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Middle Grades Basic Package |
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These book titles are from our previous book package and can be back ordered through CanLit For Kids Books. To order individual titles or the whole package from this list, contact us at canlit@shaw.ca or by phone at 1-888-656-9906 |
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FICTION
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Afrika by Colleen Craig Regular list price $11.99 (Grades 7-11) (233 pages) For thirteen-year-old Kim, travel to South Africa with her journalist mother will mark the end of her childhood and the beginning of a remarkable journey. Expecting nothing more than three months in her mother’s homeland, Kim comes to terms with the country’s diverse and often shocking history. The Truth and Reconciliation Hearings in post-apartheid South Africa open her eyes to the tragedy and brutality of its segregationist policies. Layered and complex, this is a novel that raises questions and challenges beliefs.
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All-Season Edie by Annabel Lyon Regular list price $8.95 (Grades 5-8) (179 pages) Eleven-year-old Edie Jasmine Snow has a “perfect” thirteen-year-old sister, two loving parents, and a cat named Dusty. Framed by family summer vacations at the lake, the story follows Edie through a tumultuous year in which her beloved grandfather becomes ill. In the face of family tragedy, Edie copes as best she can by trying to practice witchcraft, learning to dance the flamenco, meeting the Greek god Zeus doing his Christmas shopping at the mall, and ruining the most important party of her sister’s life. However a moment of clarity confirms her suspicion that her family is both completely strange and absolutely normal.
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Before Green Gables by Budge Wilsons Regular list price $25.00 (Grades 6 and up) (443 pages) Before she arrived at Green Gables, Anne Shirley had a difficult early life. Orphaned as a baby, she is sent from one foster-home to the next, caring for other people’s children though but a child herself, and escaping from her dark reality through the power of her vivid imagination. Curious, inventive, and outspoken, even at a young age, Anne battles to make a life for herself by searching out kindred spirits, finding solace in her books, and dreaming of the day she has a family of her own. Award-winning author Budge Wilson brings young Anne vibrantly to life in this fully authorized prequel to the much-loved Anne of Green Gables. It celebrates the 100th anniversary of the original publication. This is an excellent read. Reviewed by Sarah Ellis . Quill and Quire, January, 2008 "In Before Green Gables, a prequel to Anne, renowned Maritime writer Budge Wilson faces the paradox head on. In a recreation of Anne’s life from birth to age 11, Wilson pulls no punches. There’s no dumbing down and not a hint of parody... Loving and intelligent attention pretty much describes Wilson’s accomplishment, an impressive addition to the Anne canon." |
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Breathing Soccer by Debbie Spring Regular list price $10.95 (Grades 4-7) (144 pages) Lisa is forbidden to play soccer because of her asthma and serious allergies. Her family doctor, has warned her that her asthma must be taken seriously, and that the aggressive demands that soccer places on her breathing could be lethal. Between her overly-protective parents and her unrelenting coach Lisa despairs of ever being free to enjoy the sport she loves. At its core this novel reveals the plight of asthmatics who desire the challenge and thrill of sports, but who must weigh that desire against some very real health issues. Unfortunately this is an all too common situation and many students will be able to relate to this story. |
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Chief Honor by Sigmund Brouwer Regular list price $9.95 (Grades 6-9) (166 pages) Lauren Cross is the first female player on a WHL team—goaltender Joseph Larken’s team, the Spokane Chiefs. For Joseph, the prospect of a season in the publicity shadow of a new female goalie promises to be a nightmare. Hiding behind a carefully built wall of anger, Joseph is relieved when a scandal knocks Lauren off the team…until he begins to believe she was framed. Touches on the use of steroids by athletes.
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Crossover by Jeff Rud Regular list price $9.95 (Grades 6-9) (170 pages) Fifteen-year-old Kyle Evans has been a jock for years—a triple threat basketball player who can dribble, pass or shoot with considerable skill. But once he decides to try out for the school musical production at Sainsbury High, Kyle finds there is much more to life than hightops and hookshots. Conflicting priorities cause problems between Kyle and his coaches, teachers, teammates and friends. And when his buddy Lukas becomes the target of homophobic hatred, Kyle is left with some difficult choices to make.
