Theme: loss

Spud Sweetgrass

By Book Importer | Published: April 3, 2012

Suspended from school for cussing at a mean teacher, John “Spud”’ Sweetgrass at least still has his job selling french fries from a curbside “chip wagon.” But he notices that something stinks — literally. It’s the smell of rancid cooking oil at a polluted Ottawa beach. His suspicions aroused, Spud follows Dumper Stubbs, a creepy [...]

Descriptors: Canada, Intermediate (ages 9-14), Mystery, Realistic Fiction » Other Themes: , , , , » Leave a comment

Sophie

By Book Importer | Published: February 28, 2012

Sophie loves her Grandpa. And her Grandpa loves Sophie. They are best friends. And then one day there is no Grandpa. . . . Family love and the natural cycle of birth, life, and death are tenderly portrayed in this moving story. Foxs spare text distills complex life passages into emotions so clear even a [...]

Descriptors: Australia, Early Years (ages 2-6), Oceania, Picture Book, Realistic Fiction » Other Themes: , , , , » Leave a comment

A Monster Calls

By Book Importer | Published: September 26, 2011

At seven minutes past midnight, thirteen-year-old Conor wakes to find a monster outside his bedroom window. But it isn’t the monster Conor’s been expecting— he’s been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he’s had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments. The monster in his backyard is different. It’s ancient. And [...]

Descriptors: England (UK), Fantasy, Intermediate (ages 9-14) » Other Themes: , , , , , » Leave a comment

Lost and Found

By Book Importer | Published: May 5, 2011

A collection of three jaw-dropping stories: THE RED TREE, THE LOST THING, and THE RABBITS, by New York Times bestselling author and illustrator Shaun Tan A girl finds a bright spot in a dark world. A boy leads a strange, lost creature home. And a group of peaceful creatures loses their home to cruel invaders. [...]

Descriptors: Australia, Intermediate (ages 9-14), Oceania, Picture Book, Short Stories » Other Themes: , , , , , , , » Leave a comment

The Death-Defying Pepper Roux

By Book Importer | Published: January 20, 2011

Having been raised believing he will die before he reaches the age of fourteen, Pepper Roux runs away on his fourteenth birthday in an attempt to elude his fate, assumes another identity, and continues to try to outrun death, no matter the consequences.

Descriptors: Awards, Fantasy, France, Intermediate (ages 9-14) » Other Themes: , , , , , » Leave a comment

The Savage

By Book Importer | Published: February 22, 2010

Mysterious and utterly mesmerizing, this graphic-novel-within-a-novelpairs the extraordinary prose of David Almond with the visual genius ofDave McKean. Blue Baker is writing a story — not all that stuff about wizards and fairies and happily ever after — a real story, about blood and guts and adventures, because that’s what life’s really like. At least [...]

Descriptors: England (UK), Intermediate (ages 9-14), Realistic Fiction » Other Themes: , , , , » Leave a comment

The Bearskinner: A Tale of the Brothers Grimm

By Book Importer | Published: February 22, 2010

A dejected soldier makes a pact with the devil in this haunting, ultimately hopeful fairy tale. When a person gives up hope, is he still human? Such is the story of a soldier who has lost everything to war: his childhood home, his family and friends, his youth, and his innocence. Enter that sly opportunist, [...]

Descriptors: Europe, Folklore, Germany, Intermediate (ages 9-14), Picture Book, Primary (ages 6-9) » Other Themes: , , , , , , , » Leave a comment

Her Mother’s Face

By Book Importer | Published: October 1, 2009

When Siobhan was just three years old, her mother died, leaving Siobhan and her father alone in their house in Dublin. They never talk about her, and now, at ten years old, Siobhan no longer remembers her mother’s face. One day, Siobhan meets a mysterious woman in the park who tells her that to remember [...]

Descriptors: Europe, Ireland, Picture Book, Primary (ages 6-9), Realistic Fiction » Other Themes: , , , » Leave a comment

And What Comes after a Thousand?

By Book Importer | Published: October 1, 2009

Otto and Lisa are special friends. otto may be old, but he can still spit cherry pits, make slingshots and grow delicious raspberries. He and Lisa share a fascination with numbers, tell stories of brave Native Americans, and gaze at the stars. But when Otto gets ill and dies, Lisa struggles to understand. her rage, [...]

Descriptors: Europe, Germany, Picture Book, Primary (ages 6-9), Realistic Fiction » Other Themes: , , , , , , » Leave a comment

The Five Sisters

By Yoo Kyung Sung | Published: December 1, 2008

Facing the harsh elements aboard their small ship, five courageous sisters become even more determined to find the mysterious island on the edge of the sea–no matter how difficult the journey.

Descriptors: Fantasy, Intermediate (ages 9-14), New Zealand » Other Themes: , , , , » Leave a comment