Loan Stars is the readers’ advisory tool that allows libraries across Canada to indicate popular upcoming titles. Using LibraryData, the library data aggregation service, the forthcoming titles with the most orders become Loan Stars top picks!

The May 2025 Loan Stars Junior Canadian top 10 list features ten books that have at least one author, illustrator, translator, or editor (in the case of an edited collection of material) who is a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada.

You can see each book and find out a bit more about them in the list below, or you can download our poster if you want to display it, say in your library or on social media. (Tag us: @LoanStarsCA!) You can also view these titles on CataList in this catalogue.

May 2025 Junior Canadian List

Loan Stars top pick:

Everything’s Wrong!

by Jory John 🍁, Illus. by Erin Kraan 🍁

9780374392147 | Humorous Stories

Description:

Best friends Jeff and Anders start the day with the best of intentions, but before long, everything goes haywire. From power outages, to spilled breakfasts, to missing socks, a series of irritating incidents sends the bear-and-bunny duo on an epic journey that will test their fortitude and their friendship. Can these pals work together to salvage this disastrous day?

Another read-out-loud, laugh-out-loud picture book from bestselling author Jory John, paired with standout talent Erin Kraan, reminds us that even when your day seems to go completely off the rails, you can make it through any challenge—especially when you have a good friend by your side.

Growing Home

by Beth Ferry, Illus. by Terry & Eric Fan 🍁

9781665942485 | Humorous Stories

Description:

Ivy is the beloved houseplant of young Jillian Tupper of Number 3 Ramshorn Drive, much to the constant dismay of Toasty the goldfish, who is technically the family pet—swimming in his special place of honor, the antique octagonal fish tank—and should be the most loved. It seems that’s how the cookie (or cheese puffs, in Toasty’s case) crumbles in the curious Tupper household, but soon a sequence of thrilling and magical events challenges that way of life forever.

First, there’s the arrival of Arthur, a knowledgeable spider with a broken leg and a curious mind, hidden in an old typewriter. Then Jillian throws everyone for a loop when she brings home dear, sweet Ollie, a school houseplant who just wants to be friends and sing. When Toasty splashes the plants with his tank water out of frustration, the friends learn that they can do magical things—like lift heavy objects and turn things invisible!

It turns out Toasty’s fishtank isn’t just for fish; it was made by a curious inventor who gave it special powers that, in the wrong hands, could disrupt everything forever. And a curious man with purple shoes just so happens to want that tank at any cost. Can Ivy, Toasty, Arthur, and Ollie grow to be friends in time to work together to save their beloved Tupper family from utter ruin?

You’re On Your Way!

by Melanie Watt 🍁

9780316584319 | Humorous Stories

Description:

You did it! Off you go! You’re on your way! And you’re taking me with you…right? A bunny bursting with excitement wants you to know it's your biggest fan, it's been cheering for you every step of the way, and you’d better bring it along wherever life leads you next. After all, you'd have so much fun together—more fun than a birthday party! And you'd make a super strong team—stronger than duct tape! So it deserves to come with you. But wait...where exactly are we going?

This spirited story about the big moments in life and moving on to the next adventure is just right for graduation celebrations or any special time of the year.

LEGO NINJAGO: Shatterspin

by Tri Vuong 🍁, Illus. by Riccardo Robaldo

9781534353725 | Comics & Graphic Novels

Description:

As war erupts in Ninjago, young champion Garmadon sets off on a quest to discover the truth behind the legend of The Forbidden Five - and a secret power that could turn the tide of the Serpentine War!

Can Garmadon resist wielding this forbidden technique – or is corruption the only path toward saving his beloved Ninjago?

Critically acclaimed writer/artist Tri Vuong (LEGO Ninjago: Garmadon) returns to reveal the secret history of the fan-favorite villain in this new collaboration between the LEGO Group and Skybound, perfect for new readers and longtime LEGO Ninjago fans alike.

The Mystery of the Haunted Dance Hall

by Charis Cotter 🍁

9781774885550 | Ghost Stories

Description:

Bee's mom has a job in New York City for the summer, so Bee is being sent to summer camp. She's not excited about it. Being around other people is hard for her, plus she knows nothing about campfires, she's not a good swimmer and she's never even been in a canoe.

