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The Great Bear Sea

Ian McAllister (author) Nicholas Read (illustrator)

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781459800205

This amazing part of the northeast Pacific Ocean is home to some of the planet's mightiest and most beloved residents: whales, sea lions, dolphins, orcas, sea otters and wild salmon. Filled with spectacular images of this largely unknown part of the world, the book also explores the uncertain future of the Great Bear Sea in this age of climate change, overfishing, pipelines and oil tankers. Can a rainforest full of rare spirit bears, fishing wolves and great grizzlies survive without a Great Bear Sea to feed and nourish it?

Sidetracked

Deb Loughead (author)

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781459802513

Maddy doesn't find it easy adjusting to grade nine. The friendships and loyalties she took for granted in middle school are being challenged, and there's so much more competition on her track team now. When Maddy stumbles across a friend being bullied behind the school after a track practice, she suspects something nasty is going on. So, when Coach announces one of the team members has been robbed, she realizes the two incidents must be connected.

Shimmy

Kari Jones (author)

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781459807655

Lila has always wanted a career in belly dance, so she is thrilled when she is invited to join Dana Sajala’s competitive and prestigious studio. But dancing at the new studio isn’t quite what she expected. Dana Sajala is a tough teacher, and Lila finds the constant criticism stressful. On top of that, Lila misses the dancers from her old troupe, and a rift is developing between her and her best friend, Angela, who is not altogether sympathetic to Lila’s struggles.

Salamander Rescue

Pamela McDowell (author) Kasia Charko (illustrator)

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781459811249

Cricket McKay has lived in Waterton all her life; so, she is surprised to discover an animal she hasn’t seen before: the long-toed salamander. She finds a band of them migrating from the pond to their hibernation grounds at Crandell Mountain. Crossing the road that lies between the pond and the mountain is dangerous enough, but now a newly constructed curb makes their journey even more challenging. Can Cricket and her friends come up with a solution to help the salamanders? Salamander Rescue is the second book featuring Cricket and friends.

Rock the Boat

Sigmund Brouwer (author)

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781459804562

Webb believes that if you want to reach your dreams, you have to live life loud. Bring the roof down. Rock the boat. Make sure that when you look back, you have no regrets. But when a shady music producer steals one of Webb’s songs, Webb finds out how hard it is for a kid on his own in Nashville to get justice. With the help of an unlikely ally, Webb discovers that he has what it takes to succeed: talent, determination and some good friends.

Ripple Effect

Sylvia Taekema (author)

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781459808737

Best friends Dana and Janelle had big plans for grade six: run on the cross-country team together; try out for volleyball; they’d even planned to be partners for the class geography project. Neither girl could have known that a biking accident would land Janelle in the hospital all summer long. Dana is convinced that everything will go back to normal once school starts. But Queen Bee Julia has co-opted her friend, and Janelle’s crutches make running or playing volleyball impossible. Over time, the girls begin to act more and more like strangers. As Dana struggles to come to terms with her feelings of guilt, anger and loneliness, she wonders if there’s anything left of her old friendship that’s salvageable. Can she find her way back to her best friend?

Terra Nova

Shane Arbuthnott (author)

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781459814455

The city of Terra Nova was founded on a lie: the spirits who cross over from the spirit world are evil and must be captured for the safety of humanity. But Molly Stout and her family have learned that the spirits are thinking, feeling beings, enslaved to enrich the wealthy, especially the spirit-harvesting company Haviland Industries and its founder, Charles Arkwright. With the help of her family and the aetheric spirits Ariel and Legerdemain, Molly has been fighting to free the spirits. But Terra Nova runs on spiritual machinery, and for each factory they shut down, another takes its place.

Swimming With Seals

Maggie De Vries (author) Janice Kun (illustrator)

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781459813229

Ally isn't able to live with her mother. Instead she lives far, far away, on the other side of the country, with her gram and great-aunt. But one summer Ally goes to stay with her aunt and uncle in the "big city by the ocean" and gets to spend time with her mom. While exploring the shore, watching whales from the boat dipping into the salty water, Ally finds out something important: her mother loves to swim as much as she does.

