A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas (Grades 10+)

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a terrifying creature arrives to demand retribution. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she knows about only from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not truly a beast, but one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled her world.

At least, he's not a beast all the time.

As she adapts to her new home, her feelings for the faerie, Tamlin, transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But something is not right in the faerie lands. An ancient, wicked shadow is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it, or doom Tamlin-and his world-forever.

From bestselling author Sarah J. Maas comes a seductive, breathtaking book that blends romance, adventure, and faerie lore into an unforgettable read.

Ruby Red Trilogy by Kerstin Gier (Grades 7-9)

Ruby Red is a time-travel, humour-filled and mystery-driven trilogy from a German author Kerstin Gier. Her heroine Gwyneth Shepherd, a 16-year-old student, unexpectedly finds herself in the lineage of time travelers. She has to navigate the rules of her new life and uncover the secrets about her family members lost in history. Gwen is funny, approachable, smart and honest. Her adventures teach her the most important lessons of life. She learns that to be strong can look different in different scenarios. She learns that honesty and truth will always make a way for her through a tough situation. Gwen is a definition of feminine heroine for me, the likes of Éowyn was a shieldmaiden of Rohan. It is only fitting that for a Women’s History Month we could take a plunge back into the fictional past to uncover secrets of life with Gwen.

Frida Kahlo and her Animalitos by Monica Brown (Grades 4-6)

One of the most influential artists of the 20th Century, Frida Kahlo is famous for painting images of Mexican culture and the female experience in bold self portraits and vibrant colours. In this charming retelling of Kahlo's life, Monica Brown recounts the stories of the artist's animal companions – two monkeys, a parrot, three dogs, two turkeys, an eagle, a black cat, and a fawn. Brown playfully considers how Kahlo expressed the fun and quirky qualities of each of her pets.

Monica Brown, PhD, is an award winning Peruvian-American author. She is best known for her books Waiting for the Biblioburro, Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match, and the Lola Levine chapter book series. Frida and Her Animalitos was the winner of the New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year 2017, Barnes & Noble Best Book 2017, and the Smithsonian Top Ten Best Children’s Books 2017.

Night Flight by Laura Mucha (Gardes 1-3)

During the WWII Germans were terrified of the Slavic women in the Soviet airforce. Why? Because the all-female military aviators of the 588th Night Bomber Regiment were fearless--they would take their planes high into the sky where no one would hear them, turn off their engines and maneuver silently above the enemy lines, dropping silent bombs and waging war in the middle of the night.They earned the unflattering name Night Witches.
Laura Mucha is a favourite poet of mine. She started not as a writer but as a lawyer and has been helping people navigate the war like times of their lives. She is passionate about justice and children. Her poetry always makes me smile even if I am crying while reading it. Night Flight might not have anything to do with WWII and planes but it reminds me of the fearlessness we need when we take a chance on something that scares us. It reminds me to continue exploring and to dive in, sometimes under the cover of night.

Full Metal Oji-Cree by Joshua Whitehead (grades 10+)

Writer Joshua Whitehead carries many selfs--Canadian, Oji-Cree, two-spirit, poet--all of which weaves together in intricate language experiments that are his poems. Most known for his poetry collection Full-Metal Indigiqueer and novel Jonny Appleseed, Whitehead explores intersectionality through the manipulation, subversion, and annhilation of English lanuage conventions, as seen in a poem from the former collection, "Full Metal Oji-Cree."

From all you can is the best you can by Selina Boan (grades 7 to 9)

Selina Boan is a Nehiyaw (Cree)-white settler living on the traditional and unceded terrories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), səl̓ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-waututh), and sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) peoples. Boan has been a standout in Canadian poetry every since she was shortlisted for the 2016 and 2020 CBC Poetry Prize. She published a series of poems titled "Undoing Hours" in 2021 which went on to win the Pat Lowther Memorial Award for the best book of poetry by a Canadian woman. "Undoing Hours" cover topics such as lose, love, grief and belonging while condisdering how we "undo, inherit, reclaim and (re)learn." Her Poem from “All You Can Do is the Best You Can Do" is about hope in the face of anger, shame, pain and fear.

The Clans by Richard Calmit Adams (grades 4 to 6)

Richard Calmit Adams, a member of the Delaware Tribe, is recognized for his central role in legally representing his tribe as a spokesperson in Washington D.C., conducting legal battles alongside the Cherokee against the Dawes Commission which sought to convince tribes to cede their lands. His literary accomplishments include Tecumseh’s Father and A Delaware Indian Legend and the Story of Their Troubles. His poem The Clans describes how tribes are known for the animals which have significantly assisted them in the past, whether it be taking care of the children or providing for the warriors.

