TURTLE RESCUE by Pamela Hickman

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Imagine a creature that evolved 200 million years ago — before dinosaurs — and exists almost unchanged today. That is the amazing turtle.

There are 270 turtle species, and they inhabit every part of the globe except the Arctic and Antarctic. Turtles may be slow, but they have lasting power, living 50 to more than 100 years.

Unfortunately, turtles are in decline all over the world, thanks to hunting for food and medicine, as well as habitat destruction, pollution, fishing nets, and the pet trade. The good news is that many people and governments are working hard to save these fascinating reptiles.

With plenty of photos and true stories, Turtle Rescue tells about the life cycle of turtles, threats to their survival, and efforts being made around the world, including here in Canada, to preserve them.

TROUBLE ON TARRAGON ISLAND by Nikki Tate

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Thirteen-year-old Heather Blake is just getting used to life on tiny Tarragon Island, on the west coast of BC, when something terrible happens. Her grandmother gets involved with a radical group of anti-logging protestors called the Ladies of the Forest, and they decide to make a nude calendar as a fundraising project! Of course Heather is mortified, but things get much worse when the loggers and protesters face off in the woods. Some of the protesters are arrested, and Heather is furious with her grandmother for stirring up trouble. Neighbours are fighting neighbours as the conflict escalates, and even Heather, who just wishes everyone would calm down, can’t escape the division in her own family when she writes an opinion article for the Island newspaper. As things progress, Heather starts to realize that there are at least two sides to this — and every — story.

HOW EVERYDAY THINGS ARE MADE by Bill Slavin

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Did you know that almost every product in the world is made from elements found in nature? In this book you’ll discover how these natural elements are transformed into more than sixty things that we eat, drink, wear, or play with. These transforming processes are described and illustrated in clear, entertaining, and easy to understand steps. The text and the artwork combine playfulness with accurate attention to detail. Whether you’re curious about chewing gum, surfboards or kitty litter, this book will inform and entertain you. It includes a glossary and index as well as a helpful bibliography for further study.

THE VACATION by Polly Horvath

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When Henry’s mother takes off to Africa to become a missionary, Henry’s father goes chasing after her, leaving Henry in the care of his two bickering aunts, Mag and Pigg. Henry decides his aunts dislike him and moves into the closet to avoid them. Mag, who is practically dying from a gruesome illness, decides that what they all need is a vacation. So they embark on an eccentric car trip to all the places they’ve never been. They go to Virginia Beach (too hot); the Everglades, where Henry spends four days lost in the swamp; an Oklahoma ranch, where Henry rides a horse; and a flying stop to meet Henry’s granddaddy for the first time. On the road Henry becomes a traveling companion rather than just a kid. The journey is as funny as it is touching, with Henry the only sane person in a family of decidedly odd adults.

THE ROMAN CONSPIRACY by Jack Mitchell

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Set in the year 63 BC, The Roman Conspiracy follows its hero, Aulus Lucinus Spurinna, into the treacherous heart of the Roman Republic. Together with Homer (his faithful over-educated Greek slave) and Tullia (the young daughter of Cicero), Spurinna must overcome murderers, traitors and gladiators in order to save his family’s land from the centurion, Manilus. But as Rome itself begins to shatter around him, can Spurinna also save himself?

THE KIDS BOOK OF ABORIGINAL PEOPLES IN CANADA by Diane Silvey

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Before Europeans arrived in Canada, First Nations had already lived here for thousands of years. Their rich traditions and cultural history are explored in The Kids Book of Aboriginal Peoples of Canada, which covers our nation’s seven major indigenous groups. There is detailed information about each group’s traditional way of life; be prepared to be surprised, fascinated, and impressed by the resourcefulness of Canada’s First Nations!

