Loan Stars is the readers’ advisory tool that allows libraries across Canada to indicate popular upcoming titles. Using LibraryData, the library data aggregation service, the forthcoming titles with the most orders become Loan Stars top picks!

The September Loan Stars Junior Canadian top 10 list features ten books that have at least one author, illustrator, translator, or editor (in the case of an edited collection of material) who is a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada.

You can see each book and find out a bit more about them in the list below, or you can download our poster if you want to display it, say in your library or on social media (tag us: @LoanStarsCA!). You can also view these titles on CataList in this catalogue.

September 2024 Junior Canadian List

Loan Stars top pick:

The 39 Clues: One False Note

by Gordon Korman 🍁, Illus. by Hannah Templer

9781339026480 | Comics & Graphic Novels

Description:

Amy and Dan made the choice of a lifetime when they gave up a million dollars in favor of a Clue and joined a competition unlike any the world has ever seen. After barely escaping Paris with their lives, now they're in Vienna to discover the truth about their famous ancestor, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and the long-buried secrets connected to his equally talented but overlooked sister, Nannerl.

But with their enemies closing in, Amy and Dan must decide how much they're willing to risk to find the clues, and who they're willing to betray in the process...

Bounce!

by Robert Munsch 🍁, Illus. by Michael Martchenko 🍁

9781039710030 | Humorous Stories

Description:

Ruth and Barbara are on their way home from school when Ruth falls and scrapes her knee. Luckily an ambulance is driving by, picks and takes them to the hospital.

Once there, the girls are left to wait, and wait . . . and WAIT. They are so bored that they start looking around and notice that the hospital bed has so many BUTTONS. What are they all for??

Barnaby Unboxed!

by Terry Fan 🍁 & Eric Fan 🍁 & Devin Fan 🍁

9781774882436 | Animals

Description:

Meet Barnaby: he’s half mouse and half elephant, with just a dash of flamingo…and fully trained! When he’s brought home to be pampered and cared for by his very own little girl, life is perfect…until a new, even more perfect pet comes on the scene. Suddenly Barnaby is no longer the most perfect pet around, and his little girl doesn’t seem interested in him anymore. Feeling unappreciated, Barnaby runs away and finds himself swept up on a wild journey through the city and an emotional search for home in a tale of love found, lost and found again.

In a poignant follow-up to their award-winning, internationally bestselling picture book The Barnabus Project, The Fan Brothers and their brother Devin Fan have once again crafted a heartfelt and sweetly sensitive story full of adventure, friendship and family that will enchant readers of all ages.

Creature Powers: The Biggest!

by Martin Kratt 🍁 & Chris Kratt

9781984851208 | Media Tie-In

Description:

Chris and Martin Kratt—the Wild Kratts—explore the worlds of big elephants, big whales, and big wolf packs—and more! Fans of the Wild Kratts TV series will learn how animals use their size as an awesome creature power to survive in different environments.

Impossible Creatures

by Katherine Rundell, Illus. by Ashley Mackenzie 🍁

9780593809860 | Fantasy & Magic

Description:

The day that Christopher saved a drowning baby griffin from a hidden lake would change his life forever. It’s the day he learned about the Archipelago—a cluster of unmapped islands where magical creatures of every kind have thrived for thousands of years, until now. And it’s the day he met Mal—a girl on the run, in desperate need of his help.

Mal and Christopher embark on a wild adventure, racing from island to island, searching for someone who can explain why the magic is fading and why magical creatures are suddenly dying. They consult sphinxes, battle kraken, and negotiate with dragons. But the closer they get to the dark truth of what’s happening, the clearer it becomes: no one else can fix this. If the Archipelago is to be saved, Mal and Christopher will have to do it themselves.

Katherine Rundell’s story crackles and roars with energy and delight. It is brought vividly to life with more than 60 illustrations, including a map and a bestiary of magical creatures.

Haunted Canada: Four Terrifying Tales

by Joel A. Sutherland 🍁

9781443196291 | Comics & Graphic Novels

Description:

For over 20 years, kids across Canada have delighted in the spooky stories of the Haunted Canada series! And now, for the first time, four of these tales from award-winning author Joel A. Sutherland have been adapted into chilling graphic novellas and brought together in one terrifying volume. Illustrators David Bishop, Hannah Barrett, Jenn Woodall and Matt Salisbury each bring a different story to ghastly life.

