The Hackmatack Children’s Choice Book Award is a literary program designed for young readers in Atlantic Canada. Each year, thousands of children in grades four to six (aged nine to twelve) read from the selection of outstanding Canadian books and vote for their favourites. The winners of the Hackmatack Award in each category are announced at the final award ceremony in May.

The Diamond Mistake Mystery by Sylvia McNicoll and Mya’s Strategy to Save the World by Tanya Lloyd Kyi have been nominated in the English Fiction category!

About The Diamond Mistake Mystery:

Dogwalker Stephen Noble has been recruited to walk his five-year-old reading buddy, Pearl Lebel, to and from school while her mother is away and her father is ill. He’s sure that this will be easier than walking canine clients Ping and Pong — until Pearl locks herself in the house, runs away from home, and loses her family’s rare pink diamond ring.

Sylvia McNicoll is the author of over thirty novels. Bringing up Beauty, her guide dog story, won the Silver Birch Award, launching her to international success. Sylvia lives in Burlington, Ontario.

About Mya’s Strategy to Save the World:

Mya Parsons runs her school’s social justice club with her best friend, Cleo. Her lifelong desire is to work for the United Nations and change the world, and then bask in all the ensuing adulation. Her more immediate desire is to get a phone, preferably one like Cleo’s, with a leopard-print case to match. When her distracted dad and her long-distance mom (temporarily in Myanmar taking care of Mya’s grandmother) both say no, no way, and possibly never, Mya launches a campaign to prove herself reliable and deserving. She advertises her babysitting services, takes on more responsibility around the house, and attempts to supervise her sister’s skateboarding lessons. Her efforts leave her ego bruised and the kitchen slightly scorched. She’s no closer to touch-screen victory, let alone the Nobel Peace Prize she deserves. But all that changes after an accident leaves Mya to take charge–an experience which helps her realize how much she’s grown, with or without access to proper communications.

Tanya Lloyd Kyi has worked as a typesetter, graphic designer and photo editor before pursing writing full-time. She is the author of many non-fiction titles, including This is Your Brain on Stereotypes. Her published novels for young readers include Anywhere but Here, The Prince of Pot, Mya’s Strategy to Save the World, and Me and Banksy.

Amazing Hockey Stories: P.K. Subban by Lorna Schultz Nicholson, illustrated by D A Bishop, and Beastly Puzzles by Rachel Poliquin, illustrated by Byron Eggenschwiler, have been nominated in the English Nonfiction category!

About Amazing Hockey Stories: P.K. Subban:

An exciting, behind-the scenes look at P.K. Subban – a superstar both on and off the ice!

From his earliest days, P.K. (short for Pernell-Karl) has been a force! He comes from a family dedicated to hard work and fun; a family not afraid to take chances. Amazing Hockey Stories traces his journey, from his time as an Atom to his time on Team Canada, when he won Olympic gold, and then all the way to the NHL and his exciting Stanley Cup runs with the Predators.

Lorna Schultz Nicholson grew up in St. Catharines, Ontario, where she played defence on the St. Catharines girls all-star hockey team (Go Jaycee Jets!) and was a member of the Canadian National Rowing Team. She is the respected author of many middle-grade and YA novels, the Puckster picture book series and several non-fiction books about hockey. Lorna lives in Edmonton, Alberta with her family.

About Beastly Puzzles:

This book asks children: If you’re given a list of features and characteristics, can you guess which animal they make? This might seem easy enough. But solving the puzzles in this book is deviously, outrageously, almost impossibly tricky! Though the thirteen animals included are easily recognizable — such as polar bear, snail, ostrich, pufferfish — the clues are unexpected. Once readers make a guess (or if they get stumped!), they can open the gatefold to reveal the animal, with each clue explained and lots of additional fascinating facts.

Rachel Poliquin is a writer and curator with a background in visual arts, cultural history and natural history. She is the author of Beastly Puzzles and the Superpower Field Guide series. Rachel lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.

All four authors are represented by Amy Tompkins.

To see the full list of nominees, please visit: https://hackmatack.ca/downloads/shortlists/2020-21HackmatackShortlistEn.pdf

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