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Dead in the Water by Robin Stevenson Regular list price $9.95 (Grades 6-9) (169 pages) Despite his father’s opposition, Simon “Spacey” Drake is determined to become a long-distance sailor, so he signs up for a week-long live-aboard sailing course. The trip gets off to a rough start, but the real trouble begins when Simon and Olivia, another student, get curious about a nearby cabin cruiser in an anchorage. They investigate and stumble upon an abalone poaching operation, but the poachers have far too much at stake to let a couple of kids get in their way. Simon has always believed that the only person you can count on is yourself, but when he and Olivia find their lives in danger, he knows they will have to work with the rest of the crew if they are to survive.
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Fouling Out by Gregory Walters Regular list price $8.95 (Grades 6-9) (168 pages) Craig and Tom have been friends since second grade, but that was five years ago and Craig is getting sick of Tom’s out-of-bounds behaviour. When Craig begins to realize that he may have more potential in school than he ever thought, he starts to distance himself from Tom, who is both the class clown and the school bully. But severing ties with an old friend is never easy, and a foolhardy incident in a local park pulls Craig back into Tom’s orbit. Faced with the realities of Tom’s home life, Craig must determine the limits of this volatile friendship.
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Impossible Things by Robin Stevenson Regular list price $8.95 (Grades 6-9) (185 pages) Cassidy Silver is not having a good year. Her engineer father is in the Middle East, her artist mother is too busy to listen to the painful details of her daughter’s grade seven life, her genius younger brother is being bullied, and her best friend Chiaki has abandoned her to hang out with the meanest girls in school. Then Cassidy meets Victoria, who is telekinetic—she can move objects with her mind. Cassidy, desperate to not be the only ordinary person in her family, thinks learning telekinesis could be the answer to all her problems. |
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Jellaby by Kean Soo Regular list price $10.99 (Grades 5-8) (Comic strip) Quiet, brilliant Portia has just moved to a new neighbourhood with her mom. Adjusting to life without a father is hard enough, but school is boring and her classmates are standoffish -- and even Portia's mom is strangely distant. But things start looking up when Portia mounts a late-night excursion into the woods behind her house and discovers a shy, sweet-natured purple monster. Life with Jellaby is a lot more exciting, but Portia's purple friend has secrets of his own; secrets that may even lead to the mystery of Portia's father's disappearance! |
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Mr. Karp's Last Glass by Cary Fagan Regular list price $8.95 (Grades 4-7) (96 pages) Young Randolph has two favourite pastimes -- hockey and collecting. When his family rents out part of their house, Mr. Karp takes over two rooms on the third floor, and Randolph soon learns that the new boarder is a collector too. It turns out that Mr. Karp collects water -- samples that he keeps in glass containers, each one carefully labelled. But these are not just any ordinary water and Mr. Karp is not the only water collector around.
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Not Fair, Claire by Yvonne Prinze Regular list price $10.95 (Grades 5-8) (187 pages) Clare's got a new best friend named Allison, discovers she's a natural-born actress and wins a part in the school play. She even has a crush on the leading man. This hilarious entry in the Clare series tackles common issues in the lives of young people: jealousy, competition, crushes, responsibility, and more. Middle-grade and ’tween readers, teachers and librarians will love this cynical, witty heroine |
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The Proof That Ghosts Exist: The Ghosthunters 1 by Carol Matas and Perry Nodelman Regular list price $11.95 (Grades 5-8) (216 pages) No one knows if it’s a family curse, or just plain old bad luck, but it seems as if the Barnett males are prone to dropping dead on the day before they turn thirty-five. Luckily, Molly and Adams mom has a plan: a getaway to the family’s low-stress, danger-free lakeside cottage. But even the best laid plans can go horribly wrong. In The Proof That Ghosts Exist, the first installment of The Ghosthunters trilogy, the authors team up to deliver a rip-roaring ghost story complete with chills, thrills, mysteries, and more than a few laughs. It’s a combination that’s guaranteed to leave readers wanting more.
