New Middle Grade Novel!
A Bucket of Stars
(Scholastic Canada)
Nominated for the Ontario Library Association’s Forest of Reading Red Maple Award.
Nominated for the Saskatchewan Young Readers’ Choice Diamond Willow Award.
Shortlisted for the IODE Violet Downey Book Award.
Commended Best Books for Kids and Teens, Canadian Children’s Book Centre 2024.
Noah Cooper can spot his fair share of planets and stars. It’s a passion he’s always shared with his dad. But now it seems his father has no passion left for anything, even Noah. A move to a new town means starting over. It’s not easy, but at least this new place boasts a vast sky of stars. . . and Tara Dhillon, the most interesting girl Noah has ever met. When Noah and Tara discover that a new development in their rural county will threaten those dark skies, can they use their unique skills to stop the stars — and Noah’s father — from disappearing forever? A stunning story lit by hope, about two kids trying to save the world they know and heal the families they have.
Night Magick
(Amazon Audible Original)
Narrated by major motion picture actor, Josh Gad.
13-year-old Cole Balek can bring dead flies to life, drive a skewer through his arm, and saw his best friend in half. Kind of.
Cole’s an aspiring magician who lives with his mom in a residential neighborhood of Las Vegas. But his life is turned upside down when he discovers that his late father possessed an ancient book of magic secrets called A Lesson in Magick. Cole is driven to find the book, but apparently other people are too. And they’ll do anything to get their hands on it.
Cole uncovers a series of clues and puzzles left behind by his late father, a neuroscientist, that point to its location. Using his magic tricks and illusions – as well as his father’s lessons in visual perception and misdirection – Cole must solve the puzzles and hack his way out of trouble. And that’s not easy when his pursuers – dressed as three nasty Elvis impersonators – close in on him, threatening to murder him and his family.
My Best Friend and Other Illusions
(Scholastic Canada)
A Top Recommended Read for the TD Summer Reading Club 2021.
Selected as a Canadian Children’s Book Centre Best Books for Kids and Teens.
What if your imaginary friend from childhood suddenly reappeared . . . only this time he’s no figment of your imagination.
Charlie, a budding acrobat, is desperate to attend gymnastics camp. But her mom can barely make ends meet so Charlie’s got to earn the money on her own.
The solution seems to come when the perfect gymnastics partner mysteriously appears and helps her put on shows. There’s just one small thing though . . . he’s Rudy, her imaginary childhood friend come to life. And the problem with imaginary friends is that they know things. . . things that can jeopardize Charlie’s dreams and tear her family apart.
This truthful and often funny story is a moving exploration of memory, forgiveness, and the search for belonging.
Playing with Matches
Winner of the 2015 Canadian Jewish Literary Award for Youth Literature.
Barnes & Noble Teen Blog Top 11 Books We Are Thankful For.
Barnes & Noble 6 YA Books for Fans of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
The Best YA Novels with Jewish Protagonists.
When 16-year-old Rain Resnick is expelled from her Manhattan high school, she’s sent to live under the watchful eye of her strict aunt. But Rain feels like she’s persona non grata –her sister, Leah, blames her for her broken engagement, and she’s a social pariah at her new school.
A random encounter on a city bus sets off a chain of events that thrust Rain into the role of secret matchmaker. As the anonymous “MatchMaven,” Rain sets up hopeless singles desperate to find the One. A cross between Jane Austen’s Emma, Dear Abby, and Yenta the matchmaker, Rain’s double life soon starts unravelling. Can she find the perfect match for her sister and repair their relationship, or will her secret life explode and damage it forever?
Playing with Matches is a comic and heartwarming story of one girl trying to find happiness for others, and redemption for herself.
“Fizzy, funny, and ultimately redemptive.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Playing with Matches is compulsively readable. It is absolute fun, and Rain is the best kind of narrator – funny, engaging, well-meaning and usually a little out of control. I could not put the book down.” — CM
“This charming story of growing up and owning up, will ring true with readers” — School Library Journal
