The end of summer means the start of a new year of learning for some of us, but whether you’re dusting off the books as a student, as an educator, or embarking on your own self-dictated learning journey, we’ve got a wide variety of local titles that remind us we don’t have to do our learning alone.
UNIVERSITY LIFE
The Deliberate Doctorate by Leela Viswanathan (UBC Press)
Are you intimidated by the thought of embarking on a PhD? Do you wonder if you can or even should go down that path? Are you in the throes of the journey but have lost sight of why you began in the first place? Author Leela Viswanathan has been there, and in The Deliberate Doctorate, she reflects on the challenges she encountered while pursuing her PhD and offers insights from her experiences as an associate professor and PhD supervisor. Her exercises will help you identify why you want to achieve your degree, what having one will do for you, and how to stay true to your core values throughout the process, all as it offers practical advice on how to network, avoid burnout, and set boundaries.
Concise and insightful, honest and frank, this guide to embarking on a PhD is a must-read not only for current and prospective doctoral students, but also for everyone who assists in the process, personal or professional. By providing actionable paths towards a kinder and more meaningful academic experience, this personalized roadmap to a doctorate “can make the difference between earning a PhD and abandoning one.”
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TL;DR by Joel Heng Hartse (UBC Press)
You’ve just been assigned your very first university paper, but you don’t know how to begin. Or maybe you’re a writing instructor unsure how to help overwhelmed first-year students write their biggest papers beyond a list of concise tips. When students are already dealing with information overload, let alone finding themselves stressed about the mere idea of failing, how can they possibly craft a paper well and get the results they and the educators around them need?
Whether you’re a student feeling stuck or a TA looking for a way to streamline what professors expect their students to write and why, TL;DR distills a wide array of resources into quick, simple chapters to help you with just about everything you need. From creating an outline to citing your sources to getting a handle on good ol’ grammar and sentence structure, TL;DR is here to show you how fun school can be when you don’t have to worry about the details that can fall through the cracks.
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LEARNING THROUGH STORIES
An Owl without a Name by Jenna Greene (Heritage House)
Shakespeare famously wrote, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.” The essence of this message is encapsulated perfectly in this whimsical and endearing middle-grade novel. The nameless owl suffers an abrupt end to his safe and warm world with his owl family when he finds himself injured and lost in the wild. Luckily, he is taken by humans to a rescue centre and so his hero’s journey begins. The owl is afraid that not having a name means he doesn’t have an identity. But he soon learns, through friendship and courage and healing, that identity is what becomes of you in the face of adversity. An Owl Without a Name entertains and inspires.
“In An Owl Without a Name, Jenna Greene finds a unique way to explore the universal question, ‘Who am I?’ by giving the task to a young, curious owl, injured and misplaced, but surrounded by wise council. An intimate quest for knowledge that young readers can relate to.”—Dan Bar-el, award-winning author of The Very, Very Far North series
Available October 3!
My Sister’s Girlfriend by Gail Marlene Schwartz and Lucie Gagnon (Rebel Mountain Press)
This middle grade book by Gail Marlene Schwartz and Lucie Gagnon finds 11-year-old Talia struggling with the arrival of her sister Jade’s girlfriend, Emily. Intended to be an introduction for young readers who might be encountering the nuances of sexual identity and coming out for the first time, Talia’s journey is nonetheless an all-ages story of embracing those that our loved ones love—and how love shared across chosen families only means there’s more, never less, to go around.
Described by What’s in it for ME? author LS Stone as “a heartwarming story to help children understand the coming-out process of those they love,” My Sister’s Girlfriend is as much a story about a family member coming out as it is about a young girl opening up and learning to share a loved one with others.
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EXPLORING THE WORLD
Kimiko Murakami: A Japanese-Canadian Pioneer by Haley Healey, illustrated by Kimiko Fraser (Heritage House)
This picture book introduces young readers to the inspiring real life story of Kimiko Murakami, a Japanese-Canadian pioneer and internment camp survivor whose life embodied the spirit of ganbaru: a Japanese word that means to keep going and never give up no matter what’s thrown your way. Beautiful illustrations by Kimiko Fraser follow Kimiko from her time as one of 22,000 Japanese Canadians sent to live in internment camps and robbed of basic rights and freedoms during the Second World War. Kimiko Murakami: A Japanese-Canadian Pioneer is as much a truthful look at Kimiko’s reality as it is an accessible celebration of her courage and the legacy of her achievements.
The clear, informative and inspiring narrative is a gentle entry point for a young audience to learn of the unjust treatment of Japanese-Canadians during the Second World War, making this picture book a worthy addition to any school library and an invaluable title, complete with its own study guide, for any educators looking to inspire further reading and interest in a dark chapter of Canada’s history.
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Time to Wonder: Volume 1: A Kid’s Guide to BC’s Regional Museums: Thompson-Okanagan, Kootenay, and Cariboo-Chilcotin by Sue Harper and S. Lesley Buxton (Rocky Mountain Books)
In the first volume of the Time to Wonder series, young readers can be a time traveller, an anthropologist, an archeologist, an artist, an explorer—or everything at once! A Kid’s Guide to BC’s Regional Museums: Thompson-Okanagan, Kootenay, and Cariboo-Chilcotin introduces children to the magic and wonder of museums, where the world at your fingertips is limited only by the bounds of one’s imagination.
The books in the Time to Wonder series give adventurous families a backstage pass to a multitude of regional museums throughout British Columbia, offering a behind the scenes look with the help of colour photographs, regional maps, activity ideas, historical information, and interviews with a team of amazing experts who specialize in a variety of regions in BC.
Whether you’re an experienced museumgoer, a teacher looking to take your students on their first museum field trip, or just curious about something new, this is a guidebook you’ll be returning to time and time again.
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FIRST TIME STUDENTS
West Coast ABCs by Jocey Asnong (Rocky Mountain Books)
Kids can go on an exciting journey through the vibrant world of coastal British Columbia, all while learning their ABCs! In this book by Jocey Asnong, our littlest readers can climb trees with cool cougars in Cathedral Grove, swoosh down groomed hills at Grouse Mountain, soar through rainforests like mischievous ravens, and discover a treasure trove of marine mammals, ocean dwellers, and rainforest animals along the way.
West Coast ABCs showcases the incredible diversity of this unique region in a way that’s playful, engaging, and—of course—endlessly educational.
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