The best Canadian books for kids & teens in 2023
Here are the CBC Books picks for top Canadian titles for kids and teens this year!
Mr. S by Monica Arnaldo
Set on the first day of school, Mr. S follows a kindergarten class who's teacher has mysteriously disappeared. Their only clues? A sandwich left behind and "Mr. S" written on the chalkboard. The students of room 2B are left to cause mayhem in this comic picture book.
Monica Arnaldo is a children's book author and illustrator from Ontario. Her other books include Are You a Cheeseburger? and The Museum of Very Bad Smells.
Where the Water Takes Us by Alan Barillaro
In Where the Water Takes Us, Ava's mother is pregnant with twins. When the hospital visits become more serious, Ava is sent to live with her grandparents in their cabin. When a bird dies in front of her, Ava is sure she is cursed — so she makes a deal. If she can take care of the bird's orphaned eggs, her family will be alright. Where the Water Takes Us is a coming-of-age novel that explores feelings of anxiety, openness to change and intergenerational relationships.
Where the Water Takes Us is for ages 8 to 12.
Alan Barillaro is a writer and director from Niagara Falls, Ont. He won an Academy Award for the animated short film Piper and was the supervising animator on other theatrical releases such as WALL-E, Brave and The Incredibles. Where the Water Takes Us is his first middle-grade novel.
The Secret of the Ravens by Joanna Cacao
In The Secret of the Ravens, orphan twins Elliot and Liza take part in Raven Quests — message-carrying ravens with magical tasks that award coins and riches, to change their fate. However, the quests aren't as straightforward as they seem, and when Liza gets poisoned, Elliot must race against time to save her.
The Secret of the Ravens is for ages 8 to 12.
Joanna Cacao is a Canadian-Filipino writer and illustrator who lives in Winnipeg. Her other projects include illustrating The Tryout and Native Reflections. The Secret of the Ravens is her debut graphic novel.
Into the Bright Open by Cherie Dimaline
Into the Bright Open is a queer YA reimagining of The Secret Garden. When Mary Lennox becomes an orphan at 15 years old, she is sent from her home in Toronto to the wilderness of the Georgian Bay to live with her uncle. Mary is settling into her new life when one night she finds her cousin Olive, who has been medicated and hidden away in an attic room. Mary and Olive become instant friends and, along with a Métis girl named Sophie, set out to try and free Olive. Then one day they stumble upon a long-forgotten and overgrown garden.
Into the Bright Open is for ages 13 and up.
Cherie Dimaline is a Métis author best known for her YA novel The Marrow Thieves, which was named one of Time magazine's top 100 YA novels of all time and was championed by Jully Black on Canada Reads 2018. Her other books include VenCo, Red Rooms, The Girl Who Grew a Galaxy, A Gentle Habit, Empire of Wild and Funeral Songs for Dying Girls.
Garden of Lost Socks by Esi Edugyan, illustrated by Amélie Dubois
Garden of Lost Socks is a story about friendship, curiosity and the magic of community. Akosua who is a budding exquirologist, and a new friend find a remarkable world hidden right in her very own community.
Garden of Lost Socks is for ages 4 to 7.
Esi Edugyan is a Victoria-based author of Half-Blood Blues and Dreaming of Elsewhere. Her book Washington Black was a finalist on Canada Reads 2022, shortlisted for the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize and the Booker Prize and won the 2018 Scotiabank Giller Prize.
Amélie Dubois grew up in Montreal and currently lives in Mauricie, Que. She has illustrated children's books such as Rien du tout! by Marie-Hélène Jarry, Mingan les nuages by Marie-Andrée Arsenault and copine et Copine by Kim Nunès, Marie-Chantal Perron and Tammy Verge which was the French-language finalist for the 2020 Governor General's Literary Award. She has also illustrated for magazines and television.
The Probability of Everything by Sarah Everett
The Probability of Everything follows eleven-year-old Kemi Carter, an avid fan of probability. When she sees an asteroid hovering over the sky, her perspective on everything changes. The asteroid has an 84.7 per cent chance of colliding with Earth in four days. Is she the only one who feels like the world is ending?
Sarah Everett is an author of several books for teens, currently based in Alberta. Her debut novel is Some Other Now.
Paws: Priya Puts Herself First by Nathan Fairbairn, illustrated by Michele Assarasakorn
Priya Puts Herself First is the third book in the Paws graphic novel series. The series is about babysitters club for pets, and the third volume takes place during the holidays when their business is impacted due to a big storm and PAWS members go through some personal challenges — Gabby wants to be internet famous and Priya's family is being evicted. Can PAWS overcome these challenges and stay afloat?
