Frogger by
Nominated for Ontario's 2001 Silver Birch Awards! The village of Tichburg boasts 27 volunteer firefighters, 4 fire trucks, 3 small stores, a population of 473 offbeat residents - and an 11-year-old auxiliary assistant to the fire chief named Frogger, who cheerfully wanders around town trying to be helpful to everyone. But, as Frogger is about to learn, life in Tichburg is not as easy as it should be for a kid who just wants to keep everybody happy. * A simple babysitting job for the affluent couple down the street gets complicated when Cigar Davis, a crusty 85-year-old, shows up with a sledgehammer looking for treasure he left in the attic in 1930. * An easy favor for old Dolly Gilmore, the fire chief, turns into a scorched mess. * And the Troth twins, who Frogger is babysitting, spell nothing but trouble. Frogger's problems all add up to a hilarious series of misadventures that introduce young readers to the trials and tribulations of everyday life in the rural backwater of Tichburg - where nothing is ever as simple as it seems.
Looking for X by
Smart and independent, 11-year-old Khyber lives with her mom, Tammy, a former stripper, and her autistic twin brothers in a poor Toronto neighborhood. Though she doesn't have a lot in common with her classmates, Khyber does have wonderfully eccentric friends: Valerie, Toronto's meanest waitress, and X, a homeless woman in hiding from "the secret police". Despite having to deal with pompous social workers who make her mother cry and ignorant kids who make remarks about her brothers, Khyber manages to enjoy herself, poring over atlases, planning exotic journeys, and taking peanut butter sandwiches to X. But when Tammy decides to move her sons to a group home for proper care, Khyber's world starts to crumble. She fights with her mom and then gets expelled from school. To make matters worse, X suddenly disappears. Khyber sets out to find her in a wild all-night odyssey of self-discovery.
Mina's Spring of Colors by
Mina, 11, enjoys playing computer games and watching TV, and has decidedly mixed feelings about her Indian heritage. She loves her Nanaji (grandfather), but is sometimes embarrassed by his old-fashioned ideas and customs. When she overhears the most popular girl at school refer to Nanaji as "a stupid old geek who can't even talk right," Mina is hurt and incensed. She vows to get revenge during her family's annual party celebrating Holi, the Indian festival of color. Instead of squirting Ashley with the traditional harmless colored powders that are the hallmark of the celebration, Mina plans to barrage her foe with a concoction that will leave a more permanent impression. In the end, the scheme backfires, and Nanaji helps his granddaughter to see that her stunt is less about revenge than about coming to terms with her own ambivalent feelings toward him.
The Ghost of Avalanche Mountain by
I got the goldstone at a time when I needed something special. I wore it for years, never thinking it was more than a beautiful pendant and a link to the past. Later I learned the goldstone is also a link to the future. Wear it at night, and you'll see what lies ahead. With these words, Aunt Jo gives Ashley the beautiful goldstone necklace that has been in their family for nearly a century. Ashley is immediately enchanted by the magic of the stone, and can hardly wait to dream on it to see what her future holds. But fate has brought Ashley much more than the goldstone. When she wears her gift, a presence deep within the glacial mountains is awakened. A boy named Jonathan, who has transcended the bounds of time, begins to stalk her nights and days. He, too, dreams of the future and has foreseen the moment when he can reclaim the stone. But he knows that he can only do so once Ashley has joined him in the space between life and death.
After Hamelin by
Implicit in many folk and fairy tales is the question, 'Then what?' After Hamelin picks up the story where the Robert Browning poem -- or other tellings of The Pied Piper of Hamelin -- leaves off. In a quest that is both contemporary and timeless, Richardson creates a magical world through inventive wordplay, uninhibited imagination and a facility with rhyme. Here is a raconteur who spins a narrative tale that takes readers into strange lands inhabited by unusual characters, both good and evil, where adventure abounds and unlikely saviors emerge. Penelope is 101 years old, but she can remember the story like it happened yesterday. On the morning of her eleventh birthday, she wakes to discover she can no longer hear. It is on this same day that the Piper returns to Hamelin to spirit the children away in an evil act of revenge upon the townspeople. Spared because she is deaf to the Piper's bewitching tune, Penelope is left to grieve the loss of her friends and beloved sister Sophy until Cuthbert, the wise man of the village, reveals that Penelope possesses the unusual gift of deep dreaming. Armed only with a charm from Cuthbert and her own courage, Penelope enters the land of sleep on a treacherous quest to rescue the stolen children. There is suspense, humor and high excitement (wrapped in dark undercurrents) as Penelope and the companions she meets along the way -- Scally, her trusted cat; Alloway, the blind harpist; Ulysses, a three-legged dog; and Quentin, a dragon who loves skipping -- journey to the Piper's mountain fortress. Their combined wits and talents see them through strange landscapes and close calls. In a thrilling climax played out in a mysterious place between dreaming and waking, they triumph over the Piper and set the children of Hamelin free.
