40 Days In Hicksville By: Christina Kilbourne

Genre: Realistic Fiction/Mystery

Age Recommendation: Grade 7/8

"40 Days In Hicksville" is a Red Maple 2025 nominee.  This story is told from the perspectives of 15-year-olds, Kate and Zach. Kate has just moved to the small town of Clarendon with her mom. They are going to try living in the home her mom inherited from her parents.  Kate is a city girl and is not keen on this.  Zach has lived all his life in Clarendon and can't quite believe his luck when he and Kate form a friendship.  Shortly into their meeting, Kate convinces Zach to go on a late-night exploration of some caves where the pair find two skeletons.  This leads to the opening of a cold case from long ago involving the disappearance of Kate's uncle and his friend.  This is an entertaining mystery, that will keep the reader turning the pages as Zach and Kate uncover more details about the cold case.  I recommend this book to fans of mystery and realistic fiction.

Why We Play With Fire By: Giselle Vriesen

Genre: Fantasy
Age Recommendation: Grade 7/8

"Why We Play With Fire" is a Red Maple 2025 nominee.  This is the story of Thea, who thought she was a regular girl living a regular life until she got swept up in a magical world.  Thea finds out she is a god spring, meaning her mother was a god and that Thea has powers she never knew she had. Thea is thrown into this world unexpectedly and must quickly adapt as she goes on a time-sensitive and dangerous quest with other god spring.  This is a well-written novel and will be of great interest to fans of Rick Riordan. This is not a genre I typically enjoy, so I found myself struggling to finish the book, but can see that it would be popular with many readers.  

Tig By: Heather Smith

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Recommendation: Grade 7/8

 "Tig" is a 2025 Red Maple nominee.  This is the story of 11-year-old Beth, whose nickname is Tig. Tig has been through a lot in her 11 years.  Her dad passed away when she was too young to remember and her mom isn't very motherly.  Tig still loves her mom, but things get so bad that Tig is placed in the care of her uncle Scott and his partner, Manny.  Tig is not pleased with this and doesn't hide the fact.  Even with her rude and disruptive behaviour, uncle Scott and Manny continue to show her kindness and caring.  Can they break down Tig's wall and provide her with the family she deserves?  Read this incredible story to find out!

Ghost Girl By: Brooke Carter

Genre: Fiction - Ghost Story
Age Recommendation: Grades 3-5

"Ghost Girl" is a Silver Birch Express 2025 nominee.  This is the story of Sly's first visit to their grandma Madsen's house.  Grandma lives in a big, old house known as Madness Mansion.  Grandma herself is a fortune teller and believes in all things mysterious and supernatural.  Shortly after arriving, Sly hears someone calling their name.  Sly investigates and ends up in a race against time trying to free a ghost girl and grandma Madsen from an enchanted mirror. This is an entertaining, quick read with just a bit of mystery and supernatural.  I recommend this book to fans of Goosebumps or Haunted Canada.  It's a great Halloween read!

Bertie Stewart Is Perfectly Imperfect By: Melanie Mosher

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Recommendation: Grade 4+

"Bertie Stewart Is Perfectly Imperfect" is a Silver Birch 2025 nominee.  This is the story of Bertie who is in grade 6.  Bertie is a very relatable character. She navigates home life, friendships, and the little voice in her head. Unfortunately, the little voice in her head has a lot of doubts and negativity making it difficult for Bertie to cope at times.  Things become especially difficult for Bertie when her teacher assigns the class a public speaking assignment.  This combined with her grandma moving, thinking her stepmother doesn't like her, and problems with her best friend, bring things to a bit of a boiling point.  Fortunately, it turns out that Bertie has more people looking out for her than she thought.  I highly recommend this book to fans of realistic fiction.  You may even learn some techniques for coping with your own stresses.

Scarewaves By: Trevor Henderson

Genre:  Fiction - Horror
Age Recommendation: Grade 5+

"Scarewaves" is a Silver Birch 2025 nominee.  This is the story of the small town of Beacon Point where people, especially children, go missing regularly and strange creatures are often seen.  The book includes chapters about the supernatural experiences of some of the residents and the mysterious radio show transcripts of Alan Graves.  These chapters help the reader to better understand the experiences of newcomer, Mary, and the group of kids she meets and who work together to end the mysterious happenings of Beacon Point.  This is not a book that I would typically select, but it is a real page-turner and I think it will be enjoyed by fans of the "Haunted Canada" series.  

Hopeless In Hope By: Wanda John-Kehewin

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Recommendation: Grade 7/8

"Hopeless In Hope" is a Red Maple 2025 nominee.  This is the story of Neveah who is in grade 9 and lives with her nohkum, younger brother, and alcoholic mother in a run-down house in a small town called Hope.  Neveah's life isn't easy, but with the love of her nohkum and little brother, she manages to get by.  Unfortunately, Neveah's already challenging life becomes much more difficult when she returns from school to find that nohkum fell, broke her hip, and is in the hospital.  This is a gripping story with very mature topics including alcoholism, abuse, residential school trauma, poverty, foster care, and group homes.  There are a few instances of strong language.  This is also a story of hope, family bonds, and self-growth.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it to mature readers.