17 works of Canadian YA fiction coming out in fall 2020

Here are theworks of Canadian YA fictioncoming out this season we can't wait to read.

Salvation by Caryn Lix

In Salvation, the third and final book in the Sanctuary trilogy, protagonist Kenzie and her friends fear their luck may have run out when they are trapped on a strange new planet. After encountering alien attacks and bounty hunters, Kenzie must use her newly-acquired superpowers to solve a dark mystery and save Earth from destruction.

Salvationis for ages 14and up.

When you can read it:Aug. 4, 2020

Caryn Lix is a YA fantasy writer based in Alberta. She is the author of the Sanctuary sci-fi YA series, which includes the booksSanctuaryandContainment.

Facing the Sun by Janice Lynn Mather

Facing the Sun is a coming-of-age story set in the Bahamas. It's about four young girls Eve, Faith, KeeKee and Nia and the choices they are forced to make one fateful summer. When a hotel developer makes a move to buy the community's beloved beach, all four teens are faced with life decisions that might change them forever.

Facing the Sunis for ages 14and up.

When you can read it:Aug. 11, 2020

• Janice Lynn Mather's new novel was 15 years in the making

Janice Lynn Matherwas born and raised in Nassau, Bahamas. She is now a novelist and short story writer based in Vancouver. She holds aBFA andMFAfrom the University of BritishColumbia. In 2018, she released her debut novelLearning to Breathe. The book wasa finalist for the2018 Governor General's Literary Award for young people's literature text.

The Girl of Hawthorn and Glassby Adan Jerreat-Poole

The Girl of Hawthorn and Glassdepicts a fantasy world of witches and the assassins they created to hunt down ghosts in the human world. A group of renegades are in an ongoing battle to capture the Heart of the Coven. Eli is a teenage girl and trained assassin taught to kill with her seven living blades. Eli starts to question all she was taught about her world and the human world, when an assignment goes awry.

The Girl of Hawthorn and Glassis for ages 15 and up.

When you can read it: Sept.12, 2020

Adan Jerreat-Poole is a writer and a PhD candidate in English and cultural studies at McMaster University. They live inKingston, Ont.

Confessions of a Teenage Drag King by Markus Harwood-Jones

Set in Toronto, Confessions of a Teenage Drag King takes a colourful and lighthearted look at gender, sexual orientation and identity. Lauren is a 17-year-old LGBTQ teen who breathlessly maintains two public personas alternating between being a drag king and an unassuming high school student as they look for love and romance in the city.

Confessions of a Teenage Drag Kingis for ages 13and up.

When you can read it:Sept. 15, 2020

• Why chosen family can be a lifesaver for LGBTQ people over the holidays

MarkusHarwood-Jones is a writer, artist and filmmaker based in Toronto. His other teen romances includeWe Three,Just JulianandRomeo for Real.

Dreaming in Color by Melanie Florence

In Dreaming in Color, 14-year-old Jen is an Indigenous teenwho dreams of being an artist. Jen shares her Cree mother's brown skin, while her brother takes after their lighter-skinned Irish father and grapples with feelings of not fitting in. When Jen is accepted into a prestigious arts high school, she faces anti-Indigenous racism and has to make the choice to stand up and prove she belongs.

Dreaming in Coloris for ages 12and up.

When you can read it: Sept. 22, 2020

• How Melanie Florence turned the stories of missing and murdered Indigenous women into a children's book

Melanie Florenceis a writer of Cree and Scottish heritage based in Toronto.Her books include the YA novelsJust Lucky, The Missing, He Who Dreams, Rez RunawayandOne Night,the picture booksMissing NimmandStolen Wordsand the nonfiction bookRighting Canada's Wrongs: Residential Schools.

Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen: Peril at Owl Park by Marthe Jocelyn

Inspired by the life and work of Agatha Christie, Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen: Peril at Owl Park is the second book in the Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen series. The latest book sees budding detective Aggie Morton and her friend Hector put to the test once again as they find adventure and a new mystery. The duo must use their skills and imaginations to work to find a murderer on the loose during the Christmas holiday season.

Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen: Peril at Owl Parkis for ages 10 and up.

