It is during the Queen’s Ball, at which “society’s most important nobility” are in attendance (all of whom are animals), that a “major crime has been committed”: the queen’s shadow has been stolen!
The Queen’s Shadow :
Canada
Materials from Canada
Not My Girl
Two years ago, Margaret left her Arctic home for the outsiders’ school. Now she has returned and can barely contain her excitement as she rushes towards her waiting family — but her mother stands still as a stone. This strange, skinny child, with her hair cropped short, can’t be her daughter. “Not my girl!” she says angrily.
End Of the Line
Five-year-old Beatrix looks on in horror as the soldier forces her mother off the tram. It is 1942 in Amsterdam, and everyone knows what happens to Jews who are taken away by the Nazis. The soldier turns his attention to Beatrix, when suddenly, the ticket-taker, Lars Gorter, blurts out that she is his niece. With his brother Hans, the tram conductor, they manage to rescue the child from the same fate as her mother.The two elderly brothers realize that they are now in charge of the little girl. They are at a loss, after all, neither one has ever married, let alone has children. They know that harboring a Jew could cost them their lives, but in desperation, they turn to a neighbor, Mrs. Vos, for help. But even these kindly rescuers cannot shield Beatrix totally from the horrors of war.
Mr. Frank
On his last day before retirement, Mr. Frank is sewing the most wonderful outfit of his long career. In all his years working as a tailor, Mr. Frank has made all kinds of clothes. From the practical uniforms of the 1940s to the wild and weird designs of the 1960s and 1970s, he has seen (and sewn) just about everything. But today’s project is especially close to Mr. Frank’s heart.
God Loves Hair
Vivek Shraya’s first book is a collection of twenty-one short stories following a tender, intellectual, and curious child as he navigates the complex realms of sexuality, gender, racial politics, religion, and belonging.
The Lion And The Bird
A lion finds a wounded bird in his garden and decides to care for it through the winter. When spring arrives, the bird’s flock returns. The bird goes off with its flock. Lion is sad. But autumn brings a wonderful surprise.
See the review at WOW Review, Volume VIII, Issue 1.
From There To Here
A little girl and her family have just moved across the country by train. Their new neighborhood in the city of Toronto is very different from their home in the Saskatchewan bush, and at first everything about “there” seems better than “here.”
The little girl’s dad has just finished building a dam across the Saskatchewan River, and his new project is to build a highway through Toronto. In Saskatchewan, he would come home for lunch every day, but now he doesn’t come until supper. The family used to love to look at the stars, and the northern lights dancing in the night sky. But in the city, all they can see is the glare from the streetlights. All the kids used to run and play together, but now older brother Doug has his own friends.
See the review at WOW Review, Volume VII, Issue 3
Sarah and the People of Sand River
Twelve-year-old Sarah is told by her widowed father that she must leave the Frog Bay wilderness and go to school in the city to learn to speak English, but when the family that she lives with is cold and cruel, keeping her out of school, she earns the angel-like protection of a wise raven.
Yellow Moon, Apple Moon
In this delightful bedtime rhyme a young child bids good night to the moon, recalling all the familiar things surrounding her, from her pillow, her book, and her kitten to the swing outside, the robins in the trees, and the starry night.
The Boy in Number Four
Young Bobby Orr works hard to be the best hockey player he can be and his efforts pay off in one of the many important games that help prepare him to achieve his dream of one day playing in the big leagues.