18 Canadian books you should be reading in June

CBC

2 days ago

A new month means new books! Here are some of the most anticipated Canadian titles for June 2025.
In Too Deep by Matthew Bobkin and Adam Feibel
In Too Deep features exclusive interviews and personal stories from nine Canadian artists, looking at how Canada unexpectedly became the birthplace of a new wave of punk rock icons like Simple Plan, Marianas Trench, Avril Lavigne and Billy Talent, who went on to conquer the global music scene.
In Too Deep is available on June 3, 2025.
Matthew Bobkin and Adam Feibel are Toronto-based music journalists. Their work has been featured in Exclaim!, Bandcamp, VICE, the National Post and the Toronto Star. In Too Deep is their debut book.
Steve, a Rare Egg by Kelly Collier
In Steve, a Rare Egg, while snacking on leftover party cake, Steve stumbles upon a mysterious, smooth, oval-shaped object. He's convinced it's an egg—though no one has ever seen a red egg before. Clearly, it must be a super rare thingamabob egg! Determined to take care of it until its parents are found, Steve puts his egg-care knowledge to the test. What could possibly go wrong?
Steve, a Rare Egg is for ages 6-9.
Steve, a Rare Egg is available on June 3, 2025.
Kelly Collier is a Toronto artist and illustrator. She is the author-illustrator of A Horse Named Steve and Team Steve, and the illustrator of numerous books including Sloth and Squirrel in a Pickle, Izzy's Tail of Trouble and How to Party Like a Snail.
My Friend May by Julie Flett
A little girl and her cat are at the heart of Julie Flett's heartwarming new picture book, My Friend May. Margaux adores her cat May and is distraught when one day May doesn't return home. At the same time Margaux's nitôsis (the Cree word for auntie) is moving away to the city. While Margaux is missing both May and nitôsis, she doesn't realize that May has a surprise in store for her. My Friend May also includes a glossary of Cree words that are featured in the story and a pronunciation guide.
My Friend May is for ages 4 to 8.
My Friend May is available on June 3, 2025.
Flett is a Cree–Métis author and illustrator. She has won two Governor General's Literary Awards, the American Indian Library Association Award and the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award. Her other books include We All Play, When We Were Alone and Let's Go.
Soul Machine by Jordana Globerman
Chloe and her sister craft souls by hand in an old countryside house, using a rare material called breth. But when their supply runs out, the powerful MCorp tries to force them into mass-producing synthetic souls. Determined to find a real breth source, Chloe ventures into the big city, hoping to modernize their business — despite her sister Lacey's resistance.
As Chloe searches for untainted breth, she uncovers buried family secrets and starts questioning everything she thought she knew about trust, reality and the nature of souls.
Soul Machine is for ages 12 and above.
Soul Machine is available on June 3, 2025
Jordana Globerman is an illustrator and comic book writer based in Ottawa. Soul Machine is her debut novel.
Annapurna's Bount y by Veena Gokhale
Delight your tastebuds and imagination in Annapurna's Bounty, a collection of Indian legends where food plays different roles in the lives of a diverse cast of characters — from kings and commoners to witches, goddesses, gurus, bandits, refugees and travelers. Each story is also paired with a vegetarian recipe from the four corners of India.
Annapurna's Bounty, is available on June 3, 2025.
Veena Gokhale is a Montreal-based author. Her previous works include the fiction books Bombay Wali and Other Stories and Land for Fatimah. She has also worked in journalism, teaching, literary curation and the non-profit sector.
Best of All Worlds by Kenneth Oppel
In Best of All Worlds Xavier Oaks begrudgingly goes on a trip to the cabin in the woods with his dad and his pregnant stepmom, Nia. One morning they wake up to discover the cabin is not in the same place it was yesterday and they are trapped in some sort of dome. After three years of still being stuck, another family is also transported to the dome and the two groups must work together to find a way out and a way home.
Best of All Worlds is available on June 3, 2025.
Kenneth Oppel is the bestselling author of many books for young readers. Among them is the Silverwing trilogy that has sold over a million copies worldwide and has been adapted into an animated TV series and stage play in addition to this new graphic novel. Some of his other works include Airborn, Skybreaker, The Nest, Half Brother and Ghostlight. He is currently based in Toronto.
