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Showing 1 - 20 of 35 items
By Julie Edge, Julia Macconville. 2014
Meet Debbie - a young girl with diabetes type 1. Debbie invites readers to learn about this type of diabetes…
from her perspective, describing how it feels to have high and low blood sugar levels. She explains how she can monitor her blood sugar and controls it with medication. Debbie also talks about the challenges of having diabetes and lets readers know how she can be helped and supported. This illustrated book is ideal for young people aged 7 upwards, as well as parents, friends, teachers and nurses. It is also an excellent starting point for family and classroom discussions.By Jordan Tannahill. 2013
Based on a true story, Get Yourself Home Skyler James follows the harrowing journey of a young lesbian who defects…
from the army when she is outed by fellow soldiers. Peter Fechter: 52 Minutes chronicles the last hour of Peter Fechter's life, a teenager in East Berlin shot while attempting to cross the Berlin Wall in 1962 with his companion. Finally, rihannaboi95 centres around a Toronto teen whose world comes crashing in when YouTube videos of him dancing to songs by his favourite pop heroine go viral. Together these solo plays explore the lives of three queer youth and their resilience in the face of violence and intolerance.By Lesley Jo Weaver. 2019
Women in North India are socialized to care for others, so what do they do when they get a disease…
like diabetes that requires intensive self-care? In Sugar and Tension, Lesley Jo Weaver uses women’s experiences with diabetes in New Delhi as a lens to explore how gendered roles and expectations are taking shape in contemporary India. Weaver argues that although women’s domestic care of others may be at odds with the self-care mandates of biomedically-managed diabetes, these roles nevertheless do important cultural work that may buffer women’s mental and physical health by fostering social belonging. Weaver describes how women negotiate the many responsibilities in their lives when chronic disease is at stake. As women weigh their options, the choices they make raise questions about whose priorities should count in domestic, health, and family worlds. The varied experiences of women illustrate that there are many routes to living well or poorly with diabetes, and these are not always the ones canonized in biomedical models of diabetes management.By Mark Stewart. 2016
The United States is the leading global power, and Canada a significant partner. But in their rush to exploit the…
resources of their lands, Americans and Canadians have not always protected the environment. Now pollution and energy consumption have joined immigration, security, and health care among the challenges facing these two great nations. This title provides more information on the challenges facing these countries.By Christopher Moore, Francis Back. 2004
"One July day four hundred years ago, Samuel de Champlain stepped out of a small boat at Quebec and began…
a great adventure." So begins Christopher Moore's riveting account of the life of the extraordinary, daring "father of New France." Samuel de Champlain helped found the first permanent French settlement in the New World; he established the village that eventually became the great city of Quebec; he was a skilled cartographer who gave us many of our first accurate maps of North America; he forged alliances with Native nations that laid the foundations for vast trading networks; and as governor, he set New France on the road to becoming a productive, self-sufficient, thriving colony. But Champlain was also a man who suffered his share of defeats and disappointments. That first permanent settlement was abandoned after a disastrous winter claimed the lives of half the colonists. His marriage to a child bride was unhappy and marked by long separations. Eventually Quebec had to be surrendered temporarily to the English in 1629. In this remarkable book, illustrated entirely with paintings, archival maps, and original artifacts, Christopher Moore brings to life this complex man and, through him, creates a portrait of Canada in its earliest days. Champlain is illustrated with archival maps and paintings. Additional artwork has been provided by Francis Back.From the Hardcover edition.By Olivier Sylvestre. 2021
Dom has had a rough go of things so far. At fourteen, he has the hardened look of someone who’s…
had to fight for everything. Fred has just moved to Not-The-City, a new place to try to disappear. But he didn’t expect to actually make friends. He just hopes he’s accepted for how he looks. When Dom and Fred meet on a hill overlooking a bridge that connects Not-The-City to The City, a place where anyone can be anything they want, the two find a refuge in one another and make a pact: they’ll cross the bridge at the end of the school year. They’ll be free. What could happen by then? Who will they be? And will the bridge even let them cross?By Deborah Ellis. 2013
Author Deborah Ellis travels across the continent, interviewing more than forty Native American kids and letting them tell their own…
