iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Melanie Jackson @mljackson.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Nonsense can 🟰 wisdom? You bet! Fun examples: #kathystinson's Boogy & Tee and Twinkle & Hew, with rhymes à la Lear, and our hapless boaters coping in a storm. #GroundwoodBooks In #sarahhowden's The Wise Pickle, our crunchy protagonist enjoys escaping its brine—for now. #TundraBooks shorturl.at/Jiuvz

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Melanie Jackson @mljackson.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Forget Macavity, Sylvester et pawl. Take it from a 🐈 person: real cats r the most fascinating, as 2 delightful children's books prove: #jilliantamaki's poignant Young Cat, Old Cat & #mangeshigpawissteckley's whimsical Mooz Moose. @groundwoodbooks.bsky.social @theseaboardreview.ca shorturl.at/kdlwB

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Melanie Jackson @mljackson.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

#TomDoyle doesn't miss a beat in his engaging bio Ringo: A Fab Life. Quoting #PaulMcCartney on 1st hearing Ringo play, "...f---, what is this? And that was the beginning, really, of the Beatles.” Fascinating to watch it all Come Together. @theseaboardreview.ca @ecwpress.bsky.social l1nq.com/o4a4ew2

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Melanie Jackson @mljackson.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Clever dialogue, fun characters, and more plot twists than a Bavarian pretzel! #StanleyIndustrialAllianceStage #ArtsClubVancouver artsclub.com/shows/2026-2...

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Melanie Jackson @mljackson.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

#BardonitheBeach artistic director #christophergaze's The Road to Bard is so engaging you feel like a traveller alongside him. And, sharing the motivational thoughts that kept him going, Gaze shows fate can indeed be not in our ⭐️s but in ourselves. @harbourpublishing.bsky.social shorturl.at/j4T6p

theseaboardreview.ca

The Road to Bard: A Legacy of Shakespeare on Canada’s West Coast, by Christopher Gaze

A Review by Melanie Jackson

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Melanie Jackson @mljackson.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Meet Henri and Miko, the mouse & bee protags of #rebeccagreen’s cosy, seasonal picturebooks. & the duo are round, the shape kids find comforting (cf a certain other mouse). Each book has two stories, plus—talk about well-rounded—recipes & more. #TundraBooks @theseaboardreview.ca tinyurl.com/y4uma5mf

tinyurl.com

Henri & Miko: Autumn in Bosk Olivette, and Henri & Miko: Winter in Bosk Olivette, written and illustrated by Rebecca Green

A Review by Melanie Jackson

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Melanie Jackson @mljackson.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

In grim times humour can be a challenge to find. But where there's a #WillFerguson, there's a way. In Meanwhile, Back in Nokomis: Tales from Canada and Elsewhere, he enchants with ironic, wry & affectionate travel tales. Enjoy! @theseaboardreview.ca @douglasandmarty.bsky.social tinyurl.com/7n3v6um3

tinyurl.com

Meanwhile, Back in Nokomis: Tales from Canada and Elsewhere by Will Ferguson

Reviewed by Melanie Jackson

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Melanie Jackson @mljackson.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Whale, That Was Unexpected by #caseylyall & #kathryndurst, & #KelseyGarrityRiley's Fritz: A Mushroom Story delightfully upend clichés. Swallowed by a whale, tough Maude is no damsel in distress. Fritz shows u can be both introvert & extrovert. tinyurl.com/mtud4xb4 #TundraBooks @theseaboardreview.ca

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Melanie Jackson @mljackson.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Fascinating to leaf through: Plants of the Pacific Coast: From Alaska to Oregon, including British Columbia and Washington. A fun, helpful guidebook for planning strolls, by #JimPojar, #AndyMacKinnon, #JamieFenneman, and #LeighJoseph (Styawat). #CanScienceBooks @theseaboardreview.ca l1nq.com/h4w0a2u

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Melanie Jackson @mljackson.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

With her homonymic picturebook #fakegnus, #LeslieHelakoski gives kids a fun start on fibs vs. facts, with young reporter Scoop Jackson as the mischievous guide. Take it from this Scoop Jackson, reviewer: #FakeGnus is genuine value. l1nq.com/khymot3 @groundwoodbooks.bsky.social @theseaboardreview.ca

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Melanie Jackson @mljackson.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

What a hoot! #DeborahHodge and #KarenReczuch reveal that, without so much as blinking a golden eye, #TheBurrowingOwlsofthePrairieGrasslands take over burrows dug by prairie dogs, badgers, etc. Worth reading the book? Owl say! sl1nk.com/587cuoq @groundwoodbooks.bsky.social @theseaboardreview.ca

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Melanie Jackson @mljackson.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

Summertime, and the reading is easy—especially with intriguing works by BC/Yukon members of the #TheWritersUnionofCanada to choose from. It was my pleasure to assemble news of these in the edition of TWUC's WestWords. Tx to rep #RhonaMcAdam and TWUC staff for their support! bit.ly/westwords-ju...

