Looking to fill your summer reading list with timeless and epic tales? Revisited, retold, or reimagined—these Canadian books are inspired by ancient myths, legends, and folklore from around the world.
How Does a Fairy Tale Work?
Written by Olivier Dupin
Translated by Madeleine Stratford
Owlkids Books, 2026
IL: Ages 4-7 RL: Grades p-2
Once upon a time, a darkly funny picture book demonstrated classic fairy tale story elements using four classic tales…
Do you know what a fairy tale is? How about how to write one? This darkly funny picture book invites readers to engage with four classic fairy tales as it breaks down the literary elements that go into building a story.
We Always Had Wings
Written & illustrated by Jess X. Snow
Random House, 2025
IL: Ages 4-8 RL: Grades p-3
A stunning, mythology-inspired ode to the places and people who came before us as a girl embarks on her first visit to her mother's hometown in China for Lunar New Year.
Little Snow can't remember the last time she was on an airplane, and is afraid of the long journey from her big city to the vast Chinese countryside Mama comes from. To soothe her nerves, Mama tells Little Snow the story of how their ancestors travelled before borders and countries existed—flying through the skies as cranes. What follows is a tender story of reconnecting with family during the holidays and remembering the magic of who you are in this gorgeous picture book debut from author-illustrator Jess X. Snow.
Pipa:m̓: The Touch of the Frog
Written by Joseph Dandurand
Illustrated by Elinor Atkins
Nightwood Editions, 2026
IL: Ages 6-8 RL: Grades 1-3
Part of the Kwantlen Stories Then and Now series, this story explores the healing power of the frog, told by award-winning storyteller Joseph Dandurand with stunning illustrations by Elinor Atkins.
In the Kwantlen village, Tsa’kwi’ah tries her best to help the other children gather wood, mend nets and stoke the fires, but she’s small and can’t keep up. Then she finds a green frog. The frog smiles at her and she smiles back. She touches the frog, and she becomes tall and strong. She runs with the children and carries fish for her father. When Tsa’kwi’ah’s mother and the other villagers become sick with red spots and fever, Tsa’kwi’ah remembers the green frog. Can the touch of the frog help her family and friends too?
The Unbelievable True Story of Uutak
Written by Atuat Shouldice
Illustrated by Amiel Sandland
Inhabit Media, 2026
IL: Ages 7-9 RL: Grades 3-5
IL: Ages 7-9 RL: Grades 3-5
When a young man joins a neighbour for a hunting trip, he has no idea what adventures await him. While learning about animal tracking and weather patterns, the young man witnesses a feat of strength, visits with a giant, listens to talking foxes, and shares tea with a shape-shifter.
The magical intersects with traditional knowledge in this wild and wondrous tale.
How to Wrestle a Kraken
The Quests of Tiny Wilde Book 3
Written by Andy Tolson
Nimbus Publishing, 2026
IL: Ages 8-12 RL: Grades 3-7
The third book in The Quests of Tiny Wilde middle-grade fantasy series for fans of Percy Jackson and Katherine Rundell, following a young giant who sets out on a quest to protect the Mythics of Wonderville from an evil wellness guru.
With two quests under his belt, twelve-year-old giant Tiny Wilde should be feeling like a seasoned hero. But instead of showing off his new super strength, he struggles to snap even the weakest bricks in half. So when he spies a mysterious light off the coast of Wonderville on a midnight flight with his dragon, he's eager to follow it on a new adventure. With a key to an unknown lock, a quirky curse, and a sort-of prophecy delivered at the worst possible moment, Tiny's sure his next quest has begun.
But it turns out he's not even the hero. So, who is?
The Bloodstone Thief
Written by Sabina Khan
Scholastic, 2025
IL: Ages 9-12 RL: Grades 4-7
Laila Habib is having the worst birthday ever, as she’s just discovered that her family’s two-year stay in Houston, Texas, is going to be extended . . . indefinitely. With one foot in her current life and one foot back in her old home in Mumbai, she doesn’t feel like she truly belongs anywhere.
But her day only gets worse from there. Opening up what she thinks is a hidden birthday present, Laila unleashes an evil jinn from a magical amulet. Trapped there long ago by Laila’s father, the jinn is eager for revenge, and drags Laila's father back to the magical world of Qaf.
