My Uncle Joe

Uncle Joe got fired at work He said because his boss is a jerk Uncle Joe has allegations Mom and dad have reservations Uncle Joe is staying here Uncle Joe might offer you beer Careful not to take a sip Roofies are what he might slip Uncle Joe likes having baths Uncle Joe might touch your ass Keep your distance from his hands Even when he makes demands When in doubt you can just say no And never bathe with Uncle Joe

The family is a thing of many parts - a complicated puzzle made of brothers, sisters, mums, dads, uncles, friends, grandparents. Sooner or later all of us get lost in the maze of kinship, trying to understand who is a great-uncle and a stepfather, who's married to whom, what in-laws are, and why someone who's only just been born can immediately becomes uncle or nephew to someone. The protagonist of this hilarious book, together with his father, ventures to climb his own genealogical tree, happily finding his own place as a part of this big, lively, crowded universe.

Serial killer Joe Kondro details his life and crimes, informing the author "Even as a kid, before I had actually murdered anyone, I did wonder how far I could take my sexual desires and increasing fantasies that included killing. Look what I have taken. I took a whole community's children."

Oriana Atkinson, a novelist and journalist of the WWII era, expounds on her short but hilarious time in Moscow in 1945-46. It is with her unassuming, but definitely humorous writing that she describes the complexity of life in the Communist state of Stalin, proving even those use to the scarcity from can be bonded to life, family and love.

FINALIST FOR TWO 2021 CANADIAN CHILDREN'S BOOK AWARDS This fictional coming-of-age story traces a young girl’s reluctant journey by canoe through the ancestral lands of the Tłı̨chǫ People, as she gradually comes to understand and appreciate their culture and the significance of their fight for self-government. "Journal of a Travelling Girl deserves to be in every northern classroom. There is so much to learn here, and there is so much to celebrate." —Richard Van Camp, Tłįchǫ author of The Lesser Blessed and Moccasin Square Gardens Eleven-year-old Julia has lived in Wekweètì, NWT, since she was five. Although the people of Wekweètì have always treated her as one of their own, Julia sometimes feels like an outsider, disconnected from the traditions and ancestral roots that are so central to the local culture. When Julia sets off on the canoe trip she is happy her best friends, Layla and Alice, will also be there. However, the trip is nothing like she expected. She is afraid of falling off the boat, of bears, and of storms. Layla’s grandparents (who Julia calls Grandma and Grandpa) put her to work but won’t let her paddle the canoe. While on land Julia would rather goof around with her friends than do chores. Gradually, Grandma and Grandpa show her how to survive on the land and pull her own weight, and share their traditional stories with her. Julia learns to gather wood, cook, clean, and paddle the canoe, becoming more mature and responsible each day. The journey ends at Behchoko, where the historic Tłı̨chǫ Agreement of 2005 is signed, and the Tłı̨chǫ People celebrate their hard-won right to self-government. Julia is there to witness history. Inspired by true events, this story was written at the request of John B. Zoe, Chief Negotiator of the Tłı̨chǫ Agreement, as a way of teaching the Tłı̨chǫ youth about that landmark achievement. Journal of a Travelling Girl has been read and endorsed by several Wekweètì community members and Elders. The book will appeal to both Indigenous and non-Indigenous children for its relatable themes of family, loss, coming-of-age, and the struggle to connect with tradition and culture.