Find out how First Nations guides assisted our most famous explorers, like Simon Fraser and Alexander Mackenzie, and read about how the arrival of Europeans changed their traditional ways of life forever. Canada’s First Nations are still struggling to recover and maintain their traditions and stories; the last chapter of this book is an excellent introduction to the current challenges and opportunities facing many First Nations groups.

THE CRAZY MAN by Pamela Porter

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From the opening sentence, “Half the town’s driving past our farm ... just to stare at a man driving a tractor,” the teller gets you wondering, first about what’s so strange about a man on a tractor, then what’s meant by “this whole big mess,” and why s/he is recording and hiding numbers on the wall behind the mattress. This last mystery is cleared up on the second page: “Thirty-two days since that day my daddy dragged Prince’s body to the burn pile and set it afire, then walked away from the farm. And us.” But the first two aren’t. You will have to read the whole book to understand, and by then you may have changed the way you look at your own life.

THE BLUE JEAN BOOK by Tanya Lloyd Kyi

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Ever wonder where your favourite jeans come from? Or how the first jeans were invented? In The Blue Jean Book: The Story Behind the Seams, you can find out all you ever wanted to know about the history, the culture and everything in between about blue jeans. The book is a grand collage of historical and political facts, details, archival photos, drawings, and amusing anecdotes. As the book says, “Jeans, they’re practically in our genes.”

TERRY FOX: A STORY OF HOPE by Maxine Trottier

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Have you ever dreamed of changing the world? This inspiring book tells the story of a Canadian national hero who did just that. Raised in Port Coquitlam, BC, Terry Fox developed cancer at the age of 18 and lost his leg. Although he suffered greatly, Terry never lost his fighting spirit. This book tells the story of his life, including his attempt to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research. Many photos show Terry as a young boy and teenager, and remind us that he was just a normal kid — but one with great determination. Be inspired by Terry’s story, and learn about his amazing Marathon of Hope.

STRANGE NEW SPECIES by Elin Kelsey

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Many people think that most species on our planet have already been discovered. In this book, author Elin Kelsey explains that more new species are being discovered now than at any other time in our history! How is this possible? Well, thanks to increasingly sophisticated technology, we are able to explore life on Earth in remarkable ways that weren’t possible even a short time ago. Remotely operated vehicles and tiny global positioning units now enable scientists to search for species in remote places that they couldn’t explore in the past. Powerful computers and the ability to analyze an organism’s DNA allow scientists to study the relationships between species.

Based on first-person interviews with scientists around the world, and filled with beautiful colour photographs and amazing facts and figures, this book gives readers a fascinating glimpse into the ever-evolving world of biology and genetic research.

SOMEBODY ELSE'S SUMMER by Jean Little

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Shy Alexis and athletic Samantha meet on a plane heading from Vancouver to Toronto. Bookworm Alexis is terrified of horses but is being sent to a horse farm in Guelph for her summer vacation, while Samantha is being sent to stay with a friend of her grandmother’s who runs a secondhand bookstore in the same town. Samantha doesn’t like to read and can’t think of any place drearier to spend her summer. The girls start talking and discover that each would rather be doing what the other has in store for her, so they devise a daring plan to trade places.

Since neither of their hosts knows either of them they’re sure their plan can’t fail. The two 11-year-olds manage to get through most of the summer until an unexpected event exposes the deception.

SKYBREAKER by Kenneth Oppel

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Matt Cruse continues the aerial adventure started in Airborn in a gripping sequel that will leave readers shivering with excitement. Join Matt as he flies in a dirigible to altitudes beyond known human endurance to find the legendary ghost ship, the Hyperion. This eerie ship, discovered on Matt’s inaugural cruise as a navigator, is said to contain vast treasure.

Dangerous opponents, huge flying squid-like predators, and the terrifying secrets of the abandoned ship provide thrills and heart-stopping suspense. Matt must also deal with a girlfriend who appears to be attracted to the handsome ship captain and with Nadiara, a gypsy girl whose motives for joining the expedition are mysterious.

