Title search results
Showing 1 - 20 of 89 items
Sidewalk flowers
By JonArno Lawson. 2016
Overview: In this wordless picture book, a little girl collects wildflowers while her distracted father pays her little attention. Each…
flower becomes a gift, and whether the gift is noticed or ignored, both giver and recipient are transformed by their encounter. "Written" by award-winning poet JonArno Lawson and brought to life by illustrator Sydney Smith, Sidewalk Flowers is an ode to the importance of small things, small people, and small gesturesAs I Enfold You in Petals (The Spirit of Denendeh)
By Richard Van Camp. 2023
Newly sober, Curtis searches for healing in the ancient cultural practices of his Tłıcho Dene grandfather. But will the Little…
People answer his call?Curtis has returned to Fort Smith, six weeks sober. He doesn&’t have any sober friends, his mom&’s still drinking, and his best friend (and secret crush) Lacey probably is too. Still, he&’s determined to abstain from alcohol and help his people. Along the way, he might just be able to help himself.Louis, Curtis&’s late grandfather, was a healer. Legend has it, Louis made a deal with the Little People that gave him the power to heal. No one has heard from the Little People since Louis&’s death, but his cabin may hold the key for them to return. There&’s only one problem: Benny the Bank stands in the way.An infamous bootlegger, Benny has profited off Fort Smith&’s pain for decades. After being critically wounded in an attempt on his life, Benny knows he doesn&’t have much time before the poison in his blood takes him. He also happens to own Louis&’s cabin.Can Curtis convince Benny to return the home that once belonged to Louis? Will the Little People answer Curtis&’s call? And can Benny find a way to make amends and leave a legacy he can be proud of?A stunning, fast-paced graphic novel, As I Enfold You in Petals will keep readers riveted until the last page.Monsters (The Reckoner)
By David A. Robertson. 2018
&“The ending...is so unexpected that readers will eagerly anticipate [the] third volume.&”—Kirkus ReviewsCole Harper is struggling to settle into life…
in Wounded Sky First Nation. He may have stopped a serial killer but the trouble is far from over. A creature lurks in the shadows of Blackwood Forest, the health clinic is on lockdown by a mysterious organization, and long-held secrets threaten to bubble to the surface. Can Cole learn the truth about his father's death? Why won't Choch give him a straight answer? Where the heck is Jayne? Oh, and high school sucks.Will I See?
By David A. Robertson. 2016
May, a young teenage girl, traverses the city streets, finding keepsakes in different places along her journey. When May and…
her kookum make these keepsakes into a necklace, it opens a world of danger and fantasy. While May fights against a terrible reality, she learns that there is strength in the spirit of those that have passed. But will that strength be able to save her? A story of tragedy and beauty, Will I See illuminates the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women.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.A Girl Called Echo Omnibus (A Girl Called Echo)
By Katherena Vermette. 2023
Métis teenager Echo Desjardins is struggling to adjust to a new school and a new home. When an ordinary history…
class turns extraordinary, Echo is pulled into a time-travelling adventure. Follow Echo as she experiences pivotal events from Métis history and imagines what the future might hold. This omnibus edition includes all four volumes in the A Girl Called Echo series:In Pemmican Wars, Echo finds herself transported to the prairies of 1814. She witnesses a bison hunt, visits a Métis camp, and travels the fur-trade routes. Experience the perilous era of the Pemmican Wars and the events that lead to the Battle of Seven Oaks.In Red River Resistance, we join Echo on the banks of the Red River in the summer of 1869. Canadian surveyors have arrived and Métis families, who have lived there for generations, are losing their land. As the Resistance takes hold, Echo fears for the future of her people in Red River.In Northwest Resistance, Echo travels to 1885. The bison are gone and settlers from the East are arriving in droves. The Métis face starvation and uncertainty as both their survival and traditional way of life are threatened. The Canadian government has ignored their petitions, but hope rises with the return of Louis Riel.In Road Allowance Era, Echo returns to 1885. Louis Riel is standing trial, and the government has not fulfilled its promise of land for the Métis. Burnt out of their home in Ste. Madeleine, Echo&’s people make their way to Rooster Town, a shanty community on the southwest edges of Winnipeg. In this final instalment, Echo is reminded of the strength and perseverance of the Métis.This special omnibus edition of Katherena Vermette&’s best-selling series features an all-new foreword by Chantal Fiola (Returning to Ceremony: Spirituality in Manitoba Métis Communities), a historical timeline, and an essay about Métis being and belonging by Brenda Macdougall (Contours of a People: Métis Family, Mobility, and History).April Raintree
