When their families are plunged into intense grief, two young teens from very different backgrounds struggle to rebuild their lives. Kate lives on a horse ranch in a remote corner of the foothills. Sam lives in an inner city apartment. Their realities are separate but the link between them is real. Only an act of personal courage, unique to each, will help them move once again.

When 15-year-old Amy wakes up in a hospital bed, terribly injured from a dive onto hidden rocks in a quarry, she must contend with something unbelievable. True, her body has been shattered, but that's not the worst of her troubles - the body she's in is not her own! An athletic and academic overachiever from a wealthy Toronto family, Amy has somehow ended up in the body of Krystal, a troubled girl from North-End Kingston. Of course, no one believes what Amy says. Her mother in Toronto rejects her calls and threatens action, while whoever is now in Amy's body remains silent and unreachable. Amy's drive and determination help her build a new life, but all she really wants is to find her way back to the one she once had. What sounds to be a preposterous premise is so skilfully developed in the capable hands of this author that the book is unforgettable.

After serving time for a violent crime, Jojo returns to the neighbourhood and tries to resume a regular life. However his crime has had such a devastating effect on the community that there are some who are determined that he isn't to be allowed to live among them. Then there are some that are merely observers of the situation. This powerful novel addresses several themes including the need for revenge and the responsibility of bystanders to act courageously in the face of injustice. Extremely well done.

Reviewed by Thom Knutson. CM: Canadian Review of Materials, March, 2009 Highly Recommended. " Back is sure to satisfy Norah McClintock fans as well as teens looking for an authentic urban experience in a well-told, accessible story. It is also an excellent choice for read-aloud."

A mysterious white horse, a quirky parrot, a haunted house, an ancient curse, something frightening in the attic ... A summer holiday turns into a nightmare when the Mallory family rents a shabby cottage in a remote corner of Ontario's Rideau Lakes. Chip Mallory and his sixteen-year-old sister Lee are persuaded to go along on "one last family vacation" with their parents before they get caught up in their own lives again. But when a great storm comes up, and the family moves to an island in the lake, all their technology can't save them from an encounter with an ancient curse. Chip and Lee are drawn into a complex web of past and present.

D'Arcy's dad is dead. She desperately wants it to have been an accident, but she is not sure. And when she learns the truth, things become even more difficult. Why would her father choose suicide? Why didn't she see the signs? Her father had always helped her get through everything in her life - five minutes at a time. Can she do it alone? And then she meets Seth. When will things get back to normal? Learning to live without her father while her mother struggles with her own pain, D'Arcy finds an inner strength she wasn't aware of. She also finds that almost anything is tolerable for five minutes more.

Reviewed by Ann Ketcheson. CM: Canadian Review of Materials, February, 2009 Highly Recommended. "The death of someone close to us is never easy to handle, and D'Arcy learns this lesson firsthand when her dad passes away."

Set on a remote island in a post-apocalyptic, plague-ridden world, this electrifying novel seems destined to become a modern classic. Anax thinks she knows her history. She'd better. She's now facing three Examiners and her grueling all-day Examination has just begun. If she passes, she'll be admitted into the Academy - the elite governing institution of her utopian society. But Anax is about to discover that for all her learning, the history she's been taught isn't the whole story. And that the Academy isn't what she believes it to be. Outstanding and original, Beckett's dramatic narrative comes to a stunning close that will leave the reader reeling. A bold and ingenious thriller where philosophical questions collide with technology on the question of what it means to be human.

Reviewed by Ann Ketcheson. CM: Canadian Review of Materials, November, 2008 Highly Recommended. "Genesis defies classification. It is certainly science-fiction but it delves into so much more: questions of philosophy, ethics, theology. Young adults will find many topics to debate and discuss, just as Adam and Art do in the novel. Older readers will also enjoy the book, exploring its many layers, allusions and ... This is a demanding novel, but well worth the effort as it will certainly shake readers out of their literary comfort zone."

From the outside, 14-year-old Syd Johanssen seems like a typical teen - busy delivering papers in the neighbourhood and training with her high school sprinting team. Under the surface, though, things are less than perfect. Syd's family life leaves a lot to be desired, and she can't manage to shake her fascination with the highly publicized abductions and murders of two local girls. Syd's obsession becomes a frightening reality when she realizes that she is being stalked on her paper route. Tense and fast-paced, Girl #3 is a story about how being a girl is more dangerous these days than it has ever been, and how, in your darkest hour, you might just find a friend in the most unlikely of places.

