New Junior Titles - April 2009

 

 

Young Samurai: Way of the Warrior by Chris Bradford

August 1611. Jack Fletcher is shipwrecked off the coast of Japan - his beloved father and the crew lie slaughtered by ninja pirates.

Rescued by the legendary sword master Masamoto Takeshi, Jack's only hope is to become a samurai warrior. And so his training begins.

But life at the samurai school is a constant fight for survival. Even with his friend Akiko by his side, Jack is singled out by bullies and treated as an outcast.

With courage in his heart and his sword held high, can Jack prove himself and face his deadliest rival yet.

 

Faerie Door by Bruce Maywell

Long ago the Faerie Queen created portals between our world and hers, so that children could summon help from faeries whenever the need arose. But a wicked entity called the Shadow Knight is endeavouring to control the doors between the two worlds, and only evil can get through. It falls to two imaginative eleven-year-olds Victoria Deveny, from 1890 Britain, and Elliot Good, from 1966 America - to thwart his plan.

 

Shimmerdogs by Dianne Linden

Shimmerdogs is the story of young Lester B. Hopkins — Mike to almost everyone except his mother, Master Corporal Alice Mackelwain. He is just a boy trying to make sense of his life, which is becoming more complicated by the world of his absent soldiering mother. Mike is very worried about his mother’s safety while she is in Bosnia. He, like his sister, gets caught up in his mother’s tragic stories like the one of a little boy named Edin, whose daily life includes the nightmares of the violence and terror of war. Mike wonders how to make sense of it all, how to step outside the fears he harbours and the unanswered questions he has.

 

Savvy by Ingrid Law

For generations, the Beaumont family has harbored a magical secret. They each possess a "savvy" -- a special supernatural power that strikes when they turn thirteen. Grandpa Bomba moves mountains, her older brothers create hurricanes and spark electricity . . . and now it's the eve of Mibs's big day.As if waiting weren't hard enough, the family gets scary news two days before Mibs's birthday: Poppa has been in a terrible accident. Mibs develops the singular mission to get to the hospital and prove that her new power can save her dad. So she sneaks onto a salesman's bus . . . only to find the bus heading in the opposite direction. Suddenly Mibs finds herself on an unforgettable odyssey that will force her to make sense of growing up -- and of other people, who might also have a few secrets hidden just beneath the skin.

 

The Illustrated Children's Encyclopedia of the Ancient World by Richard Tames

With the fabulous visual material and accessible and authoritative text in this volume, children can step back in time to discover the wonders of the Stone Age, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, the Aztec and Maya, the Incas, Ancient China and Ancient Japan.

 

Elf Realm by Daniel Kirk

When Matt and his family move to a new neighborhood, they do not realize that they’ve inadvertently stumbled into the middle of massive upheaval in the fairy world. With the elves’ territory disintegrating and dark factions looking to seize control, apprentice mage Tuava-Li must defend her way of life—even when that means cooperating with Matt, a human and a natural enemy, as he may just hold the key to keeping the elf realm from certain destruction.

Daniel Kirk has created a mystical world that will envelop readers. A rich story peppered with illustrations that make it come alive, Elf Realm is a world few will want to leave.


 

Last Apprentice Revenge Of The Witch by Joseph Delaney

For years, Old Gregory has been the Spook for the county, ridding the local villages of evil. Now his time is coming to an end. But who will take over for him? Twenty-nine apprentices have tried—some floundered, some fled, some failed to stay alive.

Only Thomas Ward is left. He's the last hope, the last apprentice.

 

121 Express by Monique Polak

The students of the 121 express are infamous for bad behavior and Lucas knows his role on the bus will determine his social standing at his new school. Lucas is tired of being one of the nerds. When he attracts the negative attention of the cool troublemakers, he saves himself by teasing another kid. His ploy works and soon Lucas is right in the center of the mayhem on the bus. He loves his new found popularity, but when the fun and games push the bus driver to a nervous collapse and hospitalizes and elderly lady, Lucas begins to question his choices.

 

Kootenay Kidnapper by Eric Wilson

What is the secret lurking in the ruins of a lonely ghost town in themountains of British Columbia? Solving this mystery is only one of thechallenges facing Tom Austen after he arrives in B.C. with his sidekick, Dietmar Oban, and learns that a young girl has disappeared without a trace. Then a boyis kidnapped, and electrifying events quickly carry Tom to a breathtaking climax deep underground in Cody Caves, where it is forever night...

 

Crossover by Jeff Rud

 

Fifteen-year-old kyle evans has been a jock for years--a triple threat basketball player who can dribble, pass or shoot with considerable skill. But once he decides to try out for the school musical production at Sainsbury High, Kyle finds there is much more to life than hightops and hookshots. Conflicting priorities cause problems between Kyle and his coaches, teachers, teammates and friends. And when his buddy Lukas becomes the target of homophobic hatred, Kyle is left with some difficult choices to make.