Passive Voice by Laura Da' (grades 1-3)

“Passive Voice” by Laura Da’ uses the grammatical idea of the passive voice to discuss the suffering of an Indigenous village, where the inhabitants are acted upon by violence or conflict. The author, Da’, is both a poet and a teacher, winning awards like the 2016 American Book Award and producing the Tecumseh Motel chapbook and the collection Instruments of True Measure. In her own words, Da’ walks “a parallel path through life as a citizen of many nations,” drawing inspiration from her background as a member of the Eastern Shawnee of Oklahoma, the Seneca, and the Miami.

sturgeon by Kateri Akiwonzie-Damm (grades 10+)

An internationally acclaimed spoken word poet, Kateri Akiwonzie-Damm hails from the Chippewas of Nawash First Nation, Saugeen Ojibway Nation, in Ontario. Kateri's poem sturgeon encompasses the idea of being weary of what one consumes. The bond between wildlife and humanity is ever so present when one takes even the slightest glimpse of a sturgeon's journey from the rainy river to the kitchen table. Kateri masterfully describes the heartbreaking process behind having such a fish on one's plate and reasons why she herself does not eat sturgeon.

Australia's Silenced History by Nola Gregory (grades 7-9)

Nola Gregory is a descendant of the Gija/Bardi peoples of the East and West Kimberly and has been writing poetry since 1995. Her passion for poetry writing is what keeps her going. Nola writes poems that she hopes reach deep down inside the person reading them.

Fatty Legs by Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton (grades 4-6)

"Fatty Legs" follows the powerful story of residential schools. The story follows the experience of Pokiak-Fenton, an eight year old girl who goes to residential school. She begged her parents to go, as it was her dream to learn how to read. However, when she arrives to residential school, it is not what she imagined. This book talks about the terrible and traumatic treatment that she received at the school, specfically from one nun. Pokiak-Fenton describes the experience of having her hair cut, being held in a locked, dark basement, and the humiliation and embarassment of wearing red socks as a punishment for her actions. This story teachers us about the devastating and traumatic reality of the residential school system. In 2010, "Fatty Legs" was named one of the best children's books of the year by the Globe and Mail.

Stolen Words by Madelanie Florance (grades 1-3)

Melanie Florence is an author of Cree and Scottish heritage who writes about the experiences that her grandfather went through at one of Canada's most infamous residential schools. Her relationship with her grandfather sparked her interest in writing about issues affecting Indigenous people. She loves writing books for both children and young adults, and one of her most famous children's books is "Stolen Words". It won The Children's Book Review's Best Picture Books of 2017, Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Award 2018, and many more. This story shows the pain that Indigenous people had to go through when their culture and language was taken away from them and how that agony got passed on to the next generation. This is a sensitive and warm book that is perfect for exploring how the residential school system can separate Indigenous families.

Abecedarian Requiring Further Examination of Anglikan Seraphym Subjugation of a Wild Indian Rezervation by Natalie Diaz (grades 10+)

A Mojave America poet, Natalie Diaz is the author of poetry collections When My Brother was an Aztec and Postcolonial Love Poem, the latter of which won the Pulizer Prize for Poetry in 2021. Diaz's work focuses on the intersection between Indigenous, queer, feminine, and Latina identities, which extends beyond her involveent in literature particularly in Mojave language activism. This poem. "
Abecedarian Requiring Further Examination of Anglikan Seraphym Subjugation of a Wild Indian Rezervation" wittily examines the tensions in enduring colonial patterns in Native American life, and in the English language structures.

Hotel Centrale, Rotterdam by Daniel David Moses (grades 7-9)

Of Delaware descent and a noted playwright and poet, Daniel David Moses has won and been nominated for many literary awards. His poem Hotel Centrale, Rotterdam addresses the many questions of identity Moses faces—who he is, even where he is—becomes of ever such importance falling asleep under an unfamiliar and unwelcoming roof. Moses longs to meet and greet new faces, though saddened by the fact he may not communicate with them as they are not of similar tongue as him. As he drifts off, he ponders of a dream suspended in the blue and frost of dawn.

