Forest of Reading®, K to 6 Programs

The Dragon's Egg by Alison Baird Dragon's Eggs are quite rare and can be tricky to open. The outside looks like a solid wood ball, about the size of a baseball. The Object is to get the egg apart into 2 pieces. It is quite clever, using a classic puzzle solution technique to solve. Have some fun with this one. Another puzzle with a magical edge to it as often you can solve it right in front of people and they don't know what you did and can't repeat it!

Out of the Blue by Sarah Ellis Never in a million years could Megan have predicted the surprise she gets for her 12th birthday. She first senses something's up when her organized, never-waste-a-minute mother becomes "this soft, slow person" who sings happy songs. Soon Megan learns why: she has a half-sister. It seems that when Megan's mother was a teenager, she had a baby who she gave up for adoption. But now she and 24-year-old Natalie have reestablished contact, and Natalie is coming to meet the family. Although Megan's little sister, Betsy, is thrilled at the idea of being a flower girl in her new big sister's wedding, Megan is not as enthusiastic. She grows increasingly resentful and anxious as her mother becomes totally absorbed in Natalie. Even more troubling is Megan's nagging worry that she can no longer trust her parents. If they didn't tell her about Natalie, can she ever believe anything else they say? As in her previous works, author Sarah Ellis keenly observes the nuances of relationships within families and the effects of change on those relationships.

A Friend Like Zilla by Rachna Gilmore Nobby, short for Zenobia, meets an older girl, Zilla, when her family goes on holiday. Zilla is developmentally disabled, but much more fun than the average teenager. The friendship grows until Uncle Chad shows up. He is snooty and sometimes unthinkingly cruel to Zilla. Prejudices and attitudes take a surprising turn when Uncle Chad gets hurt during a storm and it is Zilla who generously comes to the rescue.

Cowboys Don't Quit by Marilyn Halvorson In Cowboys Don't Cry, Shane and dad finally settled in to a new life on a ranch in Deer Valley, Alberta. They'd been through some rough times after Shane's mother died in a car accident and his father was drinking too much. But all that was behind them and they were getting along fine together. Or so Shane thought. Now, in Cowboys Don't Quit, his dad is a day late delivering some bulls to a ranch in Bonzeman, Montana, and Shane is a little worried. Then it's two days. when he gets back from his last day of school and his dad's still not back, Shane decides that he just can't wait around. He's going to Montana to find him. But crossing an international border and driving hundreds of miles isn't easy when your fifteen, with no driver's license and little money, in a bald-tried old truck. With everything against him--including both sides of the law--Shane is determined to find his dad, before it's too late.

The Golden Aquarians by Monica Hughes Walt Elliot goes with the father he hasn't seen for years to the planet Aqua, where he discovers that his father's project threatens the existence of a highly intelligent native species.

Within a Painted Past by Hazel J. Hutchins; Ruth Ohi (Illustrator); Hazel Hutchins Lonely and a little insecure, 12-year-old Allison steps through a magical painting and into the Rocky Mountains of 1898. While trying to solve the mystery of her time travel, she also begins to explore her emerging sense of identity.

Freedom Child of the Sea by Richardo Keens-Douglas; Julia Gukova (Illustrator) A fable-like story of oppression, love and hope during the slave trade, it is also one of the persistence of love and spiritual joy. Stunning illustrations by the award-winning Julia Gukova.

Dreamcatcher by Meredy Maynard Faced with a new life away from the city and unhappy about the new man in his mother's life, Fran anticipates a bitter, lonely summer. Everything shifts, however, when Fran adopts an orphaned raccoon and befriends a Native girl in search of her cultural identity.

Bringing up Beauty by Sylvia McNicoll As if bathtub floods, chewed homework, and accidents on the floor weren't enough! Being saddled with so much responsibility for bringing up Beauty only adds insult to injury. With a flapjack tongue and oversized feet, this is the ugliest puppy Elizabeth has ever seen. It will be easy to resist loving her. And since Beauty is only staying until she can be trained as a guide dog, there is no room for love in this relationship... At the age of twelve, with busy parents, a sister who's too cool for words, and two best friends suddenly dating each other, Elizabeth could use a little unconditional love.

Shabash! by Ann Walsh Rana's on the team -- but is he still all alone?Short-listed for the 1996 Silver Birch AwardAs a Sikh living in small-town British Columbia, Rana knows he is different. In fact, he is the first Sikh in Dinway to try out for the hockey team. But Rana persists, making the team and meeting Les, who becomes fast friends with him.Still, the bullying from his teammates and community members continues. Then, just before the most important game of the season, an extraordinary event interrupts the lives of everyone in Dinway, and Rana risks everything.

Stand Your Ground by Eric Walters Sometimes the longest journey is back to where you belong... Life was pretty exciting for Jonathan when he lived with his con-artist father. But now he has to stay with his grandparents while his dad hides from some angry customers, and life is tough. It's hard to make friends when your scamming them. Hard to gain the trust of wary grandparents. And hard to decide whether to leave when the coast is clear--or stand for a new and better life.

The Case of the Golden Boy by Eric Wilson; Eric Wilson Tom Austen is back with his crime solving expertise. This time one of his schoolmates has been kidnapped and it's up to him to find him. Tom Austen Mystery.

The Book of Changes by Tim Wynne-Jones A collection of short stories about change introduces Clarke, a timid individual who finds courage when he truly needs it; Tobias, who uses the I Ching for inspiration; and Dwight, who comes up with a way to escape the class bully.