Seven-year-old Bruno is back and tackling problems with his trademark originality. He defeats hiccups. He trades his mother for a new hat. He skillfully avoids math. And thanks to his special Flutter Kick, he easily advances to the next level—in swimming and in life! Bruno is ready for any challenge as he learns all there is to know about being a boy.

Leo wants no part of sitting down with his family to eat Nonna's big, delizioso lunch every Sunday. ?I'm not hungry,? he insists. Not hungry? Hmm. Clever Nonna gets an idea. She'll use a story to lure Leo to her table. And since the pasta in her soup, called stelline (little stars), is woven into the story about a boy who journeys to his grandmother's at night, it works. But again on the following Sunday, Leo doesn't want to eat. So Nonna expands her story, this time adding some chiancaredde (paving stones), the name of the pasta she's serving that day, to create a path for her character to follow. Now Leo's hooked. So much that he begins to badger Nonna every Sunday to reveal more pasta-based details of the story. And week by week, as Leo's relatives crowd around listening to Nonna and teasing Leo to get him to mangia (eat), he slowly comes to realize just how happy he is to have a place at this table. In this heartwarming picture book, award-winning author Caroline Adderson beautifully captures the love and tenderness Leo feels from his grandmother and the rest of his close-knit family through lively, true-to-life dialogue. The playful, detailed artwork by Josée Bisaillon helps bring all of them to life. This book offers a perfect framework for lessons exploring the heritage, customs and relationships of families. The unique story-within-a-story concept, along with the idea that Nonna's tale is being told cumulatively, could easily launch a storytelling assignment. Additionally, the section on pasta and the list of Italian vocabulary words make a great introduction to foreign cultures through food and language.

Ellen McGinty: sexy, impulsive, loud-mouthed, chock full of regrets. In middle age she sells the house she raised her daughters in, slips off the shell of her old life, and steps out for a first, tentative foray into real contentment - directly into the path of a man twenty years her junior. Her story explodes into multiple points of view. Through the eyes of her lover, Matt, her ex-husband, Larry, her two daughters (one a former addict), her grandson, and her friends, we watch Ellen negotiate her tumultuous life as the pieces of who she is finally come together. In its entirety, Ellen in Pieces explores love in its varied forms, the nature of regret (and the possibility of recovery from it), and that greatest human test, mortality. Exquisitely written, absorbing and intelligent, this new novel by Caroline Adderson shows her at the top of her form. Ellen in Pieces is a deeply affecting story, an emotional mirror for all our lives.

Bruno is a boy with particular tastes and ideas. He will not, for example, eat anything green. He spends one day as Sir Bruno and another as the Queen. He is an entrepreneur and he understands the language of Car. Bruno is a boy worth knowing.

Cakes, cookies or pie? A rivalry among local bakers is the basis for this deliciously sweet, off-the-wall picture book. Monsieur Oliphant's cake shop, the only bakery game in town, has long had customers lining up outside its door for Oliphant's delicious jelly rolls and marvelous wedding cakes . . . until the day cookie concocter Mademoiselle Fée takes over the old shoemaker's shop. And it isn't long before the divine piemaker Madame Clotilde soon moves into the old bric-a-brac shop. Three different bakers all trying to outclass one another means their little cul-de-sac is packed with customers every day and night, so, one morning, when everyone is bumpling and jostling each other with their cakes, cookies and pies, a food disaster -- a massacre of cream, a devastation of crumbs -- is inevitable! Only one little girl has the drive (or appetite?) to find a solution, but can it last? This madcap tale of frenzied cooks and zany eats (and one very lucky town) will delight readers with a sweet tooth of any age!

The first title in a hilarious new chapter book series for emerging readers. Isabel and Zoë are favorite friends — most of the time. They have side-by-side cubbies. And they never take off their friendship bracelets. But sometimes, Isabel isn’t Zoë’s favorite friend at all. Because sometimes, the fun things they do end in a no-fun way. Like getting sent to the principal’s office because of Isabel’s shenanigans. Now Zoë’s mad at Isabel, and Isabel’s miserable. Isabel’s trying everything to win her friend back. Will getting a new puppy help Isabel mend her friendship with Zoë? There’s a new girl in town for early readers to love, love, love — and she comes with a fluffy sidekick!

