O Canada Crosswords Book 26 by Gwen Sjogren
Reviewed by Lisa Timpf
With the release of O Canada Crosswords Book 26, fans of the O Canada Crosswords series have a new entry to enjoy.
O Canada Crosswords Book 26 comes in an 8 ½ by 11 size. This allows for sizeable crossword grids. The book includes a Table of Contents listing the title, theme, and page number for each puzzle. This makes it appealing for users to pick and choose which puzzles they want to do first, rather than working through the book sequentially.
“O Canada Crosswords Book 26 includes 75 all-new puzzles, many of them Canadian-themed and/or containing Canadiana-inspired clues.”
O Canada Crosswords Book 26 includes 75 all-new puzzles, many of them Canadian-themed and/or containing Canadiana-inspired clues. There are a few “pun” puzzles for those who enjoy humour with their puzzle-solving. There are also a handful of “challenger” puzzles; for example, puzzles with no three-letter clues or fill-in-the-blank answers.
The original and appealing names of the individual puzzles, like “As Canadian as Maple . . . : Great White North trees” and “Poetic Licence(s): On provincial plates” are a refreshing change to puzzle collections that are designated by number only.
Canadian-themed crosswords include topics revolving around geography (“Home Turf” and “Beachy Keen”), the natural world (“Talk to the Animals” and “Whale of a Time 1”), pun-filled clues (“Dog-and-Punny Show” and “If the Shoe Fits”), Olympics (“Golden” and “Canadian Competitors’ Achievements”) and Uniquely Canadian (“Colourful Quebec” and “Frosty Fun”). There are also 25 “Canada Cornucopia” puzzles.
Basic knowledge about Canadian geography, history, pop culture, and sports is helpful, though you don’t need to be an expert in any of these fields to know many of the answers. A few clues draw on French, and some relate to common words in other languages.
Boasting 176 pages including generously-sized solution grids, O Canada Crosswords is printed on quality paper that stands up well regardless whether one prefers to use a pen or a pencil when working puzzles.
I consider myself a competent crossword puzzle solver, but not in the same league as people who take on the super-challenging puzzles in some of the major newspapers. Still, for those puzzles I tried my hand at, I was able to solve all or most of the clues by working across and down repeatedly until I had enough letters to figure things out.
Some other crossword books I’ve used have clues that quickly become repetitive, and often the puzzles feel too easy, just something to do to pass the time. O Canada Crosswords Book 26 offers a number of witty clues and solutions, and I appreciated the Canadian content as well as the originality of the clues. Clearly, a lot of thought and research went into the designing the puzzle grids and the clues, which made the experience more enjoyable.
If you enjoy crosswords, and are looking for something different that also speaks to your Canadian pride, O Canada Crosswords Book 26 is worth a look. The book would also make an attractive gift for puzzle-solving friends and family members. Those who like what they see will be pleased to know that there are 25 other volumes in the O Canada Crosswords series.
About the Author
With lifetime sales of over 120,000 books, Gwen Sjogren has earned the esteem of crossword fans by designing over 1,500 puzzles for her twenty-one crossword editions. Focusing on intriguing themes, wordplay and as much Canadiana as she can pack in, Sjogren has designed the last fifteen O Canada Crosswords collections. Originally from Hamilton, ON, Gwen lives in Calgary, AB. She’s been a guest on many radio shows and featured in newspaper articles.
About the Reviewer
Ontario resident Lisa Timpf writes poetry, book reviews, short stories, and creative nonfiction. Her speculative poetry collections Cats and Dogs in Space (2025) and In Days to Come (2022) are available from Hiraeth Publishing in print and electronic formats. Lisa is a member of SF Canada and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association. You can find out more about her writing projects at http://lisatimpf.blogspot.com/. Lisa is also on Bluesky, @lisatimpf.bsky.social
Book Details
Publisher: Nightwood Editions
Publication date: Aug. 26 2025
Language: English
Print length: 176 pages
ISBN-10: 0889714738
ISBN-13: 978-0889714731