Juvenile Fiction

The first book in the Barnabas Bigfoot Series introduces us to Barnabas, adolescent sasquatch, and his family and tribe who live in the woods of BC. The story is told in the first person by Barnabas, who is a wonderfully engaging and genuine character, immediately relatable to preteens. He is experiencing the normal pangs of growing up: physical changes, pesky girls, embarrassing parents. On top of all that he experiences what for sasquatches is a dire handicap: small feet. He is determined to keep this terrible flaw a secret.

The action begins right away and never stops. Soon the peaceful, hidden society of sasquatches is being exposed to the human world, with dangerous results. The central story arc involves Barnabas’ adventures when he is sasquatchnapped and finds himself having to be a sasquatch in a human, “baldface”, world. His friendship with a helpful human girl, Jaime, weaves in threads of multicultural understanding and personal identity, as Barnabas must sacrifice his unique sasquatch appearance to literally save his hide! Of course young readers will be able to identify with the fish-out-of-water flavour of these adventures: “Do I look normal? How will I fit in? Does how I look define who I am? What happens when my own friends reject me?”

Chan has created a social structure, history, and vocabulary for his sasquatch society that is accessible and fascinating. For example, over the course of the three books, readers will learn many sasquatch idioms, based almost exclusively on the race’s hairiness. The series raises emvironmental questions as well by connecting the treatment of one’s fellows with the treatment of the earth, the implication being that greedy and selfish behaviour toward other beings will naturally cause one to be greedy and selfish with one’s environment, and vice-versa.

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How do you find a bully who lurks on the Internet and lashes out at helpless victims? Intrepid kid detectives Marty, Remi, and Trina must answer that question if they’re to stop a cyber bully targeting their classmates.

In their toughest case yet, the sleuths must follow the electronic trail to their enemy, but the cyber bully outsmarts them at every turn, leaving the trio to wonder if they’ve met their match. When a ploy to expose the culprit goes wrong, Marty does the unthinkable and loses his best friend Remi’s trust. Not only does Marty have to find the cyber bully, but he also has to find a way to win back Remi’s friendship. How do you find a bully who lurks on the Internet and lashes out at helpless victims? Intrepid kid detectives Marty, Remi, and Trina must answer that question if they’re to stop a cyber bully targeting their classmates. In their toughest case yet, the sleuths must follow the electronic trail to their enemy, but the cyber bully outsmarts them at every turn, leaving the trio to wonder if they’ve met their match. When a ploy to expose the culprit goes wrong, Marty does the unthinkable and loses his best friend Remi’s trust. Not only does Marty have to find the cyber bully, but he also has to find a way to win back Remi’s friendship.

Marty Chan is back with the exciting fourth installment in the Marty Chan Mystery series.

When Trina’s bicycle is stolen, Marty and Remi gear up to solve the case. Once they start their investigation they are both stunned that the evidence leads them to the doorstep of their new elementary school teacher. Mr E proves to be quite resourceful as an opponent, and the new girl at school, Ida, seemingly foils their attempts to catch the school thief. When Marty discovers that he and Remi share the same feelings toward Trina, things get complicated as they try to find out who she likes. For Marty, friendship, loyalty, and trust suddenly seem less straightforward when the mystery of girls is involved.

The sequel to The Mystery of the Frozen Brains winner of the 2005 Edmonton Book Prize, and The Mystery of the Graffiti Ghoul, which was nominated for the 2007 Arthur Ellis Award.

Ages 9-12

 
Marty Chan is back with a sequel to his award-winning juvenile romp The Mystery Of the Frozen Brains.
Nine-year-old Marty and his francophone buddy, Remi Boudreau, stumble upon graffiti on the school’s equipment shack and begin the adventure of tracking down the culprit. Marty spies on his classmates, wears his mom’s dress to go undercover, and risks losing his best friend as the mystery of the graffiti ghoul leads him to the graveyard. With continued insight into a Chinese boy’s life in a Francophone town in Alberta, Chan’s humour balances the serious themes of bullying and racism that are revealed in the attitudes and actions of elementary school kids.

Recognized as contemporary versions of the Hardy Boys detective novels, the books in Chan’s Mystery Series are first-rate entertainment and highly recommended for kids.

