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CBC
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBC
Children's book illustrator, immigrant grateful Bathurst library welcomed his family
Social Sharing Artist Hatem Aly moved from the Middle East to northern New Brunswick and says the local library has been a huge support in his new home. Aly illustrated the children's book The Proudest Blue, which was read by a book club at the Grand Manan Public Library. as part of CBC New Brunswick's Books and Backroads partnership with public libraries. Readers in six small communities in rural areas of the province took part in book clubs, discovering books from an array of genres, all with a connection to New Brunswick. Young readers and their parents read the story about two sisters, Asiyah and Faizah. The story is told through the eyes of Faizah, who is proud of her older sister when she wears her hijab for the first time at school. Aly is a New York Times bestselling illustrator of more than 60 books, including a series that includes The Proudest Blue, The Kindest Red and The Boldest White, all written by Ibtihaj Muhammad & S.K. Ali. He moved from Egypt to New Brunswick in 2007 and now lives in Bathurst with his wife and son. He credits the Bathurst Public Library and especially librarian Diane Gauthier as providing the biggest support for him and his famiy in their new home. "Diane has been with us since my son was a baby," he said. "We used to go to storytime and once in a while she had to read one of the books that I illustrated to other kids." The library is also the best place "to see the kids' reactions firsthand," he said. In The Proudest Blue, Asiyah's hijab is blue, and her sister Faizah sees it as beautiful and powerful, like ocean waves, Aly said. Her enthusiasm, however, isn't shared by other students in the story, who make hurtful comments and bully Asiyah for being different. For Aly, the book is about resilience and family and "finding a ground to stand on and being together as a family." Grand Manan book club member Rory Kinghorne said he loved the story. "If you're dealing with a bully, I think it's not a reflection of you, it's a reflection of them." Conversation flowed over every aspect of the book, including the strength of the main characters, and there was a general consensus that people don't need to change to fit in with norms. "It's not right to bully someone for being themself," Sadie Kinghorne said. Aly said Books and Backroads is a great way to "spotlight the places that have small populations," and he was "really excited about" The Proudest Blue being selected this year. "It was like a little gift, a nice little gift to find some interest," he said. He aso apprecitaed the validation that his work "reached other people." Often, he said, "you feel in isolation" because after a work is published, there usually isn't direct interaction with readers or libraries or other places the book is having an impact. Rachel Woodworth, the Grand Manan library manager, said the first word that came to mind when she found out the library was included in this year's Books and Backroads was "thrilled." She said the program means a lot to her because even before working at the library, she was a fan of the series and saw "the partnership between CBC and New Brunswick public libraries is special."
CBC
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Ontario teens Claire Bisch, Leila Djuric win The First Page student writing challenge
Social Sharing Canadian teens Claire Bisch and Leila Djuric have won The First Page student writing challenge for 2025. Students from across the country imagined how current events and trends — from artificial intelligence and climate change to cloning and war — have played out in the year 2175. The 21 finalists and eventual winners were chosen from about 1,000 entries. Bestselling YA author S.K. Ali was this year's The First Page judge. Ali selected the 2025 winners from two shortlists — one from each age category. Claire Bisch, 14, a student at Kitchener-Waterloo Collegiate and Vocational School in Waterloo, Ont., is the winner in the Grades 7 to 9 category for You Will Not Remember. The story is about climate change and government corruption. "In You Will Not Remember, deft, tense writing anchors us quickly in the room with the protagonist, communicating her place in a world we immediately understand," said Ali. "The story presents us with a conflict that will undoubtedly awaken a hero we want to follow into this story promising action, internal growth, and resonant themes for our world." Bisch spoke about what it means to win the contest. "Thank you so much to the CBC for giving this opportunity to young writers. I am truly grateful for being shortlisted and for being chosen as the winner by S.K. Ali. Congratulations to all the other finalists!" she said. The 14-year-old also spoke about how she approached the challenge. "I've been reading a lot of dystopian novels lately and was inspired to write something in the genre for The First Page Contest. My approach was to portray a post-climate-change world where the lead character learns that everything she thought she knew was a lie, but that there's this glimmer of hope in the image of the plants." Djuric, 17, a student at Rosedale Heights School of The Arts in Toronto, is the winner in the Grades 10 to 12 category for Digital Silence. The story is about AI taking over social media. " Digital Silence features beautiful writing — balancing action and elegantly-captured internal processing — gradually stirring questions we want answered," Ali said about the winning entry. "We just know we'll be carried into a story promising sophisticated themes, a sublime storyline and a likeable, [activated] hero." Djuric spoke about what winning this contest means. "I'm so grateful to have my work recognized by a massive media outlet like CBC, it's incredibly validating as a young creator," the teen told CBC Books. The 17-year-old also spoke about her approach to crafting a first page. "I planned out how a full story with my idea would (roughly) go from start to finish. Once I had that in my mind, I was able to work backwards. I wrote the first page with foreshadowing for a larger story that I may never write, but it was a captivating challenge nonetheless." OwlCrate, a monthly book subscription service, and 50 books for each of their school libraries. You can read the shortlisted entries below. Grades 7 to 9 category finalists You Will Not Remember by Claire Bisch, 14, from Waterloo, Ont. The Last Human Athlete by Mehr Chandhok, 14, from Edmonton The City of Numa by Jacob Fallah, 14, from West Vancouver, B.C. Copy 097 by Amy Huang, 14, from Edmonton The Way It Has To Be by Aisling Knight, 14, from Calgary Wilted Reality by Averie Lauren Lee, 13, from Toronto The Glass Cage by Ayo Matuluko, 14, from Halifax The Live Spectacle by Ranti Oyebode, 14, from LaSalle, Ont. My Tree by Eydie Padfield, 15, from Ottawa The Unnatural Creature Extermination Project by Angela Zhang, 12, from Calgary Grades 10 to 12 category finalists Angel or the Devil by Erin Bergman, 18, from Edmonton The Last Free Election by Lara Vicky Coutinho, 16, from Toronto Day of Rebirth by Sophie Ding, 17, from Markham, Ont. Digital Silence by Leila Djuric, 17, from Toronto Loan Shark by Isioma Efobi, 16, from Airdrie, Alta. Our Hidden Life at Camp Tamarack by Laurel Gilchrist, 15, from Edmonton Bring Me a Medic by Alice Kim, 16, London, Ont. The Red Annihilation by Ellie Leung, 15, from Newmarket, Ont. Harbourer of Apollo by Alice Reierson, 15, from Calgary The Lightkeepers of the Mind by Kaylee Selvarajah, 15, from Vaughan, Ont. Toronto by Jessica Yang, 16, from Richmond Hill, Ont.
