Iggy Included
Written by Deborah Kerbel
Published by Scholastic Canada Ltd.
ACTIVITIES
To be added by November 1-15.
BOOK SYNOPSIS
Twelve-year-old Paige Coopersmith and her family have won a house in an essay-writing contest. Excited to leave their cramped apartment and move to a sprawling property in rural Ontario, they’re more than a little surprised to find the house is old and in need of major repairs. They’re even more shocked to discover that Iggy — the old dog who lives there — comes with the house. Apparently it was all in the fine print!
Due to financial stress, and with nowhere else to go, the family stays. Paige, who is scared of the large, unkempt Newfoundland dog, does her best to stay out of her way, while her parents deal with an unusual list of instructions from the previous owner.
But girl and beast soon form a special bond, when Paige, a hesitant reader, practises her reading out loud and discovers that Iggy loves to be read to.
Little does Paige know Iggy is even more special than she realizes. In fact, someone else has their eye on her, and when Iggy goes missing, it’s Paige who must solve the mysteries of this unusual house and find her now beloved dog.
DEBORAH KERBEL
Deborah Kerbel is a critically-acclaimed, award-winning Canadian author of twenty-nine books for children of all ages. Her young adult and middle grade novels have been shortlisted for the Governor General’s Literary Award, the Canadian Library Association’s YA Book Award, the Diamond Willow Book Award, the Rocky Mountain Book Award, and the Manitoba Young Reader’s Choice Award, among many others. Her debut graphic novel, Fred & Marjorie; a Doctor, a Dog, and the Discovery of Insulin, is an ALA Best Graphic Novel selection, a Junior Library Guild ‘Gold Standard’ selection, an NSTA & CBC ‘Outstanding Science Trade Book’ selection, an OLA ‘Best Bets’ Honourable Mention, and a 2023 BC Red Cedar Award and Forest of Reading ‘Yellow Cedar Award’ Winner. Her debut picture book, Sun Dog, was a 2019 Forest of Reading Blue Spruce Honour Book, the winner of the 2019 IODE Jean Throop Book Award, and finalist for the 2020 Snow Willow Book Award. Her picture books Rainy Days and Next Door were Toronto Public Library’s ‘First and Best’ 2022 and 2023 selections. She’s also the recipient of the City of Vaughan’s 2011 R.A.V.E. Award for her work as a Literary Arts Educator and Mentor. She’s been a visiting author at numerous libraries across Ontario, a guest speaker at both national and international literary festivals across Canada (Wordfest; Word on the Street; the Festival of Trees; Luminato, Eden Mills Writer’s Festival), conferences (Packaging Your Imagination; Words, Words, Words) as well as judge and juror for provincial book awards and national youth writing competitions. Currently, Deborah has five more books scheduled for publication between 2025 – 2026.
In 1993, she graduated from Western University with a degree in English literature. Born in London, England, Deborah currently lives and writes in Thornhill, Ontario with her family and a rescue schnoodle named Freddie.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Website: www.DeborahKerbel.com
Instagram: @DeborahKerbel.books
Facebook: @authordeborahkerbel
Twitter / X: @DeborahKerbel
TikTok: @DeborahKerbel.books
Email: hello@DeborahKerbel.com
BIBLIOGRAPHY
What About an Octopus? A Fact-Filled Underwater Adventure (Informational Picture Book; Owlkids, Fall 2024)
Iggy Included (Middle Grade Novel; Scholastic Canada, Spring 2024)
Opposite Identicals (Middle Grade Novel; Great Plains Publications, Fall 2023)
Next Door (Picture Book; Kids Can Press, Fall 2023)
Ary’s Trees (Picture Book; Fitzhenry & Whiteside, August 2023)
The Late, Great Endlings; Stories of the Last Survivors (Non-Fiction Picture Book; Orca Books, Fall 2022)
When Spider Met Shrew (Picture Book; Groundwood Books, Fall 2022)
Rainy Days (Picture Book; Pajama Press, Spring 2022)
Whirl (Picture Book; Owlkids Books, Spring 2022)
Grumble Yawn (Board Book; Orca Books, Winter 2022)
