When her mother is no longer able to take care of her, eleven-year-old Anneke takes her border collie, Sheera, and moves to a cave near her home in the Kootenay mountains. Although she knows how to survive and stay hidden in the woods, she is shaken by a close encounter with a cougar and a terrifying thunderstorm. Anneke may need to turn to the kind foster parents she stayed with several years earlier, but they are poor substitutes for the mother she misses so much. Why can’t the doctors find the right medication to control her mother’s schizophrenia?
Juvenile, 172 pp, 5¼ x 7¾
ISBN 1-55039-120-8, $8.95
Summer of Adventures
Book Two in the Summer Series
Ann Alma
For twelve-year-old Anneke, the summer has brought uncertainty and change. Her dream of creating a home with her mother, who has schizophrenia, seems increasingly remote. When Anneke's foster parents offer her the possibility of adoption, she must face some difficult choices. Her struggle to discover where she really belongs takes a new direction after she rescues a Japanese carving, a netsuke, from a rushing river, a direction that leads Anneke and her friend Ken to the Nikkei Internment Memorial Centre and then into the beautiful, unforgiving Kootenay mountains. Lost in the wild, the two friends, accompanied by Anneke's dog, Sheera, must draw on all their strength and courage to survive. In the end, both Anneke and Ken will discover what family really means.
JUVENILE FICTION, 160 pp, 5¼ x 7¾
ISBN 1-55039-122-4, paper, $7.95
Recommended for ages 9 - 12, Bookmarks available
Second Watch is based on true details of Finnish immigrant culture and the sinking of the great Empress of Ireland. Over the eight years that this Canadian Pacific steamship sailed the Atlantic Ocean, it transported more than 117,000 passengers to Canada. The sinking of the Empress on May 29, 1914, remains Canada's worst maritime disaster during peacetime. Of 1,477 passengers and crew on board, 1,012 were lost – more passengers than in the sinking of the Titanic. Yet the Empress of Ireland and its fate remain little known to most Canadians.
JUVENILE HISTORICAL FICTION • 208 pp • 5¼ x 7¾ • map and archival photos
ISBN 1-55039-151-8 • paper • $9.95
Ages 8-13
Chasing the Moon
Penny Chamberlain
During the U.S. Prohibition of the 1920s, an illegal, one-way trade arose—in alcohol. Canadian brews flowed south, and American dollars flowed north, creating fortunes that can still be seen in Canadian society today. Central to this trade were the rum-runners, their loaded boats speeding through dark waters, dodging pirates and the U.S. Coast Guard to bring their illegal cargo to thirsty Americans.
In Chasing the Moon, Penny Chamberlain drops young, courageous Kit feet-first into this dangerous world. With her mother in a tuberculosis sanatorium, Kit must spend the summer with her estranged father, whose mysterious nighttime activities and free-spending habits arouse her suspicions. Then a strange carnival boy enters the picture. He has an eerie way with a tarot deck that shakes Kit to the core. Still, something about him engages Kit, and, together, they embark on a headlong journey that will carry them from the dark waters south of Victoria to the "blind pigs" of Seattle. On the way, Kit will discover depths of insight she did not know she possessed, and will win for herself one of her dearest wishes.
JUVENILE FICTION, 256 pp, 5.25 x 7.75
ISBN 1-55039-157-7, paper, $9.95
Ages 8-13
The Olden Days Locket
Penny Chamberlain
From the moment she first steps off the school bus, 12-year-old Jess is enthralled by Point Ellice House. Although the other students on the tour are just happy to have a day off from school, shy Jess feels she knows what is around every corner and behind every door of the beautifully preserved Victorian home. It's as if she has lived in those rooms before. Her repeated visits and her interest impress the guide in charge, who offers Jess a volunteer summer job.
But although she loves sharing her growing knowledge of Point Ellice House, Jess finds herself drawn to lonely spots around the property. There, persistent visions of a girl named Rose take her into the past, to a terrible disaster involving an overcrowded streetcar on the Point Ellice Bridge.
JUVENILE FICTION, 240 pp, 5.25 x 7.75
ISBN 1-55039-128-3, paper, $8.95
Recommended for ages 9+, Bookmarks available
Tabasco the Saucy Raccoon
by Lyn Hancock
At three weeks, Tabasco is a tiny, helpless ball of fluff. Already, the little raccoon's life is unusual: tucked into Lyn's pocket or tote bag, Tabasco accompanies Lyn on a cross-country tour, making friends every step of the way. By the time they get home, Tabasco is ready to explore the world—inch by exciting, fragrant, tactile inch. Nothing is safe from Tabasco's clever paws. Dogs run and horses stand still when Tabasco comes to call. For some, the raccoon's like her namesake: a little goes a long, long way. But children flock from all around to play with Lyn's busy, talkative friend.
