B. A. Markus

A fisherman's tall tale, a budding theatre impresario, a heartwarming refugee story, an inspiring tale of independence, and a rebellious head of hair in our roundup of the season's books for children.

Dani Jansen’s The Year Shakespeare Ruined My Life is a YA novel that provides a compelling twist on a typical high school romance by introducing us to likeable characters and a well-crafted storyline.

This summer's selection of books for young readers.

B.A. Markus reviews two new books for young readers.

This season's selection of kids' books.

This season's selection of books for young readers.

A selection of the season's books for young readers.

A selection of this spring's new books for children and young adults.

Highlights of the season’s books for young people.

Her memoir, The Permanent Nature of Everything, is a reflection on her early years from birth until her first year of high school. It also involves a great deal of historical excavation, an attempt at uncovering the lives of her parents and grandparents.

It's the harvest season and the prolific illustrators and authors of Quebec have produced a bumper crop of beautiful and delightful picture books that go a long way to answering some of the many questions children ask us.

There is something magical about picture books that manage to successfully tackle big life questions while also engaging and entertaining the early reader.

Rathwell's deep understanding of and personal experience in the developing world is obvious in Jump the Devil, his latest collection of linked short stories.

It’s only the bravest of warriors who take up the gauntlet and teach poetry to high school students.

Believe it or not, there are still some people out there who think that young adult (YA) literature is written by people who aren’t smart enough to write for adults.

Exploring the dark side of the maternal and matrimonial experience is both relevant and valuable, and Akerman is to be commended for her choice of subject matter. But by populating her tales with bitter, resentful, powerless, and almost uniformly unhappy female characters, the author catalogues the weaknesses of women while largely failing to celebrate their courage and strength.