Title search results
Showing 21 - 40 of 48 items
Birds on the brain (The Book Uncle #2)
By Uma Krishnaswami. 2024
The sequel to the award-winning Book Uncle and Me features bird lover Reeni and her quest to save her city's…
bird count event when the mayor tries to shut it down. Reeni is wild about birds! So when she and her best friend, Yasmin, have to pick a survey topic for a school project, asking their neighbors what they know about birds is an obvious choice. They are shocked to learn that no one - not one single person - has heard about Bird Count India and the major event it is about to launch all over the country. Thousands of birdwatchers will be out counting birds as part of a global movement. Global means world, and isn't this city part of the world? How come people don't seem to care about the threats to city birds? And why is the mayor intentionally thwarting their city's bird count event? Reeni and Yasmin enlist help from Book Uncle, Reeni's family and even their school bus driver. They must get people interested in the bird count - get them to ask the city government to support the event. A funny, triumphant story about learning to advocate for both the human and non-human inhabitants of your community
Scarewaves
By Trevor Henderson. 2023
Internet horror superstar Trevor Henderson is famous for his ghastly creations and hair-raising creepypastas. Now he brings that talent for…
the terrifying to this debut middle-grade thriller. You don't stay out after dark in Beacon Point... The small town of Beacon Point has always been plagued by eerie local phenomena. It's a town where disappearances are common, strange creatures have been sighted with unnerving frequency, and a ghastly secret lurks in the woods. The adults in town are oblivious to these strange occurrences. Others prefer not to talk or even think about them. But over the course of several terrifying nights, a group of kids will come face to face with the horrors hiding within their sleepy town. Guided by the mysterious radio host Alan Graves, they must follow the clues to a terrifying secret before it eats them alive
Zombie apocalypse running club
By Carrie Mac. 2024
When twins Eira and Soren escape from their survivalist home into a world overcome by zombies, there's only one way…
to stay alive: run! Eira and Soren are queer twins living with their survivalist parents when a plague starts spreading that turns people into zombie-like monsters. They disagree with their parents about a lot, but they can't deny that their way of life keeps them safe while much of the world perishes ́for now. When it becomes clear that their safety won't last, the twins decide to strike out on their own. They don't get far before encountering the one remaining person in the closest town: their friend Racer, a gold medal-winning Special Olympics champion. Racer is appalled at the twins ́ slow speed and tells them that their survivalist skills aren't worth anything if they can't outrun the monsters. He sets them on a training regimen that comes in handy when they embark on the bigger journey ahead of them. On their trek they find friends, enemies, and even love. But with zombies on their heels at every turn, will they ever be able to slow down?
Why we play with fire
By Giselle Vriesen. 2024
When Leah's mother and grand-mother push her through a magic well in their backyard in order to escape a mysterious…
darkness, with an ominous directive to "retrieve the keys", the last place she expects to come up for air in is a house for the children of gods. But ́that's exactly what happens. And the aforementioned keys? They're kept inside the house, safe from the outside world and the mysterious Arcana, a magical secret society intent on stealing them But, just as Leah begins to accept that she herself is a child of a god, with a destiny far greater than she can imagine ́the keys are sent back to the three separate magical realms from which they came, as a test from the gods ́leaving The House and all its magical inhabitants in an uproar. So, against the strict warnings of her new mentor, Leah and her new friends take it upon themselves to retrieve the keys before the winter solstice and before the Arcana can find them ́or, Leah realizes, she will never find her mother again. But, when it's revealed that both Leah's grandmother and mother were long since killed by the mysterious darkness pursuing Leah to date, and that the keys open a box with a power much grander than anyone could have imagined ́Leah is forced to become the leader she always avoided being. With time running out and the mystery of her parentage beginning to reveal itself, Leah's budding romance with a boy from the Arcana blooms and betrayal from her most trusted mentor sends her reeling. So, Leah and her friends put their animosity aside to work with the Arcana and save the world from the greed of one woman. They succeed, barely ́ with the revelation that Leah has no father, but that her mother was a reincarnated goddess who made Leah all alone ́and that it's Leah's destiny to wield the stone contained inside the box which all three keys were needed to open. Only trouble is, the menacing darkness who killed Leah's family has a face, and has been watching her all along