stories. They come from all over the continent — from Iqaluit to Texas, Haida Gwaii to North Carolina. Their stories are sometimes heartbreaking; more often full of pride and hope. You’ll meet Tingo, who has spent most of his young life living in foster homes and motels, and is now thriving after becoming involved with a Native Friendship Center; Myleka and Tulane, young Navajo artists; Eagleson, who started drinking at age twelve but now continues his family tradition working as a carver in Seattle; Nena, whose Seminole ancestors remained behind in Florida during the Indian Removals, and who is heading to New Mexico as winner of her local science fair; Isabella, who defines herself more as Native than American; Destiny, with a family history of alcoholism and suicide, who is now a writer and pow-wow dancer. Deborah briefly introduces each child and then steps back, letting the kids speak directly to the reader. The result is a collection of frank and often surprising interviews with kids aged nine to eighteen, as they talk about their daily lives, about the things that interest them, and about how being Indigenous has affected who they are and how they see the world. Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.3 Analyze in detail how a key individual, event, or idea is introduced, illustrated, and elaborated in a text (e.g., through examples or anecdotes). CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.6 Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.9 Compare and contrast one author's presentation of events with that of another (e.g., a memoir written by and a biography on the same person).By David S. Craig. 2001
In two years, Danny and his mom have moved more often than most kids lose teeth... When Danny moves into…
a new basement apartment, the kids he meets seem to have way more problems than just being hungry. But Danny’s imagination creates a community that allows his friends to cope with their problems and ultimately to help Danny—because his crisis isn’t losing a home. It’s gaining one…By Dennis Foon. 1991
When abusive behaviour surfaces in the lives of four friends, the teenagers are forced to examine how learned behaviour can…
be mirrored by victims and home situations reflected in the school until, finally, the choice to break the damaging cycles is made. In this powerful and moving play which speaks honestly and intelligently to teens, Dennis Foon examines the cyclical nature of physical and psychological abuse.By Makambe K Simamba. 2021
Slimm, a seventeen-year-old Black boy in a hoodie suddenly finds himself in the first moments of his afterlife. He calls…
out for God. God does not respond. What happens next is a sacred journey through the unknown, as Slimm grapples with the truth of the life he lived and the death he didn’t choose. Our Fathers, Sons, Lovers and Little Brothers is a protest for all Black life beyond headlines and hashtags, a prayer for all families left behind, and a promise to the community that all Black lives matter.By Marie-Claude Verdier. 2021
What stories do we tell ourselves to keep our walls up and our privilege intact? What is the cost of…
revolution? In this contemporary retelling of Antigone, denial of what rages outside of a city’s perimeter comes to a head when a young princess named Alison tries to expose the truth of her beloved cousin Henry’s death. By night, Henry went as Andy, as together he and Alison scaled the walls of their kingdom to help the migrants who are kept out of sight. Burdened by the weight of the inequality that his future reign represented, he killed himself. But his mother, Queen Regina, hails his death as a valiant knight and will do anything she can to keep Alison silent. The two women become locked in a poetic battle of power and prejudice, until a push turning into a shove might mean it’s too late to find peace.By Anita Majumdar, Maria Nguyen. 2016
Fish Eyes is the story of Meena, a classically trained Indian dancer who, despite being obsessed with Bollywood movies and…
her dance career, just wants to be like the rest of her high-school friends. When she develops a massive crush on Buddy, the popular boy at school, Meena contemplates turning down an incredible opportunity to pursue him, even if he barely notices her.Boys With Cars follows Naz, also a classically trained Indian dancer, who dreams of getting out of small town Port Moody to attend the University of British Columbia. But when Buddy causes a stir over Naz at school, Naz’s university plans begin to crumble quickly.Let Me Borrow That Top centres on Candice, a girl who appropriates Meena’s Indian dance skills and bullies Naz after a nasty rumour spreads through the halls of their high school. But like her two enemies, Candice shares a passion for Indian dancing, and has just been accepted to the Conventry School of Bhangra. Will she leave behind the comforts of home to pursue her dreams?By Dennis Foon. 2013
Skin introduces us to a group of Canadian teenagers who are coming of age in the late 1980s. Faced with…
racial discrimination, Phiroza, Jennifer, and Tuan must navigate the choppy waters of high school, each confronting his or her own set of challenges. Ranging from academic difficulties, to budding relationships, to the trials of adapting to a foreign language and culture, the three share their stories of struggle, survival, and defiance of negative expectations and racist attitudes. Lenny is at the top of her class. Jace seemingly couldn't care less. By all appearances these two classmates are polar opposites, but despite all their differences they are inexplicably drawn towards one another. When it is revealed that each has been trying to hide the same dark secret—that they share a home with an alcoholic parent—each decides to take action and confront the demon they call "Mom" or "Dad."By David James Brock. 2022