To save her father, Laila must travel to Qaf, where she discovers that there’s only one hope for freeing him. She must find the Bloodstone, an object that gives the holder absolute power. But doing so will require a quest that changes everything Laila ever thought she knew about who she is, what she believes, and who she can trust. Not fully belonging in the jinn world or our own, Laila has to create her own community, forge friendships, and fight for her family—no matter who or what they are.
Inspired by Islamic mythology, this hilarious and richly-woven middle-grade fantasy from Sabina Khan sparkles with humour, magic, friendship, and heart.
The Odyssey: A Modern Retelling
Written by Liv Albert
DK, 2026
IL: Ages 9-12 RL: Grades 4-7
From perilous sea voyages and man-eating monsters to powerful witches and vengeful gods, experience the ultimate adventure in this modern retelling of Homer's Odyssey.
Take a journey across the sea and follow the heroic, catastrophic, and sometimes downright gruesome tales of the Greek king Odysseus as he travels home after the Trojan War.
Written by self-proclaimed Greek myth nerd and host of the Let's Talk About Myths, Baby! podcast, Liv Albert, this gripping middle-grade adventure brings the legend of Odysseus to life. It is a story of trickery, lies, and perseverance, where you can watch as Odysseus is tested to the limits by the Cyclops, sirens, and lots of meddling, angry gods.
When the Banyan Sways
Written by Sharada Eswar
Illustrated by Radha Joshi Raulgaonkar
Translated by Dushy Gnanapragasam
Running the Goat, 2026
IL: Ages 9-12 RL: Grades 4-7
Acclaimed South-Asian-Canadian storyteller Sharada Eswar retells four fun and fascinating folktales from across India. Whether she’s telling how the vain peacock came to have eyes on his tail or of a poor family suddenly blessed with abundance, of a powerful ghost that faces an unexpected challenge or the wisdom a monk gifts to a snake, Eswar’s tales are engaging and full of life. The book features a full translation in Tamil, and includes bright and playful illustrations. This collection, which includes a tale from Rajasthan, Tamilnadu, Bihar, and Bengal, is a wonderful way to celebrate an important element of our multicultural identity.
The Discovery of Finnegan Wilde
Written by Caroline Pignat
Thistledown Press, 2025
IL: Ages 10-14 RL: Grades 5-9
A thrilling novel of self-discovery that is part adventure, part mystery, and part Celtic myth, set in Dublin in 1913.
Fifteen-year-old Finnegan Wilde steals to survive. Always on the run from gangs and police, Finn is also fleeing her own mysterious past, glimpsed only through nightmares and an unusual Celtic mark on her arm. When, in a chance encounter outside the museum, she scores a journal filled with strange diagrams, maps, and a drawing identical to her mark, Finn hungers for more than the next meal. She wants answers, and more than anything, she wants to find her family.
Eddie Moore, a young apprentice archaeologist, has spent months trying to decipher an ancient manuscript he and his father excavated from a bog. The Moores believe it was written by Tomas, a 9th century monk, and that it holds the clue to finding the legendary Cauldron of Plenty, one of four Treasures of Ireland. But when Eddie's father is seriously injured by a gang in an attempted robbery, Eddie alone must find the Cauldron.
When their search brings them together, Finn and Eddie realize the mark on her arm and his ancient manuscript are connected. Finn doesn't trust this awkward scholar from the rich side of town. Eddie is just as suspicious of this wild girl with no home, no past, and no rules. But if they can work together, perhaps — as Tomas hoped — they will make the greatest discovery of all.
Three voices — those of Finnegan, Eddie, and Tomas — intertwine like a Celtic knot that readers will delight in unravelling to the very last page.
Destiny
Fractured Kingdom, Book 3
Written by M.L. Fergus
Tundra Book Group, 2025
IL: Ages 12-18 RL: Grades 7-12
Persephone's final battle awaits in this last installment of the epic YA romantasy trilogy, The Fractured Kingdom.
On the heels of a tragic discovery, Persephone was all but torn from Azriel’s waiting arms. She now finds herself desperately alone, in terrible danger and burdened by responsibilities she would do almost anything to escape.
