Snocross, by Linda Aksomitis

Snocross, by Linda Aksomitis

High school student, Shawn Riggs, wants just two things in life–to be part of the popular crowd in high school and to become the next snocross national junior race champion with his snowmobile. When he heads off to the season opener race event in Duluth, he finds himself stuck in a situation that could wipe the chances for both right off the map.

He’s just moved in with Dad’s new family to switch from the Canadian Snowcross circuits to the World Power Sports Association (WPSA) events in the US. So, he’s starting over making friends in a new school and it’s far from easy. Peer pressure or not, when local football jock, Cole Ackerman, handed around bottles of beer and challenged everyone to chug them down, he couldn’t say no.

Then, Ackerman gets himself and his dad invited along to Duluth. Plus, Dad agrees to stop in Winnipeg to pick up Jacqui Deville, the girl who beat him out of last year’s season high point awards, and her snowmobile. In this coming of age book, Shawn is faced with some tough decisions both on and off the race track.

The action is non-stop in Duluth with lots of snowmobiling in this extreme winter sports young adult book. A 90-minute short reads book, this fast paced novel takes readers of all ages behind the scenes at a WPSA snocross race, including photos from the actual Duluth season opener for the 2005-2006 season.

Snocross is a perfect young adult book for boys looking for a page turner book that’s high interest low vocabulary.

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Take Me With You, by Gillian Richardson

Take My With You cover

A gift of friendship brings unexpected rewards.

As a young hummingbird delays facing his first migration south, he comes across a timid wood mouse fleeing a gang of cats. Humm rejects Nothing’s plea to carry him away, but offers to guide the mouse overland to safety. Their unlikely friendship becomes a test of courage as they discover how to help each other. With the cats in hot pursuit, they must trust another new friend to make their final watery escape possible. Humm gains the confidence needed for his solo migration. Nothing has a safe new home. Both know they would never have made it without the other. Travel with these spirited animal characters in this chapter book adventure for ages 6-8.

See Gillian’s website for more!

Buy this book at your favorite bookstore (ebook only).

Ollie Buggins, Detective? by Gillian Richardson

Ollie, Buggins, Detective? book cover

Olllie Buggins is part bloodhound—but is he brave like Sherlock Bones (um…Holmes)?

His boy, Harry, thinks so. At their new country home, Ollie is expected to sleep in a doghouse, even in a thunderstorm! But there are strange new smells. Spooky noises! Shadowy figures! If he can’t solve these mysteries—even with help from a pair of zany crows and a wisecracking scarecrow—will Harry think he’s a coward? Meet Ollie, the reluctant dog detective, and his animal character friends in this chapter book mystery for ages 6-8.

See Gillian’s website for some great reviews!

Ollie is available to buy all over the place! Find your favourite store at https://books2read.com/OllieBuggins

Ghosts in the Garden, by Judith Silverthorne

Ghosts_inthe_Garden
Ghosts in the Garden, by Judith Silverthorne

Ghosts in the Garden is the sequel to Judith’s first ghost book, Ghosts of Government House.

Sam and J.J. are back on the ghost-hunting trail, this time on the grounds around Regina’s historic Government House. Follow them as they go back in time to meet a mushroom gardener and two mysterious young women with a secret. Will they figure out what it means? And will they be able to get back to their own time to do something about it?

Find out more at https://judithsilverthorne.ca/home/ghost-series/ghosts-in-the-garden/.

Published by Coteau Books.

Winner of  the Gold Moonbeam Award for Pre-Teen Mystery, 2018!

Available in print or Kindle e-book at Amazon.ca.

Or buy from Coteau Books or your favourite bookstore.

Through Flood and Fire

Through Flood and Fire, by Anne Patton

Through Flood and Fire, by Anne Patton
Through Flood and Fire, by Anne Patton

Author: Anne Patton

Publisher: Coteau Books

Release Date: August 2015

Through Flood and Fire is the sequel to Anne’s first Barr Colony Adventure,  Full Steam to Canada!

In the first book, Dorothy’s family makes the arduous journey to the Canadian Northwest Territories as part of the Barr Colony group in 1903. When the rest of her family falls seasick on the journey, Dorothy experiences freedom she has never had before. When they arrive in Canada, they take the train to the tent city of Saskatoon. Things are different than in England – even getting the small things like food and water takes a lot of work– but Dorothy is excited about the adventure and her new life.

In the second book, her family is ready to make the final leg of their journey from  Saskatoon to their new homestead, several days’ travel away by horse-drawn wagon. Unfortunately, there is an outbreak of measles in the camp, and Dorothy’s mother has to stay behind. So Dorothy sets out with the rest of her family and a few other people they met on the first part of their journey. It’s a good thing Dorothy has grit, because they will face many daunting adventures before they can build their new home.

These stories are based on the recollections of Dorothy Boan, who came to Canada as a child with the Barr Colonists, and the diaries of some of the other people who were there. To see some of Anne’s research and hear Dorothy’s further thoughts on the journeys, check out Anne’s Barr Colony Adventure website.

Buy Through Flood and Fire  as a print or e-book at:

 

No Place for Kids

No Place for Kids, by Alison Lohans

No Place for Kids, by Alison Lohans
No Place for Kids, by Alison Lohans

Author: Alison Lohans
Publisher: Wandering Fox Books (an imprint of Heritage House)
Ages: 9-11

978-1-772030 -17- 4  (paperback)  $ 7.95
978-1-772030 -18-1  (epub) $5.99
978-1-772030 -19-8  (epdf)  $5.99

Sisters Jennifer and Sarah were once part of a happy, stable family, but their idyllic life comes to an abrupt halt with the death of their mother. Unable to cope with his grief and the needs of his two young daughters, their father finds comfort in alcohol, gets fired from his job, and loses his grip on his family. As twelve-year-old Jennifer approaches maturity, she  starts to develop a tough exterior, especially when she attracts unwelcome attention from one of her father’s friends.

With nothing left to lose, the two sisters decide run away to their mother’s sister in Vancouver, setting out with very little money and no clear plan. Along the way, they must overcome fear, loneliness, illness, and the conflict inherent in their sibling relationship. This emotional story deals with mature themes, but it is ultimately about the enduring bonds of family.

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An earlier version of this book was published by Roussan in 1999. It was given an “Our Choice” citation from the Canadian Children’s Book Centre, and nominated for a Saskatchewan Book Award in the Children’s Literature category.

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Download Alison’s No Place for Kids – Curriculum Tie-in.

Outlaws and more Outlaws, from Linda Aksomitis

Cowboys and cattle, horse thieves and cattle rustlers, Pinkerton agents and Mounties, the badlands of Montana, North Dakota and Saskatchewan…”The Old West” series by Linda Aksomitis has it all.

In the first two books, follow the fictional adventures of novice cowboy Geritt Nagel and his brother as they try their hand at herding cattle and avoiding outlaws in the old west. The third book tells the true stories of the outlaws and the men that chased them, to fill in the colorful history that sets the scene for the first two books.

All three books are available in the Amazon Kindle Store:

Reading level: teen to adult.