Juvenile • 186 pp • 5.25 x 7.75
ISBN 1-55039-156-9 • paper • $12.95
The Girl With a Baby
Sylvia Olsen
You are the same girl that came to school last year. They are the same kids. But nothing was the same and I knew it. I had become the girl with a baby. Jane has always been the good Williams. Her brothers might be high school dropouts and late-night rowdy partiers, but never Jane. Jane never drinks, smokes dope or misses a single day of school. She's in the drama club . . . smart and hot . . . one of the popular ones.
Or she used to be. Now she's one of those: the teenage mothers packing diaper bags with their knapsacks, wheeling strollers into the high school daycare, tired and grumpy. Jane's only 14, younger than most of them, and she can feel the stares in the school halls. She can hear the whispers on her whitebread street, too: too bad, gone the way of her brothers, guess those Indians are all the same.
TEEN FICTION • 200 pp • 5.25 x 7.75
ISBN 1-55039-142-9 • paper • $9.95
Recommended for ages 12+
No Time to Say Goodbye
Children’s Stories of Kuper Island Residential School
Sylvia Olsen with Rita Morris and Ann Sam
No Time to Say Goodbye is a fictional account of five children sent to aboriginal boarding school, based on the recollections of a number of Tsartlip First Nations people. These unforgettable children are taken by government agents from Tsartlip Day School to live at Kuper Island Residential School. The five are isolated on the small island and life becomes regimented by the strict school routine. They experience the pain of homesickness and confusion while trying to adjust to a world completely different from their own. Their lives are no longer organized by fishing, hunting and family, but by bells, line-ups and chores. In spite of the harsh realities of the residential school, the children find adventure in escape, challenge in competition, and camaraderie with their fellow students.
Juvenile, 175 pp, 5¼ x 7¾
ISBN 1-55039-121-6, $9.95
Which Way Should I Go?
by Sylvia Olsen with Ron Martin
Illustrated by Kasia Charko
Following on the heels of the much-lauded Yetsa's Sweater, versatile author Sylvia Olsen again brings her storytelling gifts to picture book readers. Which Way Should I Go? is a moving story, based on the memories and the direction of Olsen's friend Ron Martin, that handles a tender subject with a light and deft touch.
All families, and especially those who have lost a loved one, will enjoy storytime with this beautiful, touching book.
32 pp • 8 x 10
ISBN 1-55039-161-5 • hardcover • $19.95
full colour
I never thought about being white. I didn't have to. I was transparent--no colour at all. I hung out, was a good enough student and no one paid any special attention to me at all. Then I became a white girl.
Until she was fourteen, Josie was pretty ordinary. Then her Mom meets Martin, "a real ponytail Indian," and before long, Josie finds herself living on a reserve outside town, with a new stepfather, a new stepbrother, and a new name--"Blondie." In town, white was the ambient noise, the no-colour background. On the reserve, she's White, and most seem to see her only for her blond hair and blue eyes.
Teen Fiction • 200 pp • 5¼ x 7¾
ISBN 1-55039-147-X • paper • $9.95
Ages 12+
Yetsa's Sweater
by Sylvia Olsen
Illustrated by Joan Larson
From the author of No Time To Say Goodbye, The Girl with a Baby, White Girl, and Just Ask Us comes a tender and joyful picture book, perfect for sharing. In Yetsa's Sweater, Sylvia Olsen takes a workaday chore and illuminates it with meaning, while Joan Larson takes Olsen's simple and loving words and fills them with radiant light.
On a fresh spring day, young Yetsa, her mother and her grandmother gather to prepare the sheep fleeces piled in Grandma's yard. As they clean, wash and dry the fleece, laughter and hard work connect the three generations. Through Yetsa's sensual experience of each task, the reader joins this family in an old but vibrant tradition: the creation of Cowichan sweaters. Each sweater is unique, and its design tells a story. In Yetsa's Sweater, that story is one of love, welcome and pride in a job well done.
ILLUSTRATED PICTUREBOOK, 40 pp, 8 x 10
ISBN 1-55039-155-0, paper, $19.95
Double Take
Karen Brain's Olympic Journey
by Nikki Tate
Double Take is for young horse-lovers, biography fans, or simply anyone who loves an inspiring story.
