Cross-Canada Crosswords 1

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

Gwen Sjogren is a writer, editor, and communications planner with an
English degree and a flair for puns. Each of her two volumes of
Cross-Canada Crosswords contain 26 clever puzzles, with a distinctly
Canadian flavour. Each puzzle has a specific topic. A few sample titles
include “Yada Yada Yada, Eh (Talk TV, Canadian style),”
“Cross-country Ski Resorts (Ski-daddle down provincial slopes),”
“The Skinny on Shinny (Canada’s game in a 15 by 15 arena),”
“School of Thought (Get a Canadian university education),” “I
Dream of Genies (And the award went to),” and “Margaret Atwood Ana
(A library of beloved Canadian literature).”

Fear not if you are worried that these puzzles may be too
Canada-centric and demand self-knowledge beyond the ken of the average
home-grown Canuck. Sjogren includes many clues that require world
knowledge because that too is part of being Canadian. For example, in
the puzzle called “Silly Canuck Stuff (National nonsense)” there are
clues like 23rd Greek letter, Chinese Dynasty, Roman Rhymer, and the
slang word for a New Zealand native. Each puzzle also contains one or
two witty quotes from famous Canadians like Northrop Frye or June
Callwood, or a small droll blurb about Canadian culture. If you love a
crossword and appreciate a Canadian focus, these two volumes belong in
your collection.