Priya Puts Herself First is for ages 8 to 12.
Nathan Fairbairn is a Vancouver-based and Eisner-nominated comic creator. Other projects he has worked on include the characters Spider-Man, Batman, Wonder Woman and the graphic novel Lake of Fire.
Those Pink Mountain Nights by Jen Ferguson
Those Pink Mountain Nights is a YA novel set in Alberta that follows three teenagers — Berlin, Cameron and Jessie — who are brought together by working at Pink Mountain Pizza. A possible sighting of Kiki, Cameron's cousin who disappeared five months earlier, sets off a course of events over one week in their small, snowy town that will alter all their lives. Those Pink Mountain Nights explores topics such as missing and murdered Indigenous women, mental health and sexuality.
Those Pink Mountain Nights is for ages 13 and up.
Jen Ferguson is a YA author, activist and academic of Michif/Métis and Canadian settler heritage, based in Los Angeles. Ferguson has a PhD in English and creative writing. Her debut novel, The Summer of Bitter and Sweet, won the 2022 Governor General's Literary Award for young people's literature — text.
Something More by Jackie Khalilieh
Something More is a YA romance following 15-year-old Jessie Kassis' first year of high school. Jessie is a Palestinian-Canadian girl who is coming to terms with her autism diagnosis all the while trying to make friends, get a spot in the school play and get her first kiss. When she catches the attention of two boys at Holy Trinity High, Jessie discovers more about who she is and what she truly wants.
Jackie Khalilieh is a Palestinian-Canadian writer currently based near Toronto. Something More is her debut YA novel.
The Skull by Jon Klassen
The Skull is a retelling of a traditional Tyrolean folktale. A brave young girl named Otilla escapes danger only to get lost in a dark, scary forest. When a creepy house beckons, she enters. A skull lives in a house, and it has a secret. Can Otilla save them both?
Jon Klassen is a Canadian author and illustrator now based in Los Angeles. Klassen is one of the most sought after illustrators in North America; his books include the Hat series — I Want My Hat Back, This is Not My Hat and We Found a Hat and he has also frequently collaborated with American author Mac Barnett on books like Triangle, The Wolf, the Duck, and the Mouse, Sam and Dave Dig a Hole and Circle.
Woke Up Like This by Amy Lea
In Woke Up Like This, ultra-organised Charlotte Wu is 17 years old and trying to plan the perfect prom. While hanging up decorations in the gym with her archnemesis J. T. Renner, Charlotte falls off a ladder and crash lands directly on Renner. The next thing Charlotte knows she is waking up in a strange room, she is 30 and her and Renner are engaged to be married. Charlotte and Renner are determined to figure out what happened and how to get themselves back to their 17-year-old selves. Woke Up Like This is on the Canada Reads 2024 longlist.
Woke Up Like This is for ags 14 and up.
Amy Lea is an Ottawa-based contemporary romance writer and Canadian bureaucrat. Her previous novels include Exes and O's and Set on You. Woke Up Like This is on the longlist for Canada Reads 2024.
Boys Don't Fry by Kimberly Lee, illustrated by Charlene Chua
In a culture where only girls normally cook, gender expectations and roles are defied in Boys Don't Fry, when a boy named Jin helps his family cook for the Lunar New Year feast.
Boys Don't Fry is for ages 4 to 6.
Kimberly Lee is a lawyer and writer who lives in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She is the managing editor of makchic, an online parenting site in Malaysia. She also co-wrote the picture book What If? with Liyana Taff.
Charlene Chua is a Singapore-born Canadian author and illustrator. She has illustrated several picture books, including The Pencil by Susan Avingaq and Maren Vsetula, Shubh Diwali! by Chitra Soundar and Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao by Kat Zhang. She currently lives in Hamilton, Ont.
More Than Words by Roz Maclean
In More than Words, Nathan, who is a quiet boy, observes in school how people can communicate in different ways. From peers that use sign language, to peers that sing, there are many different ways of communicating. More than Words is a story about understanding each other to create belonging and friendship.
More than Words is for ages 4 to 8.
Roz MacLean is a B.C.-based visual artist and writer and illustrator of children's books. Some of her other works include Violet's Cloudy Day and The Body Book.
