Hesson: Children's books for August 2025

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Crunchazaur Kaboom

Explosions by Stephen W. Martin, Cuteness by Dan Tavis

(Margaret K. McElderry Books)

Fluffy McWhiskers is at it again. This time, her explosions may save the world. A Crunchazaur is on the loose and it’s eating everyone and everything in sight. Fluffy and her best friend, Potato the dog, try to negotiate with it, give it fair warning and even try the pizza approach. Crunchazaur doesn’t take the bait and makes the fatal mistake of eating Fluffy and all her cuteness. Each page is bursting with bright illustrations and exciting, detailed scenes that will have young readers exploding with laughter.

The Lunch Club #8: The Puzzle of Doom

By Dom Pelletier

(Scholastic Canada)

With the start of a new school term, Tia is enthralled with the new exchange student, Dale Picklesworth from England. Leo is annoyed that he must compete with Dale, who seems to be good at everything. Leo soon learns Dale is part of a secret puzzle collection club and is hiding secrets of his own. The ghost of Lord Puzzlegood is searching for a lost puzzle piece and is taking control of everyone. With bold, humorous, graphic-style drawings, this is the perfect summer read for kids who like a light-hearted haunting.

Year of the Carrot

By Madeleine Hart

(Second Story Press)

As Leonie is trying to fix an old dirt bike she’s hidden in the shed, she discovers someone sneaking around her carrot farm. Her father works hard at cross-pollinating different carrot seeds to come up with a drought-tolerant carrot. To find out who may be trying to steal her father’s work, she enlists the help of her friend Sara. While they search for a matching shoe print from the scene, they suspect their neighbour Billie Harkel, the organic farmer, or Connie Koh, an agricultural scientist from the research farm. Readers will become immersed in this fun mystery and learn some interesting facts about carrots.

A Mastery of Monsters

By Liselle Sambury

(Margaret K. McElderry Books)

August’s mom disappears, and then her brother goes missing. After being attacked by a terrifying creature with fur and claws, and another student’s suspicious death, August begins to worry that her brother has met a horrible fate. To find out more about her brother, she must join a secret society that trains humans to fight and bond with monsters to be able to control them. When Virgil chooses her to become a candidate and ultimately his master, August must face gruelling life and death competitions. This YA supernatural fantasy contains some profanity and violence. Readers will be anxious to see how August’s story continues.