New ebooks From Canadian Indies
Description
Nominated for the Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children Award and the TD Children's Literature Award
As the new school year unfolds, the magic of the Skye brothers' antic adventures is replaced by a different kind of magic — of stillness, when Owen visits the haunted house in the dead of winter, and of insight, as he begins to see his father in a new light. Owen is growing up, but happily for readers, he never loses his most endearing qualities — his sweet vulnerability, his impulsive courage, and his imagination as big as the sky.
The Secret Life of Owen Skye was a smash hit with readers, reviewers and award juries. In After Sylvia, Alan Cumyn has produced a captivating sequel that captures perfectly the bewilderment and joy of being a kid. A funny, poignant, magical book that will delight a broad range of readers.
Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels
- Age:
- 8 to 11
- Grade:
- 3 to 6
- Reading age:
- 8 to 11
Awards
- Long-listed, OLA Red Maple Award
- Short-listed, CLA Book of the Year for Children Award
- Long-listed, TD Canadian Children's Literature Award
- Commended, CCBC Our Choice (starred selection)
- Short-listed, Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Award
Editorial Reviews
[An} inspiring first-person narrative of self-sacrifice and human resilience. A riveting, thoughtful coming-of-age tale.
— Today's Parent
...a delicious mixture of hilarity and tenderness...[Alan Cumyn's] great achievement...is to give readers not just compulsively readable narratives, but a hero - in fact, an entire cast of characters - that is instantly recognizable yet startlingly fresh and new.
— Globe and Mail
Cumyn writes like a combination of Beverly Cleary and Robert Frost, alert to the depth of child emotion and with an undercurrent of plain-spoken wisdom and kindness.
— Quill & Quire
Alan Cumyn hits a high note in his portrayal of Owen. His language and style are confident, replete with a wonderful sense of humour that must come with being a big kid himself.
— Books in Canada
It's rare to get a novel of such boy appeal that's also funny, wise and literary, simultaneously slapstick and deeply perceptive.
— Toronto Star