Ages 8-12

• Winner of the 2007 SYRCA Young Readers' Choice Diamond Willow Award
• Nominated for the 2007 Golden Eagle Children's Choice Book Award

Anne “Tenn” Tennyson Miller’s adventure begins during an ordinary ferry trip, but reality soon melts away as Tenn is transported to the fantasy land of Greensward.

When she arrives in Greensward, Tenn is elected to rescue her new friend, Una, who has been spirited away to a nearby country occupied by evil forces determined to destroy the harmony of Greensward. Before she sets out on her dangerous mission she is trained by the wise woman, Bethan, who understands the enemy’s weaknesses and offers Tenn resources and information that can help her on her mission.

Once in enemy territory she uses Bethan’s supplies and teachings, as well as her own keen memory and wealth of knowledge, to sustain her quest. She is eventually successful in finding Una but then discovers that there are many other children who must also be saved and returned to Greensward.

This classic fantasy quest from established YA author Joan Givner takes young readers on an adventure written in the British tradition, fused with a contemporary voice. Givner alludes to the work of Tennyson, as “Tenn” loves poetry, story and rhyme; in fact it will be her love of great writers that helps her in her quest and leads her to success.

Bertrand Smith’s father, Alex, thinks he’s making the world a better place by developing a breed of super-intelligent canines. But SMART dogs turn out not to be such a smart idea when a global arms dealer decides to “dognap” the experimental litter to use as his next secret weapon. Bertrand, Ariel Krieger, and their four-legged friends Einstein and Genie find themselves drawn into this dangerous game and the frightening action that follows. Can these gifted dogs and the young detectives match wits with the cunning corporate villain Hindquist? Will SMART Dogs change the way that people and man’s best friend have always been connected in friendship and loyalty? What are the limits of sacrifice between friends, and brothers and sisters, whether they be people or dogs? In Einstein Dog, writer Craig Spence deftly connects our love for dogs and their unquestioning loyalty to us, but he also asks the question: What would happen if dogs were as smart or even smarter than us? Set in suburban Vancouver, the outcome of this high-tech kid thriller isn’t decided until the final pages. Young readers — and their parents — will find themselves immersed in the action, hoping desperately the characters survive, that the evil Hindquist is vanquished, and pups are saved from a terrible fate.

Ages 8-12

Did Jessica murder one of her playmates, a troubled boy named Charlie when she was twelve years old? A recurring dream forces her to ask that question. Disturbed by the vision and needing to clear her conscience, Jessica returns to Victoria, British Columbia, her hometown and the site of the possible crime. There she catches up with her longtime best friend, Jilly, who confirms that Charlie did in fact go missing the week that Jessica’s family relocated to Australia. But a memory-erasing bout of meningitis at the time of the incident means Jessica doesn’t recall the questioning police officers, the extensive ground search, or being the last person to see Charlie alive. As a real best friend would, Jilly jumps head first into this six-year-old mystery and offers support during one of Jessica’s most trying times. She keeps Jessica from tackling the dangerous dilemma alone and summons the police when the two become neck deep in trouble. After a thrilling summer in Victoria will Jessica be able to acquit herself of murder before entering college in Calgary, or will her memory of Charlie’s death remain a fear she must learn to live with?

In Return to Bone Tree Hill, experienced YA writer Kristin Butcher chronicles a mystery that has the reader piecing together the evidence alongside Jessica and Jilly. From life and love conversations under the Bone Tree and the feverish nightmare that continues to offer nebulous clues, to midnight sleuthing and a few life or death confrontations, even the most reluctant readers will be caught up by the minute-to-minute action of these furtive, accidental detectives.

Ages 9-13

Shimmerdogs is the story of young Lester B. Hopkins — Mike to almost everyone except his mother, Master Corporal Alice Mackelwain. He is just a boy trying to make sense of his life, which is becoming more complicated by the world of his absent soldiering mother. Mike is very worried about his mother’s safety while she is in Bosnia. He, like his sister, gets caught up in his mother’s tragic stories of children living in Bosnia, whose daily lives include nightmares of the violence and terror of the war. Mike wonders how to make sense of it all, how to step outside the fears he harbours and the unanswered questions he has.