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Melanie Jackson @mljackson.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Pushing Hope is #RaymondSantana's powerful graphic memoir of wrongful imprisonment, w 4 others, for the rape of a Central Park jogger. When the real perpetrator confessed, they were free—as free as they could be, after such a nightmare. #AstraPublishingHouse @theseaboardreview.ca sl1nk.com/t342wyx

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Melanie Jackson @mljackson.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

In Pizza Before We Die: An Eyewitness Account in Gaza, #HassanKanafani describes the ruin of his country by Israeli bombs. His family's home, now a fragile tent. “In the darkness... a doorless prison—a cramped space where anxiety and dread cling to the air.” @arsenalpulp.bsky.social l1nq.com/wx9t5j5

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Melanie Jackson @mljackson.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

In My Humble Opinion: My So-Called Life is #SorayaRoberts' tribute to the classic '90s TV show. As Roberts notes, often there's no ambiguity to characters. Not so on MSCL. When a reply is required of her, Angela shrugs out the classic irritated-teen "I don’t know." #ECWPress shorturl.at/g1vHw

theseaboardreview.ca

In my humble opinion: My So-Called Life, by Soraya Roberts

A Throwback Thursday review by Melanie Jackson

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Reposted by Melanie Jackson

CWILL BC @cwillbc.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

Our latest newsletter is out featuring news from BC's kidlit creators! #readlocal #readBC #ireadcanadian

open.substack.com

The latest news from BC's children's book creators!

Spring 2026

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Melanie Jackson @mljackson.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

Loved reviewing Return to Paueru Gai: 50 Years of Vancouver’s Powell St. Festival. Editor #emikomorita: the annual event is "a poignant, living expression of continuity, resilience, & cultural exchange.” Aug. 1-2, #OppenheimerPark C u there! @theseaboardreview.ca #arsenalpulppress shorturl.at/bTyKK

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Return to Paueru Gai: Fifty Years of Vancouver’s Powell Street Festival

Edited by Emiko Morita

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Melanie Jackson @mljackson.bsky.social · 18/04/2026

Oh, shoot! Who was the real #calamityjane? In Calamity Before Jane, by #noahvansciver, a graphic novel I revued 4 #theseaboardreviewofbooks, Sciver profiles the youthful runaway (1852-1903) & the lively stories she shared in the Wild West Show of #WildBillHickok..https://shorturl.at/6RmuC #TOONBooks

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Melanie Jackson @mljackson.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

Against a grim #SaultSteMarie residential school, a bright-faced, exasperated girl—who will survive: the cover of Shirley: An Indian Residential School Story, bio of #ShirleyFletcherHorn by #JoanneRobertson. My privilege 2 revu 4 #TheSeaboardReviewofBooks. #SecondStoryPress #canlit shorturl.at/DDvuX

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Melanie Jackson @mljackson.bsky.social · 04/04/2026

Definitely a brush with enjoyment to read & revu this historical fiction mystery starring #emilycarr. Author #catherinewalker draws—sorry, another art pun—you in with rich character studies and an engaging plot that includes, gasp, murder. @theseaboardreview.ca #InannaPublications shorturl.at/P2jOs

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Melanie Jackson @mljackson.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

Thanks, @theseaboardreview.ca 4 the chance 2 review Yes! To Canada: When Grampa Refused to Fight in The Vietnam War, by #robertdavies. An agonizing but understandable choice, to flee one's home in protest of a war even Defense Secretary #RobertMcNamara condemned. #harppublishing shorturl.at/Gca6J

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Melanie Jackson @mljackson.bsky.social · 20/02/2026

Seamus and the Shiny Things, by #carakansala, is a children’s book to crow about. Seamus is greedy about collecting shiny objects, only to find out that friendship is what truly shines. Take a beak, I mean, peek at my review! @theseaboardreview.ca @breakwaterbooks.bsky.social tinyurl.com/4a73udm2

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Melanie Jackson @mljackson.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

The fun, brrr!-illiantly plotted Blood Typed is my type of mystery. Tickled to have reviewed it for this issue of @theseaboardreview.ca. Whodunit, you ask? The novel's author is #JaneDoucet. The murderer? That, you'll have to read Blood Typed to find out. www.theseaboardreview.ca/p/blood-type...

