Keeping the CanKidLit Scene Alive with Outdoor Summer Adventures

Tiny Hiker (Orca Book Publishers) follows a child as she leads her family through the ancient trees toward their beach campsite. Soon, the trail starts getting steeper, and her legs get tired. She trips on a root, takes a hard fall, and just wants to give up! After a little break and a tasty snack, the tiny hiker is again determined to make it to the beach!

The Man in Motion: How Rick Hansen’s World Tour Helped Break Down Barriers for People with Disabilities (Owlkids Books) invites readers to join Canadian Rick Hansen through the ups and downs of the Man In Motion World Tour. In 1985, Rick Hansen wheeled 40,075 kilometres, across 34 countries on four continents to raise awareness of the enormous potential of people with disabilities.

The Quiet Hunt: A Poem For Young Foragers (Groundwood Books) is a lyrical story-poem that celebrates the history of foraging and inspires an appreciation of found food. Readers are welcomed to consider their ancestors and to reflect how humans have long searched for roots and leaves, mushrooms and berries, fruits, flowers, nuts and seeds.

Fern and Newt and the Lost Loot (Orca Book Publishers) is an early chapter book focused on friends Fern and Newt and their search for buried treasure (Fern’s older sister’s jewelry box they lost at the beach). Along their journey, they learn a thing or two about butterflies from their neighbour, Madame Musette.

The Search for Gluscap (HighWater Press) is a graphic novel adventure full of fantasy and fun. Mali is on an urgent mission to save the Serpent Guardian before all the salmon disappear from the river. To be successful, Mali must keep up with Puug, enlist help from beavers, and track down the legendary Gluscap, protector of all living things. 

Air Heist (Medicine Wheel Publishing) is a brand new middle grade adventure with a familiar fantasy feel. Siblings Sage and Crew attend Greenhouse Academy, a prestigious private school in the Rocky Mountains for students with extraordinary abilities. When the siblings and their classmates find out that the air in Alberta is turning poisonous, they are determined to find out why and how to stop it.


Featuring a mysterious school with hidden secrets, gifted students with magical abilities, and an impending crisis only our young heroes can avert, Cheryl Isbister’s debut novel Air Heist offers a classic middle-grade adventure. What caught my attention about the book is that Greenhouse Academy, the prestigious private boarding school where 12-year-old siblings Sage and Crew live and attend classes, is hidden somewhere in the Rocky Mountains.


I grew up in small-town Alberta, about forty minutes from the Rockies, where I spent large parts of my childhood summers hiking, camping, fishing, and exploring. An avid fantasy reader, I spent a lot of time daydreaming about magical adventures but never read one set in my own backyard. I can only wonder how a book like Air Heist would have captured my imagination. 

The Case of The Movie Mayhem (Second Story Press) is the sixth instalment in the popular Mighty Muskrat Mystery Series. It’s no ordinary summer—a movie is being filmed in Windy Lake First Nation. With superheroes in their backyard, the cousins can’t wait to show the actors and stunt doubles all that Windy Lake has to offer—but when a truck filled with specialty props and equipment disappears, it’s up to the Mighty Muskrats to find the culprits and get the filmmaking back on track!

The Water You’re Swimming In (Orca Book Publishers) is a heartfelt middle grade debut. Noah is a high-achieving and easy-going student and athlete, but deep down, he feels invisible. After his older brother runs away to Halifax, Noah tries to keep being the good, dependable kid he has always been so his parents don’t have more to worry about—but after his anxiety escalates, he decides to take off alone and find his brother himself.

Minnow (Medicine Wheel Publishing) is a graphic novel with a powerful message. Ever since Minnow’s Gran went missing a year ago, strange things have been happening: a wild orca keeps following her along the beach, her senses are more powerful, and she might be turning into a fish! When Minnow and her new friend Celia learn that a pipeline project could have a devastating impact on the resident orcas, Minnow uses her new powers to make waves of change.

The Book of Jupiter (Kids Can Press) is a gripping, harrowing story. 13-year-old Ara lives in an isolated community called Jupiter Station with her family. They abide by the teachings of Father Jupiter, their self-appointed leader, and follow the strict rules laid out in his Book of Jupiter. Ara has always believed what she’s been taught, but when her older brother Leo reveals his doubts, Ara must decide what to do, as she starts to realize he may be right.

The Moth Dreamer (HighWater Press) blends Anishinaabe traditions with a haunting journey through the physical and spiritual realms. 16-year-old Aubrey is horrified when a vision about her cousin’s death comes true. To make matters worse, a mysterious Trickster keeps visiting her dreams with cryptic messages. When the creature crosses into the real world, Aubrey must tap into her spiritual strength and confront her guilt to protect her family.