The Magic Cap by Mireille Messier, illustrated Charlotte Parent
The Magic Cap is a picture book about two siblings determined to save their beloved hedgehog through the power of gnomes. They venture into the woods to give gifts to the gnomes in exchange for their magical healing properties — will they be able to save Crispin?
Mireille Messier is a children's author of both French and English currently based in Toronto. She has written over twenty books, including The Branch and No Horses in the House!.
Charlotte Parent is a Montreal-based comic artist and illustrator. She has also illustrated Le Premier Arbre de Noël by Ovila Fontaine.
Freddie the Flyer by Danielle Metcalfe-Chenail & Fred Carmichael, illustrated by Audrea Loreen-Wulf
Freddie the Flyer pays homage to the first Indigenous commercial pilot in the Arctic named Fred Carmichael by sharing highlights from his 70-year flying career. The story and moments are organized by the months they happened in, and readers will learn the names of months in Gwich'in and Inuvialuktun.
Freddie the Flyer is for ages 3 to 7.
Danielle Metcalfe-Chenail is a Nova Scotia/Mi'kma'ki-based author. Her debut picture book was Alis the Aviator. She also wrote the nonfiction books For the Love of Flying and Polar Winds.
Fred Carmichael was the first Indigenous commercial pilot in the Arctic and is a member of the Order of Canada and Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame. He founded multiple aviation companies and was a leader and Elder who served the people of the Mackenzie Delta. He currently lives in Inuvik, N.W.T. Freddie the Flyer is his first book.
Audrea Loreen-Wulf is an artist who was born in the area of Tuktoyaktuk and currently lives in Salmon Arm, B.C. Her paintings are an expression of her love for the North.
Nutshimit: In the Woods by Melissa Mollen-Dupuis, illustrated by Elise Gravel
In the non-fiction book Nutshimit: In the Woods, Innu writer Melissa Mollen Dupuis takes children on a guided walk through the forest to learn about Innu culture. Illustrator Elise Gravel brings the words to life with her comic style illustrations.
Nutshimit: In the Woods is for ages 6 to 8.
Melissa Mollen Dupuis is a writer, director and radio show host and a member of the Innu community of Ekuanitshit on Quebec's Côte-Nord. Dupuis is the co-founder of the Quebec branch of the Idle No More movement. She lives in Granby, Que. Nutshimit: In the Woods is her first children's book.
Elise Gravel is a Quebec author and illustrator who has written and illustrated over 50 books for children. Her books include The Bat, The Worst Book Ever, The Mushroom Fan Club, I Want a Monster! and What Is a Refugee. Gravel won the Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People in 2022 for her body of work. She lives in Montreal.
How To Be Found by Emily Pohl-Weary
How to be Found is a YA novel about best friends Michie and Trissa, who were raised by their single mothers in the same duplex. At 16 years old, the friends suddenly find themselves with different interests — Trissa loves going to the hottest nightclub in town, while Michie would prefer to stay in reading her favourite book. When Trissa goes missing one night everyone writes her off, but Michie refuses to give up on her friend. Her search for Trissa takes her to dangerous places, all the while a serial killer is targeting girls in their city.
How to be Found is for ages 12 and up.
Emily Pohl-Weary is a writer and creative writing instructor at the University of British Columbia. Her previous books include the YA novels Not Your Ordinary Wolf Girl and Strange Times at Western High and the poetry book Ghost Sick. Pohl-Weary is originally from Toronto and now lives in Vancouver.
If You See a Bluebird by Bahram Rahman, illustrated by Gabrielle Grimard
If You See a Bluebird is a story about a young former refugee named Ali, who misses his homeland, Afghanistan. With the support of his Nana, he realizes that home is not a place, but it's where you are with the love of your family.
If You See a Bluebird is for ages 5 to 8.
Bahram Rahman is an Ontario-based author and activist who was born in Kabul and grew up during the civil war and the Taliban regime. Rahman came to Canada as a refugee in 2012. His debut picture book The Library Bus was a Governor General's Literary Award finalist and a 2022 Blue Spruce Award finalist.
Gabrielle Grimard is an author and illustrator from Quebec. She wrote and illustrated the picture books Lila and the Crow and Nutcracker Night and illustrated the books Stolen Words by Melanie Florence and A Long Way Home by Jean Little.
Salma Makes a Home by Danny Ramadan, illustrated by Anna Bron
Salma was introduced in a picture book about a young Syrian refugee's life in Canada in Salma the Syrian Chef. Now as an early chapter book, Salma Makes a Home follows Salma and her family as she builds a new home for them in Vancouver. As her dad joins them and she begins to make new friends, Salma reflects on her Syrian identity and sense of belonging.