The blue bowl
By Flo Leung. 2024
"A young boy and his family discover a way to merge their Chinese and North American backgrounds by combining traditional…
foods from both cultures. Max loves his family's Cantonese meals, like steamed rice and gai lan greens with oyster sauce, homemade dumplings, and scallion bread. But sometimes he can't help thinking about French fries, tacos, and ice cream with rainbow sprinkles. For his birthday dinner, Max is really hoping for spaghetti and meatballs, but instead he and his family are headed to Maa Maa and Ye Ye's house for a celebration dinner - and Max is pretty sure that spaghetti won't be served in the familiar blue bowls that came all the way from Hong Kong with his grandparents. But Max is delighted to discover that his understanding family has discovered a way to bring two cultures together with delicious dishes that are a combination of all the foods he loves. This story shows the experience of a child living in between two cultures and how confusing that can sometimes be. It's based on Flo's own experiences growing up, longing to belong/be organically part of the North American culture, but also feeling a strong sense of home and family when immersed in her Chinese culture. She feels that the result for many second-generation Chinese Canadians/Americans is the creation of a third culture that intertwines and connects the various influences of both. Flo has chosen the iconic "exquisite blue bowl" (that she says would be familiar to many Chinese-American families) and the food that goes inside that bowl to set the stage for this duality in the story. Max is trying to come to terms with where he fits in these two cultures, and by the end the story, with the help of his family, he discovers that he has the freedom to create his own experiences, and the results are unique, interesting, and evolving - just like Max himself."
Mandeep's cloudy days
By Kuljinder Kaur Brar. 2024
"A beautiful picture book exploring how to cope with difficult and complex emotions when we're away from the people we…
love. Spending time with her dad makes Mandeep's days shine. They have cha parties, perform Bhangra shows, and best of all, they write jokes together in her favorite unicorn journal. But when Dad starts a job as a truck driver, he starts being away from home most of the week. Without Dad, storm clouds start taking over Mandeep's sunny days, casting a shadow on all the things she used to love doing. Can anything help Mandeep feel better? The dynamic author-illustrator team behind the National Council Teachers of English Notable Children's Book winner My Name Is Saajin Singh brings a new poignant story about father-daughter relationships, how we cope with being separated from our loved ones, and how to find glimpses of light in our days even when clouds threaten to settle in."
Lockjaw
By Matteo L. Cerilli. 2024
Death is neither the beginning nor the end for the children of Bridlington in this debut trans YA horror book…
for fans of Rory Power and Danielle Vega.Chuck Warren died tragically at the old abandoned mill, but Paz Espino knows it was no accident — there's a monster under the town, and she's determined to kill it before anyone else gets hurt. She'll need the help of her crew — inseparable friends, bound by a childhood pact stronger than diamonds, distance or death — to hunt it down. But she's up against a greater force of evil than she ever could have imagined.With shifting timeframes and multiple perspectives, Lockjaw is a small-town ghost story, where monsters living and dead haunt the streets, the homes and the minds of the inhabitants. For readers of Wilder Girls and The Haunted, this trans YA horror book by an incredible debut author will grab you and never let you go.
The Space between Here & Now
By Sarah Suk. 2023
Perfect for fans of They Both Die at the End and You’ve Reached Sam, this gripping, atmospheric YA novel follows…
a teen with a mysterious condition that transports her to the past when she smells certain scents linked to specific memories.Seventeen-year-old Aimee Roh has Sensory Time Warp Syndrome, a rare condition that causes her to time travel to a moment in her life when she smells something linked to that memory. Her dad is convinced she’ll simply grow out of it if she tries hard enough, but Aimee’s fear of vanishing at random has kept her from living a normal life.When Aimee disappears for nine hours into a memory of her estranged mom—a moment Aimee has never remembered before—she becomes distraught. Not only was this her longest disappearance yet, but the memory doesn’t match up with the story of how her mom left—at least, not the version she’s always heard from her dad.Desperate for answers, Aimee travels to Korea, where she unravels the mystery of her memories, the truth about her mother, and the reason she keeps returning to certain moments in her life. Along the way, she realizes she’ll need to reconcile her past in order to save her present.From acclaimed author Sarah Suk comes an aching, powerful exploration of memory, grief, and the painful silences we must overcome to discover our truest selves.
