Introduce readers to complex cultural, social and environmental issues that they may encounter outside their homes, in a way that is accessible. Sidebars offer further reading for older children or care providers who have bigger questions. For younger children just starting to make these observations, the simple question-and-answer format of the main text will provide a foundation of knowledge on the subject matter. A gentle introduction to the issue of poverty, On Our Street explores the realities of people living with inadequate resources. Using age-appropriate language, this book addresses mental illness, homelessness and refugee status as they are connected to this issue.
Small-town police chief Maxine "Max" Benson is just settling into her new life when her ex appears on the scene. Apparently, he and his new young lover just happen to be visiting her area on holiday. That's all about to change when Max's ex-husband is accused of killing his young lover right in Max's own backyard. It seems that only Max's superior detection abilities can save him from an almost certain conviction. This is the third book in the Maxine Benson mystery series.
New Hope Academy, or, as seventeen-year-old Jane Learning likes to call it, No Hope, is a Baptist reform school where Jane is currently being held captive. Of course, smart, sarcastic Jane has no interest in reforming, failing to see any benefit to pretending to play well with others. But then Hannah shows up, a gorgeous bad girl with fiery hair and an even stormier disposition. She shows Jane how to live a full and fulfilling life even when the world tells you you're wrong, and how to believe in a future outside the "prison" walls. Jane soon learns, though, that Hannah is quietly battling some demons of her own.
It's almost summer in small town Port Ainslie. Or is it? Temperatures are so far below normal that Police Chief Maxine Benson and her team are wearing sweaters. But is it cold enough to freeze the body of the man found in a ditch on the outskirts of town one morning? Maxine starts to investigate, but she is elbowed aside by the mostly-male provincial police force so she takes charge on her own.
Since the sudden death of his younger sister, Evie, sixteen-year-old Munro Maddux has been having flashbacks and anger-management issues. He has a constant ache in his right hand. And there's a taunting, barking, biting voice he calls "the Coyote." Munro knows a six-month student exchange will not be the stuff of teenage dreams, but in Brisbane he intends to move beyond his troubled past. It is there, at an assisted-living residence called Fair Go Community Village, that Munro discovers the Coyote can be silenced.
Fourteen-year-old Maya sneaks out in her kayak before breakfast every day to check on a family of sea otters living in nearby Riley Bay. It's hard being an animal lover in a fishing family. The animals Maya loves threaten her family's livelihood, and Maya doesn't know if she can trust her family not to hurt them. She is determined to protect the sea otters, even if it means checking on them for the rest of her life. One morning, Maya discovers she's being watched. Who is it and what are they doing? Soon Maya has to trust someone as she gets caught in a dangerous race to save the sea otters - and her family's livelihood - from poachers.
Marc est un garçon de la ville qui est allé vivre chez sa grand-mère à la campagne pendant que sa mère est en cure de désintoxication. Pour la première fois de sa vie, il doit voyager en autobus scolaire. Le long trajet dans un véhicule bruyant n’a rien à voir avec les transports en commun de la ville : il y a un genre de code secret pour savoir où on peut s’asseoir, les jeunes crient sans arrêt et quelqu’un essaie même de mettre le feu au siège de Marc. Marc juge rapidement que tous ces jeunes sont fous et qu’il doit tout faire pour les éviter. Toutefois, lorsqu’un accident survient, il apprend qu’il a plus de points en commun avec ces ados de la campagne qu’il ne le croyait.
I WANT TO BE THE BOSS! For once in their life, this small beast wants to get everything it wants, right here, RIGHT NOW! While the grown-up monster can’t give them a plane they can fly or a cake with lots of candy on top, they can give them a really big hug when they feel upset.
Un jour, à la fin de l’hiver, un petit oiseau est sorti et a découvert que le monde était devenu silencieux. Les rues étaient vides et les terrains de jeux, silencieux. Perplexe, mais déterminé, un oiseau explore la ville à la recherche d’un endroit approprié pour nicher. Les résidents d’un immeuble d’habitation le remarquent qui se repose dans un arbre tout près et sont réconfortés par son chant. En l’observant par leurs fenêtres, ils oublient leur quotidien et prennent le temps d’apprécier les merveilles de la nature. L’oiseau choisit de s’installer pour de bon dans cette communauté et il y fait son nid, un acte de résilience et d’espoir qui inspire les humains à sortir eux aussi et leur rappelle que la nature a son propre rythme, que les saisons changent et que la vie continue. Encore une fois. Ce livre d’images sans texte est une contemplation pleine d’espoir de nos liens avec la nature et de la joie qu’elle nous procure, même dans des périodes difficiles.
