Debut book publication—short stories and a novella—features an elliptical style. Despite the promise of some paragraphs and the “fulsome blurbs,” the overall collection is impacted by issues related to pacing and “physicality.” —Alison Acheson reviews Mom Camp: Stories and Novella, by Veronique Darwin (Picton: Assembly Press, 2026) $23.95 / 9781998336319
With characters that “can be awful, but authentic,” a debut YA novel “offers a well-written and brutally realistic rendering of divorce in a short number of pages.” —Isabella Ranallo reviews Our Square of Sky, by Robin Lamarche (Gibsons: Prose-Star Communications, 2026) $19.95 / 9781068981890
This accomplished trio of “chapter books emphasize the importance of kindness and community, introduce a variety of environmental issues, provide subtle but shrewd insights into politics and capitalism, and deliver road maps to empowering activism.” —Ginny Ratsoy reviews Book Uncle and Me, by Uma Krishnaswami (Toronto: Groundwood Books, 2016)$14.99 / 9781554988082, Birds on the Brain, by Uma Krishnaswami (Toronto: Groundwood Books, 2024) $16.99 / 9781773069449, and The Sunshine Project, by Uma Krishnaswami (illustrated by Julianna Swaney) (Toronto: Groundwood Books, 2025) $16.99 / 9781773067797
Veteran YA author’s captivating novel features ghosts and villains and a network of caves (not to mention “a good dash of mystery and a wee bit of romance—just the right amount”). —Alison Acheson reviews Cave-In, by Pam Withers (Winnipeg: Great Plains Press, 2024) $18.95 / 9781773371245