CTV Your Morning featured three books by Transatlantic authors: PING by Ani Castillo, THE AGONY OF BUN O’KEEFE by Heather Smith, and THE UNLIKELY HERO OF ROOM 13B by Teresa Toten! To watch the segment, please visit: https://www.ctv.ca/Your-Morning?jwsource=cl
About PING:
Using an imaginative visual metaphor to bring to life how we send out (ping!) and receive (pong!) communications, Ani Castillo’s words and pictures will empower and inspire anyone who has experienced the fear of sharing themselves with the world. With an artful, accessible package, an eloquent message, and a lot of heart, here is a new classic to bring courage and comfort to humans of all ages. PING was published Fall 2019 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
Ani Castillo is a cartoonist, illustrator, and teacher who was born in Guadalajara, Mexico and now lives in Canada. She is represented by Samantha Haywood and Amy Tompkins.
About THE AGONY OF BUN O’KEEFE:
It’s Newfoundland, 1986. Fourteen-year-old Bun O’Keefe has lived a solitary life in an unsafe, unsanitary house. Her mother is a compulsive hoarder, and Bun has had little contact with the outside world. What she’s learned about life comes from the random books and old VHS tapes that she finds in the boxes and bags her mother brings home. Bun and her mother rarely talk, so when Bun’s mother tells Bun to leave one day, she does. Hitchhiking out of town, Bun ends up on the streets of St. John’s, Newfoundland. Fortunately, the first person she meets is Busker Boy, a street musician who senses her naivety and takes her in. Together they live in a house with an eclectic cast of characters: Chef, a hotel dishwasher with culinary dreams; Cher, a drag queen with a tragic past; Big Eyes, a Catholic school girl desperately trying to reinvent herself; and The Landlord, a man who Bun is told to avoid at all cost. Through her experiences with her new roommates, and their sometimes tragic revelations, Bun learns that the world extends beyond the walls of her mother’s house and discovers the joy of being part of a new family — a family of friends who care.
Heather Smith is originally from Newfoundland, and now lives in Waterloo, Ontario, with her husband and three children. Her east coast roots inspire much of her writing. The Agony of Bun O’Keefe won the White Pine Award and the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Award. She is represented by Amy Tompkins.
About THE UNLIKELY HERO OF ROOM 13B:
When Adam meets Robyn at a support group for kids coping with obsessive-compulsive disorder, he is drawn to her almost before he can take a breath. He’s determined to protect and defend her–to play Batman to her Robyn–whatever the cost. But when you’re fourteen and the everyday problems of dealing with divorced parents and step-siblings are supplemented by the challenges of OCD, it’s hard to imagine yourself falling in love. How can you have a “normal” relationship when your life is so fraught with problems? And that’s not even to mention the small matter of those threatening letters Adam’s mother has started to receive . . .
Teresa Toten is the author of the acclaimed Blondes series, as well as The Game, The Onlyhouse and, with Eric Walters, The Taming. She has twice been shortlisted for the Governor General’s Literary Award for Children’s Text and has won or been nominated for numerous other awards, including the OLA White Pine Award, the Ruth Schwartz Award, and the IODE Violet Downey Book Award. Although she was born in Zagreb, Croatia, Teresa left for Canada on that very same day. She now lives in Toronto and is represented by Samantha Haywood.