Henry marches to the beat of his own green thumb in this gentle picture book about a boy on the autism spectrum. Henry doesn't remember to raise his hand and he prefers to call plants by their proper Latin names, much to the frustration of his classmates. Most days, Henry doesn't notice how different he is from the other kids in his grade, but some days, he does. On those days, he finds refuge under the shade of the Salix babylonica (willow tree) or in the school counselor's office or at his very favorite place in the world: the local botanical gardens. When his class goes on a field trip to these botanical gardens, Henry’s knowledge of the flora and fauna show the other kids that his unique interests are really something special.
This year’s fun fair will have a Pride Carnival theme and twelve-year-old Mac couldn’t be more excited. Mac convinces his best friend, Amy, to do a Sonny and Cher drag number. He has their outfits all planned out, right down to the bellbottoms and fur vests. And he wants their performance to be perfect too so he pushes Amy to rehearse every day. Every step, every wave of the hand, every lyric has to be spot on. But Amy has had enough—the day before the event, she reveals that she never wanted to be Sonny. Why can’t she be Cher? Mac refuses to even consider it. There can only be one diva! With no time to recast, Mac plans to go solo. But he's miserable without his best friend. Can the two of them patch things up in time?
Tyler and Mason dream of escaping to the big city and getting started on their lives. One night, Mason convinces Tyler to help him steal a car and they are soon having the adventure of a lifetime. Until they run out of gas. Stranded on the side of the highway, Mason blames Tyler, Tyler blames Mason and their argument turns physical. Their fight is broken up by a scruffy-looking guy who offers them a ride to the city. Eventually the teens realize their rescuer is none other than Sean Dakota, a heavy-metal musician who suddenly disappeared from the spotlight the previous year. Tyler is intrigued by this music legend, but Mason wants to take advantage of him. Listening to Sean and the lessons he’s learned from his own life choices, Tyler starts to realize how dangerous and damaging his friendship with Mason is. But will he find the courage to branch out on his own?
Jaylin is studying for a stressful English exam when she receives a message from her best friend, Fatima. The thing is, Fatima died a year ago in a terrible traffic accident. At first, Jaylin thinks someone is playing a horrible prank, but as the texts become more detailed, containing secrets that just the two of them shared, Jaylin realizes she’s either going mad or Fatima is actually reaching out to her from beyond the grave. Then Fatima shares one last secret and asks Jaylin to set the record straight around the circumstances of her death. Jaylin is torn. Is she strong enough to relive losing her best friend all over again? This high-interest Orca Anchor title is written specifically for teens reading below a grade 2.0 level.
Seventeen-year-old Penny is struggling to balance caring for Jude, her sister with mental health challenges, working part-time to help her mother with money issues and facing her final year of high school. She does not need any distractions. But then she meets Jack. The two of them click immediately. But as quickly as things heat up, they then cool down, and Penny isn’t sure why. Does she have room for her feelings for Jack alongside her worries that her sister is crashing into suicidal depression again?
Twelve-year-old Fishel (Fish) Rosner doesn’t like regular “boy” things. He hates sports and would prefer to read or do crafts instead of climbing trees or riding dirt bikes with his friends. He also loves to dance. But all his interests are considered “girly.” Fish doesn’t get why that’s a bad thing. He’s just interested in different things than other boys. When he asks his Bubby to teach him to knit, she tells him to go play outside. When he begs his mom to take him to Zumba, she enrolls him in water polo instead. Why does everyone else get to decide what Fish should or shouldn't do?
At school, Jenny Royce is bullied by Grade A Jerk Austin Parks. When Jenny and Austin end up at a March Break leadership camp together, Jenny thinks her week will be miserable. Especially once she and Austin are grouped together for the camp’s main assignment. They have to run a stall at a local farmer’s market. The market could be a lot of fun. But when Jenny learns that Austin wants their group’s project to fail, she has to decide if she can risk standing up to him.
Un enfant essaie de comprendre la vie d’un homme qui vit sous un pont. Sa mère répond patiemment à ses questions et lui explique comment des personnes peuvent suivre des parcours si différents. Le garçon remarque les similarités entre l’homme et lui, et se demande où le mènera son propre parcours de vie. Dans le récit simple de L’Homme à la barbe hirsute, la curiosité et la perspicacité de l’enfant servent de catalyseurs pour comprendre la peur, la souffrance et la résilience tout en explorant les thèmes de l’itinérance, de l’appartenance et de la compassion. Cet ouvrage unique interpellera autant les enfants que les adultes. Il comprend un message de l’autrice expliquant de quelle façon l’origine de son histoire est ancrée dans sa vie.
