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Recommended Reads – YMM Parent – Issue 5

‘Tis the season for crunchy leaves, crisp air, pumpkin spice, and curling up with a good book.

Here are a few reads to get the whole family in the mood for fall – some cozy, some cute, and some spooky. Check out these titles and more at Wood Buffalo Regional Library in the Suncor Community Leisure Centre.

Children & Middle Grade

Fall Leaves

By Liesbet Slegers

Introduce your youngest reader to the autumn season with this boldly illustrated board book of a crisp fall day! Whether observing squirrels gathering nuts, dodging falling leaves, or splashing in puddles, babies will delight in the vivid images while they learn about the world around them.

Little Frog and the Scary Autumn Thing

By Jane Yolen

It’s Little Frog’s first autumn and she does not like it one bit. She no longer sees the green world she loves so much, and the thunderous autumn storms are too noisy! But with some encouragement, Mama Frog is able to help her see the positive moments of autumn.

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The Maple Festival

By Poppy Green

This novel for older children is packed full of that charming autumn feeling. It’s fall, and that means it’s time for the annual maple festival! Sophie’s mother has a stand where they’re selling baked goods, but she notices that no one is stopping by. Can she use some quick thinking to draw customers in?

Small Spaces

By Katherine Arden

Ollie finds herself distracted by the pain of her mother’s absence, so she turns to books for comfort and begins an after-school habit of reading them by her favourite swimming hole. But one day Ollie comes across a deranged woman who is attempting to throw a book, Small Spaces, in the water. She manages to steal the book away from the woman but is given a haunting warning as she flees: “Avoid large places at night, keep to small.” Ollie quickly finds herself wrapped up in the book’s story about the Smiling Man, but it’s just a story…right? This creepy, middle grade horror about grief, friendship, and ghosts has realistic and relatable characters that will make you want to pick up the sequel, Dead Voices.

Young Adult & Adult

Dark and Shallow Lies

By Ginny Meyers Sain

Magic and mystery collide in this eerie, southern gothic tale for teens. Elora and Grey live in a small Louisiana town near the bayou called La Cachette. The two were best friends who were inseparable but six months ago Elora vanished. Unlike her community, Grey can’t believe that Elora just ran away and the reoccurring nightmares she has of Elora struggling to save her life convince her that something sinister happened. Grey does some digging and begins to find that everyone in La Cachette has a secret and they don’t want them uncovered.

Pumpkinheads: A Graphic Novel

By Rainbow Rowell

Two friends, Deja and Josiah, only see each other at their seasonal pumpkin patch job. This is their last year as they are both seniors, so the two decide to go out with a bang. Instead of moping around the pumpkin patch, they abandon their post and go on an adventure in search of a girl that Josiah has had a crush on for years.

Adult

Purely Pumpkin: More Than 100 Seasonal Recipes to Share, Savor, and Warm Your Kitchen

By Allison Day

In her new cookbook, Purely Pumpkin, Allison Day, brings the cozy warmth of pumpkin into our homes with a seasonal recipe set and earthy food photography. This recipe book has multiple pumpkin spice latte variations, a whole chapter on pumpkin desserts, and wholesome meals for the entire family. This book is the perfect lead into fall, but the recipes will have you craving pumpkin all year!

The Haunted Forest Tour

By James A. Moore

For some, autumn equals horror! So, if you prefer your fall season to be full scares and a bit of humour, then look no further. The Haunted Forest Tours began when the woods (literally) sprung up from the earth and a local businessman saw his chance to make a profit. Tourists are welcomed to sit back in a heavily armed, but comfortable, tram to see the many horrifying creatures packed into the dense woods. There are ghosts, giant spiders, werewolves, and any horrific monster that you can imagine—all with different hunger levels. For four years the tram has gone around the perimeter of the circle, but this Halloween they’re selling special tickets for a trip down the middle of the forest, safety 100% guaranteed. This horror is part creature feature, part Jurassic Park and all Halloween fun!

Death by Pumpkin Spice

By Alex Erickson

In this cozy mystery a bookstore café owner, Krissy, stumbles upon a crime scene while at a party with Pine Hills wealthiest on Halloween night. A woman is found strangled to death in a room filled with ominous, grinning pumpkins. Now she must assist Officer Dalton in investigating every nook, cranny, and guest for answers. The residents of Pine Hills seem to have a lot of skeletons in their closets, so Krissy must tread lightly…

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Jessie Levesque
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