Middle Years

Ghosts of Government House

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Ghosts of Government House, by Judith Silverthorne
Ghosts of Government House, by Judith Silverthorne

Author: Judith Silverthorne

Publisher: Your Nickel’s Worth Publishing

Are there really ghosts at Government House? Sam and J.J. have heard about the legendary ghost ‘Howie,’ but who is he really? And is he responsible for all the mysterious things that happen there?

The two girls, along with Grandma Louise, find out more than they’d bargained for when they set out on their ghost detecting adventures in the historic mansion. Howie is the least of their worries — and so is proving to Sam’s older brother Gabe that ghosts actually exist. What none of them had anticipated is their encounters with so many unexpected apparitions. Who are those ghosts, and why are they there?

Nominated for the 2013 Diamond Willow award.

Watch the book trailer on Vimeo or Youtube.

Read a Review:

You can buy this book at your local bookstore, or online at:

The audio book is available at iTunes.

Adele Dueck’s Racing Home wins 2012 Saskatchewan Book Award!

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Racing Home, by Adele Dueck
Racing Home, by Adele Dueck

Congratulations to Adele Dueck, whose novel Racing Home won the 2012 Saskatchewan Book Award in the Children’s Literature Category!

Erik wanted to stay in Norway, but his mother’s new husband, Rolf, has brought the family to Canada. Farming in Saskatchewan in the early 1900s is hard to get used to, and there are problems. Dueck has captured the Norwegian voice in a well-written novel that is rich in detail of the Saskatchewan prairie and the early homesteaders.

~ excerpt from the 2012 Saskatchewan Book Awards program

Adele Dueck’s book Racing Home is a 2011 OLA Best Bet!

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Congratulations to Adele Dueck, whose novel Racing Home has been chosen by the Ontario Library Association as one of 2011’s Best Bets for Children and Young Adults!

Books are chosen for their literary merit and their appeal to their intended audience, in this case middle grade readers.

The OLA summarizes the book as follows:

Racing Home
Written by Adele Dueck | Coteau Books
Erik did not want to leave his grandfather’s farm in Norway. But he must adjust as his new stepfather moves the family to the Canadian west. This is a richly detailed and engrossing portrait of pioneer prairie life seen through a young boy’s eyes.

Racing Home gets 3-1/2 stars in CM Review

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Racing Home, by Adele Dueck
Racing Home, by Adele Dueck

Adele Dueck’s novel Racing Home received 31/2 out of 4 stars in a review from CM magazine. The reviewer said:

Adele Dueck’s latest novel, Racing Home, is a fascinating work of historical fiction that explores the unique experiences of early twentieth-century immigrants in Saskatchewan through the character of 12-year-old Erik Brekke…While the main appeal of the story is in the details of settlers’ lives and their incredible daily experiences, the story is successful as a novel because of the realistic characters through whose lives the reader learns about the history.

CM says the novel is Highly Recommended.

Read the full review.

Racing Home reviewed by Canadian Teacher Magazine

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Racing Home, by Adele Dueck
Racing Home, by Adele Dueck

Canadian Teacher Magazine has this to say about Adele Dueck’s novel Racing Home:

Building a sod house, digging a well, breaking the sod, ploughing the fields, fishing and snaring rabbits to supplement the diet are all skills that the reader learns about as Erik and his family adjust to their new life. This book would well support the study of pioneer life on the prairies, immigration to Canada, and many other areas of the Social Studies curriculum at multiple grade levels.

To find out more, read the full review.

Full Steam to Canada! reviewed in Canadian Teacher Magazine

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Full Steam to Canada, by Anne Patton
Full Steam to Canada, by Anne Patton

Anne Patton’s historical novel Full Steam to Canada! was reviewed in Canadian Teacher Magazine.

This is an excellent work of historical fiction…an in-depth account of boat and train travel at the turn of the century, as well as a great record of the hardships immigrants had to face when settling our great country…Dorothy ages little in her few months of travel, but she matures an immeasurable amount.

Read more of the what the reviewer has to say in the full article.

Teacher’s Guide available for Picturing Alyssa

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Picturing Alyssa, by Alison Lohans
Picturing Alyssa, by Alison Lohans

Dundurn Press has created a teacher’s guide for Alison  Lohans’ book Picturing Alyssa. It can be downloaded from Dundurn.

Full Steam to Canada!

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Full Steam to Canada, by Anne Patton
Full Steam to Canada, by Anne Patton

Author:  Anne Patton
Publisher: Coteau Books

Release Date: May 2011

Winner of the 2009 John V. Hicks Unpublished Long Manuscript Award!

Eleven-year old Dorothy Bolton makes the long journey to the Canadian prairies in 1903 with her parents, her sister Lydia, her brother Frank, and a boatload of new acquaintances. They travel with other Barr Colonists by steam train, steam boat, and another train on their way to settle in the Northwest Territories (now Saskatchewan and Alberta). Reverend Barr has promised them a fertile land with a gentle climate just waiting to welcome them to a new home. But when they get there, things are not quite as rosy as they thought…

Based on diaries and conversations with actual Barr colonists, this book brings the story of the Barr Colony to life for middle-grade readers.

Read more of the story in Dorothy’s own words at Barr Colony Adventures!

Read a review in Canadian Teacher Magazine.

Order from McNalley-Robinson, Amazon.ca, Amazon.com,  Chapters-Indigo.ca, Orca Books, or Coteau Books.