Reviewed by Ruth Latta. CM: Canadian Review of Materials, February, 2009 Recommended. "Syd's life is fraught with stress. Her father left, and she hasn't seen him for almost a year. Her mother, upset and angry over the break-up, is obsessed with physical appearance, particularly Syd's, as junior bridesmaid-to-be at a relative's wedding. Syd's best friend, Alicia, uses her as an alibi to break her parents' rules. Worst of all, two murders of young women, possibly part of a series, have occurred in Toronto, and the detailed media coverage has left its mark on Syd's psyche. ... Girl #3 is not so much a mystery as a "psychological suspense thriller."

Melanie Tamaki is an outsider. Unpopular and impoverished, she is the only child of a loving but neglectful mother. She barely copes with surviving school and life. But everything changes on the day she returns home to find her mother is missing, lured back to Half World by a vile creature calling himself Mr. Glueskin. Soon Melanie embarks on an epic and darkly fantastical journey to Half World to save her mother. What she does not yet realize is that the state of the universe is at stake... This award-winning author's novel is an adventurous, genre-bending fantasy of shape-shifting characters, tortured half lives, and redemption. Totally entertaining.

Before her plane even touches down in Newfoundland, Cheryl is already plotting her escape. She knows life on this rock will be no better than it was in the other places she's been forced to live ever since her parents launched their cross-Canada tour. The unwilling spectator of her father's morbid fascination with "dying cultures," Cheryl has seen more than her fair share of towns so depressing they could haunt your dreams. His decision to study the defunct fishing industry in St. John's is Cheryl's breaking point - this city girl is more determined than ever to get back to the concrete, the buzz, and the bright lights of Montreal no matter what.

Jordan's brother was killed two years ago in what appeared to be a random act. Now, as the family reads their impact statements in court before the suspect is sentenced, a different story emerges. Maybe this was not a random act. Maybe Jordan knows more than he is saying. What was the impact of that violent act? And who set the wheels in motion?

Almost fifteen and friendless, Mira is plagued by dark thoughts. Her body seems to be changing daily. Her mother is domineering and half-crazy and her father - well, he's her ex-father, mostly out of Mira's life and awkward when he's around. Then she meets free-spirited, confident Catherine. Now that Mira's finally found someone she can talk to, her dark thoughts are vanishing. But as her friend encourages her to come out of her shell, Mira finds that her new-found confidence can still be shattered in an instant.

The year is 1882. A young servant girl named Esther disappears from a small Hungarian village. Several Jewish men from the village face the 'blood libel' - the centuries-old calumny that Jews murder Christian children for their blood. A fourteen-year-old Jewish boy named Morris Scharf becomes the star witness of corrupt authorities who coerce him into testifying against his fellow Jews, including his own father, at the trial. This powerful fictionalized account of one of the last blood libel trial in Europe is told through the eyes of Julie, a friend of the murdered Esther, and a servant at the jail where Morris is imprisoned. Although a novel, it is based upon a real court case that took place in Hungary in 1883. In Hungary today, the name Morris Scharf has become synonymous with "traitor." Once again, Eva Wiseman illuminates a heartbreaking episode in history for young readers.

Reviewed by Harriet Zaidman. CM: Canadian Review of Materials, December, 2008 Highly Recommended. "The false accusation of blood libel against Jews is a tool that was used over the centuries to whip up anti-Semitic fervour among the masses; the fear and loathing it inspired resulted in pogroms, deaths and persecution and kept Jews isolated in European society ... Puppet would be very useful in a study about racism, anti-Semitism or negative stereotyping."

Did Jessica murder one of her playmates, a troubled boy named Charlie when she was twelve years old? A recurring dream forces her to ask that question. Disturbed by the vision and needing to clear her conscience, Jessica returns to her hometown and the site of the possible crime. There she catches up with her longtime best friend who confirms that Charlie did in fact go missing the week that Jessica's family relocated to Australia. But a memory-erasing bout of meningitis at the time of the incident means Jessica doesn't recall the questioning police officers, the extensive ground search, or being the last person to see Charlie alive. Experienced YA writer Kristin Butcher chronicles a mystery that has the reader piecing together the evidence alongside Jessica and Jilly. Readers will be caught up by the minute-to-minute action of these furtive, accidental detectives.

There's something mysterious about Grace-Mae's arrival in Cook's Cove. She wasn't expected to arrive so early and without her mother, and there's a strange reporter who's been roaming around town asking questions about her, too. But Violet, Grace-Mae's cousin, doesn't have time to unravel the mystery. She's got final exams, her sister's wedding, and a garden party to prepare for. This is sure to be a summer she'll never forget. This book is a companion to One for Sorrow (Tales from Cook's Cove.)