Stumbling upon a book he finds in the library that describes the ancient belief that dogs guard the doorways to death, he begins to shape an understanding of his troubles. Wasn’t he brought back to life by a shimmering white dog with “jewellery eyes” who saved him from drowning? The connections become more apparent when Mike’s dog, Merit, disappears, and he reasons she is on some kind of peacekeeping mission, like his mother. Then he meets Jozef Lapinski, an elderly neighbour who has his own miraculous dog story from World War II. The pieces of his puzzling life are taking shape and he knows something but he cannot name it. .

Ages 9-12

• Finalist for the 2008 Governor General's Award for Children's Literatur
  

— "You hear that?" his first words were to me.
— "That's the sound of the worms and spiders sharpening their knives."
— “How did you end up in this hole, Mr Flex?”
— "That's a very good question," he said. "I'd have to say it began with a bowl of soup."

Christopher Millin's adventure abounds with creepy fun and features a memorable cast of players including a vicious hyper monkey, plagues of locust, a museum of human legs, and a tomato-growing, one-eyed giant with a deliciously evil plan. The story’s narrator, is trapped in a nasty hole with the strange Mr. Flex who recounts the quest of ten-year-old Onus to restore the sight of his friend, Twig. With the help of Onus' sister’s ghost, Isis, and the green-haired, tattooed punker, Clay, the boys set out to find the source of the magic tomato of Arugula responsible for Twig's blindness, not quite anticipating the sinister events that await them. Fittingly, for boys on a quest, they must outwit and defeat the evil intentions of the villainous leg collector William Ernest Fang, who though evil, really has his own sad story to tell.

Ever since legendary hockey broadcaster Foster Hewitt’s “He shoots, he scores!”, Canadian kids have been lacing up their skates, grabbing their hockey gear and heading out to the rink. Caraway Kim’s quest in The Adventures of Caraway Kim . . . Right Wing is to become the top goal scorer on his hockey team. He is highly motivated, skilled but not the rough and tumble kind of hockey player who dominates the ice. And, of course, there is such a player on his team — Bradley Rooks — a bigger, stronger, older rival who seems to dominate play and the puck and seems certain to take the crown. What Brandley Rooks doesn’t know is that Kim is truly a student of the game and when the curved stick becomes the latest innovation in hockey, Kim adopts “the secret weapon” revolutionizing the game.

Ages 9-12

Student Activity Sheet

Sea Change, part two of “The Freyan Trilogy” continues the adventures of Kerstin Speller, the 16 year old apprentice wizard who has a precocious gift for spellcraft. In Sea Change, Kerstin travels with her wizard father to the Misty Isles where, shrouded by fog and magical boundaries, a circle of women practise the highest arts of growth and healing. But something is badly amiss in this enchanted world and it takes Kerstin, the shy but fearless outsider, to do the unthinkable — to bring a young boy into the magic circle and change the nature of their spells forever.

Ages 8-12

*Teacher Resource Guide

Breathing Soccer is the realistic account of Lisa who is forbidden to play soccer because she has asthma. At its core the novel reveals the plight of asthmatics who desire the challenge and thrill of sports, but who must weigh that desire against some very real health issues. Dr. Emerson, Lisa’s family doctor, has warned her that her asthma must be taken seriously, and that the aggressive demands that soccer places on her breathing could be lethal. Her parents believe the doctor and as a result become overly protective. Even her soccer coach, Wilcox, decides not to play her in the games because he does not want to take a chance on her getting sick and weakening the team’s chance to win.
But just when it seems that the world has conspired against her, while watching the Olympic Games, Lisa discovers a new source of strength in the example of Olympic Rower Silken Laumann. Lisa is inspired by Silken who, after a terrible accident, was told by doctors that her career was over, but who rose above their verdict to overcome her own barriers in order to win the Bronze medal for Canada.

Ages 9-12

•  Nominated for the 2010 Manitoba Young Reader’s Choice Award
  

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The Montreal ice storms of 1998, give life to Joyce Scharf's bewitching story in which a mysterious diamond initiates a girl's journey to self-discovery. To trade in the familiarity of her winter routine for a whispered promise of an Ice Prince, Grace discovers a magical ice kingdom where, she realizes, time has literally frozen. Her quest to find the ice-castle that was revealed to her in her dreams leads her through a series of adventures, punctuated with charming Medieval royalty, magic mirrors, mythical creatures, and granted wishes. Along the way, the mystery surrounding the long-lost diamond begins to unravel, and by following her heart and intuition, Grace comes to understand its priceless value and significance to her mission. With a little self-confidence and trust in her new friend the Ice Prince, Grace discovers her own potential and saves a kingdom that, only a few days before, she never knew existed.