Salma Makes a Home is for ages 6 to 9.
Danny Ramadan is a Syrian-Canadian author, activist and public speaker based in Vancouver. His first book was The Clothesline Swing, which was longlisted for Canada Reads in 2018.
Anna Bron is a Vancouver-based animator and illustrator. She illustrated Salma the Syrian Chef and the middle-grade novel Harvey and the Extraordinary.
Julie and the Mango Tree by Sadé Smith, illustrated by Sayada Ramdial
Julie's favourite fruit are mangoes but she can never seem to pick a sweet one from the tree in her yard. In Julie and the Mango Tree, Julie pleads with her mango tree on a summer afternoon in this vibrantly illustrated picture book.
Julie and the Mango Tree is for ages 3 to 6.
Sadé Smith is a Canadian's children's author of Jamaican descent. Her previous book, Granny's Kitchen, was nominated for the 2023 Blue Spruce Award.
Sayada Ramdial is an illustrator from Trinidad and Tobago that is currently based in the U.S.
The Song that Called Them Home by David A. Robertson, illustrated by Maya McKibben
Inspired by Indigenous legends, The Song that Called Them Home is a fantasy-adventure about a summer day with two siblings and their Moshom (grandfather) visiting the land. As Lauren, her younger brother James and their Moshom canoe on the lake, the waves begin to thrash and James is taken by the Memekwesewak creatures. Lauren is determined to find him and bring him back.
The Song that Called Them Home is for ages 4 to 8.
David A. Robertson is a children's author and member of Norway House Cree Nation. His previous picture books On the Trapline and When We Were Alone are both recipients of the Governor General's Literary Award. He currently lives in Winnipeg.
Maya McKibbin is a two-spirited Ojibwe, Yoeme and Irish illustrator, filmmaker and writer. She was nominated for the Governor General's Literary Award for illustrating the picture book Swift Fox All Along by Rebecca Thomas.
I Am Big by Itah Sadu, illustrated by Marley Berot
In I Am Big, a young Black hockey player finds joy in his talent and confidence in the cheers of his family, his coach, and the other players.
I Am Big is for ages 6 to 8.
Itah Sadu is a Toronto-based children's author. She is the co-owner of Toronto bookstore A Different Booklist, which specializes in African and Caribbean Canadian literature.
Marley Berot is a Toronto-based illustrator. Her works includes cover art for Neuron, graphic design work for the Toronto International Film Festival, logo design and book illustration.
Delicious Monsters by Liselle Sambury
The YA novel Delicious Monsters is set in Toronto and involves a girl named Daisy who can see ghosts. When her mother inherits a secluded mansion in northern Ontario, Daisy discovers supernatural secrets that might be beyond her control. Flash forward a decade later and a teen named Brittney gets wrapped up in a mystery about what befell Daisy years prior.
Delicious Monsters is for ages 12 and up.
Liselle Sambury is a Trinidadian Canadian YA writer and blogger. Her debut novel, Blood Like Magic, was on the shortlist for the 2021 Governor General's Literary award for young people's literature — text.
Once, a Bird by Rina Singh, illustrated by Nathalie Dion
When a bird builds a nest and takes residence outside of an apartment building in Once, a Bird, the residents of the building are reminded of the interconnectedness of nature and the happiness that it can bring. Even when there are unpredictable things that can happen in the world, there is consistency in nature which brings comfort.
Once, a Bird is for ages 3 to 4.
Rina Singh is a Toronto-based author of children's books. Some of her other works include Grandmother School, which won the Christie Harris Illustrated Children's Literature Prize in 2021 and 111 Trees, which won the Social Justice Literature Award and was a finalist for the 2022 Yellow Cedar Award. She was also nominated for the Red Cedar Award for her book Diwali: A Festival of Lights.
Nathalie Dion is a Montreal-based illustrator. She has illustrated several picture books, including Kumo, the bashful cloud by Kyo Maclear, The Dog's Gardener by Patricia Storms and The Big Bad Wolf in My House, written by Valérie Fontaine and translated by Shelley Tanaka which won the Prix Espiègle in 2021. The Big Bad Wolf in My House was also a finalist for the Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book Award, Governor General's Literary Award and the Harry Black Picture Book Award.