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Melanie Jackson @mljackson.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

Honoured to revu for @theseaboardreview.ca the reissue of #DavidARobertson's powerful graphic novel 7 Generations: A Plains Cree Saga. As a comics writer, Robertson sought to replace lies & ignorance with a new foundation to build on. Illustrator: #scottbhenderson #HighwaterPress shorturl.at/FNkMg

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Melanie Jackson @mljackson.bsky.social · 15/01/2026

For this novel that hits it out of the park, I should add that the publisher is @wolsakandwynn.bsky.social

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Melanie Jackson @mljackson.bsky.social · 15/01/2026

Glad to "batter up!" for @theseaboardreview.ca about #BillyCrawford'sDoublePlay by #BradSmith, a funny, clever novel about an aging ballplayer who can't accept he's a has-been. But, in a riff on the baseball term double play, Billy may have other greatness in him—of the moral kind. shorturl.at/26kwe

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Melanie Jackson @mljackson.bsky.social · 01/01/2026

A children's book all ages can delight in and learn from: #richardwagamese's The Inquisitive Raven, which I'm delighted to review in @theseaboardreview.ca. The sharp-eyed protag, Raven, inspires us 2 ask questions & thus protect the world around us. #Douglas&McIntyre #CanLit @theseaboardreview.ca

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Melanie Jackson @mljackson.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

If #agathachristie's #themousetrap went #NorthernGothic, it'd become—with (sleigh) bells on!— #ShanePeacock's A Place of Secrets. You'll be entertained +, in the best Christie fashion, whodunit-surprised. Here's my @theseaboardreview.ca revu: www.theseaboardreview.ca/.../a-place-.... #CormorantBooks

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Melanie Jackson @mljackson.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

Thanks to #theseaboardreviewofbooks for featuring my review of #JohnCullen's Curling Rocks!: Chronicles of a Roaring Game, a comprehensive, fun history of a sport too often stereotyped as being fusty. What!? No way! r@douglasmcintyre.bsky.social shorturl.at/BQUOx

theseaboardreview.ca

Curling Rocks!: Chronicles of The Roaring Game, by John Cullen

Long considered fusty, curling is enjoying a comeback. This book has the game's how-to’s and history – and is sheer fun, besides.

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Melanie Jackson @mljackson.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

Thanks to my friend and colleague, #PublicationCoach #DaphneGray-Grant, for featuring me in her weekly Wednesday Interview: www.publicationcoach.com/melanie-jack.... And hey, interested in writing easily more easily? Daphne's your go-to pro. Writing guidance and encouragement doesn't get any better.

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Melanie Jackson @mljackson.bsky.social · 22/11/2025

Thanks to @theseaboardreview.ca for publishing my tribute to #ThomasBecket. This was definitely one from the heart. May all resistors to tyranny be so meddlesome. www.theseaboardreview.ca/p/thomas-bec...

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Melanie Jackson @mljackson.bsky.social · 10/11/2025

Was tickled to review two children's books for @theseaboardreview.ca, one about an animal I love, the other about an animal I'm now, as a result, feeling a lot less cringey toward. Challenge: guess which is which. @groundwoodbooks.bsky.social lnkd.in/gN4mrpsshttp...

theseaboardreview.ca

Cats and Us: A Ten-Thousand Year Fascination; and This Is a Tiny Fragile Snake

Refreshingly, two kids’ picture books show animals as reality rather than myth

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Melanie Jackson @mljackson.bsky.social · 22/10/2025

B4 Armstrong & co., NASA's high flier was Ham. I love #OriGersht's novel #hamsheaven, about the adorable chimp whose space trip set the course 4 humans. > ever I appreciate #JaneGoodall 4 ensuring animals aren't mistreated as Ham was. @warblerpress.bsky.social @theseaboardreview.ca shorturl.at/7vXAj

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Ham’s Heaven by Ori Gersht

Poignant novel about the chimp who set the course for human U.S. space travel—but, unlike Shepard, Armstrong, et al., was mostly unappreciated

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Melanie Jackson @mljackson.bsky.social · 16/10/2025

As important now as ever: Partisans, fighting for freedom. I was delighted to have the chance to read and review the compelling, inspiring new comic book about Partisans for @theseaboardreview.ca @btlbooks.com www.theseaboardreview.ca/p/partisans-...

theseaboardreview.ca

Partisans: A Graphic History of Anti-Fascist Resistance, Edited by Raymond Tyler and Paul Buhle

