Huron County is celebrating the holidays this winter with some of our favourite new books suitable for readers of all ages. From Christmas, Hanukkah, Diwali, Kwanzaa, Lunar New Year and beyond, there’s something for everyone to enjoy this season. A staff-curated list of recent releases can be found on our online catalogue. 

Cookbook: The Elf on the Shelf Family Cookbook: 50 Elftastic Recipes, Plus Playful Elf Ideas, Games, Activities, and More! by Chanda A. Bell

A full-colour Christmas book filled with fun Elf-ish activities and recipes that will help inspire even the youngest bakers in the family. The perfect book to draw inspiration on how to start new traditions and get the whole family involved this holiday season.

Place a hold online…

Mystery: The Mistletoe Mystery: A Maid Novella by Nita Prose

Written by best-selling Canadian author, Nita Prose, this sweet cozy mystery holiday novella features beloved Molly Gray as she celebrates her first Christmas without her Gran, reminiscing on past traditions and making new ones with her boyfriend, Juan Manuel. At the same time Molly finds herself solving another murder that takes place during a deadly Secret Santa gift exchange at the Regency Grand Hotel.

Place a hold online…

Historical Fiction: Christmas with the Queen by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb

The Crown meets When Harry Met Sally and Bridget Jones’s Diary, in this latest heartwarming historical fiction novel from best-selling author duo, Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb. Told from multiple perspectives, including the young Queen Victoria II, this story begins in 1952 during the Queen’s first Christmas as Monarch where single, unwed mother, Olive Carter is assigned to spend the holidays and report on the Queen’s first Christmas Day radio broadcast. While at Sandringham, Olive runs into her first love, Jack, working as a cook for the Queen and over the next few years we follow their will-they-won’t they romance. This is a highly recommended uplifting, second chance love story rich in historical detail that is sure to delight fans of the British Royals.

Place a hold online…

Romance: Three Holidays and a Wedding by Uzma Jalaluddin and Marissa Stapley

Co-written by two best-selling Canadian authors, this cozy holiday Hallmark style romance sees two seatmates stranded in a small Canadian town over Ramadan, Hanukkah and Christmas where they find love in unexpected places. Filled with many diverse winter traditions, characters and customs, this heartwarming story celebrates love in all forms and the many ways people in Canada celebrate the holidays.

Place a hold online…

Young Adult Fiction: Sleepless in Dubai by Sajni Patel

Nikki, an aspiring photographer, thinks she is embarking on a trip of a lifetime to Dubai to celebrate Diwali, until she finds out Yash, the boy-next-door with whom she has a rocky history, is also taking part. This heartfelt YA Diwali romcom by best-selling author Sajni Patel is perfect for fans of Canadian author, Sonya Lalli’s Holly Jolly Diwali.

Place a hold online…

Young Adult Fiction: Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang; illustrated by LeUyen Pham

A heartfelt YA graphic novel featuring Val, a Vietnamese American teen girl whose family is cursed in love but when she meets a cute pair of lion dancers at a Lunar New Year festival, Val is determined to find a way to break the curse. Beautifully illustrated, this book explores the art of Lion dancing and intergenerational trauma in an accessible but fantastical way.

Place a hold online…

Juvenile Non-Fiction: We Celebrate the Light by Jane Yolen & Heidi Stemple; illustrated by Jieting Chen

Diwali, Solstice, Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, Bodhi Day, and Lunar New Year are visually depicted in turn, accompanying a stunning, read-aloud text that speaks of the traditions that link them all together. Beloved author Jane Yolen and daughter, author Heidi Stemple, have crafted a loving and poignant story with true reverence for our shared traditions of celebrating light, love, food, and family. An empowering, informative, and inclusive holiday book for families of all traditions.

Place a hold online…

Juvenile Fiction: Let it Glow by Joanne Levy and Marissa Meyer

Co-written with Marissa Meyer, best-selling local author, Joanne Levy’s latest middle grade story is told in alternating voices, featuring twelve-year-old identical twin sisters adopted into separate families who switch places to experience the other’s holiday traditions.

