The Castaways by
ADRIFT AT SEA, Tom Tin and his four convict companions are only too glad when they come upon a deserted ship. The boys clamber aboard, not knowing whether they've been saved or set on a course toward doom. But after rescuing two men stranded on a melting iceberg, Tom begins to suspect that these unsavory sailors are dangerous castaways from this very vessel. The more Tom questions the men, the more they dislike him. So, when Tom overhears them plotting to get rid of him, he knows they mean it. But the other boys don't feel threatened - at least not until the sailors attempt to sell them as slaves, a decision that ends with death for some . . . and with Tom sailing the ship home to England. Soon Tom discovers that he has to cast away every ill-intentioned companion from his voyage home before he can truly be free. "From the Hardcover edition."
Egghead by
Will Reid is a gawky kid who wears fake turtlenecks, is obsessed by his ant farm project, and is lousy at gym. In other words, he's the perfect target for Shane, the Grade 9 bully. Katie has been Will's friend in elementary school, but defending him in the high school environment comes at an unforeseen cost - she dreads the rumours that link them in a boyfriend/girlfriend way she's never considered. Devan has been part of Shane's bullyboy team until now, when he comes to realize that it's not so smart to mindlessly back up each nasty attack of Shane's. Together the three young teens are struggling to find their way out of one of the classic dilemmas of life: how not to be a bystander to bullying, how to stand up for your friends, and how to deal with consuming rage. Young readers will find lots to think about as they turn the pages of this crisp and compelling story by newcomer Caroline Pignat. Each character takes a turn at telling the story - through the spare blank verse of Will, wrapped up in the world of his single-parent father and his own eccentric preoccupations; through the clear-eyed accounts of Katie, wrestling with her own private demons; and in the sensitive narrative of the slowly awakening Devan, who comes to notice Katie as a spunky, attractive individual whom he'd like to know better but fears thinks he's a goof. Note that Kids Help Phone's has included Egghead on their site as a book to help kids in their Get Information section under Bullying for Ages 13 and Up.
Elijah of Buxton by
"Master storyteller Christopher Paul Curtis lends his trademark humour and vibrant narrative style to the gripping tale of eleven-year-old Elijah Freeman. The first child born into freedom in Buxton, Ontario, a settlement of runaway slaves just over the border from Detroit, Elijah is best known in his hometown as the boy who threw up on Frederick Douglass. Not on purpose, of course, he was just a baby then! But things change when a former slave calling himself the Right Reverend Zephariah W. Connerly the Third steals money from Elijah's friend Mr. Leroy, who has been saving to buy his family out of captivity in the South. Elijah joins Mr. Leroy on a dangerous journey to America in pursuit of the disreputable preacher, and he discovers firsthand the unimaginable horrors of the life his parents have fled; a life from which he'll always be free, if he can find the courage to get back home." -Publisher's website
Frost by
Johnny Van Der Zee is a talented hockey player and seems to have everything going for him in the town of Iqaluit, Nunavut. But his friend Kathy knows something is very wrong. Why did Johnny deliberately crash his snowmobile? Why do mysterious accidents befall anyone Johnny gets close to? What is the secret Johnny is so desperate to tell, if only someone would listen? And who is the stranger with the cold eyes and silver hair? The one Johnny knows only as Frost . . . In this supernaturalthriller, Johnny's friends and brother must piece together the reason for his strange behaviour to save him - and all of mankind - from Frost's plan for a new ice age.
