Movie truck missing in Muskrats mystery
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An intrepid team of four friends solve another problem on the Windy Lake First Nation in Manitoba author Michael Hutchison’s The Case of the Movie Mayhem (Second Story Press, softcover, 141 pages, $13), the sixth book in the Mighty Muskrats Mystery Series.
This time the kids are looking for a truck that’s gone missing from a movie shoot on the reserve. Hutchison integrates real-life issues into the narrative at a level appropriate for readers ages 9-12, including grown-up problems faced by Indigenous people. The kids learn about the movie business and about different choices for role models as they search for the culprits, bantering and joking as they go.
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The Bunny Ballet by Nora Ericson (Abrams, 40 pages, hardcover, $24) is a pleasant rhyming story about a ballet performance by rabbits: “Through each other’s paws they weave, / Over, under, past they breeze.”
Children ages 3-8 who love to dance will be engrossed in this happy story poem and enjoy the pretty paintings by Elly MacKay, who contrasts the soft pastels of the background to the brightly coloured costumes and clothing of the characters. Much dancing will ensue: “Practice can begin tomorrow. / Who has tutus you can borrow?”
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Published in May 2025, Wonderfully Wild: Rewilding a School and Community by Jessica Stremer (Simon & Schuster, 48 pages, hardcover, $27) is a clearly written picture book for children ages 4-8 that can be used by a teacher, a parent or community group to excite kids about doing what’s right for the environment.
Pictures by Montrealer Josée Masse show teachable moments in which children learn how to root branches of a fallen tree, how to nurture new baby trees that will flourish and provide shade to their lives, and how branches become safe places for birds and animals as the trees grow. Hints about how to rewild are included at the back of the book.
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A 14th-century story by Persian poet Rumi is made new in The Other Side of the Rocks (Enchanted Lion Books, hardcover, 64 pages, $26), written and illustrated by Iranian expat Nahid Kazemi and published in August 2025.
A curious frog leaves his lilypad, and in going beyond the rocks it befriends other animals and insects, discovering that the communities are different but, comfortingly, very similar in other ways. Frog’s life lesson is illustrated with muted but detailed watercolours. A good story to read to children ages 5-8 about the path they might follow when they grow up.
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Published in August 2025, The Dark Times of Nimble Nottingham (Nancy Paulsen Books, 272 pages, softcover, $14) is aimed at children aged 10-12, and is a promising debut for author Ryan James Black.
Nim navigates the darkest times in the Second World War — the evil forces of fascism, the dark skies of London during the Blitz, a childhood without a family or a home and the forces of alchemy.
When Nim accidently unleashes a shadow monster, he must save the city and himself. As he races across the rooftops of embattled London, he realizes trusting others and letting people into his life is a good thing — and that after the dark times, there is light.
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Borrowing from Anne of Green Gables, Canadian ex-pat Sarah Mensinga’s Kindred Dragons (Abrams, 208 pages, softcover, $20) is a graphic novel for 10-13 year-olds — with the addition of dragons.
Fanciful young Alice is sent to live with her strict grandmother on Prince Edward Island. She becomes obsessed with the island’s dragons that are linked to kindred souls, but not to hers.
Alice clashes with her grandmother, other children and a mob of unkind neighbours until she finds a way to connect with everyone. Mensinga’s illustrations are reminiscent of the 19th century on the island.
Harriet Zaidman is an award-winning writer for young people. Her historical novels recall significant events in Canadian history as they affected young people.