Bob the Boo-Boo by Mélina Schoenborn, illustrated by Sandra Dumais
In the charming and humorous new picture book, Bob the Boo-Boo, we are introduced to Bob, a boo-boo who is looking for a new home. When he spots a boy with a scrape on his knee he knows he's found the perfect spot. Bob and the boy have a wonderful time together, but as the boy's knee begins to heal, Bob starts to get smaller. Bob and his new friend grapple with what this means and if they will ever be reunited again.
Bob the Boo-Boo is for ages 3 to 7.
Bob the Boo-Boo is available on June 3, 2025
Mélina Schoenborn is a children's book author and a ceramic artist. Her previous book is Squirrels! This is Not a Book about Dinosaurs. Schoenborn lives in Montreal.
Sandra Dumais is a Montreal-based children's book author and illustrator. Her previous books include the Farm Crimes! series and illustrating Oliva Wrapped in Vines and The Fossil Whisperer.
Meet Me on Love Street by Farah Heron
Sana Merali believes in happily ever afters, she was basically raised to, having grown up on Love Street. Meet Me on Love Street centres a neighbourhood brimming with life. Warm, inviting homes and small businesses like that of Sana's mother, the florist, or the vintage shop where Sana works.
When new developments that will gentrify the neighbourhood come knocking, Sana rallies everyone to create a festival and save Love Street. But when notorious anti-romantic Mile Desai joins the planning committee, Sana finds herself with two missions: save the street and matchmake Miles out of his cynical stance on love.
Meet Me on Love Street is available on June 10, 2025.
Farah Heron is a writer from Toronto. She is also the author of the romantic comedies The Chai Factor, Accidentally Engaged, Kamila Knows Best and the YA novel Tahira in Bloom.
In More or Less, a picture book that celebrates how less can be more — a young boy inspires his family and friends to donate items, to live sustainably and to get rid of their clutter. The community then comes together for a swap party.
More or Less is available on June 10, 2025.
Alison Hughes is a writer from Edmonton. She has written over 20 books for children and young adults, including Fly, Life Expectancy, What Inspires and Hit the Ground Running, which was a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award for young people's literature — text. Her writing has been shortlisted for the Writers' Union Short Prose Competition for Developing Writers, longlisted for the 2011 CBC Short Story Prize and shortlisted for the 2021 CBC Nonfiction Prize.
Oge Mora has written and illustrated numerous books for children. She lives in Providence, Rhode Island.
Rag Pickers by Blaine Newton
Rag Pickers is a story collection that explores the nature of feeling lonely and isolated. The 18 stories feature themes of death, mystery and humour while offering insights into the human condition.
Rag Pickers is available on June 15, 2025.
Blaine Newton is an Edmonton-based award-winning playwright, comedy writer, short-fiction author, actor and occasional engineer. His plays have been produced across western Canada and his short fiction has been featured in magazines and anthologies, and on CBC and CKUA radio. Rag Pickers is his debut short story collection.
Born by Heather Birrell
In Born, a pregnant high school teacher is trapped in a classroom during a lockdown caused by a troubled student with a knife, while relying on her students for support as she unexpectedly goes into labour. The novel explores the complexities of the school system, motherhood and the student-teacher relationship.
Born is available on June 17, 2025.
Heather Birrell is the author of the Gerald Lampert award-winning poetry collection Float and Scurry, and two story collections, Mad Hope and I know you are but what am I? She has also won the Journey Prize and been shortlisted for both the Western and National Magazine Awards. Her work has appeared in numerous Canadian literary journals. She lives in Toronto. In 2022, Birrell was longlisted for the CBC Poetry Prize.
Not the Same Road Out edited by K.J. Denny
Not the Same Road Out is a story collection set along the many roads and byways of the Trans Canada Trail, stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific to the Arctic oceans. The book features a story for every province and territory; the tales within include moments of mystery, horror and melodrama alongside themes of estrangement, engagement and isolation.
Not the Same Road Out is available on June 17, 2025.
K.J. Denny is a journalist and editor with more than 30 years of experience in Asia, North America and the United Kingdom. She is currently an independent creative consultant. Denny formerly worked in magazine and book publishing.