When she first arrives, things go pretty much as she expected. The other girls either make fun of her or ignore her, and the woods surrounding the camp give her the creeps: she keeps hearing elusive music coming from somewhere in the distance, and there's something unearthly about it.

But then Zippy comes on the scene — an oddball like Bee, but with a lot more confidence and hard-won knowledge gleaned from many summers spent at this exact camp. And most importantly, Zippy has also discovered mysterious behavior going on at the camp: the older girls from the Hawks cabin are sneaking out to do . . . something. They're always exhausted, and their flashlight batteries are running out at an alarming rate. But their counselors are never woken up by girls sneaking out, no one on staff doing nightly rounds ever sees them outside the cabin, and even when they start doing a bed check at night, the girls all seem to be in their bunks.

Sam

by Eric Walters 🍁

9781770867949 | Family

Description:

Redheaded orphan Sam can’t seem to stay out of trouble. His latest incident — defending himself by hitting the high school quarterback in the face with a can of soda — lands him in the Johnson “Blue Gables” Juvenile Center while he awaits trial. Sam needs to keep his nose clean, but can he control his temper when he’s targeted by a long-term Gables resident?

When Sam is given a reading assignment, he thinks he’ll have no interest in a classic book about another redheaded orphan. But he soon realizes that he’s found a kindred spirit in the book, and maybe even an unexpected source of hope.

Go, Sloth, Go!

by Gabrielle Prendergast 🍁, Illus. by Sophie Benmouyal 🍁

9781459838864 | Animals

Description:

A sloth is slowly making its way up a tree in its rainforest home when the wind knocks it loose and it tumbles onto the road. No, sloth, no! But luckily a truck driver stops, realizing the sloth has hurt its toe, and takes the sloth to the wildlife hospital. Sloth gets an x-ray and then some stitches before it's ready to head home. Let's go, sloth, let's go! Finally, the kindly truck driver rows it out to reunite with its family...though, in true sloth form, it will be rather slow to say goodbye.

If You Were Here

by Kathy Stinson 🍁, Illus. by Maya McKibbin 🍁

9781771649926 | Science & Nature

Description:

In this beautiful ode to nature and mindfulness, a child sets out to explore the environment around their home, using all their senses. Yet, someone important is missing, someone the child wishes could be there on the journey.

Expressive text by Kathy Stinson leaves room for readers’ own interpretations about who the child in the story might be missing, while Indigenous illustrator Maya McKibbin’s gorgeous images capture the lush beauty of the natural world and the tenderness of a child’s emotions.

The perfect book for helping a child navigate loss, or missing someone that can’t be there with them.

Martial Arts Star

by A. Y. Chan 🍁

9781665937351 | Sports & Recreation

Description:

After rescuing her dad, martial arts film star Cody Kwok, and the ancient Book of Joy from a big player in the notorious Five Claw crime organization, Mo is on to her next challenge: filming a movie with Cody! Mo and Dax are whisked away to Hong Kong to start work on The Protégés. It’s Mo’s first overseas trip, and she is awestruck by the glitz and glamour of the international film experience.

Soon after they arrive, they attend a party at Cody’s house, where Mo and Dax meet Cody’s younger sister, Fiona, who appears snobby and cold. Mo is shocked when Cody’s father gives Cody a familiar-looking book: the Book of Sorrow, a piece in the trilogy of books that holds ancient techniques that have been passed down for generations. She is even more shocked when a thief steals it while the party is in full swing and not even her martial arts skills can stop them!

With no leads on the identity of the mysterious thief, Mo recruits the help of a reluctant Fiona, dons her detective hat, and, in between filming, sets out on a mission to find her ancient ancestors’ Book of Sorrow. Can she find and protect the book and make her martial arts movie dreams come true?

Don’t Lose Mr. Cuddles

by Dev Petty, Illus. by Mike Boldt 🍁

9780593900758 | Animals

Description:

Chip and his best friend Mr. Cuddles have been through a lot together, including that terrible time when Mr. Cuddles had to go in the washing machine. The two are inseparable, but now . . . Mr. Cuddles is GONE! Where could he be? How will Chip cope without his constant companion? And what role did Mittens the cat have in this mystery?

Young readers will love following Chip's feverish search for Mr. Cuddles, which ends with a happy, fluffy, and super-silly reunion.

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