Read Niagara
Your City. Your Authors. Your Books.
Read & Give Local with the Niagara Lit List
This holiday season, discover local Niagara authors and stories. Explore the themes, history, and relationships that make us who we are.
Find your next great gift in this selection of exciting local books, all published by independent Ontario publishers.
Children's and Young Adult
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Defy Local author! Darius just wants to save his little sister from an imminent death sentence, but what if he risks exposing her to a horrible natural demise? |
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Until Niagara Falls Local story! Is friendship supposed to feel like walking over the falls? |
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The Rehearsal Club Local author! A mystery spans decades at the Rehearsal Club in this story of sisterhood, friendship and following your dreams under marquee lights. |
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What If I'm Not a Cat? Local author! A sweet, playful story about identity – and what it means to belong.
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The Sound of a Rainbow Local author! Sometimes the challenges we resist the most can give us the strength to transform into the person we want to be.
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On the Line Local author! In a read-aloud perfect for conversations about team stewardship and growth mindset, a boy overshadowed by a family of skilled hockey players finds an innovative way to shine. |
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French Toast Local author! Phoebe—half Jamaican, half French-Canadian—hates her school nickname of “French Toast.” So she is mortified when, out on a walk with her Jamaican grandmother, she hears a classmate shout it out at her. To make things worse, Nan-Ma, who is blind, wants an explanation of the name. |
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Bad Pirate Local author! Her pirate-captain father reminds her to be bold and saucy and selfish, but Augusta can’t help being shy, polite, and helpful; in short, a bad pirate. But when a terrible storm puts the crew in danger, Augusta is bold enough to be true to herself and show that a good pirate can be selfless, too. |
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Best Pirate Local author! Scolded for being “clumsy and kindly” instead of “crafty and greedy,” young pirate Augusta becomes determined to brave a scary treasure hunt alone. When she and a member of a rival crew both get in trouble, they disobey orders to work together and share the booty. |
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Jean Lumb Local author! Throughout history women have shaped the culture, politics, and people of the land we know as Canada. |
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Mary Ann Shadd Local author! Découvrez quelques-uns des plus fascinants animaux que l’on ne retrouve qu’en Amérique du Nord. |
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Agnes MacPhail Local author! La fondation du Canada est remplie de périls et de défis. Les livres de la série Bienvenue en Nouvelle-France fournissent un guide complet sur ce qu'était la vie en Nouvelle-France. |
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Explore Newfoundland and Labrador! Local author! Get ready to explore Canada like never before—from coast to coast to coast. This highly visual series takes readers on a road trip across the Canadian provinces and territories. |
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Fiction
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The Northern Local story! A funny and heartbreaking book about the series of disappointments that characterize the progress of growing up. |
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Bird Suit Local author! A tourist town folk tale of stifled ambition, love, loss, and the bird women who live beneath the lake. |
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The Pump Local author! A Gothic collection of stories featuring carnivorous beavers, art-eaters, and family intrigue, for fans of Alice Munro and Shirley Jackson. |
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Taste of Evil: The Fictionalized Story of Hitler’s Food Tasters Local authors! Adolf Hitler had fourteen female tasters who sampled every dish put on his table. Taste of Evil is the fictionalized story of one of those women. |
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Non-Fiction
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Ghosts of Niagara-on-the-Lake Local history! A new, expanded edition detailing Niagara-on-the-Lake’s ghostly inhabitants. |
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A Victory Garden for Trying Times Local author! A personal journey of love, loss, and healing through the natural cycles of the earth. |
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Fire and Desolation Local history! Gavin Watt provides a fresh perspective on Canada’s involvement in the American Revolution and the unfolding events of 1778. |
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A Crucible of Fire Local history! From the Battle of Chippawa to Lundy’s Lane, A Crucible of Fire focuses on the period of the War of 1812 leading up to the siege on Fort Erie in September 1814.
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40 Days & 40 Hikes Local guide! Travel the Bruce Trail in day hikes with Loops & Lattes author Nicola Ross.
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Water Borne Stop in Niagara! In June 2023, writer Dan Rubinstein lashed camping gear to his stand-up paddleboard and embarked on an improbable solo voyage from Ottawa to Montreal, New York City, Toronto, and back to Ottawa along the rivers, lakes, and canals of a landlocked region. |
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From Underground Railroad to Rebel Refuge Local history! Filled with engaging stories and astonishing facts, From Underground Railroad to Rebel Refuge examines the role of Canadians in the American Civil War.
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Winemaker’s Gamble Local author and history! How Canadian wine went from ridicule to recognition—and the man who helped lead the charge.
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Meaningful Pasts Local history! This book explores Niagara residents’ engagement with regional historical narratives and reveals how individuals select specific elements to form contemporary local identities.
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Mediating Innovation Policy Delivery Local history! Using Ontario as a case study, this book sheds light on the delivery of innovation policy in politically complex environments.
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Seasonal Sociology 2e Local history! This introduction to sociology explores the relationship between natural seasons and social life, offering contemporary insights into how seasonal phenomena shape consumption, leisure, work, celebrations, and beyond.
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Freedom: A Mixtape Local authors and artists! A collection of original songs, stories, poems, anecdotes, spoken-word pieces, and musical instrumentation from folks living in Ontario's Niagara Region.
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Poetry & Drama
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Love in the Cthulhucene Local author! In a collection grappling with #MeToo, climate change and political turmoil, Natalee Caple strives to discover a way forward in charged times. |
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This is Importance: A Students' Guide to Literature Local author! Poet, novelist and teacher Gregory Betts has an ear for a well-turned phrase and an eye for captivating errors. In this highly amusing collection, Betts has pulled together some of the best misinterpretations of literature that he has come across in his years of grading papers. |
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