By Beatrice Mosionier. 2008
Memories. Some memories are elusive, fleeting, like a butterfly that touches down and is free until it is caught. Others…
are haunting. You'd rather forget them, but they won't be forgotten. And some are always there. No matter where you are, they are there, too. In this moving story of legacy and reclamation, two young sisters are taken from their home and family. Powerless in a broken system, April and Cheryl are separated and placed in different foster homes. Despite the distance, they remain close, even as their decisions threaten to divide them emotionally, culturally, and geographically. As one sister embraces her Métis identity, the other tries to leave it behind. Will the sisters&’ bond survive as they struggle to make their way in a society that is often indifferent, hostile, and violent? Based on the adult novel In Search of April Raintree, this edition has been revised specifically for students in grades 9 through 12. Great ideas for using this book in your classroom can be found in the Teacher&’s Guide for In Search of April Raintree and April Raintree. A copy of the guide is available for download on the Portage & Main Press website.Visions of the Crow (Dreams #1)
By Wanda John-Kehewin. 2023
&“Your ancestors have called us to help you.&”&“I think y'all have the wrong number.&” Damon Quinn just wants to get…
through his senior year unscathed. His mom struggles with alcohol and is barely coping with the day-to-day. Marcus and his cronies at school are forever causing Damon trouble. The new girl, Journey, won't mind her own business. To make matters worse, now a mysterious crow is following him everywhere. After he is seized by a waking dream in the middle of a busy street, Damon is forced to confront his mom with some hard questions: Why haven't I met my dad? Where did we come from? Who am I? Damon must look within himself, mend the bond with his mother, and rely on new friends to find the answers he so desperately needs. Travelling through time and space, Damon will have to go back before he can move forward.Fire Starters
By Jen Storm. 2016
Fire Starters tackles restorative justice on a contemporary reserve in Northwestern Ontario.When two white teenagers accidentally set fire to a…
gas station, their Indigenous classmates are wrongly accused. The truth slowly comes to light as contrasting systems of justice are explored—both the traditional ways of the community and Canadian law enforcement.Fire Starters explores prejudice, racism, and what reconciliation could look like, "moving it from a concept to [an] on-the-ground example of what reconciliation could mean, in action, in a small community" (Debbie Reese).Three Feathers
By Richard Van Camp. 2015
Three young men -- Flinch, Bryce, and Rupert -- have vandalized their community. They are sent by its Elders to…
live nine months on the land as part of the circle sentencing process. There, the young men learn to take responsibility for their actions and acquire the humility required to return home. But will they be forgiven for what they've done?Three Feathers explores the power and grace of restorative justice in one Northern Indigenous community and the cultural legacy that can empower future generations.What World is Left
By Monique Polak. 2022
★ “Heartbreaking. An important addition to the Holocaust curriculum.”—Booklist, starred review A pampered child used to having her own way,…
Anneke Van Raalte lives outside Amsterdam, where her father is a cartoonist for an Amsterdam newspaper. Though Anneke's family is Jewish, her religion means little to her. Anneke's life changes in 1942 when the Nazis invade Holland and she and her family are deported to Theresienstadt, a concentration camp in Czechoslovakia. Not only are conditions in the camp appalling, but the camp is the site of an elaborate hoax: the Nazis are determined to convince the world that Theresienstadt is an idyllic place and that European Jews are thriving under the Nazi regime. Because he is an artist, Anneke's father is compelled to help in the propaganda campaign, and Anneke finds herself torn between her loyalty to her family and her sense of what is right. What World is Left was inspired by the experiences of the author's mother, who was imprisoned in Theresienstadt during World War II. The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.Hey Jude (Orca Soundings)
By Star Spider. 2020
Key Selling Points A teen must balance the stress of her final year of high school and a budding romance…