It’s time to make every moment count. Sixteen-year-olds Pria and Theo—or as they know each other online, the aspiring opera…
singer PriaSoprano and outer-space aficionado Eagle19—have decided to have sex. There’s just one catch… they both have life-threatening genetic disorders that may cause them to explode from one another’s touch. But they won’t know what will happen until they try. Sick of being told what to do their whole lives, they rebel against their reality and meet at a motel. But while Pria is more or less accepting of her fate, Theo has hopes for the future, and what was planned as a simple meeting becomes much more intimate as they open up about their experiences. The fate of their lives comes down to one decision… This teen romance space opera explores our willingness to live, what it means to belong, and the necessity of emotional and physical relationships.By Joseph A. Dandurand. 2019
When you take something from the earth you must always give something back. From the Kwantlen First Nation village of…
Squa’lets comes the tale of Th’owxiya, an old and powerful spirit that inhabits a feast dish of tempting, beautiful foods from around the world. But even surrounded by this delicious food, Th’owxiya herself craves only the taste of children. When she catches a hungry mouse named Kw’at’el stealing a piece of cheese from her dish, she threatens to devour Kw’at’el’s whole family, unless he can bring Th’owxiya two child spirits. Ignorant but desperate, Kw’at’el sets out on an epic journey to fulfill the spirit’s demands. With the help of Sqeweqs, two Spa:th and Sasq’ets, Kw’at’el endeavours to find gifts that would appease Th’owxiya and save his family. Similar to “Hansel and Gretel” and the northwest First Nations stories about the Wild Woman of the Woods, Th’owxiya—which integrates masks, song and dance—is a tale of understanding boundaries, being responsible for one’s actions, forgiving mistakes and finding the courage to stand up for what’s right.By Andrea Mapili, Byron Abalos. 2021
Twelve-year-old Philly is literally pulled into an action-packed adventure while mourning the loss of her lola when she opens an…
old book and finds herself tossed into the fantastical land of Uwi. In Uwi, memories are stories, and all stories are forbidden since the datu’s storytelling-loving wife died and his youngest daughter Nale disappeared. Now his remaining daughters, the Sisters, rule with darkness in their hearts. So when Philly appears, the duwende believe that she is Nale and the key to saving Uwi. Can Philly save them all while searching for her lola to bring her back home? Similar to The Wizard of Oz, the Chronicles of Narnia, and Alice in Wonderland, this unique Filipinx-Canadian tale inspired by Philippine mythology shows the value of keeping memories alive and explores how families deal with loss.By Jordan Tannahill. 2022
In another life I was a small bubble of foam on a wave coming to shore, and the wave broke,…
and I burst, and that was it. Before that I was a small stream, for centuries. And in another life I was a mortal girl. Which is this life. After thousands of years, I have a mouth. So if you don’t mind, Mom, Dad, I’m going to speak. I’m going to shout. When I become a human I’m going to use some words. Can you still hear me? Is my microphone on?Young people have inherited a burning world. In this urgent and lyrical play, they reckon with the generations who have come before them, questioning the choices that have been made, and the ones that they will yet be forced to make. Is My Microphone On? is a play in the form of a protest song, in which a chorus of young performers hold the audience to account, and invite them to experience the world together anew.By Julia Macconville, Julie Edge. 2014
Meet Debbie - a young girl with diabetes type 1. Debbie invites readers to learn about this type of diabetes…
from her perspective, describing how it feels to have high and low blood sugar levels. She explains how she can monitor her blood sugar and controls it with medication. Debbie also talks about the challenges of having diabetes and lets readers know how she can be helped and supported. This illustrated book is ideal for young people aged 7 upwards, as well as parents, friends, teachers and nurses. It is also an excellent starting point for family and classroom discussions.By Margaret Macpherson. 2003
Writer, activist, and politician Nellie McLung (1873-1951) was a strong and effective voice for the women’s movement. She was one…
of the Famous Five suffragists from Alberta whose court challenge in the Persons Case led to women in Canada being declared to be legal "persons" in 1929.|Margaret Macpherson holds a Masters Degree in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia and has worked as a teacher and journalist in Halifax, Bermuda, and Vancouver. She currently lives in Edmonton with her husband and four children.By Joanna Emery. 2005
This is a story of pioneering courage and compassion in the New World. Jeanne dreamed of devoting her life to…
caring for others. In 1641, she courageously gave up her comfortable middle-class life in France to journey to the French colonies, today’s province of Quebec. In overcoming incredible hardships, massacres, illness, deprivation and seven gruelling trips across the ocean, Jeanne proved to be a remarkable leader. She ended up founding the first hospital in Montreal as well as being a pioneer and founder of the city of Montreal.