Do You Remember? by Sydney Smith
A boy and his mother talk about their memories, like having a picnic with dad who is no longer with them. Do You Remember? is a picture book that explores how memories are made, whether they're happy or sad.
Do You Remember? is for ages 3 to 6.
Sydney Smith is a writer and illustrator from Halifax. Some of his other works include illustrating the picture book Town Is by the Sea by Joanne Schwartz, which won the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award in 2017 and the Kate Greenaway Medal, and writing and illustrating the picture book Small in the City. Small in the City won the Kate Greenaway Medal and the Ezra Jack Keats Award.
The Space Between Here & Now by Sarah Suk
In The Space Between Here & Now, Aimee Roh has a rare condition called Sensory Time Warp Syndrome. When Aimee smells something that is linked to a memory, she will travel in time to that moment in her life. When Aimee time travels to a memory about her estranged mother, the moment she is brought back to doesn't match up with the story she was told about why her mother left. Aimee decides to travel to Korea in search of some answers.
The Space Between Here & Now is for ages 13 and up.
Sarah Suk is a YA writer living in Vancouver. Her debut novel, Made in Korea, was named one of the best Canadian books for kids and young adults of 2022 by CBC Books.
Bompa's Insect Expedition by David Suzuki, with Tanya Lloyd Kyi, illustrated by Qin Leng
Bompa's Insect Expedition follows a pair of twins as they go on an insect expedition with their grandfather. Inspired by David Suzuki's adventures with his grandchildren, the picture book showcases a part of nature that can sometimes be overlooked — the world of bugs.
Bompa's Insect Expedition is for ages 4 to 8.
David Suzuki is an environmentalist, scientist and science broadcaster. He was the host of CBC's The Nature of Things from 1979, until retiring from the show in spring 2023. The Vancouver-based environmentalist is a father of five and grandfather of 10, including twins Nakina and Kaoru. He is also an author of over 50 books, including Letters to my Grandchildren and The Sacred Balance.
Tanya Lloyd Kyi has written more than 30 books for children and teenagers, including The Best Way to Get Your Way, This Is Your Brain on Stereotypes, Under Pressure and Mya's Strategy to Save the World. Kyi lives in Vancouver.
Qin Leng is a Toronto illustrator, writer and visual development artist. Her recent books include I Am Small, which Leng wrote and illustrated, and she has illustrated numerous books including A Kid is a Kid is a Kid and A Family Is a Family Is a Family by Sara O'Leary.
The Little Green Envelope by Gillian Sze, illustrated by Claudine Crangle
In The Little Green Envelope, Olive has a little green envelope that wants to be chosen to be delivered to Olive's friend that has moved away — will its wish come true?
The Little Green Envelope is for ages 3 to 6.
Gillian Sze is a Montreal-based writer and teacher who is originally from Winnipeg. Some of her other books for children include The Night Is Deep and Wide and You Are My Favorite Color, which was a finalist for the Quebec Writers' Federation Award. Her poetry collections include Quiet Night Think, which won the 2023 Pat Lowther Memorial Award.
Claudine Crangle is a Toronto-based author and multidisciplinary artist whose previous picture books include writing and illustrating Priscilla Pack Rat, Woolfred Cannot Eat Dandelions and The House Next Door.
Every Child Matters by Phyllis Webstad, illustrated by Karlene Harvey
Every Child Matters honours the history and resiliency of Indigenous Peoples on Turtle Island and moves everyone forward on a path toward Truth and Reconciliation. Readers will learn the meaning of the phrase "Every Child Matters" on the annual Orange Shirt Day on Sept. 30, which honours residential school survivors, their families and communities, and commemorates those who did not return home.
Every Child Matters is for ages 6 to 10.
Phyllis Webstad was born on Dog Creek Reserve and is Northern Secwepemc from the Stswecem'c Xgat'tem First Nation. Based in British Columbia, she travels around the country to tell her own orange shirt story. She won the YA/adult category of the 2021/2022 First Nation Communities Read Awards for her book Beyond the Orange Shirt Story.
Karlene Harvey is a Tsilhqot'in and Syilx illustrator and writer who grew up on territories of the Semiahmoo and Kwantlen Nations.
When You Can Swim by Jack Wong
When You Can Swim is a picture book that encourages children to overcome their fears of the water. In the book, an adult explains to a young girl the joys and surprises of swimming.
When You Can Swim is for ages 4 to 8.
Jack Wong is a Halifax-based author and illustrator who was born in Hong Kong but grew up in Vancouver. When You Can Swim is his first book.