Place a hold online…

Picture Book: My Kwanzaa Wish by Yolanda T. Marshall ; illustrated by Jamie Ellis Pasquale

Written by award winning Guyanese-born Canadian author, Yolanda T. Marshall, this lyrical children’s book celebrates the core principles of the Kwanzaa holiday with warmth, positivity and upliftment and includes educational information and a delicious fruit drink recipe.

Place a hold online…

Board Book: Happy All-idays by Cindy Jin; illustrated by Rob Sayegh Jr.

Whether it’s putting up the Christmas tree, lighting the menorah, or getting ready for Kwanzaa, this story proves that the holiday season is a special time for everyone and a great way to learn about different winter holidays and send cheer to everyone you know!

Place a hold online…

The Huron County Library is pleased to announce that users of Bibliocommons, our online catalogue, now have three new language options to choose from when using this platform. In addition to English, patrons can now select French, Spanish and simplified Chinese when browsing our collection online.

How to modify language options: 

To temporarily change the language options for the current browsing session only, patrons can use the drop down menu found in the upper left corner.

To set a language as the default language, patrons must log into their account in Bibliocommons and go into the settings. Under settings, select ‘Display Language’ on the left then select prefered language and save changes.

What’s your favourite planet? Don’t say Pluto! We’ll learn this week that Pluto is a Dwarf planet, not one of the main 8!  

This week’s theme is called “Out of this World!”, and we’re going to focus on our friend Pluto. Did you know Pluto was named by an 11-year-old girl in 1930? It also has a heart-shaped spot on its side! Together we will read Pluto gets the Call by Adam Rex, a story about how Pluto felt when they found out they were no longer a planet. For our craft we will design planet beads to go on bracelets to help us remember the order of the solar system, then play a round or two of space bingo to practice what we have learned so far about space.  

As always, for those who are partying on Pluto and could not make it to our club, we have colouring sheets and a wonderful planet-filled reading suggestion list for you to enjoy! 

My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Noodles! (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune) 🪐 

Nadine and Morgan 

Looking for something new to read over March Break??? We have you covered with this list of amazing new Middle Grade book releases from 2024. These include a number of diverse characters and abilities and are geared towards readers aged 8-12 years. A staff-created list with even more of our recent favorites can be found on our online catalogue.

Local Author: Bird Brain by Joanne Levy

A fun, heartwarming and important middle grade book written by an award-winning Huron County author about the importance of standing up to bullies and the power of believing in the unknown. In this story we get to know Arden, a Jewish, science loving girl who dreams of having a pet of her own. Unfortunately for her the pet she gets isn’t the one she was expecting. When her Uncle Eli goes on a six month trip, Arden is tasked with helping care for his African Grey Parrot, Ludwig. Highly recommended for anyone experiencing bullying of their own, struggling with anxiety or anyone who just wants to learn more cool facts about birds!

Place a hold online…

Autism representation: Maya Plays the Part by Calyssa Erb

A fantastic #ownvoices middle grade debut by a Canadian author featuring Maya, a theatre-loving autistic girl who struggles with controlling her emotions and being a good friend. This story revolves around Maya’s time at a summer theatre camp where she makes new friends, experiences disappointments and learns there’s more to theatre than being the star of the show. 

Place a hold online…

Autism Representation: Paige Not Found by Jen Wilde

An #ownvoices autism adventure story that examines consent and privacy in a way that books have not had to before this generation where everything is online.

Place a hold online…

Disability/Chronic Illness representation: Dancing in the Storm by Amie Darnell Specht and Shannon Hitchcock

In the tradition of Out of My Mind and Rules, and inspired by the co-author’s own life, this is a heartfelt, candid, and illuminating story of a girl learning to live fully with a rare genetic disorder: Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva. This book has great disability rep and explores so many relatable aspects of coming to terms with living with a condition that affects mobility and can get progressively worse as well as the ways it affects other family members too.

Place a hold online…

Disability/Chronic Illness representation: Gut Reaction by Kirby Larson and Quinn Wyatt

A heartfelt #ownvoices story that explores what living with a chronic illness (Crohn’s disease) is like. Tess Medina loves to bake but as she prepares to enter the Jubilee Flour Junior Baker West Coast competition, the pain in her stomach gets worse and worse, and, soon, she finds that she’s avoiding so many foods that she’s barely eating. When the physical pain becomes too great, Tess will be forced to confront everything she has been trying so desperately to hide.

