Maya Nelson isn’t your typical thirteen-year-old. She’s spent her whole life living on the sea with her marine biologist parents, her younger brother, Simon, and baby sister, Penny. Maya used to love living on a sailboat, but lately, everything feels terribly claustrophobic. Maya longs to go to school on land. To make friends. To lead a normal life. But when a violent storm hits and Maya’s parents are washed overboard, life becomes anything but normal. The children manage to steer the boat toward a mysterious island, to a place that doesn’t exist on a map. Welcome to Tamarind, where fish can fly, pirates patrol the waters, jaguars lurk, the islanders are at war, and an evil, child-stealing enchantress rules the jungle. Maya never imagined she’d have to face so many dangers. But then, who could have imagined a place like Tamarind. . . .? In her stunning first novel, Nadia Aguiar presents a heart-pounding adventure tale about a haunting, fantastical island cut off from the outside world.
This well-loved storybook has been reissued with enhanced reproduction and many newly created illustrations just in time for a warm Christmas read under a cozy quilt by the light of a flickering fire. Ten-year-old Lucy is a pioneer girl in the Upper Canada of 1800. Her imagination fired by the schoolmaster’s stories of Christmas memories, Lucy sets about making a special Yuletide gift — something her frail mother will be able to remember and cherish forever. But even with the unwelcome help of her little brother, Dan, making one hundred handmade candles to light on Christmas night is a daunting task. Limited supplies and resources make the job that much harder, but in the end it is Lucy’s own bossiness that nearly causes a disaster. Deeply disappointed in herself, Lucy accepts the sacrifice Dan offers to make, and together the children manage to create the most wonderful of all Christmases. One Hundred Shining Candles, written by one of Canada’s best writers for children, shows readers of all ages the true joy of giving from the heart. Delicate illustrations throughout perfectly depict this gentle story set against harsh times.
This book uses a simple lift-the-flap format and predictable text to ease toddlers into the idea of having a new baby in the house.
Take Finn. He may be the burping champion of the universe. He may be the demon farter of the planet—capable of mind-boggling impressions (a hissing cat, a creaking door in a haunted house, a boiling egg). Or not. Take Danny. He may be the burping champion of the universe. He may be the demon farter of the planet—capable of mind-boggling impressions (a hissing cat, a creaking door in a haunted house, a boiling egg). Or not. Danny and Finn. Identical twins. Best friends. Big brothers to Angela. Playing with Donut the dog. Sons of Mum and Dad. Living together in a house on Holt Street. Happy. All of that is about to change.
The three little Swedish brothers spend their vacation in Lapland where they ski, visit a village of Laplanders, and almost get lost in the snow. They meet a family with a reindeer and play with him in the snow.
The year is 1940 and France has fallen to the German army. In the village of Mont-Saint-Martin, brothers Pierre, René, and Fat Marcel enjoy an idyllic childhood-stealing berry tarts, playing soldiers, and holding contests to determine who of the three is the biggest and best liar. As the small community, especially its Jewish members, begins to feel the effects of the war, René and Marcel form a warm but secret friendship with one of the German soldiers occupying their village. The boys know no good can come of this friendship, but they don’t realize the extent to which they have put the lives of their family and friends in jeopardy . . . until they discover that they are not the only experts at lying. This poignant and thoughtful story is told in the form of letters to a group of schoolchildren by the now-adult Marcel. First published in Ireland.
Many years have passed since Queen Thirrin and her allies defended the Icemark against a brutal invasion. But now General Bellorum is back, along with his bloodthirsty spawn, twin sons even more vicious than him. Thirrin and Oskan also have a family: two girls and three boys. But darkness lurks within the House of Lindenshield: Medea, the couple’s cold-hearted, fifteen-year-old daughter, who’s just coming into her magical powers, may be the downfall of the kingdom. It’s up to her brother, Charlemagne, crippled by polio as a child, to return from exile and rescue the land he loves.
Rose knows that nothing stays the same forever.Still, it’s hard to watch her sisters and brother growing up and moving so far ahead of her. Caddy is back, but she’s not living at home. And worse — she’s broken up with Darling Michael. Saffy and Indigo are so busy, they are seldom home. With her father in London and her mother painting in the shed, Rose is often alone in the house.Maybe that’s why she agrees to her new friend Molly’s crazy scheme. At least it seems crazy when Rose finds herself locked in the zoo at night with a roaring tiger. Maybe she should have been paying more attention to what Molly was saying. But on that spooky night, Rose finds out a secret that just might change everything — and help bring her family and friends together and new life to their old house.Hilary McKay infuses her charming characters with much love and laughter in this final visit with the delightfully daffy Casson family.
When Hal’s family makes the heart-wrenching decision to leave Charley, their comatose daughter, behind in a hospital ward while they spend the summer on the west coast of England, Hal finds it harder than ever to shake his sister’s presence. What power is letting him share her memories? And will they reveal the deep, dark truth behind her tragic “accident”? Set at a beach where growing up goes wrong, WAVES is a coming-of-age story about first love and first loss; about a family drowning in sorrow, and the remarkable son who is struggling against the tide to save them.