At last, it's Jasper John Dooley's turn to be Star of the Week at school. Unfortunately, nothing turns out as planned. His Show and Tell falls flat. A new baby at his friend Ori's house steals his spotlight. And worst of all, the new baby has only-child Jasper wondering if his own family is too small. When Jasper decides to build himself a brother (named Earl) out of wood, Earl's schoolyard shenanigans send Jasper to the principal's office! But with a little help from family and friends, things turn around for Jasper. And by the time Friday arrives, he is once again sure that he has what it takes to be a star. Jasper John Dooley: Star of the Week is the first in a series of chapter books featuring a charismatic and funny central character. An only child with active, loving parents (and a most impressive lint collection), Jasper John Dooley is a true original.

Every Wednesday, Jasper John Dooley plays Go Fish for jujubes with Nan at her apartment. They ride up and down in the elevator as many times as he wants. And they use a trunk of old clothes for games of Dress Up Nan. So how can she go away on a cruise to Alaska for a week and leave him behind? Thinking about it makes Jasper feel funny. It's like all the air is seeping out through a hole in his belly. ?It just feels pththth.? After Jasper accidentally staples his belly at school and gets two more holes, one Band-Aid alone isn't enough to keep the air inside him all week --- it takes thirty-four Band-Aids to patch him up! Will Jasper find a way to survive his time apart from Nan? This title from the chapter book series by Caroline Adderson beautifully and age-appropriately conveys how it feels to love someone dearly, and to miss them terribly. It would make an excellent starting point for classroom discussions or writing assignments about these emotions. With its engaging and entertaining story, it will also be a favorite for independent reading time. Jasper John Dooley is a quirky and memorable character who is funny and just a bit irreverent. And Adderson's depictions of life in early elementary school are spot-on: particularly hilarious are the capitalized descriptive names, such as when Jasper gets in trouble for ?doing a Very Dangerous Thing at recess.?

This is the third installment in Caroline Adderson's well-reviewed, illustrated chapter book series about the adventures of the enthusiastic and extremely likable --- and poetically named --- Jasper John Dooley. Here, poor Jasper struggles to deal with the excessive attentions of his classmate Isabel, who just won't leave him alone. In the schoolyard, she badgers him and his friends Ori and Leon to play babies. In the classroom, she forces him to be her reading buddy. And, worst of all, after school, she invites him over for a playdate! When Jasper complains to his parents that he's too sick to go to her house, his dad says he must have a case of ?girl-itis.? However, once he arrives, Jasper is thrilled to discover Isabel has a trampoline, where he gets a ?flip-floppy feeling? that is better than anything else in the world. Can Jasper find a way to keep using her trampoline and get her to stop being in love with him? This truly relatable story handles with deftness and humor the concerns and confusion elementary school children face as they try to navigate their everyday social world, particularly the issues surrounding the emerging differences between boys and girls of this age and where the lines are beginning to get drawn for their interactions with each other. It is sure to keep early readers engaged. Featuring a boy's point of view broadens the appeal. Line illustrations by Ben Clanton add depth and wit to the charming story.

After soccer practice, Jasper accidentally chooses the wrong drink from the vending machine. It's fizzy and syrupy and tastes so so good, but Jasper knows it's so so Bad. He sneaks some sips on the way home, then hides it in the fridge. That evening, Jasper has so much energy that he can't sleep. The next morning, he feels awful, but for the rest of the week, Jasper can't stop himself from sneaking sips of the Bad drink and doing more and more Bad things. He bends the rules at soccer, gets his best friend in trouble at school and lands himself in a Very Embarrassing situation. Will Jasper's secret drink be discovered? Will he be Bad for the rest of his life?