Fifteen-year-old Andrew has cool parents: his mother’s job is to discover and test electronic surveillance gear and covert law enforcement equipment; while his father is an environmental biologist and cook. What vaults Andrew and his family into action is a new guy, Brian Fiske; he shows up in their small village of Aylesworth with a very dark secret. Brian and his family are in the witness-protection program and are now in relocation. However, when the mobsters that Brian’s family have put into prison come looking for revenge and kidnap them, the adventure is on. Armed only with their intelligence and high-tech gadgetry, Brian and Andrew must find a way to foil the kidnapers and find safety. Andrew’s instincts — along with his mother’s electronic skills and his father’s biological savvy — lead him on a suspenseful rescue mission that could end up in success or disaster. The measure of success will be in their ability to take responsibility for others and act quickly.

Ages 8-12

• Shortlisted for the 2008-09 Red Cedar Young Readers' Choice Award

Josh Dempster fantasizes about achieving material success with the comic book series that he is drawing from visions in his sleep. But this street-savvy twelve year old is unaware that destiny has more in store for him than a BMW and a plush office for daydreaming. Craig Spence creates an engaging moral quest when Lil, the neighbourhood curiosity shop owner/witch, recognizes Josh as the heir of Vortigen — a profoundly evil spellbinder who blames T.V. and computers for the demise of his dark arts, and seeks to restore his vile power through Josh. With a stolen magical vial, his best friends, and a ghostly working-class 19th century Victorian cop as a guide, Josh leads an action-packed "transmigration" between his Vancouver neighbourhood and the dark Kingdom of Syde. His parents warned him about the coffee shops on Main and Broadway, but they didn't say anything about restoring the balance between good and evil through the power of love.

Ages 8-12

•  Nominated for the 2007 Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature BC Book Prize
  
• Finalist for the 2007-08 BC Librarians Chocolate Lily Award

The third novel in the Mayer Mystery Series, Suspicion Island continues in the vein of suspense and fast-paced action that have made the series such a success. The dark forces and complex issues in Suspicion Island will keep the reader spellbound.

Reviews

Barclay, Pat. “Roads to maturity.” Books in Canada (October 1993): 57-8.
Clemence, Verne. “Coastal crime, animal tales.” Western People . July 1, 1993: 2.
Clemence, Verne. “Three Saskatchewan publishers present two dozen spring tales.” Saskatoon Star-Phoenix . March 13, 1993. D6.
Manning, Linda. “Three books make great summer holiday reading.” Cobourg Daily Star . August 7, 1993. 5.
Manuel, Lynn. Canadian Book Review Annual (March 1994): 6167.
McNaughton, Janet. Quill & Quire (March 1993).
“Mysterious characters inhabit B.C. island.” NeWest Review (December 1993/January 1994): 30.
Simmie, Lois. “Lohans paints striking pictures of adolescence.” Saskatoon Star-Phoenix . September 25, 1993. D4.
Spracklin, Floyd. Canadian Materials (May 1993): 97.

Ages 8-12

• Finalist, 1994 Crime Writers of Canada Arthur Ellis Award

*Teacher Resource Guide Available

The Adventures of Caraway Kim ... Southpaw is a classic adventure story for boys. Set in a small Alberta town during a freer more adventurous time, this novel avoids the sentimental perspectives and the clichés of the genre by realistically capturing the quirks and inherent behaviours that make boys the amazing creatures they are. During a carefree summer, Kim discovers that he must clear his name after being blamed for starting a riot that caused the destruction of a historical (haunted) house. From baseball games, to scout camp, to the annual fair, Kim and his friends are never far from adventure and excitement, and the reader is always held close to the action and the mystery that revs the story. Truckey’s sense of place, his catch-phrases, the boys’ games, their quirky teases all ring with authenticity. So, too, do the mishaps that humorously torment kids on the cusp of adolescence. With honest and direct dialogue and skilful visual descriptions, Truckey reminds us that he is a screenwriter who knows how to engage an audience.

