Chanda's Secrets by Allan Stratton

Chanda's Secrets by Allan Stratton

This powerful story set amid the African HIV/AIDS pandemic. Chanda, a 16-year-old, astonishingly perceptive girl living in the small city of Bonang in Africa, must confront the undercurrents of shame and stigma associated with HIV/AIDS.

Through his dramatic storytelling, Allan Stratton captures the enduring strength of loyalty, the profound impact of loss, and a fearlessness that is powered by the heart. Above all, it is a story about living with truth.

Proceeds from the sale of this book will be used to support organizations working to better the lives of Africans living with HIV/AIDS.


For lesson plans, a trailer and more details visit:
http://site.annickpress.com/catalog/catalog.aspx?Title=Chanda%27s+Secrets

The Face on the Milk Carton, by Caroline B. Cooney

The Face on the Milk Carton, by Caroline B. Cooney

I read the short content of this book on the back cover:

"No one ever really paid close attention to the faces of the missing children on the milk cartons. But as Janie Johnson glanced at the face of the ordinary little girl with her hair in tight pigtails, wearing a dress with a narrow white collar--a three-year-old who had been kidnapped twelve years before from a shopping mall in New Jersey--she felt overcome with shock. She recognized that little girl--it was she. How could it possibly be true?"



Isn't that the most intriguing short content you ever read?! I simply had to read the book after that.

Janie can't believe that her loving parents kidnapped her, but as she begins to piece things together, nothing makes sense. Something is terribly wrong. Are Mr. and Mrs. Johnson really Janie's parents? And if not, who is Janie Johnson, and what really happened?

As a child I always imagined that I had been adopted... so this premise appealed to me. A good read and, if kids like it, there are several more titles in the series to keep 'em reading!

Shadow Bear by Joan Hiatt Harlow

Shadow Bear by Joan Hiatt Harlow (author), Jim Arnosky (illustrator)


I love this gentle story of an Eskimo boy and a polar bear cub. Written as parallel tales, the boy's mother warns him about the large, dangerous bear while the cub's mother warns him about dangerous humans.
Both young ones go out for a romp on the tundra and carefully peek around a large boulder. The low, setting northern sun casts huge shadows, even of a small boy and a small cub.
Each is reminded of his mother's warnings and runs home where it is safe.

I am hesitant to tell you about this book because it is out of print. But hopefully your library has it or you will be lucky enough to find it at a used book sale. If you do, enjoy!

Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman

Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman

"Corpus Bones! I utterly loathe my life."
Catherine's father is determined to marry her off to a rich man -- any rich man, no matter how awful. Even though she's only a young teenager, because the day and age is the Middle Ages and this is a glimpse of real life back then.
By wit, trickery, and luck, Catherine manages to send several would-be husbands packing. One, by setting the outhouse on fire when he's inside... Then a shaggy-bearded suitor from the north comes to call -- by far the oldest, ugliest, most revolting suitor of them all. Unfortunately, he is also the richest.

Can a sharp-tongued, high-spirited, clever young maiden with a mind of her own actually lose the battle against an ill-mannered, piglike lord and an unimaginative, greedy toad of a father?
Deus! Not if Catherine has anything to say about it!

I picked this book for my 'favorite books ever' list because of the main character's witty voice. I imagine that, if I had lived in the Middle Ages, I would have wanted to be just like spunky Catherine.

Extensive study guide: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&cts=1331572559026&ved=0CDwQFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cavesbooks.com.tw%2Ffiles%2Fwebpage%2Fsamplepage-pdf%2Fedi0513s.pdf&ei=NS9eT7r0KIGjiAKyxbHECw&usg=AFQjCNEQ4R0z_f8V1hlUX9Yax5FM8xjojg

ISBN 978-0064405843

The Bookstore Mouse by Peggy Christian

Remember that wonderfully strange book The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster? I just discovered an equally wonderful read based on literature, with word play and language at the core of the story: The Bookstore Mouse by Peggy Christian. A fun read for anyone who loves language and words.

Centennial, James Michener

Centennial, James Michener

This epic tale has long been one of my favorite books ever. I marvel at how James Michener started with dinosaurs and ends up with generations of people, all tied together by a place in America's western frontier.

A stunning panorama of the West, CENTENNIAL is an enthralling celebration of the history of America, brimming with the glory and the greatness of past that only bestselling author James Michener could bring to life. From Native Americans, migrating white men and women, cowboys, and foreigners, this is a story of trappers, traders, homesteaders, gold seekers, ranchers, and hunters--all caught up in the dramatic events and violent conflicts and human life that shaped the destiny of the West.


