Three times my life
Jean-François Sénéchal
The reward cabinet of Jean-François Sénéchal overflows. A two-time finalist for the Governor General’s Awards — an honour he won in 2021 with The avenues —, he was in the running several times for the Prix Jeunesse des libraires, which he finally won with At the crossroadsin addition to numerous other awards and nominations which bear witness to a sensitive, vibrant and committed work. Three times my lifeher new novel, invites us to meet Mathilde who, “at the dawn of adulthood, struggles with anxiety and the feeling of not being enough.” While she is holed up on the fringes of the world in her parents’ suburban home, a report shakes her up and acts like an electroshock that leads her to activism. A world of injustices, intolerance, but also of solidarity and deep humanist convictions shakes her up. But, “can one go through such a condensed existence and come out of it unscathed?” The writer once again tackles sensitive subjects, and we can expect not to come out of this reading unscathed.
Leméac, in bookstores
Vote for Lepire
Dylan Hewitt
A few years ago, The giant giant, of Dylan Hewitt (Like Giants, 2022), addressed with finesse and a certain humor the terror that tyranny sows. While our neighbors to the South seem to be enamored with this subject and the media around the world are making a big deal out of it, for better or for worse, the author and illustrator is back on the charge. His protagonist, Régis Lepire, believes that he should be the leader, supporting his candidacy with an unstoppable logic: “I am always right and I am the best at everything.” Irreverent, but accessible to young children, openly surrealist – a realism of politicking, in short -, the proposal promises to raise a smile and to prepare the ground for perhaps more serious discussions on the questions raised by the various political campaigns to come. And then, let it be said: tyrants are not all in politics. May the “most least worst” win!
Mr. Ed, in bookstores
Operation Night Flower
Text by Laura Doyle Péan illustrated by Maylee Keo
Laura Doyle Peana non-binary poet and activist, is at the heart of many struggles. In addition to a collection of poetry at Mémoire d’encrier (Heart yoyo2020), she has participated in numerous collectives, speaking out to defend feminist and anti-racist causes, the fight for climate justice and the rights of 2SLGBTQIA + people. It is no surprise that her first steps in children’s literature were inspired by “the courage of climate justice activists”. On the advice of her grandmother, Max launches a fight against a company that dumps its waste in her neighborhood. This ecological investigation promises to take us on paths as frightening as they are unexpected, while making us aware of the importance of collective action. Maylee Keo signs the illustrations for this graphic novel, admitting to having drawn inspiration from personalities such as Gloria Steinem, Angela Davis and Greta Thunberg to embody her characters.
Kata, September 23
A morning in my universe
Text by Marjolaine Beauchamp illustrated by Virginie Egger
Marjolaine Beauchamp has won over many audiences, first as a slam poet, notably providing the first part of the tour The existenceby Richard Desjardins. His collections of poetry, depicting “a beautiful ugliness where people are all crooked, all patched up”, have enjoyed resounding success, to which have since been added his columns on Radio-Canada and the writing of two plays. A morning in my universe constitutes his grand entrance into children’s literature, where Olivier, a young protagonist of great sensitivity, invites us into his world: “The first thing that says hello to me is the light.” There are many obstacles on his path as a severely disabled person, but gentleness and beauty knit him a habitable daily life, which is good to be around. A proposition carried by the illustrations of Virginie Eggerwhose inspired work has notably been recognized with a Governor General’s Award. A back-to-school gift!
Boomerang, the 1er october
The Buddy Bussières affair
Text by François Gravel, Martine Latulippe, Alain M. Bergeron and Joanne Mercier, illustrated by Mathilde Filippi
How many authors does it take to write a children’s novel? The answer we were looking for here: four! At least that’s the project of The Buddy Bussières affairwhere four seasoned writers have brought this novel into the world, which takes the form of a humorous investigation. It is the suspicious disappearance of Oscar, “the skeleton of the science room”, which opens the ball of words. “Did he decide to steal from his own bones? Or were his bones stolen? If so, by whom? How? Why?”, so many mysteries that the deputy director of the school, a great lover of detective novels, will try to elucidate. The illustrations will bear the refined, conceptual and inventive signature of Mathilde Filippi. In the last decade, her graphic universe has been deployed on numerous media, and she will reconnect here with the happiness she had in illustrating Flakea tale by Stéphanie Lapointe published in the collection The 1.8 pound book.
The Short Ladder, October 7