The year is 1888. Jeannie Guthrie, a sixteen year old Scottish farmworker, is possessed of a mysterious "wild talent". Convinced that she has unintentionally killed her ne'er-do-well cousin George, Jeannie flees to the anonymity of London. There she is befriended by the free-spirited Alexandra David, and introduced to Madame Helena Blavatsky's famous salon. Drawn reluctantly into the world of the occult, and seemingly haunted by her cousin's vengeful ghost, Jeannie must learn to control her dangerous talent in order to survive. We follow Jeannie and Alexandra as they travel from the late Victorian world of spiritualists and theosophists to the end of the century Paris of artists, anarchists and esoteric cults; and finally to the perilous country of the Beyond.

Reviewed by Jennifer Draper. CM: Canadian Review of Materials, November, 2008 Recommended. "Wild Talent describes the setting and feeling of this time period very well. The background information about Jack the Ripper is not obviously superimposed on the plot, and the character development is excellent. The reader can see Jeannie's growth from a scared farm worker to a knowing, mature woman. Wild Talent is a unique book worth having in any collection."

Food is scarce after a harsh winter and in order to stay alive, a large timber wolf must fight off two young male wolves and insert himself into a pack led by a strong alpha female. Together they lead the pack's two-hundred-mile journey along the Winisk River to Hudson Bay and the Severn River, pursuing the Woodland Caribou. As their struggle for survival intensifies, the wolves are threatened by human hunters, near-starvation, treacherous waters, and attacks by competing packs. Written in free verse, this bold literary work explores the Great North and the heart of its wildlife through the eyes of a determined, courageous timber wolf.

This book is a photographic look at the rich culture of innovative design and artistic creativity found along the Pacific Coast of North America. It contains 1200 .. of builders and their creations featuring local materials and fine craftsmanship and which shed new light on the concept of sustainable housing that is well integrated into the environment. Many of these creations were rooted in the '60s and '70s but today's young readers will be inspired by the possibilities for alternative living spaces. There is a section on the builders of the First Nations of the Pacific Northwest Coast featuring archival photographs and detail about First Nations architecture.

In this book, Deborah Ellis turns her attention to the most tragic victims of the Iraq war -- Iraqi children. She interviews young people, mostly refugees living in Jordan, but also a few who are trying to build new lives in North America. Using the same format as Three Wishes and Off to War, Ellis provides an historical overview and brief explanations of context, but other than that allows the children to speak for themselves, with minimal editorial comment or interference. Their stories are frank, harrowing and sometimes show surprising resilience, as the children try to survive the consequences of a war in which they played no part. A glossary, map and suggestions for further information are included.

In 1864, the future of British North America looked dark. Each of the colonies was struggling to survive. Some were almost broke. Others could not be governed. The United States was locked in civil war, that the North was bound to win. Would its army of two million soldiers attack British North America - and would Great Britain be able to help? There was one chance: could John A. Macdonald pull all the colonies together to form the Dominion of Canada - or would each separate colony face a dark future alone? The story of Canadian Confederation has never been this accessible and entertaining.

Reviewed by Gail Hamilton. CM: Canadian Review of Materials, November, 2008 Highly Recommended. "13 chapters include the reasons for Confederation, the struggles, the various conferences held, the American colonies and civil war, and the roles of the federal and provincial governments as outlined in the Constitution Act. A great book for history buffs."

Skateboarding is more than a sport; it is a passion and way of life driven by those who love to push the limits of gravity and inertia while bending the notions of social acceptability. This book addresses both the intricacies of the sport and the intangibles of its culture. Skateboard enthusiast and journalist Ryan Stutt provides outstanding advice, which ranges from how to stand on your board and how to fall without causing injuries to how to perform grinds, slides and flips. This comprehensive reference is simply the very best manual on the sport of skateboarding. There are 33 maneuvers and tricks for beginners to intermediates, all illustrated with over 350 custom color photographs. It is the essential guide for anyone looking to master the art of skateboarding and to understand its unique culture.

For many of Canada's first inhabitants, North America was Turtle Island - made by the Creator and not available for sale. For Canada's second wave of inhabitants, North America was up for grabs. This book describes the culture clash between Canada's first and subsequent nations that led to the land-claim disputes still being negotiated 200 years later. Told graphically, as a dialogue between a young boy and an elder, this book is a step toward understanding this important Canadian issue.