Passage to Wonderland ~ Passages to Complete Your Day – Details, episodes & analysis

We don’t choose the families we’re born into.  And that goes for young children who are adopted into families as well.  Like Alfred, or Alfie as he’s known – an eleven year old boy who grew up in poverty in Scotland is sent to Canada.  A new country.  A new family.  A new life.  This is a short story called The Boy in the Photograph by Alexander McCall Smith.

The Boy In The Photograph is by Alexander McCall Smith.  Copyright ©2020 Alexander McCall Smith.  A special commission for the Toronto International Festival of Authors.

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Thank you to our wonderful literary partners Harper Collins, House of Anansi Press, and Coach House Books!

Why would turning eleven years old be shocking?  But it is for Oma in the gripping story called “Rubber.”  It’s part of a collection of short stories called Step by award winning writer Deborah Ellis.  She explores the experiences of children around the world as they turn eleven – on the precipice of adulthood and taking the next “step” into their future.  As in the case of Oma in “Rubber.”  A stunning story crafted by a superbly gifted writer.  

“Rubber” is from a collection of short stories called “Step” by Deborah Ellis.  Copyright ©2022 Deborah Ellis.  Published by Groundwood Books groundwoodbooks.com.

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Thank you to our wonderful literary partners Harper Collins, House of Anansi Press, and Coach House Books!

This book profoundly moved and surprised me. I don’t recall reading a novel in which old age is depicted with such tenderness, sensitivity and passion.  

Not surprisingly,  this book has received many honours including being short listed for a Governor General’s Literary Award. 

It was difficult to choose just one excerpt from And The Birds Rained Down by Jocelyn Saucier, beautifully translated by Rhonda Mullins.  I hope you enjoy it. 

Excerpted from And The Birds Rained Down by Jocelyn Saucier, translation by Rhonda Mullins.  Published by Coach House Books https://chbooks.com

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 Thank you to our wonderful literary partners Harper Collins, House of Anansi Press, and Coach House Books!

There’s always been a fascination for the Romanovs – the last imperial family of Russia.  Much has been written about Anastasia, the youngest daughter of Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra.  But Olga, the eldest of the five children had her own compelling story, captured in Bryn Turnbull’s new book “The Last Grand Duchess.”  

Excerpted from The Last Grand Duchess by Bryn Turnbull, Copyright © 2022 by Bryn Turnbull.  Published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A. 

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 Thank you to our wonderful literary partners Harper Collins, House of Anansi Press, and Coach House Books!

Barbados 1962.  A lost soul named Lapetus roams the island, scared and alone, after witnessing a traumatic event.  Then a generation later,  his granddaughter Calypso is born and carries deep within her the secrets of the past.  In this excerpt from The Island of Forgetting by Jasmine Sealy, Calypso now a beautiful and wilful teenager wants much more to her life.  

Excerpted from “The Island of Forgetting” by Jasmine Sealy.  Copyright © 2022 by Jasmine Sealy.  Published by arrangement with HarperCollins Caanda.  

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Thank you to our wonderful literary partners Harper Collins, House of Anansi Press, and Coach House Books!

Award winning French/Cree/Iroquois journalist Brandi Morin is a survivor of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls’ crisis.  And she has reported and shared indigenous stories internationally for the last decade.  In her much anticipated memoir “Our Voice of Fire,” Brandi talks about the woman who inspired her passion and fight for justice:  her grandmother.  

 Excerpted from Our Voice of Fire by Brandi Morin.  Available in bookstores on August 2, 2022.   Published by House of Anansi Press www.houseofanansi.com

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Thank you to our wonderful literary partners Harper Collins, House of Anansi Press, and Coach House Books!

Liv Green is a maid but really wants to be a writer.  That’s been her dream all her life.  And as luck would have it, she lands a housekeeping job with her idol -  bestselling author Essie Starling.   Essie’s a bit eccentric and reclusive, and as the two get to know each other better, she makes an unusual request of Liv. 

Excerpted from “The Messy Lives of Book People” by Phaedra Patrick.  Copyright @ 2022 by Phaedra Patrick, used with permission by Park Row Books.  Published by arrangement with HarperCollins Canada. 

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Thank you to our wonderful literary partners Harper Collins, House of Anansi Press, and Coach House Books!

There is an indescribable joy in becoming a new parent.  In this powerful excerpt from “Secret Lives of Mothers and Daughters,” that joy is experienced by Nandini.  She becomes a new mother on the day her adopted baby girl arrives at her door.

Excerpted from “Secret Lives of Mothers and Daughters” by Anita Kushwaha.  Copyright © 2020 by Anita Kushwaha.  Published by arrangement with HarperCollins Canada.  

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 Thank you to our wonderful literary partners Harper Collins, House of Anansi Press, and Coach House Books!

We are all a product of our past.  But how do we deal with troubling events that have shaped us – and move on to find acceptance and our place in the world?  This is an excerpt from the book of short stories  “All the Shining People” from Kathy Friedman.  In this story called “Seeing Clearly,” Martin Romm tries to do just that with his life.  

The short story “Seeing Clearly,” excerpted from All the Shining People.  Published by House of Anansi Press www.houseofanansi.com 

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 Thank you to our wonderful literary partners Harper Collins, House of Anansi Press, and Coach House Books!

It is the first century AD in Britain.  An era of druids and pagan traditions.  This is the story of a mother and daughter and the formidable challenges they face as their ancient way of survival is threatened by a new world order.  In this excerpt from Daughter of Black Water by Cathy Marie Buchanan, a girl named Devout comes of age.  

Excerpted from “Daughter of Black Lake” by Cathy Marie Buchanan. Copyright © 2020 by Cathy Marie Buchanan.  Published by arrangement with HarperCollins Canada.  

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 Thank you to our wonderful literary partners Harper Collins, House of Anansi Press, and Coach House Books!