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 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.
80 pp • 8 x 7
ISBN 1-55039-162-3 • paper • $12.95
80+ b/w and colour pictures
ages 8 - 12
StableMates 1: Rebel of Dark Creek
Nikki Tate
cover illustration by Pat Cupples
Jessa is in Grade 6 and eats, sleeps and dreams horses. But lessons and ponies are expensive, how will she ever manage to buy or lease a horse of her own? With a combination of work, luck, and good friends she finds a pony named Rebel... and then the adventures begin. On with the gumboots, up with the pitchfork and Jessa has to learn to work for Rebel's room and board while keeping up in school and coping with some strange behaviour from a few classmates.
Juvenile Fiction 8-12 years, 152 pp, 5x8
ISBN 1-55039-076-7, paper, $6.95
StableMates 2: Team Trouble at Dark Creek
Nikki Tate
When two giant draft horses take up residence at Dark Creek Stables, the trouble starts. Fences collapse, Mrs. Bailey can't keep up with the feed bills and Jessa's pony, Rebel, finds himself out in the cold during the worst blizzard of the century. To make things worse, Jessa and he best friend can't seem to get along and a surprise visitor nearly ruins Jessa's Christmas vacation. Will Dark Creek ever be the same again?
Juvenile Fiction 8-12 years, 154 pp, 5x8
ISBN 1-55039-082-1, paper, $6.95
StableMates 3: Jessa Be Nimble, Rebel Be Quick
Nikki Tate
Jessa is completely stressed out! Her terrifying dreams about water jumps just won't stop. In fact, as the date of Jimmy McBride's eventing clinic draws closer, the nightmares keep getting worse. At school, she's responsible for helping the new girl from Japan settle in. Unfortunately for Jessa, her efforts to help just seem to make Midori unhappier. Jessa's best friend, Cheryl, is no help at all – she's too busy trying to land a juicy part in a play.
Juvenile Fiction 8-12, 138 pp, 5 × 8
ISBN 1-55039-088-0, paper, $7.95
StableMates 4: Sienna's Rescue
Nikki Tate
When four abused and neglected horses are seized by the Kenwood Animal Rescue Society, Jessa convinces Mrs. Bailey that Dark Creek Stables would be a perfect foster farm for one of them, but nobody is prepared for the challenges of Sienna's rehabilitation. Can Jessa and her friends save the young renegade mare from the slaughterhouse? Why is Mrs. Bailey behaving so strangely around Walter Walters? And what is Jessa going to do with Romeo, the lovable mutt who shows up at the little house on Desdemona Street and refuses to leave?
Juvenile Fiction 8-12, 124 pp, 5 × 8
ISBN 1-55039-093-7, paper, $5.95
StableMates 5: Raven's Revenge
Nikki Tate
When Jessa wins a trip for two to horse camp, she and Cheryl are so excited they can hardly think of anything else. But Camp Singing Waters may not be a blissful getaway. Feuding campers, a lame horse and drafty cabins are bad enough, but should they have listened more carefully to Mrs. Bailey's ominous warnings about Dr. Rainey's experiments with witchcraft? Or, are the late-night ghost stories around the campfire just feulling their overactive imaginations?
Juvenile Fiction 8-12, 154 pp, 5 x 8
ISBN 1-55039-095-3, paper, $6.95
StableMates 6: Return to Skoki Lake
Nikki Tate
Jessa's week-long trail riding trip into the Rocky Mountains should have been the experience of a lifetime. Ignoring increasingly peculiar symptoms, Jessa sets off into the mountains, determined to enjoy herself despite feeling very ill. To her horror, she finds herself regaining consciousness in an Alberta hospital! This is only the beginning of a long journey of recovery, one which turns Jessa's life upside down and threatens even her desire to ride.
Juvenile Fiction 8-12, 150 pp, 5 x 8, NEW MAP!
ISBN 1-55039-102-X,paper, $6.95
StableMates 7: Keeping Secrets at Dark Creek
Nikki Tate
Fans of Nikki Tate’s horse novels will be happy to see Jessa and the rest of the Dark Creek gang back for more horsey action in the seventh volume of the best-selling StableMates series. Jessa continues to struggle to control her new mount, Jasmine, even as she tries to keep a lid on her intense jealousy towards Molly, the young rider who has been taking lessons on Jessa’s beloved pony, Rebel.
Juvenile, 154 pp, 5¼ x 7¾
ISBN 1-55039-123-2, $7.95
Recommended for ages 10 - 14
Tarragon Island
Nikki Tate
cover illustration by Ljuba Levstek
Shortlisted for the Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Award!