Owls: Who Gives a Hoot? (Orca Wild #13)
By Frances Backhouse. 2024
Key Selling Points Owls are among the world’s most easily recognized and culturally significant birds. Although owls are extremely popular,…
most people rarely see them and don’t know a lot about them. This book features photos of all 19 species that live in Canada and the United States and is filled with information about these mysterious birds. It is timely because there is a strong push happening in many parts of North America to restrict the use of rodent poisons that are taking a heavy toll on owls and other predators that eat the poisoned rodents. Encourages kids to get actively involved in learning more about owls and ensuring their survival and includes profiles that present real-life examples of kids who are helping owls in various ways. Frances Backhouse is an award-winning science writer of nonfiction books for adults and kids. She has already written two books in the Orca Wild series (Beavers and Grizzly Bears ). She also has an adult nonfiction book on owls, Owls of North America .
Hopeless in Hope
By Wanda John-Kehewin. 2023
We live in a hopeless old house on an almost-deserted dead-end street in a middle-of-nowhere town named Hope. This is…
the oldest part of Hope; eventually it will all be torn down and rebuilt into perfect homes for perfect people. Until then, we live here: imperfect people on an imperfect street that everyone forgets about.For Eva Brown, life feels lonely and small. Her mother, Shirley, drinks and yells all the time. She&’s the target of the popular mean girl, and her only friend doesn&’t want to talk to her anymore. All of it would be unbearable if it weren&’t for her cat, Toofie, her beloved nohkum, and her writing, which no one will ever see.When Nohkum is hospitalized, Shirley struggles to keep things together for Eva and her younger brother, Marcus. After Marcus is found wandering the neighbourhood alone, he is sent to live with a foster family, and Eva finds herself in a group home.Furious at her mother, Eva struggles to adjust—and being reunited with her family seems less and less likely. During a visit to the hospital, Nohkum gives Eva Shirley&’s diary. Will the truths it holds help Eva understand her mother?Heartbreaking and humorous, Hopeless in Hope is a compelling story of family and forgiveness.
Dragon on the Loose (Orca Echoes)
By Marty Chan. 2024
When eleven-year-old Hailey and her friend Kyle make a wish on a Chinese lion statue, they accidentally bring a dragon…
to life. Scared at first, the kids soon realize that Zhu the dragon means them no harm, and they show the dragon around their city. It's all fun and games until Animal Control gets wind of a wild creature on the loose. The kids have to find a way to send their new friend back home before she’s taken away. The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.
Sweetness in the Skin: A Novel
By Ishi Robinson. 2024
A delicious debut novel about a young Jamaican girl who tries to bake her way to a better life in…
France. Pumkin Patterson lives in a tiny two-room house in Kingston, Jamaica, with her grandmother, who wants to improve the family’s social standing; her Aunt Sophie, who wants to take Pumkin with her to a new life in Paris; and her mother, Paulette, who wants to keep her at home out of spite.When Aunt Sophie decides to move to France for work, she promises to send for her niece in one year’s time. All Pumkin has to do is pass her French entrance exam so she can attend school there. But when Pumkin’s grandmother dies—the household’s fortunes take a turn for the worse.Somehow, Pumkin must find a way to raise the money to take her French exam. In a moment of ingenuity, she decides to turn her passion for baking into a true business. Selling batches of sweet-potato pudding, coconut drops and chocolate cakes, Pumkin begins raising the money she needs. But when her mother finds out that Pumkin wants to leave, she does all she can to sabotage her daughter’s plans.Sweetness in the Skin is a funny and heartbreaking story about a young girl figuring out who she is, what she is capable of—and where she truly belongs.