Running on Empty

Sonya Spreen Bates (author)

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781459816541

Everyone expected Leon Kline, anchor for the 4x100 sprint relay, to secure Gilburn High's spot in the record books. But a freak accident on the final stretch changes everything. Suddenly his future is gone. No more running, no scholarship, no college. But then he meets sassy and straight-talking Casey De Vries, and life doesn't look quite so bleak. She even gets him running again. He can't sprint anymore, but he can handle longer distances. As he gets to know Casey better, he realizes that something is not quite right. How can he help her if she won't tell him what’s going on?

Lucy Tries Baseball

Lisa Bowes (author) James Hearne (illustrator)

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781459834958

Lucy is playing catch with her family at the park when she is invited to join her friends' baseball team. Their friendly coach teaches them the basics of offense and defense as they practice catching, hitting and fielding. Then they use these skills in a real game, where Lucy must overcome her fear of getting hit by the ball. With encouragement from Coach Al, Lucy steps up to the plate and gives her best swing.

Project Bollywood

Mahtab Narsimhan (author)

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781459832121

Salman loves Hindi movies and wants to produce a short Bollywood film for his school project. He gathers his friends when he's ready with the script, which is a mashup of all the movies he has ever seen. As director, Salman insists everyone follows the script exactly. But it's full of stereotypes and the cast and crew are not shy about expressing their concerns. Salman wants to remain true to the Bollywood model for his film but when his entire cast threatens to walk out, he has to decide whether to stand firm or find a way to collaborate.

On the Line

Eric Walters (author)

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781459827141

Thirteen-year-old basketball star Jordan Ryker feels like his life is falling apart. All Jordie wanted was for his parents to stop fighting. Soon, he gets his wish. His parents separate and then his dad announces he’s gay. Shocked, Jordie struggles with how to process all this. His dad taught him everything he knows about basketball, and there’s an important championship game coming up. He needs him more than ever. But Jordie feels like his dad has abandoned his family. He doesn’t want anything to do with him now and he definitely doesn't want to meet his dad’s new boyfriend. It takes a new girl with wicked basketball skills and a revelation from his best friend to help Jordie realize that while some things change, other things never do.

Orcas of the Salish Sea

Mark Leiren-Young (author)

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781459825062

Meet Onyx and the orcas of J pod, the world’s most famous whales. Illustrated with stunning photos, this picture book introduces young readers to the orcas humans first fell in love with. The members of J pod live in the Salish Sea, off the coast of Washington and British Columbia. Moby Doll was the first orca ever displayed in captivity, Granny was the oldest orca known to humanity, and Scarlet was the orca humans fought to save.

My Body My Choice

Robin Stevenson (author)

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781459817135

Abortion is one of the most common of all medical procedures. But it is still stigmatized, and all too often people do not feel they can talk about their experiences. Making abortion illegal or hard to access doesn't make it any less common; it just makes it dangerous. This is the history of the debate.

Ours to Share

Kari Jones (author)

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781459816350

There are almost eight billion people alive today. Having that many people in the world puts pressure on both social and natural resources, and we have to ask ourselves difficult questions like, What is our fair share? And how do we share more equitably? Ours to Share starts by giving an overview of human population growth, from the time when there were only a few hundred thousand people until now. The book goes on to examine some of the inequities that happen between people when natural and social resources are stressed and provides examples of people who have found innovative ways to share more equitably with their neighbors.

Orcas Everywhere

Mark Leiren-Young (author)

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781459820005

Orcas are found in every ocean on the planet, but can they survive their relationship with humans? Orcas Everywhere looks at how humans around the world (Indigenous and non-Indigenous alike) related to orcas in the past, how we relate to them now and what we can do to keep cetacean communities alive and thriving.

