We give this book five ghosts out of five. The book literally had me giggling out loud. The imagination the Condo Kids is amazing and is reflected in the adventures that they have.

More and more kids are growing up in condos in Toronto. This children's book explores what happens when a group of young condo-dwellers sneak a zoo animal into their unit.

Last year my oldest son brought home a fire safety pamphlet he received at school when the fire department did an informational visit. I laughed when I saw the basic ‘what to do in event of fire’ safety steps spelled out and illustrated for kids. The pamphlet showed a rancher style house. I don’t think any of my son’s classmates that year lived in a detached home; most of them lived in condos and a few in townhouses. Most of the kids in our neighbourhood have never lived in a detached house and likely will never live in a detached house. Yet, fire safety pamphlets and, the point of this post, most kid’s books assume that we all live in a suburban neighbourhood in a house. This frustrates me.

I asked my first Apartment Baby, Benjamin, to read the new book written by author Jackie Burns.  Jackie is a fellow ‘Mama in the City’ raising her two boys in a condo in Toronto and this book was born out of her experiences raising kids in a condo.

I have lived in a condo for the last eight years and was so excited to hear about a new book tailored around condo living, specifically on the adventures of The Condo Kids. Condo living has been a growing reality in today’s day with many families. Therefore, this book seems fitting with the times that we live in and I was thrilled to see it hit the book shelves.

As I mindlessly browsed through Facebook a couple of weeks back, I found myself intrigued by an article published by the Star entitled “Why We’re Raising Our Kids in a Condo”. I quickly found myself pouring over every single word of Jackie Burns and her family’s story. A true modern family, Jackie and her Husband decided to forgo purchasing a home in the GTA in favour of condo living. Though I have yet to start a family of my own, I’m often consumed with thoughts of when might be “the appropriate time” to retire from the core and lay down roots.