While he's at Nan's, Jasper John Dooley discovers his dad's beloved old Marcel Mouse toy. Orange and plastic with big ears and big feet, the toy was based on a character in a television show from when his dad was small. Jasper loves Marcel so much he slides him onto a long string and wears him around his neck! However, just like the TV show's theme song that Jasper's dad teaches him says --- ?Marcel Mouse! Marcel Mouse! A mouse who's lots of fun! Marcel Mouse! Marcel Mouse! He's a tricky one!? --- hanging on to Marcel proves to be tricky, indeed. It's no big deal when Marcel goes missing for a short time in Jasper's bedroom, and then later in the principal's office at school. But then something truly and unimaginably terrible happens to Marcel. And Jasper may have lost him forever! This is the fifth title in the popular series by author Caroline Adderson about the irrepressible Jasper John Dooley. With his own quirky view of the world and those around him, Jasper is a one-of-a-kind character with huge kid appeal. His sometimes baffling but always courageous way of dealing with problems is unique, as is the way Jasper's parents are always available to help out and support him. For beginning independent readers, the endearing line drawings by Mike Shiell throughout help keep the text manageable. This would be a great title to use for discussing the subject of loss and the feelings surrounding it.

Isabel loves Jasper, and it's making life complicated. He just wants to play knights and dragons with Ori and Leon, but Isabel makes him play babies and tries to set up their wedding. The only good thing about Isabel is the trampoline at her house. But will the highs of their trampoline playdates be enough to cure Jasper's girl-itis? Jasper John Dooley: NOT in Love is the third in a series of chapter books featuring a charismatic and funny central character. An only child with active, loving parents (and a most impressive lint collection), Jasper John Dooley is a true original.

All Jasper John Dooley was trying to do was practice his reading skills. He wanted to be ready for his turn to sit in the big, comfy chair at the library on Wednesday and read to Molly the Dog. But, even though Jasper was being so so so careful, the wonderful library book about toilet-paper-tube crafts accidentally falls into his bathwater and drowns. After that, he and his dad only make things worse by setting the book on fire and then shooting it with the fire extinguisher. ?We're Book Killers,? Jasper says gravely. He knows he's going to have to pay for the ruined book, or they'll never let him back in the library again. Except, from what Jasper can tell, the price printed on the book says two thousand five hundred dollars! How can Jasper possibly find a way to raise that much money? And before Wednesday? He'll need his best friend Ori's help now more than ever. The illustrated chapter books in acclaimed author Caroline Adderson's Jasper John Dooley series are perfect for early readers. To Jasper, everything is an adventure, and his quirky and unique point of view is laugh-out-loud funny. Jasper's close relationship with his parents and his friendship with Ori offer young children wonderful role models for personal development. Here, Jasper clearly feels accountable for the library book entrusted to him, making this a great character education choice for discussing responsibility as well as how everyone makes mistakes. This book will be much sought after for independent reading, though it's also an excellent pick for read-aloud.

Pudding Tat is born on the Willoughby Farm in 1901 -- just another one of Mother Tat's kittens. But it turns out that Pudding is anything but ordinary. He is pure white with pink eyes that, though beautiful, do not see well, and hearing that is unusually acute. He finds himself drawn to the sweet sounds of the world around him -- the pattering heartbeat of a nearby mouse, the musical tinkling of a distant stream. Soon the sounds of adventure call to Pudding, too. But before he can strike out into the wide world on his own, he hears a voice -- coming from right inside his own ear. A flea has claimed Pudding as his host. The bossy parasite demands that Pudding take him away from the lowly barn and the drunken singing of his fellow fleas. He doesn't want adventure but a finer life -- one where he can enjoy a warm bed and blood flavored not with mice, but with beef tenderloin and cream. Fortunately for this mismatched pair, the world is an extremely interesting place in 1901. Over the next decade and a half, Pudding and his flea find themselves helping to make history -- a journey over Niagara Falls in a barrel, a visit to the Pan-American Exposition on the day President McKinley is shot, a luxurious stay in Manhattan with songwriter Vincent Bryan, a terrifying trip on the airship America, and a voyage on the ill-fated Titanic. Through each narrow escape, the call to adventure for the cat, and luxury for his disgruntled flea, beckons them on, right to the devastation of a World War I battlefield. Then Pudding is filled with a new longing, one that brings him, with his flea's help now, full circle and back home.

