Get the Story Out
For back to school this year, support children of incarcerated parents by purchasing a book for the John Howard Society of Manitoba’s Get the Story Out program from the list below. Books purchased for donation from the Get the Story Out list will receive a 10% discount off of the purchase price or a 20% discount for Reader Reward Card Members.
How Get The Story Out Works: with support from McNally Robinson Booksellers, volunteers and staff of the John Howard Society of Manitoba’s literacy program record the voices of incarcerated people reading books to their kids. The gift-wrapped book and recording is then sent to the children.
Help maintain connections between incarcerated parents and their children by purchasing a book for the Get the Story Out program at McNally Robinson, in person or online at mcnallyrobinson.com, or donate directly to John Howard’s literacy program (johnhoward.mb.ca/donate).
Instructions
Purchase a book from this list and include "John Howard Society" or "Get the Story Out" in the customer instructions. Please select "Pick Up-In Store Grant Park" as the shipping option. Our website won't automatically apply the discount, but as we process these orders manually, the discount will be applied.
Apartment 713
- Kevin Sylvester 
Children's paperback
$12.99
Reader Reward Price: $11.69
Secret ballrooms, hidden artwork and unlikely friends--welcome to the Regency, where even time moves in surprising ways!
Jake Simmons hates his new home.
The Regency is nothing more than floor after floor of peeling wallpaper and faded glory. Jake misses his old life. He misses the time when his mother was employed. He misses living in a house where the wind doesn't make the windows whistle.
Loneliness (and a trail of kittens) leads Jake to the apartment of an elderly lady, then to the bowels of the building and then to a part-time job assisting Danny the custodian. With each passing day, the building reveals more of its mysteries to Jake. The occupants grow on him too.
Unfortunately, Jake's feeling of belonging is short-lived: the city plans to demolish the Regency. Jake feels powerless. And then fate throws him a curveball. He's summoned to apartment 713. An apartment he's been told is off-limits. But when he opens the door . . . he travels to the past!
Alongside Beth, his new friend and guide, Jake begins searching for any clue that might help him save the Regency. As their friendship blooms, the mystery around the building's makers deepens. The Regency's own storied past will give Jake the key to saving his own future--if only he knows where to look.
The Bad Guys (The Bad Guys #1)
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Children's paperback
$7.99
Reader Reward Price: $7.19
NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE!
"I wish I'd had these books as a kid. Hilarious!" -- Dav Pilkey, creator of Captain Underpants and Dog ManThis New York Times bestselling illustrated series is perfect for fans of Dog Man and Captain Underpants.They sound like bad guys, they look like bad guys . . . and they even smell like bad guys. But Mr. Wolf, Mr. Piranha, Mr. Snake, and Mr. Shark are about to change all of that...Mr. Wolf has a daring plan for the Bad Guys' first good mission. They are going to break two hundred dogs out of the Maximum Security City Dog Pound. Will Operation Dog Pound go smoothly? Will the Bad Guys become the Good Guys? And will Mr. Snake please stop swallowing Mr. Piranha?!
The Barren Grounds
- David A Robertson
Children's paperback
$12.99
Reader Reward Price: $11.69
Narnia meets traditional Indigenous stories of the sky and constellations in an epic middle-grade fantasy series from award-winning author David Robertson.
Morgan and Eli, two Indigenous children forced away from their families and communities, are brought together in a foster home in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They each feel disconnected, from their culture and each other, and struggle to fit in at school and at their new home -- until they find a secret place, walled off in an unfinished attic bedroom. A portal opens to another reality, Askí, bringing them onto frozen, barren grounds, where they meet Ochek (Fisher). The only hunter supporting his starving community, Misewa, Ochek welcomes the human children, teaching them traditional ways to survive. But as the need for food becomes desperate, they embark on a dangerous mission. Accompanied by Arik, a sassy Squirrel they catch stealing from the trapline, they try to save Misewa before the icy grip of winter freezes everything -- including them.
Buffalo Fluffalo
- , Erin Kraan
Children's hardcover
$25.99
Reader Reward Price: $23.39
THE NATIONAL BESTSELLER o Introducing a sweet and silly buffalo who tries to bluff and fluff his way into being bigger than he really is. This laugh-out-loud story by an Emmy-nominated comedy writer shows it's okay to be yourself.
