YOUNG ADULT NOVEL

Sandbag Shuffle , Kevin Marc Fournier

ISBN 978-1-897235-22-5; trade paper;
$12.95 CAD; 208 pages; April 2007

April 1997: the city of Grand Forks is destroyed, thousands are evacuated, and Owen and Andrew are starting to enjoy themselves as they follow the flood to Winnipeg.

In this odd, exciting, and cheerfully irresponsible adventure, Owen and Andrew are opportunists with rapid-fire wit, no pasts and, in Owen’s case, no legs. On the lam during the Manitoba Red River flood of 1997, these rogues quickly grasp the tactics necessary to exploit the chaos, and manipulate sympathy into personal gain. Scamming money as bogus Salvation Army reps, pawning a benevolently donated “sport coupe” of a wheelchair for profit, and eating like kings through volunteer food rations, are all in a day’s work. Sandbag Shuffle serves as an insider’s look at the architecture of natural disaster, disability, vagrant youth, and loyalty.

JUVENILE NOVEL

The Youngest Spy, Barry McDivitt

ISBN 978-1-897235-17-1; trade paper;
$12.95 CAD; 163 pages; May 2007

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.

JUVENILE NOVEL

The King Of Arugula, Christopher Millin

ISBN 978-1-897235-21-8; trade paper;
$12.95 CAD; 181 pages; May 2007

"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.

JUVENILE NOVEL

Third Times the Charm, Robert Howell

ISBN 978-1-897235-20-1; trade paper;
$12.95; 197 pages; May 2007

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.