Ages 8-12

Student Activity Sheet

 
The Mystery of the Frozen Brains is adapted from Marty Chan’s successful radio series The Dim Sum Diaries. Set in a French Canadian town in rural Alberta, the novel develops the coming to awareness of a Chinese boy in a community under the myriad of ethnic influences including French, English and Ukrainian and the ever present “red neck” attitude. As serious as the novel’s thematic dispatch is, Chan’s buoyant, gifted humour overrides the tone. After all, Marty thinks he is an alien. This is his secret, Remi Sasseville finds out, and as boys do, he forms a unique friendship with Marty. The alien invasion romp that follows is as entertaining as it is unique.

• Winner of the 2005 City of Edmonton Book Prize

"Highly Recommended" — Canadian Materials

Grades 3-7 / Ages 8-12

The second book in the popular Mayer Mystery Series.

“Move over Eric Wilson. There's another great mystery writer in Canada ...”
– Cochrane This Week

Ages 8-12

Reviews

Balderston, Patricia. “Mayer mysteries continue.” Kindersley Clarion . May 1992.
Findon, Joanne. Quill & Quire (May 1992).
Henderson, Jay. “Mayer hits the mark.” Cochrane This Week . August 25, 1992. 13.
McLeod, Lori. Canadian Book Review Annual (1993): 326.
Norrie, Helen. “Action, suspense prove real winner.” Winnipeg Free Press . February 18, 1996. D3.
Robertson, Joanne. Canadian Materials (May 1992): 152.
Sherman, Gisella. Canadian Children's Literature . No. 76 (1994): 67.

*Teacher Resource Guide

The first book in the Mayer Mystery Series, this story revolves around Justin and his friends, who are determined to get to the bottom of the strange sightings in Turtle Lake, Saskatchewan.

“An action-oriented story, it will appeal to many young readers.”
– Canadian Materials.

Ages 8-12

Reviews

“Adventure novel inspired by lore of Turtle Lake monster.” Saskatoon Mirror . June 29, 1990.
Mortin, Jenni. “Of monsters, bears and other delights.” Sask Report (August 1990): 18.
McLeod, Lori. Canadian Book Review Annual (1990): 321.
Wishinsky, Frieda. Quill & Quire (July 1990).
Reviewed in Books in Canada (October 1990): 29.
Reviewed in Freelance (February 1990): 24.
Gamma, Matthew. “Sask. mystery novel needs more action.” Prince Albert Daily Herald . July 24, 1990.
Fingler, Bonni. “Turtle Lake monster: Fact or fiction?” News Optimist.

*Teacher Resource Guide

Set against a backdrop of rising Canadian nationalism, The Youngest Spy follows the extraordinary exploits of a fourteen-year-old Canadian boy, caught up in the drama of the American Civil War. George Duguay’s father has joined the Yankee army, leaving him in charge of the family farm. George makes a very unlikely spy but when he uncovers a plot that could result in an American invasion of Canada he, at first, relishes the adventure of his double life: meeting Confederate gentlemen, American detectives and British agents. However, as the shady side of the job reveals itself, forcing him to betray the man he considered a friend, he becomes a victim of conflicting loyalties. With strategic savvy, George is finally able to declare his own independence and save his imprisoned father. This fictionalization of historical events offers an entertaining lesson in social issues, Canadian-American history, and moral decision-making.

A spell-binding tale combining a fascination with magic, a bit of sleuthing, and the charm of adolescent antics with a unique slant on historical witch-hunts.

Third Times The Charm brings together three estranged orphans who, under the protection of their great aunt Abadelle, must find their place in one of the most powerful and esteemed witch families; the Dramsmits. But their transformation from lost waifs into upper class gentry, with its benefits of a regal manor and servants, comes with new responsibility. To protect their arcane lineage from the dark forces that murdered their parents and grandmother, Sharron, Wally and Chip must combine their fledgling power and honour their familial bond.