I'm the Buffalo Fluffalo
I heave and I huffalo
Leave me alone because
I've had enuffalo.
Buffalo Fluffalo arrives on the scene puffed up with self-importance. Stomping around and raising billows of dust, Buffalo Fluffalo proclaims his superiority to the other creatures--the ram, the prairie dog, and the crow--who just want to be his friend. So Buffalo Fluffalo, who has had enuffalo, heads off to grumble to himself. Suddenly, a rain shower pours down from the clouds and--what's this? All of his fluffalo is a soggy mess! There Fluffalo stands, a drenched pip-squeak without his disguise. The other animals, who could see through Fluffalo's bravado from the start, circle around to comfort him. As prairie dog says with a smile in his eyes, You're great how you are, no matter your size.
Readers will find Buffalo Fluffalo's insecurity endearing and will be moved to reassure him. This humorous and delightful book encourages self-acceptance with a lighthearted touch.
The Case of Windy Lake
- Michael Hutchinson
Children's paperback
$11.95
Reader Reward Price: $10.76
Sam, Otter, Atim, and Chickadee are four inseparable cousins growing up on the Windy Lake First Nation. Nicknamed the Mighty Muskrats for their habit of laughing, fighting, and exploring together, the cousins find that each new adventure adds to their reputation. When a visiting archeologist goes missing, the cousins decide to solve the mystery of his disappearance. In the midst of community conflict, family concerns, and environmental protests, the four get busy following every lead. From their base of operations in a fort made out of an old school bus, the Mighty Muskrats won't let anything stop them from solving their case!
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
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Children's hardcover
$22.99
Reader Reward Price: $20.69
When a bus driver takes a break from his route, a very unlikely volunteer springs up to take his place -- a pigeon! But you've never met one like this before. As he pleads, wheedles, and begs his way through the book, children will love being able to answer back and decide his fate.
Fluffy McWhiskers Cuteness Explosion
- ,
Children's hardcover
$23.99
Reader Reward Price: $21.59
Friendship is hard for Fluffy, a kitten so precious that anyone who looks at her explodes!
Meet Fluffy--an adorable kitten. So adorable, in fact, that anyone who sees her will spontaneously explode into balls of sparkles and fireworks. KABOOM! Poof.
Poor Fluffy doesn't want anyone to get hurt, but everything she tries, even a bad haircut, just makes her cuter! So Fluffy runs away someplace no one can find her. Find out if there's any hope for Fluffy in this funny and subversive story about self-acceptance and finding friendship in unlikely places.
I Am A Rock
- Ashley Qilavaq-Savard ,
Children's hardcover
$22.95
Reader Reward Price: $20.66
Pauloosie loves his pet rock, Miki Rock. Pauloosie's Anaana, his mother, tells him a bedtime story about what Miki Rock sees, hears, and feels in his Arctic home. As part of the land, Miki Rock sees char and beluga, listens to chirps and howls, and feels the snow and sun.
Through lyrical text and ethereal landscape illustrations by Pelin Turgut, readers are taken on an Arctic journey from the point of view of a most unlikely object--a child's pet rock.
The Imposter
- Kelly Collier
Children's hardcover
$24.99
Reader Reward Price: $22.49
A laugh-out-loud tale about a skunk who longs for a family, perfect for fans of Gaston and Wolfie the Bunny.
Skunk wants to be a dog. EVERYONE loves dogs. And every dog seems to have exactly what he's looking for: a home and a family.
When Skunk sees a "lost" poster for Max the dog, he wonders if he can pass himself off as the missing pet. He enlists the help of three neighborhood critters--a racoon, a cat, and a squirrel--who train him in the art of being a dog with hilarious results. But, uh-oh, there's just one thing Skunk didn't account for . . .
Will it prevent him from finding a home where he belongs?Perfect for animal lovers.Message of acceptance and found family, plus lots of humor.A gateway graphic novel: speech bubbles and paneled art sprinkled throughout will prime visual literacy.
The Kodiaks
- David A Robertson
Children's paperback
$12.95
Reader Reward Price: $11.66
Hockey fans will love this action-packed middle grade novel about teamwork, overcoming adversity, and being proud of who you are and where you come from.