Queen of Disguises

Melanie Jackson (author)

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781554690381

Amateur detective and singing sensation Dinah Galloway has enough on her plate without having to worry about being pursued by a vengeful stalker. The red-headed twelve-year-old is in the running to sing in commercials promoting beautiful British Columbia. To clinch the job, Dinah has to get fit at a wellness retreat on Salt Spring Island. Off to Salt Spring she goes, along with the two other finalists: one friendly, the other the last word in sulky. Hoping to shed not only pounds but her crazed pursuer, Dinah learns the true meaning of personal best - it truly is how you play the game, not whether you win or lose.

On the News

Dr. Jillian Roberts (author) Jane Heinrichs (illustrator)

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781459817852

On the News gently introduces young children to the realities of natural disasters, terrorism and other forms of tragedy. In age-appropriate language and tone, this book emphasizes the good that can come out of tragedy, looking at how people help one another in caring, compassionate and heroic ways.

On Cue

Cristy Watson (author)

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781459811065

Can Randi find a way to make it all work out? Randi wants to be an actress and is excited about practicing her craft in drama class. So she is devastated to learn the program has been cut. When her friends put together a successful proposal to have drama class taught as an extracurricular activity, Randi is thrilled—until reality sinks in.

Off the Rim

Sonya Spreen Bates (author)

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781459808898

Dylan’s wish comes true when Coach Scott names him to the starting lineup for the Mountview High Hunters’ first game of the playoffs. But just when he should be concentrating on basketball, Dylan becomes the target of some off-court aggression. As he’s driving his girlfriend, Jenna, home one night, a black pickup truck tries to run them off the road. The police call it an accident. But even as Dylan tries to put it behind him, he has a sense of impending danger that he can’t shake.

My Life as a Diamond

Jenny Manzer (author)

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781459818323

A heartwarming, funny, fast-paced story about the bravery it takes to live as your true self, no matter the cost. Ten-year-old Caspar "Caz" Cadman loves baseball and has a great arm. He loves the sounds, the smells, the stats. Even though Caz is thrilled when he makes the team, he worries because he has a big secret. No one in this city knows that before Caz told his parents he was a boy, he lived a very different life. It's nobody's business.

Lucky Break

Brooke Carter (author)

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781459816428

Seventeen-year-old Lucy "Lucky" Graves is devoted to her championship rugby team, but her dreams of a scholarship are destroyed when she breaks her leg during an important game. If it doesn't heal properly, Lucy could be benched for the rest of the year. Goodbye pro career, goodbye college, goodbye future. Without rugby, who is she?

Les Casse-Cous

Pam Withers (author)

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781554694235

Les Casse-Cous doivent fair sept coups d'audace avant que leur rivaux, les Sauvages, n'en fassent autant. Avant un accident où il a perdu l'usage de sa jambe gauche, Kip était le leader des Casse-Cous. Il a maintenant de la difficulté à réussir les coups et il soupconne que les autres membres veulent l'exclure du club. À mesure que les coups deviennent plus difficiles, les Casse-Cous tentent de convaincre Kip qu'il ne sera peut-être pas à la hauteur. Kip refuse d'abandonner même s'il sait que ses amis ont probablement raison. Kip's only friends are the members of the Daredevil Club, a club whose mission is to complete seven dangerous dares before their rivals, the Wildmen, complete their list of dares. Before the cliff diving accident in which he lost the use of his leg, Kip had been the leader of the Daredevil club. Now he has difficulty completing the dares and suspects that his membership is threatened. As the daredevils plan their final stunt, a dangerous climb along a narrow steel shelf beneath a bridge, they try to convince Kip that he may not be up to the task. Kip refuses to back down even though he suspects his friends might be right.

Leggings Revolt

Monique Polak (author)

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781459811904

Eric and his buddies have left behind their all-boys school to attend high school with girls. Eager to find his place in this exciting new world, Eric joins the student life committee, unaware that he is expected to enforce the school’s strict dress code. The dress code is particularly harsh on the girls he is keen to get to know. Eric finds this awkward, but it’s nothing compared to the position he finds himself in when the whole school revolts.

On Our Street

Dr. Jillian Roberts (author) Jaime Casap (illustrator)

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781459816183

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.