The Good Fight - Ages 10+
Scholastic Inc.

The Good Fight - Ages 10+

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A fast-paced story set in the turbulent summer of 1933, this graphic novel sheds light on prejudice and racial injustice.

The summer is stiflingly hot and the growing city feels small as a xenophobic wave rises. Everyone flocks to the lake, where in one area of the beach, a neighbourhood protective association has formed to keep out “undesirables” and its members patrol wearing silver swastika pins. Meanwhile, as the world witnesses an alarming rise of anti-Semitism overseas, the local police chief believes the immigrant Jewish community is at the root of a communist threat.

Sid and his pop live nearby in Toronto’s immigrant slum, where they rent a room. Times are tough, and Sid faces difficult choices as he wrestles with honesty, bigotry, poverty and expectations as a member of a “whiz mob” — a gang of pickpockets. When Sid and his friends get coerced into assisting the police after they’re caught stealing a wallet, they become caught up in something much bigger than themselves. They must decide how far they will go to do what’s right and to protect those they love.

With extraordinarily cinematic artwork that immediately transports readers back in time, this incredible graphic novel shines a striking light on many contemporary issues: the immigrant experience, the roots of prejudice and taking a stand against injustice.

Ted Staunton wrote his first story as a class assignment at university. He barely handed it in on time, but he’s glad he did: it became the picture book Puddleman. Now the award-winning author of over forty books, he writes everything from picture books to middle-grade and YA novels, and non-fiction.

Ted’s books with Scholastic include Bounced, What Blows Up, (in The Almost Epic Squad series) Friends for Real, a picture book illustrated by Ruth Ohi and It Seemed Like a Good Idea...: Canadian Feats, Facts and Flubs, non-fiction fun co-written with his son Will Staunton. All in all, he’s getting better at handing things in on time.

Ted says that working on What Blows Up helped him understand that he has a superpower too: the uncanny ability to forget names and song lyrics instantly. And many other things, too, probably, but he can’t remember what they are just now. He does have some advice for aspiring writers though:

“While there’s always something of me in my stories, and lots of imagining, what gets my imagination going is what I see and hear in real life. I could never make up things half as weird as what really goes on. To start imagining, all you have to do is pay attention – and remember to write it down.”

 Trained as a teacher, Ted is a speaker, performer, and workshop leader in schools, libraries and festivals across Canada. As well, he leads writing workshops at George Brown College. He has also travelled to Ethiopia several times to work with English language writers and editors there.

When not being bookish Ted plays music, often in the MAPLE LEAF CHAMPIONS JUG BAND. (He always brings his guitar and banjo to school presentations too.) He enjoys running, reading, writing and tunes. Born young, he is now older. Ted and his family live in Port Hope, Ontario. Find out more about Ted and his books at www.tedstauntonbooks.com.

Josh Rosen is a cartoonist and illustrator from Toronto, Ontario. He’s loved drawing and telling stories since pretty much forever, and has the MFA to prove it. He has done illustration work for magazines, websites, animation projects, documentary films and roleplaying games.

When exploring his own work he enjoys making comics about friendship, spooky stuff, and real world history, though often filtered through a playful or comic lens.

Author: Ted Staunton (Local Ontario author!)
Illustrator: Josh Rosen (Local Torontonian!)
Format: Paperback
Product dimensions: 224 pages, 8.51 X 6.03 X 0.6 in
Published: June 1, 2021
Publisher: Scholastic Canada Ltd
Recommended for ages 10-13. 

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