Everything is changing for 11-year-old Alex Robinson. After his father accepts a new job, Alex and his family move from their community to the city. For the first time in his life, he doesn't fit in. His fellow students don't understand Indigenous culture. Even a simple show of respect to his teacher gets him in trouble.
Things begin to look up after Alex tries out for a local hockey team. Playing for the Kodiaks, Alex proves himself as one of the best, but he becomes a target because he's Indigenous. Can Alex trust his teammates and stand up to the jerks on other teams? Can he find a way to fit in and still be who he's meant to be?
Let's Go for a Drive! (An Elephant and Piggie Book)
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Children's hardcover
$12.99
Reader Reward Price: $11.69
Gerald is careful. Piggie is not.
Piggie cannot help smiling. Gerald can.
Gerald worries so that Piggie does not have to.
Gerald and Piggie are best friends.
In Let's Go for a Drive! Gerald and Piggie want to hit the road! But the best-laid plans of pigs and elephants often go awry.
Mother Bruce-Mother Bruce, Book 1
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Children's hardcover
$23.99
Reader Reward Price: $21.59
Bruce the bear likes to keep to himself. That, and eat eggs. But when his hard-boiled goose eggs turn out to be real, live goslings, he starts to lose his appetite. And even worse, the goslings are convinced he's their mother. Bruce tries to get the geese to go south, but he can't seem to rid himself of his new companions. What's a bear to do?
On Account of the Gum
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Children's hardcover
$26.99
Reader Reward Price: $24.29
How do you get gum out of your hair? From the madcap mind of award-winning children's author Adam Rex comes a book about how the best intentions lead to the worst (and funniest) ideas!
So, you got bubblegum in your hair--and before you know it, a pair of scissors, some butter, your rabbit, and the cat are also stuck up there. And to make matters worse, it's picture day!
With each turn of the page in On Account of the Gum, the situation gets stickier, sillier, and more desperate. Kids will love this all-too-familiar story, told in verse and propelled by charming illustrations, about one family's best efforts to get the gum un-stuck . . . by any means necessary.
"Adam Rex is one of the best writers making picture books today, and . . . On Account of the Gum just might be his best picture book yet."
--Mac Barnett, New York Times bestselling author of the Caldecott Honor books Sam and Dave Dig a Hole and Extra Yarn
CLASSIC STORY: Readers of all ages will instantly relate to this problem that kids have faced since the invention of bubble gum.
AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR: Adam Rex books are filled with whimsical rhymes and hilarious illustrations that make him one of the most beloved and children's book authors working today.
READ ALOUD FUN: Told in clever rhyming verse, this funny book is perfect for story time on the couch or in the classroom.
Perfect for: Parents, grandparents, teachers, librarians, and educators looking for a delightful read-aloud tale Anyone looking for funny kids books for girl or boy Readers who enjoy the zany humor of Dragons Love Tacos, The Wonky Donkey, and books by Jory John and Mo Willems Fans of Adam Rex's award-winning picture books, including the New York Times bestsellers Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich, School's First Day of School (with illustrator Christian Robinson), and Chu's Day (with author Neil Gaiman) Anyone who has ever had gum stuck in their hair!
Pig in Jeans
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Children's hardcover
$19.99
Reader Reward Price: $17.99
Introducing Pig in Jeans! A hilarious and endearing picture book about being true to yourself, starring an extraordinary pig who loves to wear jeans!
Meet Brian. He's a pig but not an ordinary one. He is a pig that wears... JEANS! Jeans with many pockets! What he keeps inside those pockets is a mystery until one day, the secret is revealed. As Brian saves the day with the help of his jeans, he shows that being yourself is the best way to spread kindness and joy to everyone around you. A humorous and feel-good read aloud for story time!
Piranhas Don't Eat Bananas
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Children's hardcover
$16.99
Reader Reward Price: $15.29
Brian's a piranha who loves bananas. What's so wrong with that?
Brian the piranha is an enthusiastic fan of peas and loves a good fruit tray. But he simply cannot get his friends to give them a taste -- they like knees and feet. Finally after much convincing, the piranhas give in and give fruit a chance . . . but find they still prefer bums over plums in this "cheeky" and hilarious rhyming story.
This is a selection of our current Get the Story Out titles. To find other titles or authors, or just to browse, please use the search box.