Vivid and timely, this comic book tells Partisans' harrowing stories

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Reposted by Melanie Jackson

The Seaboard Review of Books 🇨🇦 📚 @theseaboardreview.ca · 13/10/2025

New issue just dropped! www.theseaboardreview.ca/p/the-seaboa... #canlit #bookreviews

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Melanie Jackson @mljackson.bsky.social · 11/10/2025

Fragile letters, ink faded, by his wife's great-grandfather proved a treasure for Canadian historian #brandonmarriott. From them he's written the riveting Till We Meet Again: A Canadian in the First World War. Here's my revu in @theseaboardreview.ca shorturl.at/RA7O8 @simonandschuster.bsky.social

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Till We Meet Again: A Canadian in the First World War by Brandon Marriott

Vivid, fascinating, and—inescapably—horrifying: Historian Brandon Marriott recounts an ancestor’s WWI experiences

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Reposted by Melanie Jackson

The Seaboard Review of Books 🇨🇦 📚 @theseaboardreview.ca · 10/10/2025

The covers of the books reviewed in the October 8th issue of The Seaboard Review of Books. www.theseaboardreview.ca/p/the-Seaboa... #canlit

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Melanie Jackson @mljackson.bsky.social · 30/09/2025

This seals it: #gingerngo's Emerson the Elephant Seal, based on the real Em in #VictoriaBC, is now a literary star! In the @theseaboardreview.ca I also celebrate #sandraboynton's When Pigs Fly! A song for dreamers. @harbourpublishing.bsky.social @simonandschuster.bsky.social shorturl.at/rLCB1

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A Stubborn Elephant Seal and a Dreamer Pig

Try, just try, not to love these kidlit protagonists

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Melanie Jackson @mljackson.bsky.social · 27/09/2025

In our era of rapid change, innovation keeps @branksome.bsky.social not only apace but ahead. Deputy Interim Principal Kimberly BROOKER Carter’96: "[We] ensure Branksome stays responsive to today’s learner and today’s ever-evolving demands and possibilities." My interview with Kimberly in #TheROAD:

branksome.on.ca

Branksome Hall’s Leap Towards Innovation with Kimberly BROOKER Carter’96 | Discover the Latest Updates from Branksome Hall

Read the latest news stories from Branksome Hall, showcasing student success, school events, and inspiring updates from our vibrant and inclusive community.

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Melanie Jackson @mljackson.bsky.social · 23/09/2025

@billarnott.bsky.social's latest travelogue, #APerfectDayforaWalkbytheWater, is well worth the reading plunge! The latest issue of @theseaboardreview.ca just 💧ed – here's my review. @arsenalpulp.bsky.social www.theseaboardreview.ca/p/a-perfect-...

theseaboardreview.ca

A Perfect Day for a Walk by the Water by Bill Arnott

Down to the sea in shoes: Bill Arnott delights yet again

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Melanie Jackson @mljackson.bsky.social · 21/09/2025

At #TheWriters'UnionofCanada table, at the always festive and fun #WordVancouver, yesterday: fellow TWUC-er #DeborahPatz and I enjoy each others' books. (The fellow behind my left shoulder appears to be a would-be photo bomber.)

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Melanie Jackson @mljackson.bsky.social · 10/09/2025

Reporting live from, well, the pages of CBC TV news correspondent Brian Stewart's riveting memoir #OntheGround: my review in today's edition of @theseaboardreview.ca. Thanks to editor James Fisher for the chance to relive Brian's adventures!

theseaboardreview.ca

On the Ground: My Life as a Foreign Correspondent by Brian Stewart

The thrill—and trauma—of being a foreign correspondent

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Melanie Jackson @mljackson.bsky.social · 06/09/2025

The sunny faces of #WhistlerBC. These lovelies, aka Black-Eyed Susans or Rudbeckia hirta, are everywhere.

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Melanie Jackson @mljackson.bsky.social · 28/08/2025

Tx @theseaboardreview.ca 4 letting me steal a look at glam thieves, fictional (#ToCatchAThief) & real (#AGentlemanandAThief): shorturl.at/r9hNu. I start with, how could I not?, #CaryGrant: "The handsome thief inches along a ledge. From a window, a dowager screams, “Oh!” But, on closer look, 'Oooo…'"

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Reposted by Melanie Jackson

The New Yorker @newyorker.com · 15/08/2025

“Small children from poor or middle-class families who watch ‘Sesame Street’ do better on cognitive tests and in first grade than children who do not watch it,” Renata Adler wrote, in 1972.

newyorker.com

The Invention of “Sesame Street”

Renata Adler’s 1972 review of the program that revolutionized children’s television.

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