Call Me Al
By Wali Shah, Eric Walters. 2024
Key Selling Points Ali is an eighth-grade student trying to to do it all—get good grades, fit in with his…
friends, get the girl and satisfy his parents—all while struggling to deal with the anti-Muslim racism around him. Writing poetry helps. If only his father wasn't set against it. Call Me Al deals with what it's like to be an immigrant (Ali and his family immigrated from Pakistan when he was little), racism (from peers and the world at large), balancing family versus friends' expectations, first crushes, being from a lower-income household, being Muslim and finding forgiveness for those who hurt you. Features a relatable male protagonist who discovers spoken-word poetry as an outlet for his feelings. Also makes clear the relationship between poetry and hip-hop. Co-authored by the power duo of veteran writer Eric Walters and renowned poet and motivational speaker Wali Shah, who has based this character's struggles with choosing between studying science (for his parents) and writing poetry (for himself) on his own experiences.
Why We Play With Fire
By Giselle Vriesen. 2024
In a thrilling journey of self-discovery and magical intrigue, Thea finds herself transported to a house for the children of…
gods, where she must retrieve lost keys while navigating secrets, rival schools, and her own doubts, all before the shadow creatures catch up to her.Embark on a spellbinding odyssey of self-discovery, where Thea's extraordinary journey unfolds within a realm of enchantment and peril. Desperate to escape encroaching darkness, Thea is propelled through a mystical well by her mother and grandmother, left only with a cryptic mission to "retrieve the keys." However, her destination defies all expectations as she arrives at an extraordinary haven—a house known as Malachite. Within the hallowed halls of Malachite, Thea unveils a world far beyond her wildest imagination. Amidst an intricate tapestry of training and elusive artifacts, she discovers a mysterious box safeguarded by the students' within the home. But when the three keys that allow access to the box disappear, Thea's mixed-race ancestry and connection to two gods launch her on an all-consuming quest that awakens her to her divine lineage and an awe-inspiring destiny. Thea becomes determined to reclaim the keys before the approaching Winter Solstice, navigating treacherous rivalries and evading the clutches of the morally ambiguous Arcana—a competing school with nefarious intentions. When her comrades fall into captivity, and two keys remain lost, Thea must gain confidence in her new abilities and leadership role to see this through. Amidst the crumbling facade of deceit and the allure of Zero, the enigmatic Arcana prodigy, she must maintain focus, for time is dwindling, and the shadow creatures draw ever closer. As her parentage unravels and her nascent abilities blossom, Thea grapples with inner doubt and anxieties that threaten to shackle her potential. Will she rally her friends and harness her newfound powers to secure the keys' safe return? Or will her wavering confidence consign her to failure, succumbing to the clutches of the encroaching shadows? Join Thea on an electrifying adventure where the boundaries of magic and self-belief intertwine, and the fate of worlds rests upon her resilient shoulders.
Eerie Tales from the School of Screams
By Graham Annable. 2023
From the director of the Oscar-nominated movie Boxtrolls comes a middle grade horror anthology that will leave you holding onto…
your blankets for dear life! Perfect for fans of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and Goosebumps!School is tough.School is scary.School is EERIE.No one knows this better than Davis and Emily. But they’re not scared of school because of tough tests or merciless vice-principals. No, they’re scared because their teacher wants her students to present the class with the spookiest, most chilling stories they can think of.From the twisted mind of Graham Annable comes five horrifying stories that will scare your skeleton right out of your skin. Are you ready to stare down “The Face in the Forest”? Do you think you can handle the truth behind “The Village that Vanished?”Lock the doors, turn on all the lights, and arm yourself with candy— you’ll need all the help you can get to face these nightmares.
Game Face
By Shari Green. 2023
Thirteen-year-old Jonah is determined to prove that anxiety won’t stop him from succeeding as his hockey team’s goalie in this…
dynamic novel in verse. What-ifs rattle around his brain at the worst times, like when he’s in the middle of a playoff game. What if he lets his teammates down? What if he can’t make it pro? And the biggest what-if of all, the one he keeps to himself — what if he’s like his dad, whose life is controlled by anxiety that has only gotten worse since Jonah’s mom died in a car crash? To prove that he’s not like that, Jonah is determined to succeed in the high-stress role of goalie. He and his best friend Ty have big plans for their hockey futures. But when Ty suffers a medical crisis during a pivotal game, Jonah’s anxiety ramps up to new levels It takes courage to ask for help, but Jonah starts to realize that his team goes beyond the people who lace up their skates with him every week, and maybe it’s okay to look for support on and off the ice. From the adrenaline rush of sudden-death overtime to the weight of worrying about letting your teammates — and yourself — down, this novel in verse will hook readers from the first line. Key Text Features dialogue poems Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.3 Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character's thoughts, words, or actions). CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.5 Explain major differences between poems, drama, and prose, and refer to the structural elements of poems (e.g., verse, rhythm, meter) and drama (e.g., casts of characters, settings, descriptions, dialogue, stage directions) when writing or speaking about a text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as metaphors and similes.