Place a hold online…

Activism: Free Period by Ali Terese

A fabulous middle grade debut about best friends, Gracie and Helen and their big-hearted yet misguided antics trying to spearhead a period equity campaign at their school only to come up against obstacle after obstacle. Recommended for fans of books like Judy Blume’s Are you there God? It’s me, Margaret.

Place a hold online…

Novel in Verse: Deep Water by Jamie Sumner

An impactful, gripping middle grade novel in verse from acclaimed author Jamie Sumner that spans one girl’s marathon swim over 12 miles and six hours, calling her mom back home with every stroke.

Place a hold online…

LGBTQ2S+: Just Shy of Ordinary by A.J. Sass

In this heartfelt novel about family, friendship, and identity perfect for fans of The List of Things That Will Not Change and Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World, a 13-year-old non-binary kid discovers that life doesn’t always go according to plan—especially when they start public school for the first time.

Place a hold online…

LGBTQ2S+: Winnie Nash is Not Your Sunshine by Nicole Melleby

In this powerful new novel by award-winning author Nicole Melleby, gay 12-year-old Winnie Nash is forced to live with her grandma for the summer and finds herself torn between hiding her sexuality and the joy of celebrating Pride.

Place a hold online…

BIPOC Books: Drawing Deena by Hena Khan

From the award-winning author of Amina’s Voice and Amina’s Song comes a tender-hearted middle grade novel about a young Pakistani American artist determined to manage her anxiety and forge her own creative path.

Place a hold online…

BIPOC books: Finally Heard by Kelly Yang

From the bestselling author of Front Desk comes the sequel to Finally Seen in which Lina struggles to separate fact from fiction on social media. As Lina descends deeper and deeper into social media, it will take all her strength to break free from the likes and find the courage to be her authentic self in this fast-paced world.

Place a hold online…

BIPOC books: Salma Joins the Team by Danny Ramadan

Salma dreams of becoming a champion swimmer like her hero, Olympian Yusra Mardini. So when she signs up for her school’s swim club, it feels like her dreams could come true . . . until mean comments from older girls at the pool and women at her mosque spark body image and self-esteem issues. Salma receives criticism from her community over her wearing a traditional swimsuit that reveals her body (something against her cultural norm). But with the help of her close friends and family―the team that always has her back―Salma is ready to claim her place in the pool will still staying true to her Syrian culture and identity and Muslim religious traditions.

Place a hold online…

Calling all crafters! Love crafting and seeing others enjoy what you make? Join the Huron County Library Spring Craft Swap where you will be partnered with another crafter in Huron County! Make your partner a custom craft while they do the same for you! All crafting mediums are welcome – knitting, crocheting, sewing, candle making, pottery, scrapbooking, needlefelting, etc. The sky is the limit!

AGES: This program is open to crafters of all ages! Adult crafters will be partnered with a fellow adult crafter, and children will be partnered with children.

GUIDELINES: We ask that you craft TWO small items or ONE medium sized item.

• Medium = A scarf, a wallet, a set of notecards (4), a reusable shopping bag
• Small = A piece of jewelry, a bookmark, a washcloth, a facemask, a small candle

Please note that a library staff person will be in touch with you March 23 to 27 to assign your partner. You will have the entire month of April to craft. Please drop your completed craft off to your local Huron County Library branch between April 25-May 2 (or earlier). You will receive a notification from library staff when the craft from your partner is ready for pickup at your local branch. Watch for email reminders along the way so you don’t miss any of the deadlines listed below. Please ensure that crafts do not exceed the size of a standard tote box (28” x 17” x 15″).

*Should a partner not complete a craft, an alternate partner will be arranged. Should multiple partners not complete a craft, individuals may be paired with one another. Pre-completed crafts will be used in reassignments (no need to make an entirely new craft!).

IMPORTANT DATES:

Registration: March 1-22
Partner Assigned: March 23-27
Crafting: March 27-April 24
Craft Due: April 25-May 2

REGISTRATION: Huron County Library Spring Craft Swap | Huron County Connects (connectedcountyofhuron.ca)