The Rise and Fall of Derek Cowell by @ValerieSherrard DCB @cormorantbooks #ireadcanadian #redmaple #forestofreading

The Rise and Fall of Derek Cowell
Valerie Sherrard
DCB Cormorant Books

Valerie Sherrard's latest novel is one of this year's Red Maple Award nominees. She has created an entertaining story about a boy, named Derek, who finds himself invisible and infamous over the course of the novel. His fame and popularity are determined with the help of a single social media post. 
Valerie describes her characters so well that the reader can easily visualize them and relate to their personalities. I enjoyed the way Valerie described Derek's internal feelings about his rise in status at school so that the reader could see how different it is from his public persona.
It's a great read-aloud for middle-grade students as they begin to define their own presence and limits on social media. It would generate some valuable discussions around good decision making when creating your own digital footprint. Valerie explains the pitfalls of notoriety in a humorous and relatable manner.  

Sarah and the search for normal by @WesleyTKing @simonschuster @redmaple #forestofreading #ireadcanadian

Sarah and the Search for Normal
Wesley King
Simon and Schuster

Wesley King's latest novel is a prequel to his book OCDaniel. Both books address mental health issues and help to reduce the stigma of anxiety, depression, schizophrenia and OCD. Not only does Sarah, the protagonist, struggles with mental health and she also faces the fear of not fitting in.  Readers will relate to this common elementary school fear.

Sarah gives her insight into what it's like for her to be in a special education class. This is a unique perspective that we don't see often in middle grade. The novel is a great read-aloud for grades 6+ as it will generate great discussion around mental health issues and feelings of belonging.

When Wesley describes Sarah's feelings it builds empathy in the reader. Wesley King manages to write a serious novel in a humorous and relatable way. He shows the spark and intelligence in Sarah even though she must overcome many obstacles to get through the day. Sarah is a likeable character and you are rooting for her throughout the book.

Sadia by @ColleenNelson14 @dundurnpress #forestofreading #redmaple

Sadia
Colleen Nelson
Dundurn Press

I loved the way Sadia successfully learns to navigate her new Canadian home and the love of basketball with her Muslim culture and traditions.  My favourite word I learned from this book was "dejabbing."  I think this would be a great read aloud in grades 6+ as it would generate some questions and conversations around equity and justice.
I felt Colleen created a very believable and relatable character in Sadia and her friends.  My students have really enjoyed reading this book as they loved the positive message! I appreciated the message that refugees arrive in Canada with different strengths and needs.  We need to remember to meet all of our students in our class where they are and not where we think they should be.  I suggest reading the memoir Homes by Abu Bakr al Rabeeah and Winnie Yeung is a natural companion read to this novel. This Canada Reads finalist taught me more about the Syrian crisis.

The Vindico
Wesley King
Penguin Publishing

This is a superhero story with a twist as it takes the villains' side of the classic hero story. I enjoyed getting to meet the main characters and I am looking forward to reading more about their adventures in the next book.  I liked how the characters were against the villains at the beginning and then start to see things from their perspective.  It reminded me that there at least two sides to every story. There is a lot of action and the author created great images with his description of the events.  I also enjoyed the technical tools that the heroes use. I think grade 6 students would enjoy this as a read aloud.