But some responsibilities are inescapable, and Persephone is not the girl she once was. Knowing that the clans are in mortal peril and that the realm is descending into chaos, she is fiercely determined to defeat Mordesius and set things to right for all people.
But she cannot imagine doing so without the handsome thief she has fallen helplessly, hopelessly in love with.
But some responsibilities are inescapable, and Persephone is not the girl she once was. Knowing that the clans are in mortal peril and that the realm is descending into chaos, she is fiercely determined to defeat Mordesius and set things to right for all people.
But she cannot imagine doing so without the handsome thief she has fallen helplessly, hopelessly in love with.
And so, armed with nothing but her wit, her dagger and her dauntless courage, Persephone races across the realm in search of Aziel and a path forward. As the stakes rise ever higher, loyalties shift, disasters strike and catastrophic grief gives way to inexpressible joy.
And just when it seems like it’s finally over, the Fates play their cruelest trick of all . . .
In this epic, exhilarating final adventure in the Fractured Kingdom trilogy, destiny is coming for the girl who started it all.
The Hanging Bones
Written by Elle Tesch
Feiwel & Friends, 2026
IL: Ages 13-18 RL: Grades 8-12
From the author of What Wakes the Bells comes a rich, gothic fantasy steeped in Germanic folklore about a girl who enters a dangerous, magical hunt with the goal of winning the death of her predatory overlord.
Once every few years, the Scavenge Moon rises. From beyond its pale glow steps the Breimar Stag, an otherworldly creature with eyes of burning gold. Any reckless adventurer who chooses to join the hunt for the stag only has until the Scavenge Moon sets to claim their prize—if they catch it, they are granted the death of any person of their choice. And if no one catches it, the stag will claim one of the hunters' souls instead.
Katrin has lived on the border of the forest her whole life, raised on tales of the Folk that dwell within. As a gamekeeper for the baron who rules over the region, she is saddled with the onerous task of escorting the entitled nobles who descend upon her home for the Breimar Hunt. None of them respect the forest or its legends, and Katrin is only too happy to let them risk their foolish necks for what they see as a cheap thrill.
When her beloved cousin becomes the latest target of the baron's lecherous appetites, Katrin knows only his death will keep her family safe, and the only way she can claim his life is to win the hunt herself. But something hungry has begun to stir in the woods, something even older and more powerful than the stag. As the horrifying, mutilated bodies pile up, Katrin begins to question where the true danger lies.
Quiet Crossings
Written & illustrated by Vivi Partridge
Inked & coloured by Janaina Spada
Conundrum Press, 2025
IL: Ages 13-18 RL: Grades 8-12
At the Inn, check-out is just part of the job. But what happens when you're not ready to say goodbye?
After crashing her truck in the unfamiliar countryside, Selena agrees to help out at the nearby Inn in exchange for a room. Located on the edge of the world, the Inn attracts extraordinary customers from near and far.
The most popular attraction is the complimentary ferry ride to the Great Unknown, a mysterious shore past the edge of the world. But when no one ever travels back, Selena begins to feel uneasy.
Is the innkeeper Alice really as nice as she seems? What secret does the ferryman hold? And should Selena be packing her bags and hailing the nearest taxi?
One thing's for sure: Selena's never had a job like this before.
Yeseni and the Daughter of Peace
Written by Solange Burrell
Unbound, 2025
IL: Ages 14-18 RL: Grades 9-12
The year is 1748. Elewa, known as ‘the Daughter of Peace’, bears a heavy responsibility on her young shoulders: to maintain the fragile truce between the warring peoples of her West African kingdom.
But as she begins to understand her role in the peace negotiations, even greater pressures emerge. Elewa discovers that she has Yeseni, a powerful gift that allows her to see events from any point in time, and to travel into the past and future.
When she experiences horrific visions of life aboard a slave ship, she realises she has to face the ultimate crossroads. She could use her gift to intervene in the past and try to prevent the transatlantic slave trade ever taking place. But that means she, as the Daughter of Peace, would be leaving her village behind at a precarious moment in the reconciliation process.
Whichever path she chooses to take, the future of her people lies on her shoulders.
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Book list curated by Spencer Miller