After his twin sister, Minnie, dies in an accident, Emmitt's world goes sideways. He’s lost his best friend and it feels like the family is falling apart without her. But Minnie was an organ donor and Emmitt soon receives an anonymous thank you letter from one of the transplant recipients. Inspiration strikes, and he decides to try and put his sister back together, in spirit. He’s going to track down each organ recipient and film them to show his parents the results of Minnie’s selfless act and help them move on. But when each recipient falls short of his expectations and the star of his film, the girl who received his sister’s heart, refuses to meet him, Emmitt has to turn to extreme measures to find her. What he doesn’t know is that his "heart sister" is hiding an agonizing secret, one that could push Emmitt to the breaking point.
Xander thinks the George Wickerman Hospital would be the perfect setting for Spirits and Specters, a role-playing game where players go on “missions” to find evidence of paranormal activities. According to local legend, tuberculosis patients were used as test subjects in medical experiments that ended tragically, and their disfigured ghosts walk the hallways of this now-abandoned building. What better location to go ghost hunting? Even though they didn’t really believe the rumors, Xander and his friends soon begin to suspect that they are not alone. Is this place actually haunted by ghosts? Or something even more terrifying?
Featuring real-life stories of people who have found hope and meaning in the midst of life’s struggles, Heads Up: Changing Minds on Mental Health is the go-to guide for teenagers who want to know about mental health, mental illness, trauma and recovery. This book shines a light on the troubled history of thinking about and treating mental illness and tells the stories of courageous pioneers in the field of psychiatry who fought for more compassionate, respectful and effective treatments. It provides a helpful guide to the major mental health diagnoses along with ideas and resources to support those who are suffering. The book also explores how mental health is more than just “in our heads” and includes the voices of Indigenous people who share a more holistic way of thinking about wellness, balancing mind, body, heart and spirit. Highlighting innovative approaches such as trauma-informed activities like yoga and hip-hop, police mental health teams, and peer support for youth,
Three years ago Rob’s brother, Adam, was sent to jail for his part in the death of a girl who overdosed at a rave. But now that he has been released, Rob hopes that things can go back to the way they used to be. He soon realizes this is impossible. His brother has changed, the times have changed, and Rob has changed. Adam tells his mom and brother that he is planning to apply to a college in Toronto. He has already discovered how difficult it can be for someone with a criminal record to land a job and thinks he needs to get some education under his belt. He invites Rob to go on a road trip to the city to check out the college. However, Rob suspects that Adam hasn’t asked him along just for company. Adam still believes that there’s an easy way to get to where he wants to be. And if Rob can’t find a way to save Adam from himself, he just might go down with him.
Chaque matin de l’été, Ellie et sa grand-mère vont à la plage. Ils se baignent, érigent des châteaux de sable et, pendant que Nonna lit, Ellie regarde les autres enfants jouer. Un jour, Ellie trouve le courage d’approcher une fille plus âgée qu'elle, Piper, qui s'amuse seule dans une barque échouée. Piper a un don : son imagination est si grande qu'elle emmène Ellie dans de grandes aventures, volant haut dans les airs, nageant au fond de l’océan et voyageant partout à bord de leur petit bateau bleu, leur bateau magique. Mais quand Piper doit s'en aller, Ellie découvre qu'elle aussi possède une imagination débordante.
Qu’est-ce qui te remplit le cœur de bonheur ? Le soleil sur ton visage ? L’odeur de la banique qui cuit au four ? Tenir la main d’une personne que tu aimes ? Ce magnifique album cartonné, illustré par la talentueuse artiste Julie Flett, rappelle aux petits et aux grands de penser aux moments de la vie qui leur apportent de la joie et d’en profiter. La conférencière et autrice de réputation internationale Monique Gray Smith a écrit J’ai le cœur rempli de bonheur pour soutenir le bien-être des enfants et des familles autochtones, et pour encourager les bambins à chérir les moments qui les rendent heureux.
Gone is Gone looks at why species become endangered, how scientists are learning about endangered wildlife, what people are doing to conserve species and ways young people can help. The book is richly illustrated with unique photos that Isabelle has taken over many years of observing endangered species in the field alongside the people who work to conserve them. Throughout, the author shares enchanting encounters and personal field stories: watching narwhals socialize in the Canadian Arctic, getting close to a Laysan albatross raising chicks on a remote Hawaiian island, spotting a rhinoceros on safari and even swimming with sea lions in the Galápagos Islands. Gone is Gone will inform, intrigue and inspire readers to take small steps toward big changes for endangered species around the world.
In the northwest corner of British Columbia, between the Alaska–BC border and the northern tip of Vancouver Island, lies a land of forest green and sparkling blue. From massive whales to tiny herring, spirit bears to sea wolves, an incredibly diverse array of wildlife calls this land home. Part of the largest coastal temperate rainforest in the world, the Great Bear Rainforest is one the last untouched places on Earth. Learn about the people who make their home in the Great Bear Rainforest and are committed to preserving and protecting it. Hear how Indigenous youth are coming together and taking responsibility for this place they call home. Learn more at greatbearrainforest.com