When you can read it: Sept. 22, 2020

Marthe Jocelyn is a Toronto-based writerandillustrator. She is the author of over 20 children's books, includingThe Invisible EnemyandMayfly.She was nominated for a Governor General's Literary Award for young people's literature illustrationfor her 2000 picture bookHannah's Collections.

Isabelle Follathis an illustrator from Switzerland.

Barry Squires, Full Tilt by Heather T. Smith

Set in St. John's during the 90s,Barry Squires, Full Tilt is about a 12-year-old boy and his dreams to become a dancer. When a dance troupe performs a thrilling set at the new bingo hall in town, Finbar (Barry) Squires must convince his parents that, although he has a temper and is a bit rough around the edges, he dreams to dance and that dreams do come true.

Barry Squires, Full Tiltis for ages 12 and up.

When you can read it: Sept. 22, 2020

• How sea glass inspired Heather Smith to write a timeless children's story

Heather T. Smith is a writer fromWaterloo, Ont.Her 2018 novel-in-verseEbb & Flowwas a finalist for theGovernor General's Literary Award for children's literature textandwonthe2019 TD Canadian Children's Literature Award, a $50,000 prize that recognizes the best Canadian children's book of the year.

The Year Shakespeare Ruined My Life by Dani Jansen

InThe Year Shakespeare Ruined My Life, teenager Alison Green desperately wants to be the valedictorian of her school. To accomplish this, she decides to manage the school's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Alison soon finds herself in over her head and a series of events befall the production. The Year Shakespeare Ruined My Life is a lighthearted story of teen love and relationships as Alison tries to ensure that the show goes on without a hitch.

The Year Shakespeare Ruined My Lifeis for ages 12 and up.

When you can read it: Sept. 22, 2020

Dani Jansen is a writer and teacher from Montreal.The Year Shakespeare Ruined My Lifeis her first book.

Heart Sister by Michael F. Stewart

Heart Sister is an emotional story about a boy named Emmitt whose world is turned upside down when his twin sister Minnie dies in an accident. Minnie was an organ donor and when Emmitt gets an anonymous thank you letter from one of the transplant recipients, he embarks on a journey to track down each organ recipient in order to prove to himself and his family that his late sister will forever live on.But Emmitt is forced to deal with his emotions when the girl who received his sister's heart refuses to meet him.

Heart Sisteris for ages 12 and up.

When you can read it: Sept. 22, 2020

Michael F. Stewartis a YA author, screenwriter and video game writer from Ottawa. His other books includeThe Boy Who Swallows FliesandRay Vs. the Meaning of Life.

The Greats by Deborah Ellis

Set on the streets of Georgetown, Guyana,The Greats is a fable-like story about Jomon.Despite just winning a national high-school geography competition, Jomon is still angry and desperate with his lot in life, as he's from a family with limited means. When events lead Jomon to be sentenced to a youth detention facility, elements of magical realism occur as the spectre of long-lost family and a giant rodent appear to help him deal with his thoughts of ending his life.

The Greatsis for ages 12 and up.

When you can read it: Sept. 29, 2020

• Deborah Ellis on what she would be if she wasn't a writer

Deborah Ellis is a Canadian writer of several children's books, includingThe Breadwinner. Herother books include the children's short story collectionSitand the nonfiction bookKids of Kabul. She is a member of the Order of Canada.

The Girl Who Was Convinced Beyond All Reason That She Could Fly by Sybil Lamb

In this YA illustrated novel, a homeless girl named Eggs has the power to fly. In a gritty unnamed city, Eggs flits across city rooftops, encounters a wild cast of characters and must navigate her own survival when a neighbourhood bully targets her for revenge. The Girl Who Was Convinced Beyond All Reason That She Could Fly is an otherworldly look at the power of hope and resilience.

The Girl Who Was Convinced Beyond All Reason That She Could Flyis for ages 14and up.

When you can read it: Oct. 1, 2020

Sybil Lamb is a Canadian trans author and artist. She is the author of the 2014 YA novelI've Got a Time Bomb.

I Hope You're Listening by Tom Ryan

I Hope You're Listening is a YA novel that tackles true crime podcast culture. Delia "Dee" Skinner is currently 17 years old, but will always be known as the girl who wasn't taken when her best friend Sibby was abducted a decade ago. Wracked with guilt, Dee transforms herself into the Seeker, the faceless voice of a true crime podcast calledRadio Silent about solving missing person cases. But when a girl goes missing, Dee must be willing to reveal her own identity to ensure the girl is safely found.