Once upon a Time Long, Long Ago by
Short-listed for the 2001 Silver Birch Award, How did we get to be US? Who are WE? This story for the younger reader, set in the period some 50,000 years ago when an almost explosive change in people's behaviour occurred, addresses these questions. From this period on, people, the Cro-Magnon or Homo sapiens sapiens who are considered to be our ancestors, became what we term human. This recreated story presents a sister and brother in a sequence of events that fits what little is known about that time. Learn to create fire, shape tools, partner with wolves and develop into thinking, creative persons who can influence the world around them. Discover what effect a few curious and reasoning people can have on their society A devoted grandfather and reader of stories to grandchildren, Henry Shykoff has created a classic adventure for the younger reader, answering the question, "How did we get to be human?" "This is an intriguing story that vividly brings to life an exciting moment in human evolution. Full of struggle and adventure, this highly readable tale is as entertaining as it is informative." - Linda McQuaig, Author and Journalist
The Lost Sketch by
When Rick and Willow Forster find an old sketch hidden in a boxcar, Rick assumes it’s junk. But Willow’s instincts tell her otherwise. Could this be a sketch by one of the Group of Seven painters? Could this be the legendary boxcar where they spent their summers? Suddenly Rick and Willow find their ordinary week at camp transformed into a thrilling adventure as the two new detectives search the web, the woods, and the town nearby for clues. When Kristo, the local art dealer, starts acting more and more suspiciously, and when Willow’s hunches seem like they may be true, Rick and Willow are caught up in a chain of events that includes a race through the woods to beat Kristo to the boxcar, an encounter with a pack of “wolves,” and a trip to the officials at the Art Gallery of Ontario. Packed with intrigue and mystery, The Lost Sketch is a fascinating exploration of the lives of Group of Seven painters. Non-fiction sidebars offer amazing information about the group members, painting styles, copies and forgeries, and more. Andrea Spalding has written eight books for children, including Finders Keepers, An Island of My Own, Phoebe and the Gypsy, Sarah May and the New Red Dress, and Me and Mr. Mah. David has written, co-written, or edited ten books. Most are about science for adults, with recent books about dinosaurs and whales. Andrea and David live on Pender Island in British Columbia and are excited about teaming up to write this new children’s adventure series.
Frog Face and the Three Boys by
Charlie, Jeffrey and Sidney are all in the seventh grade and all are spending too much time in the principal's office. Charlie talks nonstop, Jeffrey is too frightened to talk at all and Sidney would much rather let his fists hold up his end of the conversation. One day all three end up before Mr. Duncan, or Frog Face, as they call him behind his back. Finally realizing that detention is not solving the continued problems, Mr. Duncan decides that what these troublemakers need is some discipline and order, and consigns them to a series of lessons in karate run by his son Willie. What begins as a penance slowly becomes bearable and then a pleasure for the three boys, as they all begin to learn something about themselves and how to get along with others.
Remember Me by
Young Marianne is one of the lucky ones. She has escaped on one of the first kindertransporte organized to take Jewish children out of Germany to safety in Britain.At first Marianne is desperate. She does not speak English, she is not welcome in her sponsors' home, and, most of all, she misses her mother terribly. As the months pass, she realizes that she cannot control the circumstances around her. She must rely on herself if she is to survive.In this exciting companion to Good-bye Marianne, Irene N. Watts has created a memorable character, and a story that is ultimately about hope, not war. Based on true events, this fictional account of hatred and racism speaks volumes about history and human nature.
Kit by
Born in the hollow of a maple tree, Kit spends his early days sleeping and eating. But soon he must leave the security of his mother's warmth and milk and learn to fend for himself in the wild. His mother teaches Kit and his siblings how to fish and forage, but the young raccoons learn other survival skills through trial and error. Meanwhile, the family is always on the move, as Mama raccoon struggles to keep her family safe from predators. But without success. After Kit's sisters are killed -- one by an owl, another by a car -- Kit finds himself on his own, and life becomes even more of an adventure. He's trapped while investigating a family's garbage cans and later is chased out of a cornfield by hounds. In the end, he survives it all, finds a mate, and becomes a father to his own brood. This realistic story about an animal familiar to most children will draw in attentive, nature-loving readers.
After Hamelin by
Implicit in many folk and fairy tales is the question, 'Then what?' After Hamelin picks up the story where the Robert Browning poem -- or other tellings of The Pied Piper of Hamelin -- leaves off. In a quest that is both contemporary and timeless, Richardson creates a magical world through inventive wordplay, uninhibited imagination and a facility with rhyme. Here is a raconteur who spins a narrative tale that takes readers into strange lands inhabited by unusual characters, both good and evil, where adventure abounds and unlikely saviors emerge. Penelope is 101 years old, but she can remember the story like it happened yesterday. On the morning of her eleventh birthday, she wakes to discover she can no longer hear. It is on this same day that the Piper returns to Hamelin to spirit the children away in an evil act of revenge upon the townspeople. Spared because she is deaf to the Piper's bewitching tune, Penelope is left to grieve the loss of her friends and beloved sister Sophy until Cuthbert, the wise man of the village, reveals that Penelope possesses the unusual gift of deep dreaming. Armed only with a charm from Cuthbert and her own courage, Penelope enters the land of sleep on a treacherous quest to rescue the stolen children. There is suspense, humor and high excitement (wrapped in dark undercurrents) as Penelope and the companions she meets along the way -- Scally, her trusted cat; Alloway, the blind harpist; Ulysses, a three-legged dog; and Quentin, a dragon who loves skipping -- journey to the Piper's mountain fortress. Their combined wits and talents see them through strange landscapes and close calls. In a thrilling climax played out in a mysterious place between dreaming and waking, they triumph over the Piper and set the children of Hamelin free.