Watch the Canada Reads 2021 book trailers
Canada Reads 2021 will take place March 8-11. The debates will be hosted by Ali Hassan and will be broadcast on CBC Radio One, CBC TV, CBC Gem and on CBC Books.
Get ready for the 2021 debates by watching the book trailers CBC Books made for the show below.
The Canada Reads 2021 contenders are:
- Rosey Edeh champions The Midnight Bargain by C.L. Polk
- Scott Helman champions Two Trees Make a Forest by Jessica J. Lee
- Devery Jacobs champions Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead
- Paul Sun-Hyung Lee champions Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots
- Roger Mooking champions Butter Honey Pig Bread by Francesca Ekwuyasi
The Midnight Bargain by C.L. Polk
In the fantasy novel The Midnight Bargain, Beatrice is making her debut at "bargaining season" — an annual event where wealthy young men and women gather from all over the world to make advantageous marriages. But she harbours secret plans that will upend society. Rather than get married, Beatrice plans to bind a greater spirit and become a full magician. Performing the secret ritual goes against the rules of her world, which prohibits women from practicing magic while they can still bear children. With the help of the wealthy Lavan siblings, fiery Ysbeta and her handsome brother Ianthe, Beatrice searches for a way to change old patriarchal traditions.
The Midnight Bargain will be championed by Rosey Edeh on Canada Reads 2021.
The trailer for The Midnight Bargain was narrated by Moira Quirk, who also narrated the audiobook.
It was created by Ontario multidisciplinary artist, animator, writer and director bekky O'Neil, with assistance from Ontario-based animator Keith Del Principe. Sound design was by Alex Redekop.
O'Neill is the co-founder of Cardboard Reality Farm & Studio where she collaborates with her partner on creating animated films and cultivating permaculture growing solutions.
O'Neill's films have garnered awards and played at festivals around the world including the Ottawa International Animation Festival, Monstra Festival of Animated Films in Lisbon, Animation Block Party in New York City, and have toured with the Animation Show of Shows and LunaFest.
Two Trees Make a Forest by Jessica J. Lee
Two Trees Make a Forest is a nonfiction book that explores how geographical forces are interlaced with our family stories. A chance discovery of letters written by her immigrant grandfather leads Jessica J. Lee to her ancestral homeland, Taiwan. There, she traces his story while growing closer to the land he knew. Throughout her adventures, Lee uncovers surprising parallels between nature and human stories that shaped her family and their beloved island. In the memoir, she also turns a critical eye onto colonialist explorers who mapped the land and named plants, and both relied on and often erased the labour and knowledge of local communities.
Two Trees Make a Forest will be championed by Scott Helman on Canada Reads 2021.
The trailer for Two Trees Make a Forest was narrated by Jessica J. Lee.
It was created by San Francisco-based illustrator and animator Iveta Karpathyova. Sound design was by Alex Redekop.
Karpathyova specializes in rotoscoping animation and holds a Master of Design degree from Ontario-based OCAD University.
She was the principal animator for films Phases of Dance (2017) and Prey (2019), awarded at the 2020 Canadian Screen Awards, HotDocs and International Festival of Animated Dance.
Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead
Jonny Appleseed is a novel about a two-spirit Indigiqueer young man who leaves the reserve and becomes a cybersex worker in the big city to make ends meet. But he must reckon with his past when he returns home to attend his stepfather's funeral. Jonny Appleseed won the Lambda Literary Award for gay fiction and was shortlisted for the the Governor General's Literary Award for fiction and the Amazon Canada First Novel Award. It was also longlisted for the 2018 Scotiabank Giller Prize.
Jonny Appleseed will be championed by Devery Jacobs on Canada Reads 2021.
The trailer for Jonny Appleseed was narrated by Joshua Whitehead.
It was created by Toronto-based graphic designer Tim Singleton. Sound design was by Alex Redekop.
Singleton's work makes use of neon colour palettes and pop culture infused imagery, spanning illustration, motion, graphic design and typography. His physical work has been displayed in galleries both locally and internationally and past clients include the CBC, Collective Arts Brewery, the Washington Post, HuffPost, the Government of Ontario and the National Film Board.
Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots
Hench is a novel about Anna, a woman who pays the bills by doing administrative work for villains. But when an incident involving the world's most popular superhero leaves her injured and gets her fired, Anna realizes what happened to her isn't unique — and she might have the means to take down the so-called hero who hurt her. How? With every office worker's secret weapon: data.
Hench will be championed by Paul Sun-Hyung Lee on Canada Reads 2021.
The trailer for Hench was narrated by Alex McKenna. Sound design was by Alex Redekop.
It was created by Ontario director Celeste Koon with animation and VFX by Abhilasha Dewan and Ian Macdonald.
Koon is a mixed-race writer/director with a wild imagination and a unique and colourful, mixed-media filmmaking style. Celeste fluidly adapts to writing and directing for various ages, genres, and mediums. Her short films have shown in festivals across the globe as well as have been broadcast on Canadian and American television.
Dewan is a Sheridan College animation graduate from New Delhi, India. Abhilasha endeavours to create stories with universal appeal structured around inventive design.
Macdonald is a filmmaker with a specialization in post-production. He has worked over the last decade on projects spanning documentary, narrative, commercial and music video.
Butter Honey Pig Bread by Francesca Ekwuyasi
Butter Honey Pig Bread is a novel about twin sisters, Kehinde and Taiye, and their mother, Kambirinachi. Kambirinachi believes she was a spirit who was supposed to die as a small child. By staying alive, she is cursing her family — a fear that appears to come true when Kehinde experiences something that tears the family apart, and divides the twins for years. But when the three women connect years later, they must confront their past and find forgiveness.
Butter Honey Pig Bread will be championed by Roger Mooking on Canada Reads 2021.
The trailer for Butter Honey Pig Bread was narrated by Amaka Umeh. Sound design was by Alex Redekop.
It was created by Toronto-based Ian Keteku of Alkebulan Pictures with illustrator Gilson Junior.
Toronto-based art production studio Alkebulan Pictures was founded by poet and multimedia artist Ian Keteku. He has written and directed short films for TVO, CBC and Sesame Street. An award-winning poet, Keteku is the 2010 World Poetry Slam Champion. Keteku has encouraged thousands of youth around the world to find the power in their voice and the value of their story.
Gilson Junior is an Afro-Brazillian animator who creates works for video games and engaging animated series for all ages.
