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English Titles
One of the best-loved poems of World War I, "In Flanders Fields", was written by Dr. John McCrae, a Canadian medical officer who treated the wounded and buried the dead along the front lines. In the midst of mind-numbing horror and devastation, he wrote the simple guileless words which, even today, inspire images not only of loss and destruction, but also of hope and renewal. In celebrating the poem (not war) and the man who wrote it, the author and illustrator have created a thoughtful, informative and exquisite work of art which introduces children to the subject of war with restraint and sensitivity.
Megan's world is not without its problems, but it is as close to "megaperfect" as it can get. When she is allowed to paddle to Pig Island by herself on her 12th birthday, Megan feels at one with the world: independent, in control, safe and free. Her mother's surprising announcement later that same day, that she has been reunited with a daughter given up for adoption 24 years earlier, changes everything. How Megan deals with her overwhelming feelings of anger, hurt, jealousy and rejection forms the crux of this sensitively written, and often funny novel.
In a world of teenage conformity, Jill, a frank and witty 16-year-old with an obsession for the movie The Mission, struggles to stand up for what she believes. Although she objects when her brother's football team sponsors the sexist Lovely Legs Competition, she surprises herself by entering. She surprises others, and confronts the issue of sexism, when she decides not to shave her legs before the contest. As her leg hairs grow longer and more controversial, Jill wonders if she has the nerve to persevere. Much more than a tale of whether to shave or not to shave, this novel takes a candid, yet sensitive, approach to some disturbing social issues.
"If you don't want your heart broken, don't let on you have one." Plucked up, plunked down, shuffled and redealt too many times to remember, 15-year-old Sara Moone dreams of her 16th birthday when she can legally drop out of schools and foster homes. When her social worker, Ruth Petrie, delivers her to the Huddleston farm near Ambrose, Ontario, Sara's only conversations are with her computer. Just as Sara begins to respond to the remarkable Huddleston family, the responsibility of two part-time jobs, and a tentative friendship with a neighbour's son, her real mother arrives determined to find her. A superbly written story about the dawning of self-knowledge.
Step back in time with the Robertson family — Ma, Pa, their six children, and Granny — to learn about life in backwoods Ontario in 1840. From the opening chapter, when 10-year-old Sarah finds the first egg of the year, to the last, when she eats oatcakes to celebrate Hogmanay, the reader will be enchanted with a cornucopia of facts, fiction, and detailed illustrations which document the daily routines and special events of this fictionalized but completely believable and endearing pioneer family. Other commendable features are the suggested activities, an index, and a glossary of difficult terms.