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Read Up On It Home |
English Titles
On a beautiful spring day, hopeful, wary Burl Crow follows his abusive father through the verdant undergrowth of Northern Ontario. In a scene fraught with the potential for violence, the two characters are interrupted by an unexpected and wondrous sight. A grand piano hanging from a low-flying helicopter appears in the hot blue May sky and sets the tone for the rest of the novel. Burl's flight from home, his encounters with a world-famous pianist and others, his search for independence and self-realization are described with lyrical, fast-paced sensibility in this novel which celebrates the optimism and potential of youth.
Meredith is reluctant to explore the abandoned St. Vincent mansion, but she gives in to the reckless enthusiasm of her friend, Samantha. Once inside the historic house, the girls are surprised by its decrepit grandeur and mesmerized by a ghostly apparition which, rising from the dust of the third floor turret, has a message for Meredith's ears only: "Find my will." What started out as a lark now turns into a dangerous adventure for the two girls, involving ghostly visitations, eerie dreams, and real-life encounters with suspicious and frightening characters. This is an intriguing story which will please many young mystery fans.
When a young woman with Down's syndrome finds a stray puppy one windy, rainy afternoon on her way back to her group home, she knows she will never be allowed to keep him. She knows, also, that she can't bear to part with "her dog". Nan Gregory's simple, uncomplicated text and Ron Lightburn's quiet coloured-pencil illustrations coalesce perfectly and poignantly, on many levels, to find a satisfactory solution and, not incidentally, to show how important it is to love and be loved. A very special story to warm the hearts of all, young and old alike, who read or listen to it.
The third book about Jacob Two-Two finds him living in Montreal with his two older brothers, two older sisters, and two very busy parents, and, at two times two times two years of age, attending an expensive private school for boys. To fight the greed and corruption at his school, Jacob Two-Two enlists the aid of his next-door neighbour, the master-spy, X. Barnaby Dinglebat. Organized mayhem ensues as the two super-sleuths use invisible ink, encoded messages, the Clairvoyant Gamble, elaborate disguises and other creative manoeuvres to bring the villains to justice. A funny, fast-paced novel, good for silent reading or for reading aloud.
![]() | Mr. Christie's Book Award (Christie Brown & Co.) For best English book age 12 and older. The Dream Carvers Joan Clark Toronto: Viking, 1995, 226 p. ISBN 0670858587 Ages 14 and up |
It is the year 1015 and 14-year-old Thrand, a Greenland Viking, is abducted by a Native clan while part of an expedition to Newfoundland. Although he is as bewildered by his red-ochred captors as they are by his paleness, racial and cultural differences are surpassed as he learns to respect and understand the beliefs of these gentle people. While he gradually wins acceptance into the community, his greatest challenges are in overcoming his desire to return home, and in winning the trust of Abidith, a strong-willed and spiritually-gifted young Native woman, who can see into his dreams. An intriguing work of fiction about some of Newfoundland's earliest residents.