Perfect for those who love graphic novels and existing fans of the original series, these four stories have it all: creepy Canadian settings, hair-raising history and super-scary storytelling. Illustrated in full colour, these blood-curdling tales are sure to keep any reader turning the pages — and awake at night.

Hockey Super Six: The Final Buzzer

by Kevin Sylvester 🍁

9781039702004 | Sports & Recreation

Description:

Meet six kids a lot like you. Except . . . Benny, Jenny, Karl, Starlight, DJ and Mo got zapped in an evil plot gone wrong — and they became the super-est team the world has ever seen. Starlight wakes up in an alternate reality, although she doesn’t realize it right away. She sees kids skating on a secluded pond using ancient equipment. Is she in the past?

The kids are secretly playing hockey because it’s banned for all but the elites. Plebes who might never make the pros are not allowed to play at all. Only select individuals chosen by Dr. Boom — the supreme leader who has taken over Canada — are given the privilege of playing the game.

Starlight must track down the rest of the Super Six so they can defeat Dr. Boom and his horrible minions and restore hockey to its former glory. This is the eighth action-packed, laugh-a-minute book in the Hockey Super Six series.

This Land Is a Lullaby

by Tonya Simpson 🍁, Illus. by Delreé Dumont 🍁

9781459836099 | Bedtime & Dreams

Description:

As daylight fades to dusk and slips into darkness, this gentle lullaby celebrates the sounds of the Prairies and the Plains on a stormy summer's night.

From the hum of dragonflies to the drumming of thunder, with grasses swirling and the northern lights glimmering, This Land Is a Lullaby shares a song and dance—a gift from the ancestors that soothes children to sleep and reminds them of their deeply rooted connections to the land.

Written as a lullaby for the author's daughter and featuring striking pointillism artwork, this lush lullaby of the land honors the beauty of the Prairies and the Plains and the spiritual connection between Indigenous children, ancestors and their Traditional Territories.

Nish: Northern Lights

by Isabelle Picard 🍁

9781039704558 | Diversity & Multicultural

Description:

The second book in Isabelle Picard’s bestselling coming-of-age series about Innu twins, Leon and Eloise. Leon and Eloise are 13-year-old twins from Matimekush, an Innu community in Northern Quebec.

The entire Mckenzie family has moved to Wendake, near Quebec City. Leaving Matimekush, nature, their friends and their school is quite a challenge for Eloise and Leon. Between the adapting to a different world, their desire to make new friends and the need to keep their bond with the old ones, everything goes too fast.

At school, a student bullies Eloise, and she has to deal with this difficult situation. As for Leon, he starts doubting his hockey skills: Is he really talented or was he the best in Matimekush only because the competition simply wasn’t as strong? In the midst of this storm, Leon and Eloise can always count on each other as well as their family and friends.

The Mystery unfolds on every page as we get to see the twins in a different light. What if, ultimately, life in the South isn’t that different from life in the North?

How to Be a Color Wizard

by Jason Logan 🍁

9781536229400 | Science & Nature

Description:

In this book you will find secret recipes, magic formulas, and wild experiments that will delight your friends, intimidate your enemies, and turn you into a color wizard.

What colors might await in a leafy forest, a berry-stained back alley, a seaweedy beach, or even the dark corners of an ordinary fridge? With this book as a guide, curious young wizards can make natural confetti, unlock the hidden color power inside a leaf, and craft a paintbrush wand. They’ll brew magic potions from beets and acorn caps to produce their own colors, from the darkest black to the palest pink to invisible ink, then share their discoveries with friends, family, and the whole color-hungry human race. With whimsy and infectious enthusiasm, master ink maker Jason Logan explains the science of color while presenting “quests,” recipes, and hands-on activities using materials kids can find in their own homes and neighborhoods. Featuring both photographs and the author’s own gorgeous homemade-ink illustrations, How to Be a Color Wizard is an ideal blend of art and science—plus a little bit of magic.

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