The Fortress of Kaspar Snit by
Chosen for inclusion in the reading list for the 2006 Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Award Kaspar Snit is a villainous villain who is determined to steal all the fountains in the world. Why? Fountains are beautiful and give people pleasure, two things he can’t abide. Can a family of four who love fountains rescue them from the hands of this dastardly scoundrel? Especially when that family is made up of the four most eccentric individuals you’d care to meet? Eleven-year-old Eleanor, eight-year-old Solly, better known as Googoo Man, and their parents, who are, to say the least, odd, set out on a hilarious quest over mountains and across the seas to storm the fortress of Kaspar and retrieve the lost fountains. Cary Fagan’s first novel for children is a fun fantasy that will keep young armchair travelers laughing right to the exciting end.
Hero by
Els is a courier, a girl who takes Jewish children on the back of her bike to safety on farms in Friesland. When she leaves Isaak, disguised as Jan, at a farmhouse with kind people, he is miserable until he makes friends with a beautiful black horse, Hero, a Frisian wanted by the Germans. The first time the Germans come for the horse, Isaak comes up with a plan to save him, but the second time they come, Isaak can do nothing to protect the animal he loves.
Last Days in Africville by
Short-listed for the 2004 CLA Book of the Year for Children Award, for the 2005 Diamond Willow Award and for the 2005 Hackmatack Children's Choice Book Award On the shores of Bedford Basin in Halifax, 12-year-old Selina Palmer is growing up in the community of Africville in the 1960s. Struggling with what it means to be the only black student in her Grade 6 class, Selina takes comfort in the fact that every day she goes home to a loving and vibrant neighbourhood, where friends and family accept her as she is. But ugly rumours are starting to surface about the fate of Africville...
Mable Riley : a reliable record of humdrum, peril and romance by
Set in a town near Stratford, Ontario during the time of women's early struggles for independence, this is a funny and inspiring coming-of-age tale about a girl finding her voice--and the courage to make it heard.
My Name Is Mitch by
Mitch MacLeod may be the smallest kid in grade six, but he has a great sense of humor and a strong backbone. He can read, sometimes, but never at school when he has to. "You don't know what humiliation is until you have a grade one reading buddy who reads better than you do," he says. But things start to change for Mitch when he creates an opportunity to stand up to Philip, his arch-enemy, when his reading begins to improve, and when his dad, "The Creep," moves back to town.
No Small Thing by
Full of heart and humor, this coming-of-age tale is no small thing — the tale of a boy's search for love and identity in the face of longing, abandonment, and uncertainty. When twelve-year-old Nathaniel and his two sisters discover an ad in the paper for a free pony, they can hardly believe their luck. But what will their mother say? Mom's been having a hard time ever since Dad walked out on them four years ago. But caring for a pony might keep Nat and his older sister, Cid, from bickering, and it would mean so much to eight-year-old Queenie. It takes some serious persuasion — and a promise to use Nat's paper route money for the pony’s keep — but Mom finally relents. And so begins a year of self-discovery, as Nat struggles to deal with his father's absence; look out for his younger sister, who is "different"; and recover from having his heart broken by a rich, pretty girl from school. Life is not always easy, but Nat knows that Smokey, his very own pony, will be waiting for him at the end of each day. Or will he?
The Puppet Wrangler by
Telly Mercer is shy and quiet, used to living in the shadow of her older sister, Bess. Then she finds herself on the set of a puppet show, staying out of the way of her overstressed aunt Kathleen. One evening she makes a surprising discovery that launches her on an adventure with an unpredictable and angry puppet.
Raven Quest by
Banished! Tok, the best flyer of all the young ravens, faces a terrible fate. Falsely accused of murder, he must leave the Raven Mountains forever. If he ever returns, he will be put to death by those he once called friends and family. Tok's only hope is to reclaim his honor by completing a quest. Long ago, the ravens lived in partnership with the Grey Lords. Can Tok reunite his kind with these legendary hunters? the quest will take him on a perilous journey into dangers he cannot even imagine. Sharon Stewart was inspired to write Raven Quest when the image of a black raven - riding on the back of a white wolf in a swirling snowstorm - flashed across her mind. the story is also grounded in scientific research about ravens' long-standing relationship with wolves.
The Scream of the Hawk by
Lissa is the new kid in town. She is lonely and she blames her mother and her mother's new husband for her troubles. To make matters worse, she has to look after a boy who believes that his dead mother's spirit lives on in the red-tailed hawk that he secretly keeps captive. Ironically, the resulting adventure takes Lissa's mind off her own troubles and gets her a friend to boot!
The Sorcerer's Letterbox by
In a hidden drawer, located in the base of an old wooden box, Jack discovers a letter from a boy calling himself Edward. Penning a reply, Jack is astonished to be corresponding through time with Edward V, one of the famous Princes in the Tower. Travelling back in time, Jack attempts to rescue Edward and his brother from death and is soon fighting for his life in the terrifying London of 1483.
Raven Quest by
Banished! Tok, the best flyer of all the young ravens, faces a terrible fate. Falsely accused of murder, he must leave the Raven Mountains forever. If he ever returns, he will be put to death by those he once called friends and family. Tok's only hope is to reclaim his honor by completing a quest. Long ago, the ravens lived in partnership with the Grey Lords. Can Tok reunite his kind with these legendary hunters? the quest will take him on a perilous journey into dangers he cannot even imagine. Sharon Stewart was inspired to write Raven Quest when the image of a black raven - riding on the back of a white wolf in a swirling snowstorm - flashed across her mind. the story is also grounded in scientific research about ravens' long-standing relationship with wolves.