while worrying about her clinically depressed sibling. Hey Jude explores the themes of mental illness, suicide and the nature of family. The main character is pansexual and there is a romantic relationship between her and a transgender boy, but it is not the main plot line. It’s important to tell queer stories that normalize, not sensationalize the queer experience. Written by the author of Past Tense (HarperCollins, 2018). The author studied psychology at Ryerson and identifies as bisexual and bipolar. New, enhanced features (dyslexia-friendly font, cream paper, larger trim size) to increase reading accessibility for dyslexic and other striving readers.The Overwood (Orca Currents)
By Gabrielle Prendergast. 2022
Key Selling Points A young teen faces an old foe who has crossed over into the human world, known to…
Faeries as the Overwood. This is the third book in the Faerie Woods series, following The Crosswood and The Wherewood in the Orca Currents line. Gabrielle Prendergast has written books in many genres, including the Nahx Invasions series, a sci-fi fantasy series that includes the award-winning Zero Repeat Forever and Cold Falling White. Enhanced features (dyslexia-friendly font, cream paper, larger trim size) to increase reading accessibility for dyslexic and other striving readers.Olivetti
By Allie Millington. 2024
A heartfelt novel praised by Tom Hanks in the New York Times as including "a conclusion nearly impossible to divine…
and yet so perfect it includes that most tactile of memories..."Being a typewriter is not as easy as it looks. Surrounded by books (notorious attention hogs) and recently replaced by a computer, Olivetti has been forgotten by the Brindle family—the family he’s lived with for years. The Brindles are busy humans, apart from 12-year-old Ernest, who would rather be left alone with his collection of Oxford English Dictionaries. The least they could do was remember Olivetti once in a while, since he remembers every word they’ve typed on him. It’s a thankless job, keeping memories alive.Olivetti gets a rare glimpse of action from Ernest’s mom, Beatrice—his used-to-be most frequent visitor—only for her to drop him off at Heartland Pawn Shop and leave him helplessly behind. When Olivetti learns Beatrice has mysteriously gone missing afterward, he believes he can help find her. He breaks the only rule of the “typewriterly code” and types back to Ernest, divulging Beatrice’s memories stored inside him.Their search takes them across San Francisco—chasing clues, maybe committing a few misdemeanors. As Olivetti spills out the past, Ernest is forced to face what he and his family have been running from, The Everything That Happened. Only by working together will they find Beatrice, belonging, and the parts of themselves they’ve lost.The Second Favorite Daughters Club 1: Sister Sabotage
By Colleen Oakes. 2024
For fans of Sisters and Netflix&’s The Baby-sitter&’s Club, a contemporary series for the siblings who always come in last.Santana…
Barnes is tired of playing second fiddle to her ballet protégé, honor student older sister Victoria. Casey Hammond is sick of her cute-as-a-button, adventurous little sister Sage, who steals all of their dad&’s attention.When the girls meet in their middle school library, they learn they have a lot in common: they both love reading, they hate after-school activities, and most important, they are clearly their parents&’ second-favorite children.So they decide to do something about it. They create the Second Favorite Daughters Club. The members? Just the two of them. The mission? To become their parents' favorite children by undermining their love-hoarding siblings. But is it possible to cheat your way to becoming your parents&’ favorite? And is being in the spotlight really what they want after all?Bestselling author Colleen Oakes&’s middle grade debut, SISTER SABOTAGE is a celebration of friendship and family in all its challenging forms, and a reminder that there&’s no one way to stand out.The Ghost Forest (Secrets of the Sky)
By Sayantani DasGupta. 2024
THE GHOSTS ARE COMINGThe Kingdom Beyond is overrun with bhoot (ghosts who live in trees), and Kiya and Kinjal are…
the best hope of finding a solution. The ghosts are angry and dangerous-with one look they can steal your soul-so the twins must be extremely careful and use all their wits to help their flying horse friends and the rest of the inhabitants of the magical land so important to them. But what if the bhoot are angry for a reason? What if it's their very own home trees that are being cut down, leaving them with nowhere to go?This time, Kiya and Kinjal face danger from even those they are trying to help. Can they find out who is destroying the ghost forest?The Other Side of Perfect
By Melanie Florence, Richard Scrimger. 2022
Two kids from two different worlds form an unexpected friendship in this lens into the interworking of empathy. Told in…