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Schooner’s Revenge by Robert Sutherland Regular list price $14.99 (Grades 6-9) (167 pages) Fourteen-year-old Ben is thrilled to take part in an impossibly daring plan to outwit the Americans and deliver supplies to Fort Mackinac—before its inhabitants are captured or die from starvation. Blinding blizzards, crushing ice floes and daring cat-and-mouse manoeuvres around the enemy challenge Ben’s strength and determination. Based on a little-known episode during the War of 1812, The Schooner’s Revenge is an action-packed adventure, crackling with plot twists, explosions, treachery and courage—destined to be a hit with middle readers everywhere. |
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Shimmerdogs by Dianne Linden Regular list price $10.95 (Grades 5-8) (134 pages) Mike is very worried about his mother’s safety while she is on a peacekeeping mission in Bosnia. He gets caught up in her tragic stories like the one of a little boy named Edin, whose daily life includes the nightmares of the violence and terror of war. Mike wonders how to make sense of it all, how to step outside the fears he harbours and the unanswered questions he has. He finds a book in the library that describes the ancient belief that dogs guard the doorways to death and he begins to shape an understanding of his troubles. |
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The Third Eye by Mahtab Narsimhan Regular list price $12.99 (Grades 6-9) (240 pages) For Tara and her brother, Suraj, the year their mother and grandfather fled the village of Morni in the middle of the night has been a nightmare. Their new stepmother is cruel and deceptive, and the village itself is lacking a healer. What‘s more, men of the village have been disappearing, often returning in a strange, altered form. When a new healer, Zarku, a mysterious man with a third eye possessing strange power, suddenly appears in Morni, all are mesmerized by his magic -- all except Tara, who sees through his evil disguise. With nothing but her own courage and wit, Tara tries to find her missing mother and grandfather, the true healer, in time to save her village.
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Three Million Acres of Flame by Valerie Sherard Regular list price $12.99 (Grades 6-9) (185 pages) For Skye Haverill and her family, it begins as an ordinary day. But in the annals of Canadian history, October 7, 1825, is the date of one of our greatest national disasters. The Haverill family has been turned upside down in the last year. Following the death of their mother, Skye and her brother, Tavish, have adjusted to live with a single parent. And when they‘re asked to make another adjustment -- when his father remarries and his new wife becomes pregnant -- Skye finds that some changes are too much to handle. But family struggles quickly become irrelevant when the Haverills and their community are caught up in the Miramichi Fire, the largest land fire in North American history. As the family and the town struggle through the fire and the devastating aftermath, all must find a way to rebuild homes and relationships
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Zibby Payne and the Party Problem by Alison Bell Regular list price $6.95 (Grades 4-7) (92 pages) Zibby can't believe "friends" like Amber and Savannah are turning their birthday bashes into exclusive events, handing out special party privileges to a select few. To combat the rise of the sixth grade cliques, Zibby decides to have her own shindig - which will of course be The Best Party Ever - and comes up with an all-inclusive mantra: "A party for all, and all for the party!" Zibby's open invitation policy lands her in one tricky party predicament."
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Zibby Payne and the Trio Trouble by Alison Bell Regular list price $6.95 (Grades 4-7) (96 pages) Zibby's new best friend Gertrude and old best friend Sarah can't stand each other, so Zibby swings into action with Operation Friendship Campaign. And, it works ... too well! Gertrude and Sarah end up bonding more with each other than with Zibby, whose peacemaking efforts have resulted in Zibby Payne, Party of One. As Zibby tries to figure out how to turn this smug duo into a happy trio, she discovers that Gertrude isn't who she seemed to be.
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NON-FICTION |
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Alien Invaders: Species that Threaten our World by Jane Drake and Anne Love Illustrated by Mark Thurman Regular list price $24.99 (Grades 4-7) (56 pages) From killer toads, feral felines, and brown tree snakes to multiple invaders in Lake Victoria and the Great Lakes, this book focuses on wave after wave of invaders that affect our ecosystems and the side-effects of climate change and modern global travel on our world today. From the days of sailing ships and shipboard rats to the fungus that sparked the Irish potato famine to the beautiful but deadly purple looseleaf strangling native wetlands, they examine extinctions and endangerments directly attributable to these alien invaders. Students can determine if they themselves are invaders or savers and how they can help. This exploration of a timely topic, coupled with lively detailed illustrations will inspire kids and adults alike to be more observant and protective of our natural world.