I Hope You're Listeningis for ages 14and up.

When you can read it: Oct. 6, 2020

Tom Ryan is the author of several books for young readers. He spends his time living between Ontario and Nova Scotia.

How I Survivedby Serapio Ittusardjuat, illustrated by Matthew K. Hoddy

InHow I Survived, Serapio Ittusardjuat shares the traditional skills he depended on to survive when his snowmobile broke down halfway across the sea ice on a trip home from a fishing camp. The illustrated story is a first-person account of four nights spent on open sea ice in the harsh Arctic climate, with few supplies and no water.

How I Survivedis for ages 12 and up.

When you can read it:Oct. 6, 2020

Ittusardjuat is a residential school survivor, a certified journeyman mechanic andcomes from a long line of walrus hunters.

Matthew K. Hoddy is an illustrator and comic book author from Australia who currently lives in Toronto.

Charming as a Verb by Ben Philippe

Charming as a Verb is a YA novel about Henri "Halti" Haltiwanger, a teen with swagger who is convinced he can charm just about anyone.As one of the most popular kids in his prestigious high school and as the operator of a highly successful dog walking business Henri has it made and his dream of attending his dream college awaits. But when Henri meets Corinne Troy, a girl who sees right through his charms and exposes his less-than-ethical business practices, it becomes a battle of wits with potential love looming on the horizon.

Charming as a Verb is for ages 12and up.

When you can read it: Oct. 13, 2020

• Why Ben Philippe wrote a YA novel about being a black French Canadian kid in Texas

Ben Philippeis a writer who was raised in Montreal and currently lives in New York. He published his debut novelThe Field Guide to the North American Teenagerin 2019.He hascontributed to publications like Vanity Fair, the Guardian and Playboy. CBC Books named Philippea writer to watch in 2019.

Underland by Colleen Nelson & Nancy Chappell-Pollack

Underland is asequel to the 2018 YA novel Pulse Point. The books followa 12-year old named Ama and a band of humans named Underlanders who live underneath the City. The world of Underland is a dark and dangerous place and the Underlanders battle hunger, sickness and violence as they seek out the energy source known as brine.A group known as the Resistance must band together and defy the odds to uncover the secrets of the City and determine the future fate of the world.

Underlandis for ages 12and up.

When you can read it: Oct. 23, 2020

Colleen Nelson is a YA author based in Winnipeg. Her other books includePulse Point,Spin,Blood BrothersandFinding Hope.

Nancy Chappell-Pollackis a Winnipeg-based writer.

From the Roots Upby Tasha Spillett-Sumner, illustrated by Natasha Donovan

From the Roots Upisthe sequel toSurviving the Cityandcontinues the stories of characters Dez and Miikwan.Dez is grieving the death of his grandmother and with nowhere else to go, she stays in a group home. All while also navigating a new relationship and learning to embrace her Two-Spirit identity. Meanwhile, Miikwan has a crush on the school's new kid Riel, but doesn't understand what Dez is going through. Elder Linda is doing her best to be supportive, but finds it challenging when the gendered protocols she grew up with are put into question.

From the Roots Upis for ages 12 and up.

When you can read it:Oct.27, 2020

Tasha Spillett-Sumner is an educator, poet and scholar of Nehiyaw and Trinidadian descent. She is also the author of graphic novelSurviving the City.

Natasha Donovanis a Vancouver-based illustrator whose work has appeared inThe Other SideandThis Place: 150 Years Retold.

Magic Dark and Strange by Kelly Powell

Magic Dark and Strange is a historical fantasy YA novel about a girl named Catherine Daly who has the ability to summon the dead. This magical gift comes with a price: Catherine loses an hour of her life for every hour a ghost remains in the land of the living. Catherine and an accomplice named Guy go on a mission to collect a mysterious timepiece and discover the magical connection between life and death.

Magic Dark and Strangeis for ages 12and up.

When you can read it: Oct. 27, 2020

Kelly Powell is a Ontario-based author whowrites fantasy for teens and young adults.