alternating narratives, The Other Side of Perfect is infused with themes of identity, belonging, and compassion, reminding us that we are all more than our circumstances, and we are all more connected than we think.Cody’s home life is a messy, too-often terrifying story of neglect and abuse. Cody himself is a smart kid, a survivor with a great sense of humor that helps him see past his circumstances and begin to try to get himself out. Autumn is a wealthy girl from an indigenous family, who has found herself in with the popular crowd even though it’s hard for her to want to keep up.But one night, while returning home from a movie, Autumn comes across Cody, face down in the laneway behind her house. All Cody knows is that he can’t take another encounter with his father like the one he just narrowly escaped. He can’t go home. But he doesn’t have anywhere else to go. When Autumn agrees to let him hide out in her dad’s art studio, Cody’s story begins to come out, and so does hers.Winnie Nash Is Not Your Sunshine
By Nicole Melleby. 2024
In this powerful novel by an award-winning author, 12-year-old Winnie Nash is forced to live with her grandma for the…
summer and finds herself torn between her family&’s secrets and the joy of celebrating Pride. Winnie Nash never used to have so many secrets. But then she agreed to stay with her grandma for the summer so her mom can take care of her health during her latest pregnancy. Now Winnie plays card games with Grandma&’s friends (boring), joins the senior citizen book club (fine, even if no one thinks she&’ll read the books), and absolutely does not talk about her mom&’s sad days (she never used to be so sad…). The biggest secret is that her parents asked Winnie not to mention she&’s gay to Grandma. And there&’s a really cute girl who also hangs out with the senior citizens. What happens if Grandma notices just how much Winnie likes Pippa? The longer Winnie hides the truth, the more she longs to be surrounded by her LGBTQ+ community and the more she feels like the only place she can be herself is at New York City&’s Pride celebration. Winnie decides she&’ll get to Pride, one way or another. But is this just one more secret she has to keep?It Watches in the Dark (Eek!)
By Jeff Strand. 2024
"She glanced over her shoulder. Had the scarecrow moved? It stood there, smile stitched on its face, but now it…
felt like a smirk."Prepare to be scared silly in this creepy middle-grade novel! Twins seek medical help in a remote village after their father is in a canoeing accident...only to discover the scarecrow that stands watch in town may have a stronger hold over the residents than expected. Perfect for fans of R.L. Stine, Dan Poblocki, and Mary Downing Hahn.Twins Oliver and Trisha love going on adventures with their dad. Canoeing and camping on the Champion River will be their best trip yet! But when they capsize in rapids, their father is knocked unconscious. Alone and without cell phone reception, their only choice is to continue down river for help.Hours of paddling brings them to an old dock, and a narrow path leads them to a small village. The townspeople are kind and helpful, but strangely focused on the giant scarecrow in the village square. "He watches over us," the twins are told in whispers. "He keeps us safe."An old woman warns the twins not to spend the night in the village. Not if they ever want to leave. But with the sun soon to set and their father not well enough to be moved, how can they escape? More importantly, can they survive?The Sister Pact
By Stacie Ramey. 2015
From bestselling author Stacie Ramey comes a powerful story of sisterhood, young adult depression, and love. A suicide pact was…
supposed to keep them together, but a broken promise tore them apart.Allie is devastated when her sister commits suicide—and it's not just because she misses her. Allie feels betrayed. The two made a pact that they'd always be together, in life and in death, but Leah broke her promise and Allie needs to know why.Her parents hover. Her friends try to support her. And Nick, sweet Nick, keeps calling and flirting. Their sympathy only intensifies her grief.But the more she clings to Leah, the more secrets surface. Allie's not sure which is more distressing: discovering the truth behind her sister's death or facing her new reality without her.A great pick for:Fans of Jodi Picoult's The Pact and Lynn Weingarten's Suicide Notes from Beautiful GirlsReaders looking for depression young adult books and teen romanceBuyers of contemporary young adultAlso by Stacie Ramie:It's My LifeThe Secrets We BuryThe HomecomingPraise for The Sister Pact:"A well-written portrait…reminiscent of Jennifer Brown's Hate List…and Gayle Forman's I Was Here. A heavy but powerful read that tackles big topics without letting them drag the narrative down."—Booklist"A powerful story of redemption, forgiveness, love, and the ability to persevere."—VOYA Magazine"The story reads like Go Ask Alice...As Allie learns the many sordid secrets of her sister's concealed life, she begins to understand the powerful influence her sister had on her and, a talented painter, struggles to find her own voice. "—Kirkus"The story is well written and will hold teens' interest."—School Library Connection