The Trailblazing Life of Viola Desmond: A Civil Rights Icon (Orca Biography #1)
By Rachel Kehoe. 2023
Years before Rosa Parks famously refused to give up a bus seat in Montgomery, Alabama, Viola Desmond took a similar…
stand against racial segregation in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. On November 8, 1946, she was arrested for refusing to move from the "whites-only" section of a movie theater. Her heroic act inspired Black community leaders and made her a symbol of courage in the fight against inequality. This story of Viola's life is based on rare interviews with her sister Wanda Robson, who spent her life championing her sister's story and was successful in getting Viola a posthumous pardon that recognized she was innocent of any crime. From their childhood in Nova Scotia to Viola's career as a teacher in a segregated school and, later, her role as a pioneer in Black beauty culture, young readers are introduced to the girl and the woman who went on to become the face of the civil-rights movement in Canada. The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.
Ghost Girl (Orca Echoes)
By Brooke Carter. 2023
Ten-year-old Sly is spending the weekend with their fortune-telling grandmother at the mysterious Madsen Mansion. It’s Samhain, a time when…
the spirits can cross over into the living world, and the old mansion has secrets whispering in the rafters and unused rooms. When Sly and their grandmother hear a voice calling, Sly unlocks a cabinet that reveals a ghost girl who is trapped in a mirror. Then they accidentally speak the words of the spell that enchanted the girl in the first place, and Sly and their grandmother risk being imprisoned in the mirror as well. With the clock ticking till the end of Samhain, it’s up to Sly to solve the ghost’s riddles and puzzles and locate a long-lost book of spells in hopes of freeing them all.
Tig
By Heather Smith. 2024
A new, heartwarming middle-grade story from the critically acclaimed author Heather Smith featuring Tig, a young girl struggling to find…
peace within herself and in her new family. For fans of Rebecca Stead, Wendy Mass and Lynda Mullaly Hunt.After months of living without electricity or parents, Tig and Peter are forced to move in with their Uncle Scott and his partner, Manny. The transition from down-and-out to picture-perfect isn't easy, especially in pristine Wensleydale with the idyllic couple and their beautiful home.Tig, with Peter's support, decides to make their new life messy, starting with daily arguments and her plans to become a competitive cheese racer. She'll run circles around her new guardians, outrun a wheel of cheese, and leave the past buried in her dust. But things don't always go as planned, and Tig must decide what to truly leave behind in order to move forward.
Birds on the Brain (The Book Uncle trilogy #2)
By Uma Krishnaswami. 2024
The sequel to the award-winning Book Uncle and Me features bird lover Reeni and her quest to save her city’s…
bird count event when the mayor tries to shut it down. Reeni is wild about birds! So when she and her best friend, Yasmin, have to pick a survey topic for a school project, asking their neighbors what they know about birds is an obvious choice. They are shocked to learn that no one — not one single person! — has heard about Bird Count India and the major event it is about to launch all over the country. Thousands of birdwatchers will be out counting birds as part of a global movement. Global means world, and isn’t this city part of the world? How come people don’t seem to care about the threats to city birds? And why is the mayor intentionally thwarting their city’s bird count event? Reeni and Yasmin enlist help from Book Uncle, Reeni’s family and even their school bus driver. They must get people interested in the bird count, get them to ask the city government to support the event. After all, what’s good for the birds is good for all of us … right? A funny, triumphant story about learning to advocate for both the human and non-human inhabitants of your community. Key Text Features chapters dialogue illustrations Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.2 Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.6 Describe how a narrator's or speaker's point of view influences how events are described. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.3 Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.