Not Fair, Clare by
Life is good for Clare. Those, um, womanly curves she's been waiting for have begun to arrive. She's got a new dog. And she's finally said goodbye to Elsa, her imaginary friend since she was five. But just when you thought she had it all figured out ... Enter eighth grade. At first, it's not so bad--she's got a new best friend, Allison. She's still a boyfriendless social outcast, but hey, Allison is in the same boat ... until Ginny Germaine, the school's prettiest, most popular girl, decides she wants Allison all for herself. And sort of like Lady Macbeth, Ginny always gets what she wants.Who can Clare turn to? The eager new drama teacher? No. Way. How about that weird little kid next door? Definitely not. Elsa? But she's gone ... right? Middle-grade and 'tween readers, teachers and librarians will love Yvonne Prinz's cynical, witty heroine and Terry Wong's sparkling cover illustrations. Book three in this smart and exuberant series is Double-Dare Clare.Ages 10-13
Out of the Cold by
"Nick has disappeared without a word, and Robyn doesn't know what to make of it. Could this be the end of their relationship? To keep her mind off her romantic woes, she decides to volunteer at a drop-in centre for the homeless. On her first day there, she meets one of the other volunteers, a boy named Ben, who seems hostile towards her. When one of the centre's clients, Mr. Duffy, injures Robyn, he's banished from the shelter for a week. On the coldest night of the year, he is found dead. Ben blames Robyn for getting him banned from the shelter. Determined to have Mr. Duffy properly remembered, Ben tries to find out more about him. To make amends, Robyn agrees to help out. But what seems like another tragically sad death due to exposure might be something much more sinister. As Robyn and her friends find out more about Mr. Duffy, they realize that he was a man with a past, and the chance that his death was an accident is very slim." -Publisher's website
Payback by
Thirteen-year-old Charley Callaghan is coping with some difficult changes. His family has recently moved to Vancouver from Ireland, and his mother has died of cancer. Now he is desperately trying to fit in -- in a new school, a new city, a new country -- while holding a part-time job and keeping an eye on his little sister, Annie. Charley's red hair and Irish accent at first make him a target of the class bullies, but he is tough enough -- just -- to keep them at bay. So it is almost a relief to him when the bullies find a new target, Benny Mason. Charley keeps hoping that Benny will defend himself, but he fails to intervene. When Benny commits suicide, Charley is overcome with remorse and guilt. He visits Benny's single mom, Joanna, but instead of confessing, finds himself trying to make amends by doing chores, running errands, and befriending Benny's little brother. Can Charley find atonement for failing to act? James Heneghan's trademark narrative drive, vivid characters, and strong social message make this a striking study of loss and renewal.
A Perfect Gentle Knight by
Kit Pearson's long-awaited new novel tells the story of the five Bell children, each of them coping in various ways in the aftermath of their mother's death. Set in the 1950s and seen through the perspective of the middle child, 11-year-old Corrie, Pearson's story illustrates how a rich fantasy life both helps and hinders children trying to cope with loss, loneliness, and growing up.While elder sister Roz is growing up and out of the desire for fantasy games, eldest brother Sebastian, who fancies himself Sir Lancelot in their Round Table game, continues to need them as much as ever,
Perilous Passage by
After a shipwreck in 1809, Peter finds himself the victim of amnesia. The sea captain who finds the teenager gives him the only name he knows, while others derisively dub him Peter No-Name. Eventually, Peter finds employment in a Montreal tavern where he meets a French voyageur called Boulard who changes his life irrevocably. Boulard works for fur trader David Thompson, soon to become one of the world's most famous explorers and mapmakers. Thompson is impressed with the teenager and enlists him in his obsessive quest to establish an overland "northwest" passage to the Pacific Ocean via the Columbia River. With Thompson, Peter embarks on an amazing series of adventures that brings him face to face with hostile Natives and exposes him to the hardships and life-threatening challenges of formidable mountains and primeval forests as the intrepid outdoorsmen canoe, ride, and sled across a continent still largely untouched by European civilization.
The Way Lies North by
This young adult historical novel focuses on Charlotte and her family, Loyalists who are forced to flee their home in the Mohawk Valley as a result of the violence of the "Sons of Liberty" during the American Revolution. At the beginning, fifteen-year-old Charlotte Hooper is separated from her sweetheart, Nick, who sympathizes with the Revolutionaries. The war has already taken the lives of her three brothers, and it is with a sense of desperation that Charlotte and her parents begin the long trek north to the safety of Fort Haldimand (near present-day Kingston).The novel portrays Charlotte's struggle on the difficult journey north, and the even more difficult task of making a new home in British Canada. In her relationship with Nick, the novel explores how the ideals of the American Revolution were undermined by a revolutionary ethos of violence. In the flight north, the Mohawk nation plays an important role, and Charlotte learns much about their customs and way of life, tothe point where she is renamed "Woman of Two Worlds." Later in the novel she is able to repay her Native friends when she plays an important part in helping the Oneidas to become once again members of the Iroquois confederacy under British protection.The story of Charlotte's journey north is a tale of paradise lost and a new world gained. Strong and capable, Charlotte breaks the stereotype of the eighteenth-century woman, while revealing the positive relationship between the Loyalists and theNative peoples.
Out of the Cold by
"Nick has disappeared without a word, and Robyn doesn't know what to make of it. Could this be the end of their relationship? To keep her mind off her romantic woes, she decides to volunteer at a drop-in centre for the homeless. On her first day there, she meets one of the other volunteers, a boy named Ben, who seems hostile towards her. When one of the centre's clients, Mr. Duffy, injures Robyn, he's banished from the shelter for a week. On the coldest night of the year, he is found dead. Ben blames Robyn for getting him banned from the shelter. Determined to have Mr. Duffy properly remembered, Ben tries to find out more about him. To make amends, Robyn agrees to help out. But what seems like another tragically sad death due to exposure might be something much more sinister. As Robyn and her friends find out more about Mr. Duffy, they realize that he was a man with a past, and the chance that his death was an accident is very slim." -Publisher's website