamsm

World building, magic, magical creatures, a possible saviour character, good vs. evil; these are just some of the characteristics of a good fantasy story.  In Hunted By the Sky, in a world inspired by medieval India, Gul watches her parents be murdered by the king’s warriors because she has a sun-shaped birthmark on her arm.  Because it was prophesied that a girl with such a birthmark would vanquish the king, Read More …

If you are a fan of The Maze Runner, The Fifth Wave, or The Darkest Minds, you will want to dive into Ben Oliver’s The Loop. It is a story of a futuristic dystopia where prisoners live in The Loop, a death row for teens under the age of 18.  Execution can be pushed back by opting into “Delays,” scientific and medical experiments for the benefit of the elite in Read More …

Today I’m introducing two books, both by the same author.  One is a novel that is an old favourite, the story Gary Paulsen is most known for.  The other is a very recently released memoir. Hatchet is an adventure and survival story.  Brian is flying across the Canadian wilderness on a visit to his father.  The small plane in which he is travelling crashes and he is the only survivor.  Read More …

I am, and have been since discovering Agatha Christie in grade 9 English, a mystery reader.  I also love stories of magic that happen to regular people in the kinds of places I can recognize.  A new story by Indigenous author, Darcie Little Badger, combines these two.  Ellie, the main character, lives in a world like our own, but shaped by magic, myth, and monsters that are real.  Alongside everyday Read More …

An older favourite, now a Netflix series.  This is the first book of the GrishaVerse.  Alina is an orphan of the wars, a nobody, now a soldier and cartographer in the King’s Army.  Dividing her country from the coastline is the Shadow Fold, on maps shown as a black slash, magically formed and home to dangerous flying creatures called volcra.  Any journey through the Fold was dangerous, approached with caution, Read More …

A new favourite: for fans of We Are All Made of Molecules and Optimists Die First, Susin Nielsen’s newest book will be welcome.  Wilbur Nunez-Knopf, almost 15, lives in Toronto with his moms.  On his first day of grade 7, in a new city, in a new school (his first after being homeschooled), Wilbur’s teacher asked his students to “Write a letter to yourself.  Debscribe who you are today.  Then Read More …

We’ll start with an old favourite, Nancy Farmer’s The House of the Scorpion.Matteo lives in a dystopian world, in the region of Opium, in what used to be northern Mexico.   El Patron, the drug lord who controls this area is already 140 and wants to keep living.  He has a clone created, Matteo, who when grown will provide the organs the old man needs to prolong his life.  The Read More …

It is that time.  A new set of titles that Mountain (that’s you!) should read.  Fiction and non-fiction, junior and senior; there’s something for everyone.  Keep track of your Mountain Reads reading through the next months for a chance to win in the spring.  Yes – there will be prizes: both edible and spendable!  Along with reading the books, there will be opportunities to show off your artistic ability, designing Read More …