Love My Library

Talon and Raven and their cousin T-Bear are visiting their grandfather’s (Mushom’s) cabin where they are learning some of the old ways of hunting and survival. The whole family wants to be together for Christmas which means they need to be able to hunt and fish for a lot of food. But a fire destroyed much of the habitat, so there are few animals left. The other problem is that Mushom is not well but still wants to take on a lot of the burden of providing for the family. After a fruitless hunting trip in which they see moose tracks, the three children decide they will take the dog-team out and hunt. Unfortunately, they are hit by a huge winter storm and have to use all their knowledge to survive. This is an exciting story which gives us a better understanding of another way of life.

The greatest rock slide in Canadian history took place in the town of Frank, Alberta in 1903. Turtle Mountain, where coal was mined, just burst apart one night; killing 570 people. This story is based on that fact in history but is a fascinating story of Nathalie who lives in the town of Frank. Can you imagine waking up to a noise like an explosion, only to find that much of your world has been levelled by rocks and many fathers and husbands are buried in the mine? This is a very exciting story and brings this time in history to life as we see the events through the eyes of one who might have been there.

For more information, check out this web-site.

http://www3.sympatico.ca/goweezer/canada/frank.htm

What!! A book on poop in the library? It might surprise or maybe even astonish you to find out what can be found out by studying poop. It may astonish you even more to discover the many uses of poop! Find out just how many names there are for poop. If that isn’t enough, then have a look at some of the pictures. Enjoy- or not!!

This book tells you more about Canada than you ever imagined. But this is not a dry history book- it answers questions about fascinating things. Some examples are: how many grizzly bear attacks have there been? How do beavers breathe underwater? Why do the best potatoes grow on Prince Edward Island? Why do Canadians love hockey sooo much? There’s a bit of trivia here for everyone. You might be able to astonish someone with all the facts you now know about your own country. There are lots of photos and pictures in this book as well. This is a fun way to learn about Canada.

“Thumb”, Leon’s nickname, lives in New Auckland, a tiny little ocean community in British Columbia. Situated between the ocean and a mountain, there is no grass and no field to play in. But does that stop a group of kids from deciding to form a baseball team?  All of this is to earn them a trip to Vancouver where most of them have never been. Do they get to go? And why the nickname “Thumb”? This is a fun read. Don’t forget to comment below.

Listen to the part of the story where they are becoming familiar with the rules of baseball.

Have you ever thought of working in a cheese factory? Well, that’s what happens to the orphans who are forced to work for Vigo making stinky blue cheese and are only given porridge to eat. Then Hamish X joins the crew; Hamish who has escaped from every other facility he was placed in. Joining forces with feisty Mimi and clever Parveen, they begin to make their escape plans. Before they can carry out their daring escape, the cheese factory is attacked by a band of vicious cheese pirates, who also take Hamish’s prize book, which he believes will lead him back to his mother. There is lots of adventure in this story and a certain amount of smelly cheese, as well. How do Hamish and his band defeat the cheese pirates? Will the vicious snow monkeys of Snow Monkey Island help or harm them? Find out in this exciting, fast-paced novel.

This raccoon is more than saucy- he is downright mischievous. Lyn Hancock, the author, saves the orphaned raccoon and names him Tabasco. Although she truly wants to keep him with her, it becomes a challenge as he continually gets into other people’s property and homes, sometimes wreaking pure havoc. But he is also fun-loving and entertaining and often people welcome him into their lives. This is an actual story of a real raccoon kept in captivity and what can happen when he must be released into the wild. This is a fun and entertaining story for animal lovers everywhere.

Marty is the only Chinese boy in a largely French-Canadian school and he gets lots of teasing and is bullied by Shane Baxter. His only friend, Remi, is accused of putting graffiti on school property and Marty knows he has to do something about it. His adventures take him to the local graveyard where he comes to believe that ghouls have come to life and are responsible for the graffiti. The reality is just about as creepy as he becomes an increasing target for bullies. This is a mystery for mystery-lovers who like a spooky twist.

Wow- what a great read!! Heather’s grandmother is part of a group calles Ladies of the Forest who are protesting the clear-cutting of old-growth forests in British Columbia. So much of the story is rooted in actual events that have happened, as one group wants to save the forests, and the other group wants to cut down the trees to make a living. Heather is super-embarrassed about her grandmother’s actions; especially the fact that she has participated in making a semi-nude calendar to raise funds and draw awareness to the plight of the forest. Heather is quite a writer and she writes an article for the newspaper which basically puts down the actions of her grandmother. But then she is shown an area that was clear-cut and has NOT grown back and she is shocked at the resulting devastation. Gradually she comes to realize that there are always 2 sides to a story and that it may be the laws which need to be changed and maybe there is a better way of solving issues other than through protests and anger. These characters jump off the page at you and leave you lots to think about. There are two other novels in this Tarragon series but this one nicely stands alone. A little longer than some (about 200 pages), this is for you good grade five and six readers and for anyone else who wants to gain a somewaht better understnding of a very real issue in the world today.
I kept thinking of Nellie McClung and other women who many years ago, protested and even went to jail, so that women in Canada were allowed to vote!! I loved this book.

Have you ever wanted to do something really different? Something that maybe everyone else thinks is a little silly and maybe even impossible? Well, Jared Lester is the funny story of one young boy’s dream. Always full of energy and high spirits, Jeremy discovers the age-old occupation of being a jester. Even though there is no longer a need for this one-time entertainment of kings and queens, Jared believes there must be a way for him to use his juggling and acrobatic skills. Then the most wonderful thing happens- the Queen is coming and Jared will have a chance to perform for her. Will he be able to overcome his fears and perform successfully? Could this still be a chosen career? Only 74 pages long and a fun read, this is a great little book. Listen to a part of the story.

jared-lester.mp3