The Road to Goderich by Linda McQuaig
In 1830s rural Scotland, 15-year-old Callandra in The Road to Goderich is forced to marry a wealthy clergyman, Norbert Scott, only to find herself trapped in a cold and cruel marriage. As they move to the remote town of Goderich in Upper Canada, she finds some solace in the town's warmth but soon faces a web of lies and sparks of rebellion that threaten her fragile happiness.
The Road to Goderich is available on June 17, 2025.
Linda McQuaig is an award-winning journalist based in Toronto and the author of eight nonfiction books. The Road to Goderich is her debut novel.
The Sensus Communis, Synesthesia, and the Soul by Eric McLuhan
In The Sensus Communis, Synesthesia, and the Soul, the son of media theorist Marshall McLuhan explores faith as a form of knowing, contrasting the embodied experience of ancient poetry and drama with the disembodied nature of modern electronic communication. By examining synesthesia, sensus communis and the theological senses, Eric McLuhan explores how faith, perception and contemporary life intersect.
The Sensus Communis, Synesthesia, and the Soul is available on June 17, 2025.
Eric McLuhan was a communications and literary theorist and the author of 18 books. His previous works include Cynic Satire, The Human Equation series (co-authored with Wayne Constantineau) and Theories of Communication. He also co-authored a number of books and essays with his father, Marshall McLuhan, including Media and Formal Cause and Laws of Media: The New Science.
Anne of the Island & Anne of Windy Poplars by Lucy Maud Montgomery
The third and fourth books in the beloved Anne of Green Gables series are now available in a single combined edition.
In Anne of the Island, Anne attends Redmond College in the city, where she begins her writing career but is also met with an unwanted marriage proposal and the reappearance of Gilbert Blythe.
In Anne of Windy Poplars, Anne embarks on a new career as the principal of Summerside High, but she faces opposition from a well-known family in the neighborhood — can she overcome their disdain towards her?
Anne of the Island & Anne of Windy Poplars is available on June 17, 2025.
Born in Prince Edward Island in 1874, Lucy Maud Montgomery started writing poetry and keeping a journal from the age of nine. She wrote her first and most famous novel, Anne of Green Gables, in 1905. She is the author of 21 novels, more than five hundred stories and poems, numerous essays and articles and several volumes of journals and letters.
Enjoy Your Stay at the Shamrock Motel by Andrew Kaufman
The Shamrock Motel can't be reached with directions — you can only get there if you're lost in your heart and soul. In Enjoy Your Stay at the Shamrock Motel, a collection of connected stories share how a stay at the mysterious motel leads to transformative, and wild experiences.
Enjoy Your Stay at the Shamrock Motel is available on June 24, 2025.
Andrew Kaufman is a writer from Ontario. His previous works include the novel All My Friends Are Superheroes which won the Relit Award, was nominated for the Leacock Medal for Humour and listed among the best books of the year by The Globe and Mail.
The Devil Wears Rothko by Barry Avrich
The Devil Wears Rothko is a nonfiction work that explores the real-life tale of the Knoedler Gallery, one of New York's oldest and most prestigious art galleries. The gallery served as the setting for a massive art fraud scandal around the turn of the century. The book casts a light on a $80 million forgery ring involving expertly crafted counterfeits claimed to be the works of Robert Motherwell, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko and others.
The Devil Wears Rothko is available on June 24, 2025.
Barry Avrich is a Canadian documentary filmmaker and producer. His work includes producing and directing Made You Look, Born Hungry, Prosecuting Evil, Blurred Lines and David Foster: Off The Record. He is also the author of the book Moguls, Monsters and Madmen.
A Treachery of Swans by A. B. Poranek
Inspired by the classic story of Swan Lake, A Treachery of Swans is a queer fantasy YA novel about two rivals who were once childhood friends. Hundreds of years ago, magic was taken away from Auréal and 17-year-old Odile is bent on restoring it. Sent by her sorcerer father to steal the king's crown, Odile must pretend to be a noblewoman as she assumes the identity of none other than the regal Marie d'Odette, her former friend, and turns Marie into a swan. In a twist of events, the king is killed and Odile must ally herself with the girl she cursed, ultimately torn between family loyalty and her feelings for Marie brimming to the surface.
A Treachery of Swans is available on June 24, 2025.
A. B. Poranek is a Canadian Polish writer with a focus on YA fantasy. She also has a veterinary degree from the Warsaw University of Life Sciences. Her other works include Where the Dark Stands Still.