Winner of a BC2000 Book Award!
Heather Blake can't believe her bad luck when her family moves from Toronto to tiny Tarragon Island in British Columbia. What will she, a budding author, write about on this "rock in the middle of nowhere"? From her home-schooled neighbour, to the woman down the road who grows herbs for her aromatherapy practice, to the Dexter calf her mother brings home to promote the preservation of rare farm animal breeds, life on Tarragon Island couldn't be more different from the one Heather has left behind in Toronto.
Juvenile Fiction 8-12, 182 pp, 5 x 8
ISBN 1-55039-103-8, paper, $7.95
No Cafes in Narnia, A Tarragon Island Novel
Nikki Tate
cover illustration by Ljuba Levstek
It's not easy to have a private life on a small island. Thirteen-year-old Heather Blake can't stand the fact people on Tarragon Island know about her family's traumas practically before she does. The local youth writing group is supposed to help her meet people and improve her writing skills. Instead, Heather finds herself revealing way too much about both her writing life and her private thoughts to kids she can't believe are becoming her friends. Heather's new school, a budding romance, serious family illness, a strange crime, and even stranger island residents cause more trouble than she thinks she can handle. It will take all the strength and determination Heather can muster if she hopes to survive and carve out a place for herself in her new island home.
Juvenile Fiction, 174 pp, 5 x 8
ISBN 1-55039-107-0, paper, $8.95
Trouble on Tarragon Island
by Nikki Tate
Heather Blake is horrified when her grandmother gets involved with the Ladies of the Forest, a radical group of protesters willing to do just about anything to save a stand of old-growth trees from the loggers' chainsaws. When the Ladies make a calendar, semi-nude photos of Granny and her friends hang on just about every fridge on Tarragon Island. Things get even worse when protesters get arrested and tempers flare. Without question, there's a crisis in the Tarragon Woods, and the solutions are far from clear-cut.
JUVENILE FICTION • 216 pp • 5.25 x 7.75
ISBN 1-55039-154-2 • paper • $9.95
ages 8-13
Cave of Departure
The Estorian Chronicles Book I
Nikki Tate
Twelve-year-old Dominique fails to complete a deadly serious ritual and is banished from his place with the Estorian people, a tribe of nomadic storytellers. He must travel alone to a distant cave where, it is believed, he will find the voice he has always longed for. His quest takes him to far-off lands where he must do battle with a mighty river serpent, outwit pungent yagabonos, and survive capture by a group of powerful leranons.
Juvenile, 239 pp, 5¼ x 7¾
ISBN 1-55039-119-4, $8.95
The Battle for Carnillo
The Estorian Chronicles Book II
Nikki Tate
Banished from his tribe, twelve-year-old Dominique's quest continues as he reaches the great port city of Carnillo. Civil strife and rumours of imminent invasion bring suspicion upon all who walk the streets. Arrested and imprisoned, Dominique receives help from an unexpected ally and is drawn into a confusing conspiracy of constantly shifting alliances. As he attempts to unravel the truth behind the strange web of conflicting stories about his father, Dominique learns there is a greater challenge before him.
JUVENILE FICTION • 310 pp • 5.25 x 7.75
ISBN 1-55039-127-5 • paper • $9.95
Recommended for ages 10 - 14
Robin is a pony in a million. He'll do anything Faye asks him to do, and Faye loves him with all her heart.
Then the farm truck breaks down and there's no money to pay for repairs. Faye's grandmother Lucy starts talking about selling the farm. So Faye does the unthinkable. She agrees to sell Robin, a piece of her heart going with him.
Fans of The Secret Pony will be delighted by this companion novel about Kirsty's friend Faye. Readers new to Julie White are sure to become fans of the author's perfectly evoked world of young riders—and its complicated friendships.
168 pp • 5.25 x 7.75
ISBN 1-55039-163-1 • paper • $9.95
ages 8 - 12
The Secret Pony
by Julie White
Kirsty's got a secret--a big, four-legged secret . . .
When they moved out to the country after the divorce, Mom promised Kirsty a pony of her own. Then Lancelot practically drops in her lap, and Kirsty empties her money box to buy him. He's skinny and starved and only half trained for riding. But he's hers, all hers, and Kirsty is overwhelmed with joy.
Juvenile Fiction • 160 pp • 5¼ x 7¾
ISBN 1-55039-148-8 • paper • $7.95
Ages 8 - 12