Norman, Speak! tells the comical yet thought-provoking story of a boy and his family who adopt a dog that just can't seem to learn the things other dogs do. Overwhelmed by dogs in need at their local animal shelter, a young boy chooses Norman, the stray that's been there the longest. But, upon bringing him home, the family quickly learns that Norman won't respond to commands. He doesn't even know his own name. During a chance encounter with another dog owner in the park, the family is very surprised to learn the reason for Norman's confusion; he "speaks" Chinese instead of English! And so the family enrolls in a language class, determined to understand their uniquely loveable pet. The humorous text, from award-winning author Caroline Adderson, and Qin Leng's delightful illustrations combine to create a picture book that will be enjoyed by readers (and dogs) no matter what language they speak.

Pierre and Paul are back for another imaginative bilingual adventure Pierre and Paul are back for another adventure! Pierre speaks French and Paul speaks English, but that doesn't stop them from being friends and exploring together. Today is garbage day, so the duo sets out to find hidden treasures in the trash. Treasure map in hand, they encounter poisonous swamps, dark forests, a dragon, and even a tsunami! (Or maybe just a garbage truck driving through a puddle). When the tsunami sweeps away their treasure map, they think all is lost--until they finally find a treasure lying out in plain sight. Told half in French and half in English, this second book in the Pierre & Paul series uses simple phrases and clues in the illustrations to make the story accessible to readers in both languages. Full of imagination and playful illustrations, this vocabulary-learning tool is an engaging story of friendship.

Nicola's adorable little dog, June Bug, keeps getting into trouble. She steals the neighbor's turkey, yanks down the Christmas tree and destroys Mum's almost-finished giant crossword. Everyone is mad, and it looks as though June Bug's days are numbered. Will doing a good deed make up for June Bug's bad behavior? Nicola certainly hopes so. And when she and June Bug come across a new nursing home in the neighborhood, it feels like a Sign. They volunteer to become regular visitors at Shady Oaks, certain that June Bug's cute tricks will cheer up the elderly residents. In fact, they could all use some cheering up. It's the holiday, and yet everyone seems to be cranky and off balance. Nobody has put up any lights, Nicola's grade five teacher is inexplicably crabby, and Nicola's big brother Jared stays holed up in front of the computer playing Inferno 2, eagerly sending winged creatures into a fiery abyss. Even Nicola is not herself, and when a new girl, Lindsay, tries to be her friend, Nicola finds herself being uncharacteristically mean, because Lindsay seems to be one of those hair-and-jewelry girls who wants her own subscription to Bride magazine for Christmas. But Nicola's mother won't let her visit Shady Oaks by herself, so when Lindsay offers to go with her, Nicola agrees. And the girls discover that something unusual is going on at the home, where it seems that a few of the more remarkable patients are being kept against their will. Freeing them will bring out the very best in Nicola, and especially in June Bug.

Longlisted for CBC Radio's Canada Reads 2016,  Three and a half weeks after his wedding, Ross Alexander is driving home from a tennis game with his new bride when a wayward tennis ball rolls under his feet. As his wife Iliana removes her seatbelt to retrieve the ball, a truck slams into the car, and she ends up paralyzed and in a coma. So begins this extraordinary portrait of a fated marriage. Ross struggles with the guilt over the consequences of his wife's paralysis and for the imagined life that is now forever lost. He turns to an exploration of Buddhist principles to ease his pain. He must also contend with his codependent twin sister, Bonnie, mother of his adored nephew, who is jealous of the other woman in her brother's life. Iliana must deal with her new existence as a wheelchair-bound wife, her husband's feelings of alienation, and their aching and growing lack of intimacy. In this stunning new novel, acclaimed writer Caroline Adderson shows how lives can change forever because of one fateful moment. With characters that are achingly real, Adderson demonstrates why she is one of Canada's most talented and significant writers.