Getting the last word

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This article was published 29/08/2025 (310 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Free Press Summer Reading Challenge for Kids is winding down for another year, but before this story comes to a close, we have one more batch of reviews written by our young readers to share.

The reading challenge kicked off in June and offered curated book lists for kids aged 7 to 9, 10 to 12 and 13 to 15, all compiled by McNally Robinson Booksellers. Throughout the summer, those registered for the challenge have received reading guides and activities, as well as instructions on what information to provide in their review(s) — including a handy star-rating guide — should they want to submit one to be published in the paper.

And submit they did; the first set of reviews was published July 26, and this second batch contains even more reviews than the first. Thank you to all the reading challenge participants who shared their thoughts on the books they read this summer; your honesty and critical analysis made for some truly great reviews.

Messy Perfect

By Tanya Boteju

HarperCollins, 400 pages, $25

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Messy Perfect by Tanya Boteju is a great read! I love that Cassie (the main character) is learning more about herself as we do too.

In this book Cassie creates an underground Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) club — with some new friends “just” for her friend Ben, who was bullied and she didn’t do anything to stop it, let alone make it any better. As she is trying to repair her friendship, Cassie starts to have feelings that are not accepted in her religion.

In my opinion the best part of the whole book is when Cassie and Halle (one of her new friends) create their first pop-up in Cassie’s school. As for parts I didn’t like, it’s that the religion Cassie practices and was born into doesn’t accept queer people. It is a real-world issue that people have to hide who they are, for various reasons. The author does a great job of showing how Cassie feels because of these problems.

Overall, I feel like Messy Perfect was an excellent book and I will FOR SURE be reading it again! I hope everyone gets the chance to read it!

★★★★ out of 5 stars

—Lianne Beirnes, age 12

 

Mystery at The Biltmore

By Colleen Nelson

Pajama Press, 136 pages, $23

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I liked the ending of this book because it became more exciting. The beginning and middle of the book got long and made it boring sometimes. The last few chapters had twists and turns and made me want to finish the book to find out who the thief was!

I found out this is a series and maybe I’ll read those too. Also I really like the built-in bookmark so I could put down the bookmark in my copy.

★★★ out of 5 stars

—Tannen J., age 9

 

We enjoyed how Elodie and Oscar would never give up, even though they ran into dead ends along the way. We also liked how Miss Rosa encouraged Elodie, who found an unusual culprit. The best part was learning about Daniela the stunt woman!

★★★★★ out of 5 stars

—Erin Pyles-Mindell, age 9, and Sam Pyles-Mindell, age 7

 

The Queen’s Spade

By Sarah Raughley

HarperCollins, 416 pages, $25

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The Queen’s Spade is an imaginative dive into historical fiction that perfectly showcases the rights and wrongs of society in the 1800s, a perfect blend between fiction and reality.

The protagonist of the story, Sarah, is thrust into British society when she’s “rescued” and taken away from her home in Africa. Her name is taken from her, and her dignity is cast aside as she is humiliated by her so-called saviours. Now she’s coming for revenge, for both her stolen identity and her fallen friend Ade, though for every box Sarah ticks off her list another dangerous foe emerges to stop her.

I enjoyed reading The Queen’s Spade and the historical connections made in it, as well as the attention to detail throughout the story. The only critique I found is that it took me a while to really get into the story and understand the characters in it. I give The Queen’s Spade a solid 5/5.

★★★★★ out of 5 stars

—Amy, age 14

 

The Kodiaks: Home Ice Advantage

By David A. Robertson

Portage & Main Press, 200 pages, $13

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I would give this book four stars. I liked this book because it made me think differently about racism. The book shows readers that you can accidentally hurt someone without meaning to, so it’s important to be careful with your words and actions. The book also shows that it’s hard to be new because it can be awkward when you don’t know anybody.

I liked that the characters used words that kids use nowadays; for example, “no cap.” I would recommend The Kodiaks to kids and adults.

★★★★ out of 5 stars

—Jacob Burbano McFee, age 11

 

I would give this book 2.75 stars. This book wasn’t my favourite.

For me personally, I am not a hockey kid whatsoever. I’m more into basketball and soccer, so I didn’t really connect with the story because so much focus was on hockey. However, I liked how it mentioned Winnipeg places, and it was interesting to read a book with an Indigenous narrator. I also liked how the story showed realistic situations, such as racism towards certain groups of people. I learned that it’s possible to say something mean without intending for it to be bad, but other people might find it hurtful.

I would recommend this book to people who enjoy hockey stories and enjoy drama books.

★★3/4 out of 5 stars

—Sammy Burbano McFee, age 13

 

The Ghosts of Bitterfly Bay

By Mary Averling

Penguin Random House, 224 pages, $25

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The Ghosts of Bitterfly Bay by Mary Averling is good! Maudie, with her friend Kit and brother Scratch, haunt a cabin on Bitterfly Bay, but when the Edevane family came, they don’t get scared easily so it was harder to haunt them.

There were great characters, ghosts and humans, but Kit was my favourite. He was great at haunting and playing tricks. Maudie was awesome at storytelling. I liked how Maudie kept Howl, a plastic owl, in her pocket and squeezed him when she was scared. I also liked the story within the story, the real story, what’s happening with Maudie, and what’s happening with the people staying at Bitterfly Bay.

I think the story teaches you that you should face your fears, even if what is coming next is harder. It wasn’t really scary, but some parts were creepy. I give it a five-star rating.

★★★★★ out of 5 stars

— Stephanie Boon, age 10

 

The book was interesting and I liked how in the end, Maudie, Scratch and Kit turned back into humans.

There was a part that was surprising when Longfingers was playing tricks on Maudie. They live on Ponderosa Island in Bitterfly Bay in Mayflower Cottage.

★★★★★ out of 5 stars

— Natalie Neufeld, age 8

 

No Purchase Necessary

By Maria Marianayagam

HarperCollins, 256 pages, $18

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I really liked the book No Purchase Necessary by Maria Marianayagam.

I liked how Ajay accidentally stole a million dollars in a candy bar and then he had to sort it all out.

It is a great book!

★★★★ out of 5 stars

— Oliver Lowes, age 10

 

Zombie Apocalypse Running Club

By Carrie Mac

Random House, 304 pages, $27

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I would give this book four stars. I found that this book was a very interesting topic and kind of on a similar theme as The Maze Runner.

I think this book is for an older audience because of the language and descriptions. I like the character development and the team bonding in this story. It was a fun book to read.

★★★★ out of 5 stars

— Sammy Burbano McFee, age 13

 

I give this book four stars. I would recommend it to people who are allowed to read books with strong language, because there are a lot of swears scattered throughout it. I like that there’s always room for something to go wrong so it keeps you reading. I also like that the book is focused on kids rather than adults.

Overall, Zombie Apocalypse Running Club was a really good book.

★★★★ out of 5 stars

— Jacob Burbano McFee, age 11