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Take Me With You, by Gillian Richardson

| sharon
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).

Kraamlok, by Sharon Plumb

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Kraamlok, by Sharon Plumb.
Cover art by Jolyn Michaelis

The Eye shall be Blood, the sun shall be Bone, and dragons shall pass from the world. For it comes, it comes, the kraamlok comes…

Dragon seer Tondoor was hatched for only one purpose: to ask the starry dragon god, Morwaka, for a way of escape from his tribe’s prophecy of doom from the sky. But Morwaka isn’t speaking to him. Doesn’t he want to save the dragons?

As rebellion brews around him and his arch-rival tries to steal his dragon love’s heart, Tondoor learns that the answer he seeks might lie with a lunatic dragon lost somewhere in the other five corners of the world. Can Tondoor succeed in his quest to save the dragons he loves — and survive the ones he doesn’t — before the kraamlok destroys their world?

Dragons and more dragons in variety of cultures, a pristine planet with surprising links to our own, plenty of lore and legends, politics and culture, a bumbling starry extra-terrestrial, and a sweeping epic fantasy quest. Perfect for readers of any age who want an exciting dragon saga with lots of twists and surprises. Includes Book Club discussion questions.

Available in print and for Kindle at http://mybook.to/Kraamlok .

See reviews and learn about the dragons and their world at Sharon Plumb’s website.

Convictions, by Judith Silverthorne

Convictions, by Judith Silverthorne
| sharon

Convictions, by Judith Silverthorne
Convictions, by Judith Silverthorne

Author: Judith Silverthorne

Publisher: Coteau Books

Set in 1842 aboard  a convict ship for convicted female prisoners, Convictions follows the story of Jennie, a teenage girl convicted for stealing a loaf of moldy bread from a garbage bin. Now she finds herself heading to Australia with no hope of ever seeing her family again.

Meticulously researched and true to the time, this is Judith’s 8th book with Coteau.

Winner of the 2016 Gold Moonbeam Award in YA Fiction-Historical/Cultural Category, and the 2018 Gold Human Relations Indie Book Award in the Pre-teen/Teen category.

 

Read more at Judith’s website.

Buy a copy.

10 Ships that Rocked the World, by Gillian Richardson

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10 Ships that Rocked the World, by Gillian Richardson
10 Ships that Rocked the World, by Gillian Richardson

Author: Gillian Richardson

Illustrator: Kim Rosen

Publisher: Annick Press

ISBN: 978-1-55451-781-7

 

About 10 Ships:

Ships have always sailed through human history. Sometimes, they’ve even changed its course. For centures, ships have brought cultures together in peace or conflict, played a role in wars and revolutions, and even transformed societies.

Travel around the world with Gillian on 10 world-shifting ships. Meet pirates, explorers, desperate immigrants, eco-warriors, and more. All aboard for an ocean adventure through history!

Reviews:

Purchase:

Purchase this book at your favourite bookseller, including:

Through Flood and Fire

Through Flood and Fire, by Anne Patton
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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:

 

Rhyme Crimes – What Makes Good Children’s Poetry?

Paula Jane Remlinger gives a talk on Children's Poetry
| sharon

Paula Jane Remlinger gives a talk on Children's Poetry
Paula Jane Remlinger gives a talk on Children’s Poetry

Paula Jane Remlinger‘s talk on writing good children’s poetry is now on YouTube! Paula Jane gave the talk on June 19, 2015 at the Ken Mitchell Library (Saskatchewan Writers Guild office in Regina).

The talk was presented by the Saskatchewan chapter of CANSCAIP and sponsored by the SWG through their Writing Group Grants program.

For more information see the SK CANSCAIP website.

To watch the talk, scroll down. (You will have to move past the first 1 minute and 54 seconds before the sound starts.)

No Place for Kids

No Place for Kids, by Alison Lohans
| sharon

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.

Purchase from:

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

Honouring the Buffalo, by Judith Silverthorne

Honouring the Buffalo, a Plains Cree Legend - by Judith Silverthorne
| sharon

Honouring the Buffalo, a Plains Cree Legend - by Judith Silverthorne
Honouring the Buffalo, a Plains Cree Legend – by Judith Silverthorne

Author: Judith Silverthorne
As told by: Ray Lavallee, Wisdom Keeper and Medicine Man of the Piapot First Nation
Illustrator: Mike Keepness
Publisher: Your Nickel’s Worth Publishing

48 pages
ISBN-978-1-927756-33-1

Features:

  • Includes Plains Cree translation (Y dialect)
  • Meets the curriculum outcomes for Grade 1-6 Social Studies and Language Arts; also ties in with teaching about treaties
  • Education guides, question and answer sheets, and student worksheets available.
  • For details, download the Honouring the Buffalo Information Sheet .

What’s Inside:

An estimated thirty to fifty million bison once thundered across the Great Plains and much of North America.

Honouring the Buffalo is the story of how the Buffalo gifted themselves so freely through the Creator to the Plains Cree people to help them survive. Discover how every part of the buffalo was used to provide shelter, food, clothing, tools, hunting, spiritual ceremonies and many other necessities.

For more details, worksheets and ordering information, see Judith’s website.