Remember by Joy Harjo (grades 4- 6)

Joy Harjo was born in 1951 in Tulsa, Oklahoma and part of the Muscogee (Cree) Nations. She is a poet, playwrite, musician and author. She served three temrs as the 23rd poet lauraate of the United States (2019-2022) and in 2023, she won Yale's Bollinger Prize for American Poetry. Harjo delivered the 2021 Windham-Campbell Lecture at Yale. She has also won many other awards. As a poet, Harjo has written ten books, several plays and childrens book, two memoirs and numerous poems, including her newest release a poem for young listeners titled Remember. As a musician, she has produced seven award-winner albums, including I Pray for my Enimies and Winding through the milky way. At 71, Harjo is still writting and composing and is the chancellor of the Academy of American Poets among many of the other roles she has.

Victory by Sherman Alexie (grades 1-3)

The poem “Victory” by Sherman Alexie explores the guilt that the speaker experiences after stealing a pair of basketball shoes. Being too scared to confess, they suffered through the season, only to confess at the end and see his father crying of shame. Alexie is the acclaimed author of many other poems and novels, including The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, which won the 2007 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature and Reservation Blues, which won the 1996 American Book Award. Many of his works are memoirs of his own experiences as a Spokane-Coeur d'Alene Native American.

Hold That Thought! by Bree Galbraith (grades 1-3)

Hold that Thought is a picture book by Bree Galbraith celebrating discovering yourself, and being true to who that is. In it, the non-binary main character Finn has an amazing idea.. but they just can't seem to figure out how to describe it. As they begin to share it with their friends, they discover that not everyone is always receptive to brand new ideas, and finding the confidence to believe in them anyway can take a little work. But, as each kid in Finn's class finds the confidence to share who they really are, their courage-and the result-is inspiring. A book about confidence, creativity, and staying true to yourself.

Bree Galbraith (she/her) is a local Vancouver author, who has written many fantastic picture books about fining ways to make positive change in the community. You may recognize her name from the popular new early chapter book series "Wednesday Wilson," about a fiesty young entrepreneur with two moms. Illustrator of Hold that Thought, Lynn Scurfield (she/they) is a mixed media artist based out of Toronto, Ontario. You can see more of their stunning artwork at http://www.lynnscurfield.com/.

The Lost Pardner by Charles Badger Clark ( grades 4-6)

Badger Clark was an American cowboy and poet, as well as the first laureate of South Dakota for poetry. The Lost Pardner is only one of the many poems that came from of the Old West's primarily queer and BIPOC inhabitants, The Lost Pardner encapsulates the atmosphere on the American Frontier-- one in which marginalized people risked life and limb to live and love freely. Throughout the 19th and 20th Century, puritanical influences on popular culture have tried to erase the existance and impact that queer people have had on the formation of cornerstones of western culture, but surviving art such as this poem exist to prove otherwise. Clark memorializes his relationship and grief in this eulogy to one of his lovers who perished while working in deadly conditions, a lucky one out of the thousand nameless LGBTQ2S+ and BIPOC people who met a similar fate.

Our Work is Everywhere by Syan Rose (grades 7-9)

A decade in the making, Syan Rose’s book Our Work is Everywhere: an Illustrated Oral History of Queer and Trans Resistance is exactly as the name suggests– an ode and undeniable evidence of the mark that queer people have made on history. However, instead of writing about the more well-known accomplishments made by queer people (such as Alan Turing’s Enigma Machine, the pirates of the 16th century who pioneered social equality, and historical figures such as Emperor Ai of Han, Alexander the Great, and the many Two-Spirit spiritual leaders in pre-colonial Anishinaabemowin communities), Syan Rose redefines the word “work” to include the wide range of personal experiences that American queer and trans individuals have had. Swaddled in surrealist imagery, this record touches on themes of family, mental health, disabilities and more. An incredibly empathetic look into the complex lives of Queer and Trans Americans today, Our Work is Everywhere is an expertly crafted visual and verbal portrait of many different faces.

Sarah Rosenblatt, better known as Syan Rose, is an innovative voice in topics such as ancestral history and queer liberation. Rose’s work combines both written and visual language in mediums such as graphic novels, posters, and logo designs.

A Supermarket in California by Allen Ginsberg (grades 10+)

Allen Ginsberg is celebrated as one of the great queer voices of all time in writing. In 1943, while studying at Columbia University, Ginsberg befriended William Burroughs and Jack Kerouac, and the trio later established themselves as pivotal figures in the Beat Movement.