If you are thinking Canadian Harry Potter (times three!) you are right on the money. This being said, I think this book is very well written, fast paced and interesting. It also is less complicated and less dark than that other wizard story so concerned parents of the younger set might find this book a viable alternative.
— Resource Links (Vol 13, 1, Oct 2007)

Ages: 8-11

“The front of the book was silver, except for a dull black circle that resembled a bottomless hole. Inside the hole, falling into it almost — in eerie green letters was the title. Ashleigh wondered what it meant — The Tomorrow Tunnel.”
Strangely enough, Ashleigh never gets very far into the book without falling asleep; but the dreams she has, then, bring the future to life in scary and troubling ways. The suspense in this wonderfully fast-moving novel never lets up till the final line. Funny, spooky, and very tuned-in to the politics of family, friends and school, The Tomorrow Tunnel is in a class of it’s own.

Ages 8-12

The third book in the popular Freyan Trilogy, The Turning Time picks up the adventures of Kerstin Speller, now eighteen years old, as she returns to her homeland and finds she must once again fight prejudice against her friends from neighbouring Uglessia, Freya's old rival nation.
Kerstin must stand up against the powers-that-be in order to ensure that justice and decency prevail under the most trying circumstances.

This novel culminates a work of wondrous scope and imagination, wherein Smith has created a world that is at once fantastic and compellingly real.

• Finalist, 2004 Golden Eagle Alberta Young Readers Choice Award
• Canadian Childrens Book Centre "Our Choice" selection

Ages 8-12

*Teacher Resource Guide Available

This intensely drawn fantasy novel for young adults explores the complications arising from a blind acceptance of history, and the universal dilemmas facing a young person who is forced to grow up.

“Wind Shifter is a powerful novel that will give young readers plenty to think about.”
– Quill & Quire.

This fantasy novel will provide an excellent base for adventure-myth study.

Ages 8-12

 Reviews

Altmann, Anna. Resource Links (February 1996): 129.
Barbour, Douglas. “Snow Dragon breathes the magic of life's journey.” Edmonton Journal . November 26, 1995. F7.
Bellingham, Brenda. Children's Book News , Canadian Children's Book Centre 19.1 (Winter 1996): 16.
Benoit, Bonnie. “Editor's guest reviews.” Dandelion 24.1 (1997): 79.
Findon, Joanne. Quill & Quire (May 1995).
Jenkinson, Dave. Canadian Children's Literature (July 1996): 68-9.
Lyons, Terri L. “Making wizards work together.” Canadian Children's Literature 82 (1996): 94.

*Teacher Resource Guide

What is young David Livingstone doing on the run in Africa, with his mother’s credit card in his pocket and the Tanzanian police in hot pursuit? And what is he doing on Hell Road, a potholed obstacle course to the Zambian border, where cannibals lie in wait — car cannibals that is — and the rumour of Duma the Cheetah keeps spreading?
The truth is that David can’t answer these questions himself. He’s bent on reaching Victoria Falls, the Smoke That Thunders.
This is a very funny, deadpan, provocative book. And PJ Reece knows from the inside an Africa few of us have read about — colourful, contradictory, and confounding every stereotype of the “dark continent”.

They are all here — Ogopogo, the Loch Ness Monster, the Yeti, and even some new acquaintances such as Cadborosauraus, the Tazelwurm, and the Yowie.

“The humourous, rhyming verse and colourful imagery of these poems suggest a high appeal to a younger audience.”
– Canadian Content.

The humour in this inviting collection provides a catylist for the study of poetry and mythology.

 Reviews

Anctil, Donna. Living (Winter 94/5): 28.
Bly, David. “Monster poems sure to delight every youngster in the house.” Calgary Herald . March 25, 1995.
Canadian Content (Winter 1995).
Clemence, Verne. “Whirling Whoompus meets Yowza Yowie Rap.” Saskatoon Star-Phoenix . May 20, 1995.
Collins Thomason, Melody. Canadian Children's Literature 78 (1995): 70.
Haughian, Sheree. Canadian Book Review Annual (1995): 6211.
Ripley, Stephen. “Nightmare on College Drive.” The Endeavor . November 24, 1994. 8.
Spackman, Devin. “Monster book tickles kids' fears.” Lethbridge Herald . December 10, 1994. C4.
Zaidman, Harriet. Canadian Materials 1.6 (July 1995).