I first read this book while traveling west to settle in the US - the story made the country and its history come to life. Hope you like reading it as much as I did. If you do, I recommend most of Michener's other stories all based on fact: The Source (Israel); Hawaii, Poland, Alaska, Space, etc.!

Armageddon Summer, Jane Yolen & Bruce Coville

Armageddon Summer, Jane Yolen and Bruce Coville

The main criterion for my selection of my 52 favorite books ever, is "how long did this book stay with me after reading it, and how did it change me?"

Armageddon Summer is an intriguing novel. Each chapter is in the voice of either Marine or Jed. I always wonder if Jane Yolen and Bruce Coville each 'became' the girl and the boy and wrote to each other?

The world will end on Thursday, July 27, 2000. At least, that's what Reverend Beelson has told his congregation. Marina's mom believes him. So does Jed's dad.
That's why they drag their teen children to join the reverend's flock at a mountain retreat. From the mountaintop they will all watch the end of the world -- and then descend to begin the world anew. But this world has only just begun for Jed and Marina, two teenagers with more attitude than faith. Why should the world end now, when they've just fallen in love?

Told in alternating chapters from both Jed's and Marina's points of view, this first-ever collaboration between two masters of children's literature is a story about faith and friendship, love and loss . . . and the things that matter most at the End of the World.

A powerful read. It will make an interesting book club read for discussion in high school classes.

Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge

Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox, Julie Vivas (Illustrator)

Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge lives next door to a nursing home where several of his good friends reside. Of course, his favorite is Miss Nancy Alison Delacourt Cooper, because she has four names just as he does. The only problem is Miss Nancy, who is 96, has "lost" her memory. Undaunted, Wilfred sets out to "find" Miss Nancy's memory for her. Something warm, something fuzzy, an egg, a rock - they all bring back memories and stories.
A delightful, funny and touching story about Alzheimers and about friendship between a child and an elder. This story is great to read with students in class or to give as a gift to someone coping with Alzheimers.

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
• Paperback: 30 pages
• Publisher: Kane/Miller Book Publishers (September 1, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 091629126X
• ISBN-13: 978-0916291266

WAITING FOR THE WHALES - Picture book

Waiting for the Whales by Sheryl McFarlane, Ron Lightburn (Illustrator)

    This is a "classic" that should be on every child's bookshelf as well as be read by all adults. A beautifully crafted, heart string story with depth.

    This timeless story is set on the West Coast. An old man lives alone on a bluff overlooking the sea and tends to his garden. Each year, when the whales return to the bay in front of his cottage, his loneliness is somewhat eased.
    One day, his daughter and her baby return home to live with the old man, bringing a renewed sense of purpose to his life. As his granddaughter grows, the old man passes on a wealth or knowledge and wisdom as well as his passion for the whales. And each year they wait together for the whales to appear.

    The darker images light up with joy once the child enters his life. No words are needed when the gorgeous illustrations tell us that grandfather is no longer there, but mother and daughter wait for the whales to return as they always do.
This is a tale of the unique friendship between grandparent and child, but also of the circle of life and the promise of new life when an old one ebbs away.


Paperback, 32 pages, Orca Book Publishers  ISBN
0920501966 (ISBN13: 9780920501962)

Hey Canada! Travel through pages from coast to coast!

Hey Canada!
Author: Vivien Bowers
Illustrations:  Milan Pavlovic
Publisher:  Tundra Books, a division of Random House
Pages:  72
Format:  Hardcover
Ages:  Children 7-10 years
Genre:  Children's books/non-fiction/history
ISBN 978-1-77049-255-4
Release date:  May 8, 2012

I am writing this review of Hey Canada! on a small island on the west coast. I have lived in the Yukon, in Alberta, and across B.C. When my two sons were 7 and 9 years old, we were lucky enough to be able to travel across Canada for a whole year. I had not written many books back then, but if I had, I would have wanted to write the book that Vivien Bowers has just created. Illustrated by Milan Pavlovic, Hey Canada! is an interesting, upbeat book that is not only chock full of information, photos and great illustrations - it is FUN to read!

9 year old Alice and her cousin Cal accompany their Gran on this coast to coast trip. In each province, the kids have to find a number of things and readers can search right along. Through blogs and tweets, the three characters share their journey. From cod in Newfoundland to dinosaurs in Alberta, from PEI’s red sand to Nunavut’s throat singing, the book touches on all things Canadian.

Comic strip pages with historical U-Turns, text boxes with additional facts, even side bars on how their hamster is doing on the trip, keep the story moving along and fun to read. Nice, too, to see the same amount of information dedicated to the territories as to the provinces, making this truly a complete trip across Canada.

A great family read for Canada Day!