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¢entsibility:the Planet Girl Guide to Money by Stacey Roderick, Ellen Warwick Illustrated by Monika Melnychuk Regular list price $14.95 (Grades 4-8) (80 pages ) Money management often gets left out of home or classroom discussions. Planet Girl has delivered a book that gives practical advice on a range of topics relating to money — tips on jobs, saving, debt, spending and budgeting, how to become a girl entrepreneur, what to scrimp on (and what not to), the hidden price of cheap, how to reconcile having less than some friends and why fundraising can make girls feel priceless! Preparing for a lifetime of smart money management and developing a healthy money attitude has never been easier!
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Curse of Akkad by Peter Christie Regular list price $11.95 (Gardes 7-10) (144 pages ) Climate-related events have rocked civilizations since ancient times. While many wonder how today’s warming climate will affect our future, this book explores capricious climate shifts of the past. From an ice age that gave humans an evolutionary leg up to an El Niño that frustrated the battle plans of Hitler, the author shows that the prevailing weather of a place is not simply a backdrop to important events, but often a critical player. This is an acclaimed writer’s exciting and enlightening look at climate’s frequent place at the helm of human history. |
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How to Improve at Golf by Peter Parks Regular list price $11.95 (Grades 7-9) (48 pages) Become the best you can at whatever you choose to do! This step-by-step guide demonstrates how to master those tricky shots and enhance performance. Mastering the basic skills will lead to maximizing enjoyment of the game for both students and teacher-librarians!
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Double Take: Karen Brain’s Olympic Journey by Nikki Tate Regular list price $12.95 (Grades 7 and up) (159 pages) From an early age, Canadian equestrian Karen Brain is determined to someday compete in the Olympics. Her first riding lessons aren't terribly encouraging, but Karen is determined. Soon after a tragic accident, jumping over obstacles becomes her specialty—literally and figuratively, as she struggles to get her own mount, the coaching she needs, and the funds to achieve her goals. This book is for young horse-lovers, biography fans, or simply anyone who loves an inspiring story. |
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Passion for Fashion by Jeanne Beker Illustrated by Nathalie Dion Regular list price $22.99 (Grades 7 and up) (80 pages) This comprehensive career guide, with a detailed resource section at the back, is for those who dream of working in fashion. It captures the excitement, inspiration, and passion of the whole industry. From agent to designer, model, photographer, stylist, makeup artist, retail fashion director, publicist, journalist, fashion illustrator, creative director, editor-in-chief, trend forecaster, fashion show producer, color specialist, and personal shopper to all the people behind the scenes, it informs, entertains, and inspires.
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Science on the Loose: Amazing Activities and Science Facts You’ll Never Believe by Helaine Becker Illustrated by Claudia Davila Regular list price $12.95 (Grades 3-7) (64 pages) Bursting with hands-on science, readers will learn about chemistry, climate change, genes, the senses, photosynthesis, scientific method, even Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. In addition to a regular subject index at the back, a helpful listing outlines all the scientific principles covered in the book. Puts a whole new spin on scientific discovery for students.
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Super Crocs and Monster Wings by Claire Eamer Regular list price $9.95 (Grades 6-8) (93 pages) It’s hard to imagine, but about 99% of all the species that ever lived are already extinct. Some died off suddenly during global catastrophes, while others gradually disappeared as the world evolved. But some animals didn’t vanish altogether, and their distant relatives live among us today. The author distills millions of years of global history on the astonishing evolution of six modern-day animals. Readers are treated to a visual feast of artists’ renderings of the ancients, together with images of their modern-day counterparts. Reviewed by Paul Challen . Quill and Quire, March, 2008 "Yukon writer Claire Eamer raises two questions here for young readers: First, what did the extinct ancestors of today’s animals look like? Second, what forces of nature have conspired over time to make some creatures look as they do today? The answers to these questions form the basis for Eamer’s excellent book, one that will delight any young reader interested in evolution, palaeontology, and geology."
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YUM: Your Ultimate Manual for Good Nutrition by Daina Kalnins Illustrated by Paula Becker Regular list price $16.95 (Grades 4-8) (192 pages) Many young people are trying to get on the road to good nutrition. This guide to healthy eating will help kids get food-label-literate and figure out how to choose the best foods every day. They'll discover delicious recipes and healthy snack ideas from kids who already make nutrition part of their lives. Packed with information students need to feel empowered to make healthy choices. |
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(5% gst, shipping and handling included)
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Copyright©2008 CANLIT FOR KIDS BOOKS Ltd.- All Rights Reserved.