By Yolanda T. Marshall

Unbroken

Written by Angela Sterritt, a Canadian award-winning journalist, writer, and artist.

“In her brilliant debut, Sterritt shares her memoir alongside investigative reporting into cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada, showing how colonialism and racism led to a society where Sterritt struggled to survive as a young person, and where the lives of Indigenous women and girls are ignored and devalued.” – Greystones Books, May 2023.

And the Walls Came Down

Written by Denise Da Costa, a Canadian author and visual artist of Jamaican heritage.

“Back in the low-income neighbourhood where she was raised, a young woman rediscovers the importance of community, home, and finding one’s voice. Just before the demolition of her childhood home in east Toronto, Delia Ellis returns to retrieve her beloved diary. Using it as a compass, she rediscovers life as a precocious teen growing up in the nineties.” – Dundurn Press, June 2023.

When It All Syncs Up

Written by Maya Ameyaw, a Toronto-based YA author and a community arts writing instructor.

“Ballet is Aisha’s life. So when she’s denied yet another lead at her elite academy because she doesn’t “look” the part, she knows something must change–the constant discrimination is harming her mental health.” – Annick Press, June 2023.

The Melancholy of Summer

Written by Louisa Onomé, a Toronto-based Nigerian Canadian author of books such as Like Home and Twice as Perfect.

“Summer and her parents are on the run, each in their own way. Under investigation for fraud, Summer’s mother and father have left town without a word, leaving a stunned seventeen-year-old Summer behind. When Summer is discovered to be living alone, without a guardian or a permanent residence, for a whole year, she is sent to live with a cousin who seems to have it all—wealth, talent, charm, and the thing Summer craves most of all: freedom.” – HarperCollins, May 2023.

Sandy Toes: A Summer Adventure

Written by Shauntay Grant a Canadian poet, playwright, and an award-winning author of several picture books including Africville. This book is illustrated by Candice Bradley.

“Follow along as a young boy spends the day at the beach with his family… this book is an ode to celebrating summer’s wonders big and small.” – Harry N. Abrams, April 2023.

My Grandmother Said, Art Is Everywhere