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Leslie Gentile of Brentwood Bay has published her debut kidlit novel Elvis, Me, and the Lemonade Stand Summer (Cormorant $13.95) for ages 9 - 12 about an Indigenous girl who learns the importance of being part of a supportive community. It's the summer of 1978 and most people think Elvis Presley has been dead for a year -- but not 11-year-old Truly, because she knows Elvis is alive and well and living at the Eagle Shores Trailer Park. Truly sets out to prove that her cool new neighbour is the King of Rock 'n' Roll while finding sanctuary with a Salish woman when her mother neglects her. This book won both the Jean Little First-Novel Award and the City of Victoria Children’s Book Prize.
In Gentile's next kidlit title, also told with humour, Shamus The Urban Rez Dog, P.I. (Cormorant $14.95) the main character is a dog who tells readers: "The name’s Shamus. I’m a special kind of dog known as a Rez Dog. That means I’m a mix of different breeds and I come from a reserve. I live in the city with Mom and the twins, Rainey and Cole. We are one of many Indigenous families on our block. Life is great -- until Mom is falsely accused of stealing from the jewelry store she’s worked at for years. When the kids and I set out to catch the real thief, we discover some surprising and, if I do say so myself, hilarious clues — including a false wall, a lucky bowling ball, and a vicious poodle named Hepzibah!" Gentile won a 2025 Chocolate Lily Award for this book.
In Elvis, Me, and the Postcard Winter (Cormorant $14.95), Gentile returns to Eagle Shores Trailer Park for a long-awaited sequel set in 1979. With winter rain pouring down and a secondhand guitar from Elvis in hand, Truly has finally found a home—with her puppy Gracie, new friends and Andy El, the Salish elder who took her in. But when her estranged mother returns asking for a second chance, Truly must choose between the safety of her new life and the possibility of forgiveness.
BOOKS
Elvis, Me, and the Lemonade Stand Summer (Cormorant, 2021) $13.95 9781770866157
Shamus The Urban Rez Dog, P.I. (Cormorant, 2023) $14.95 9781770867079
Elvis, Me, and the Postcard Winter (Cormorant, 2025) $14.95 9781770867666
[BCBW 2025]
In Gentile's next kidlit title, also told with humour, Shamus The Urban Rez Dog, P.I. (Cormorant $14.95) the main character is a dog who tells readers: "The name’s Shamus. I’m a special kind of dog known as a Rez Dog. That means I’m a mix of different breeds and I come from a reserve. I live in the city with Mom and the twins, Rainey and Cole. We are one of many Indigenous families on our block. Life is great -- until Mom is falsely accused of stealing from the jewelry store she’s worked at for years. When the kids and I set out to catch the real thief, we discover some surprising and, if I do say so myself, hilarious clues — including a false wall, a lucky bowling ball, and a vicious poodle named Hepzibah!" Gentile won a 2025 Chocolate Lily Award for this book.
In Elvis, Me, and the Postcard Winter (Cormorant $14.95), Gentile returns to Eagle Shores Trailer Park for a long-awaited sequel set in 1979. With winter rain pouring down and a secondhand guitar from Elvis in hand, Truly has finally found a home—with her puppy Gracie, new friends and Andy El, the Salish elder who took her in. But when her estranged mother returns asking for a second chance, Truly must choose between the safety of her new life and the possibility of forgiveness.
BOOKS
Elvis, Me, and the Lemonade Stand Summer (Cormorant, 2021) $13.95 9781770866157
Shamus The Urban Rez Dog, P.I. (Cormorant, 2023) $14.95 9781770867079
Elvis, Me, and the Postcard Winter (Cormorant, 2025) $14.95 9781770867666
[BCBW 2025]
