(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) 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

(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

(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