(1) YA The "miracle" referred to in the title was the birth of the sisters in 1934, the first time quintuplets were known to survive. The "tragedy" is pretty much everything else about their story. As much exposé as biography, Miller's book is a propulsive account of what life was like for the girls, who served as both science experiment and tourist attraction. Miller avoids a sensationalizing tone, allowing the facts to speak for themselves. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2019

(3) YA When Jack is spirited away to a dark street in another time, he's convinced that his insulin must not be working properly. But he keeps returning, and a shadowy street waif becomes determined to keep Jack there forever; meanwhile, classmate Lucy is also having visions of the same girl. Supernatural melds intriguingly with fairy tale in this twist on Andersen's "The Little Match Girl."

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Kim Smith. Hockey lover Jay Roberts lives in Parry Sound, Ontario, home of his hero, Bobby Orr. Jay is tested during his sixth-grade year by a bullying teammate and a saxophone he must somehow learn to play. Jay's first-person narration of trials and tribulations is appealing and humorous; his hockey skills and his struggles with the sax reassure readers that everyone has strengths and weaknesses.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Gillian Newland. The author shares a story based on her grandmother Irene's experience in an Indian residential school in Ontario, Canada. Taken away from her family, Irene suffers emotional trauma and abuse at the hands of Christian missionaries. Featuring powerful watercolor and ink illustrations, a straightforwardly told first-person narrative of resistance and strength. Author's note included.

Reviewer: Alia Jones

(4) YA Outgoing and rebellious Annie moves with her father to her stepmom's home in the suburbs. On the first day of school, she meets Jessie, an anxious loner, and the two become best friends. Once Annie begins hanging out with Jessie's past tormentors, however, things derail quickly. The issues are well worn--mean-girl bullying, teen pregnancy, emotional problems--but Lo's narrative will keep readers engaged.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Pascal Milelli. Canadian artist Tom Thomson teaches a young girl how to paint in an imagined chronicle of real events during the summer of 1914. Vande Griek paints with bold, visually descriptive words in the poetic text, regularly musing on the varying ways "the west wind blows." Milelli's oils on canvas vividly evoke the artist's style and the lakeside landscape. More on Thomson is appended. Reading list.

Reviewer: Jeannie Coutant

(1) K-3 Bond relates a story from 1914 Ontario, when her grandfather, Antonio, lived at a lakeside hotel. A forest fire breaks out, driving everyone toward the only safe place--the lake. As animals, too, make their way into the lake, young Antonio gets a close-up look at every forest creature imaginable. Detailed sketches tinted with muted browns, greens, blues, and oranges create a dreamlike mood.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2015

(4) K-3 Stiffly written text describes the boyhood passion of self-taught naturalist Joe Purdon, who encouraged Showy Lady's Slippers--wild orchids struggling to survive in the fen of his Eastern Ontario farm--to reproduce and flourish. One might think of Purdon as a Canadian Miss Rumphius, though Wallace's watercolors are less magical than Barbara Cooney's and his shy favorite flower less showy than a lupine.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin

(1) YA A strange book was sent to Evan's father just before his sudden death. As Evan reads the book--the translated journal of a WWII Japanese soldier stranded on a mystical island with an American Marine--he experiences a sense of déjà-vu. Wynne-Jones skillfully weaves the World War II journal into Evan's story, building suspense and creating a cracking mystery. An affecting, unforgettable read.

Reviewer: Sam Bloom | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2015

(1) 4-6 In this companion to Elijah of Buxton, set in 1901, thirteen-year-old African Canadian boy Benji Alston befriends Irish Canadian boy Alvin "Red" Stockard. The two encounter the (supposedly mythical) Madman of Piney Woods, who brings the past into present for both boys. Woven throughout this profoundly moving yet also at times very funny novel are themes of family, friendship, community, compassion, and the power of words.

Reviewer: Monica Edinger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2014

(2) YA Waiting for her soldier brother to return from WWII, almost-fourteen-year-old Rachel asserts that she's conquered childhood. That's just the first of many levels of lies, concealed truths, and pretense explored in this engrossing, finely wrought novel set in a small Ontario town. Rachel is a sympathetic, naive narrator, and Johnston plays out her rich themes thoroughly yet with great subtlety.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2013

(2) YA "O" (Ophelia) spends the summer in small-town Ontario, helping her aunt Emily at The Green Man, a struggling second-hand bookshop. Since childhood, Emily has been troubled by dreams of a menacing magic show; now, O glimpses great poets of the past roaming the shop. This imaginative, gracefully written explication of Rimbaud's belief that one must be mad to be a poet makes an entertaining tale.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2012

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Kasia Charko. Each spread represents an era in Ontario's history. Seasonal period illustrations are easier to read than the text, a series of unrelated haikus. "Historical Notes" with more facts are appended, as is a random "Seek and Find" list for each spread.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Muriel Wood. This accessible sequel to Aram's Choice is based on actual events. Aram is one of a group of Armenian orphans brought to Canada in 1923. The boys acclimate to life on a farm run by a minister and his wife, but they protest when told to take Anglicized names. Though the illustrations are stiff, they will help engage readers in the story. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) YA Danny lives in remote Harvest Cove, Canada. After being attacked by a monster, he and his friends try to escape the terrible fate awaiting them. Elements of horror, romance, and mystery will sustain interest. Whether he's facing down the metaphorical demons of his past or the supernatural demon of the title, Danny wins readers' sympathies with his rapid-fire first-person, present-tense narration.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt

(3) 4-6 Rosalind, youngest of the spirited and intelligent Kemp girls, discovers that she can see into the future. She tries to reject her position as seventh daughter of a seventh daughter by dressing and acting like a boy--with results both comic and poignant. Time (eve of World War II) and place (small-town Ontario) are vividly evoked, and Ros is a highly sympathetic character.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Muriel Wood. Aram is an Armenian boy who is displaced to Greece by the 1915 Turkish genocide. In 1923, he leaves his elderly grandmother behind and immigrates to Ontario, Canada, to live on a farm for Armenian orphans. His journey is told simply (although it's stilted in places); realistic paintings decorate most pages. An author's note gives more information. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) YA In the summer of 1956, sixteen-year-old Gordon and his gang cruise around town, commune with wise "Injun Joely," and try to avoid rival gang the Sultans. After the Sultans' leader kills Gordon's brother, the action finally heats up. The narrative's shifting perspectives can be confusing and the small-town Canadian setting takes precedence over plot, but the well-drawn characters will keep readers turning pages.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) 4-6 After Nathaniel's father leaves the family, Nat and his sisters answer an ad for a free pony. Taking care of the pony helps the siblings cope with being different from their peers. The author's atmospheric, lyrical style and 1970s Canadian setting border on sentimentality. However, the main characters--especially Nathaniel and his younger sister Queenie--are complex and memorable.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(2) 4-6 Clearly a kindred spirit to Anne Shirley, Mable Riley joins the roster of spunky rural turn-of-the-century schoolgirls. The book's social issues (women's equality, worker's rights) are given a realistic shades-of-gray treatment, the diary format is handled adroitly, and the diarist herself is engaging and many-faceted.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2004