Staff Picks
At FriesenPress, we celebrate each and every book we help our authors publish. Here are some of our team’s recent favourites – happy reading!
Munni At My Doorstep
A Novel by
Nargis Abraham
The setting could be anytime, anywhere in the world, and the protagonist could be any single working woman. Here, the protagonist is Clara Ferguson, a Scottish spinster missionary in British India of the 1890s. One night, a frantic woman pounds on her door and abandons an infant at her feet. What should she do? Such is Clara’s dilemma. The novel opens on this night. Even though she learns about the dangers of keeping baby Esther (Munni), Clara decides to do just that. There follows stigma, covert and overt prejudice, and real danger from a birth family bent on eliminating the child. While Esther is told that she is adopted, Clara doesn’t tell her about the birth family until it is too late. The narrative unfolds against the backdrop of colonial British rule, reigning maharajas, epidemic and famine in India, and the First World War and Spanish ‘flu in the British Isles. The focus is on Clara’s relationship with her adopted daughter as they navigate their circumstances. “Munni At My Doorstep” is an intriguing, humane historical fiction novel where transracial adoption overcomes cross-cultural prejudice.
Am I Literate?
Redefining Literacy in the Age of Artificial Intelligence by
Kate Arthur
Kate grew up in a home where words mattered. Inspired by her family’s love of reading, she pursued a degree in English Literature and began a career as a publicist. Confident in her mastery of language, Kate believed she was literate—until her husband, a technologist, introduced her to computing. A moment that redefined literacy for Kate. With three young daughters starting school, she recognised the need to prepare the next generation to create and communicate in a digital world. Since 2000, Kate has been exploring reading, writing, numeracy, computing, and AI literacies to help people—especially youth and women—thrive. This book explores how literacy, storytelling, and technology shape individuals, inspire innovation, and connect generations. It is a call to embrace change and build a future where people and the planet flourish in the age of AI.
I Knew I Loved You From Day One
by
Dylan Benson and Iver Benson
From the moment he first saw his son, this father knew their bond would be remarkable and forever. In gentle rhyme, this book tells of the love a father has for his son. Each verse overflows with promises of the adventures they will have together. Steeped in magnificent imagery of nature and the outdoors, the father shares his visions and dreams with his young son. In scenes of mountains, waterfalls, and starry nights, the special bond between father and son is enjoyed and celebrated.
Maddie Finds Her Place
by
Dana Sutton
Lots of kids come from loving homes, but not everyone is so lucky. This is how it is for Maddie, whose family’s grown-up problems keep them from looking after her. She bumps from place to place, living with the birds and bears, until she meets a lady who wants to give her the love she’s always deserved. Together, they make a home.
Together Still
Love Beyond Death by
Linda Hill
With poetic gentleness and vulnerable integrity, Linda Hill's memoir, Together Still: Love Beyond Death portrays Continuing Bonds: A compelling approach to end-of-life accompaniment, death care and bereavement. For four adventurous decades, Linda and her beloved spouse, John Scull, explored the world with wonder and curiosity. They loved each other, their families, and friends wholeheartedly. They cared for nature and their community with spirits of generosity. After John was diagnosed with a terminal illness, the couple resiliently continued their loving ways of accompanying each other as they travelled to the horizon of John’s life. When John died, Linda was utterly unprepared for what was about to happen. At first, she diagnosed her spiritual experiences as illnesses and dismissed John’s after-death communication as wishful thinking. Fortunately, John persisted in doing everything he possibly could to let her know he was still with her. Their reciprocal, spiritual bonds transformed Linda’s off-kilter journey through her heart-fracturing grief into a heroic odyssey of what she calls “re-orbiting” around love and happiness. Each chapter of Linda’s beautifully written memoir intertwines romance, spirituality, and the healing power of cultivating and continuing loving bonds. To this day, John reaches out to Linda through spiritual communication, messages in nature, uncanny coincidences, and visitations in her dreams. Linda reaches out to John through meditation, journalling, creative arts, memorial events, joint legacy projects, and adventures of being alone but not alone. Although everything—absolutely everything—is now so very different, they are together still, loving beyond death.
Paul Immigrates to Canada
by
Heather Crichlow
Paul’s pretty sure his mother doesn’t love him: why else would she go away to Canada and leave him with his gran in Barbados for six whole years? She was supposed to send for him one year after she went away, and then two years, and then three… but there was always something else she needed to do first. He hasn’t seen his mother since he was four, and now he’s leaving behind all his friends and family on the island to go live with her in a place called Saskatchewan. There will be a long plane ride, a visit with his uncle in Toronto, another plane ride, and then—he’s not sure. He’s only ever seen Canada in calendar pictures. Will he even like it there? He’ll have to go to a new school, and make new friends, and learn about a whole new country, and learn how to be a family with the mother he doesn’t know that well anymore. But he’s been waiting so long for the chance at a life in Canada. Full of hopes and nervous butterflies, Paul gets on the plane…
The Descendant of Alsornia
by
S.W. Gordon
In a world of knights, fairies, and druids, Susan's fate is sealed before she even knows it. On the eve of her 18th birthday, she begins to dream of a distant land where an old man shares strange tales of magic and destiny. As the visions grow stronger, Susan confides in her local priest, only to be accused of witchcraft. With her life at stake, she is saved at the last moment by a mysterious woman who whisks her away to the mystical land of her dreams. Here, Susan must train for a year in the arts of magic and combat, guided by legendary teachers, to prepare for a final battle against a demon threatening to tip the universe into chaos. As a unique mix of all the magical breeds, Susan holds the key to restoring balance--but only if she can defeat the demon during an eclipse, using powerful weapons and all the skills she's learned. The fate of both worlds now rests on her shoulders.
Breathe to Relieve
by
Linda Grubic
Little moose, Spruce, feels nervous while playing on the teeter-totter - but what is he to do? Come along as Spruce and his friend Mabel discover how to find peace and balance when faced with moments of nervousness. Breathe to Relieve is the second installment in the Blooming Petals series. In this charming story, unsure how to calm his anxious feelings, Spruce turns to Bruce, who teaches him about mindful breathing. Equipped with this new skill, Spruce meets his friend Mabel at the park to play on the teeter-totter again. When Mabel notices Spruce closing his eyes, her curiosity sparks a discussion that leads them to explore how mindful breathing can help manage their feelings. This heartwarming story introduces children to self-regulation through managing anxiety and encourages open discussions about feelings, making it a valuable tool for young readers and their caregivers alike. Blooming Petals is a six-book series centred on evidence-based positive psychology. The series is rooted in acceptance, connection and sustained growth of the caregiver-child relationship. A guiding resource for parents, educators, caregivers, and counsellors, the series offers a gentle and connected experience to nurture growth and flourishing.