QUID PRO QUO by Vicki Grant

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“I started going to law school when I was ten years old.”

What Cyril MacIntyre means is that he was dragged to all his mom’s law school classes, helped her cram for exams, and hung out at her first law office. Cyril has all the usual adolescent issues to deal with: single parent, and skin, hair, and girl problems. Then creepy Byron moves into their place. Byron keeps hinting to Cyril’s mom about her past when she was a street kid, and seems to have some kind of hold over her. Then his mom disappears and Cyril has to become a spy, a lawyer and a negotiator. It’s a good thing he was paying attention when she was studying because his knowledge of the law just might save his mom’s life.

PONDSCUM by Alan Silberberg

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Oliver, a most unpleasant 11-year-old boy, spends most of his time alone snacking, channel surfing and pulling the wings off flies just to hear the “snap”. When he is suddenly forced to move with his family from the city to a run-down old house by a scummy pond in the country, he is not impressed. Not only are there no fast food restaurants or cable TV, but the family is immediately attacked by hordes of bugs and animals.

One day, while desperately attempting to install a make-shift TV antenna on the house’s shabby roof, Oliver is victim to a dive-bombing attack by a vicious crow — and falls through the roof into the attic. It is there that he finds a strange golden gem, which he soon discovers has the power to transform him into any creature he touches. It is through the shiny gem’s magical properties that Oliver is able to enter the remarkable parallel world of the pond, foil an evil plot, and learn life-long lessons about the power of courage, loyalty, and friendship.

NANNYCATCH CHRONICLES by James Heneghan and Bruce McBay

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This book begins with a Publisher’s Warning:

Everything dies: flowers, trees, elephants, bees, hamsters, turtles, dolphins, dogs, cats ... Everything. Nothing lives forever. Everybody knows this. Young readers, however, should guard against this book falling into the hands of grownups, many of whom get quite upset whenever the subject of death is mentioned. Don’t ask us why.

MELLA AND THE N'ANGA: AN AFRICAN TALE by Gail Nyoka

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Mella’s father is king of the People, and lord of the land we now call Zimbabwe. They live together in the walled town of Mopopoto, and once life was good. But now, Mella’s father lingers close to death. The wise woman, the N’anga, reveals that the People have strayed from the Old Ways. Drought, famine and war lurk at the borders of the kingdom, and the only hope of salvation lies with the terrifying Python Healer. Is Mella brave and wise enough to survive the terrible journey to the Python Healer’s cave? Can she and two other brave girls find the strength they need as they train to become Daughters of the Hunt? Find out in this story, where adventure, myth and folktale come together in a triumphant ending.

EARTHWORMS by Norma Dixon

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Have you ever rescued an earthworm from drowning in a puddle or baking on a hot sidewalk? Have you then wondered what it does next? If so, you’ll be fascinated with this book, which even tells you how to set up a worm home so you can have some as short term “pets”.

Or do you find worms yucky, dumb and unimportant? You may feel different after you’ve looked at this book and read about how they rid us of garbage while improving the soil our food comes from. There are experiments you can do yourself with a flashlight, a wooden stick and iron bar or garden fork. You can even watch them work if you follow the directions for creating a worm home. Maybe you’ll be able to “charm” worms out of the ground.

FUNNY BUSINESS by Helaine Becker

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This is a book full of seriously funny stuff! It will teach you how to draw your own comic strips, pull off hilarious practical jokes, perform classic “clowning” techniques, and even craft a funny stand-up comedy routine! Read fabulously funny facts, practice slapstick humour, try some improvisational exercises... even bake funny foods by following the “Laff-Riot Recipes”! In this book, there is something for everyone. One thing is certain: you will love every page of it.

FROM CHARLIE'S POINT OF VIEW by Richard Scrimger

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In this funny, exciting mystery, join Charlie, who is blind and who has extraordinary senses of perception, along with his fiery best friend Bernadette, and their extremely talkative new friend Lewis. On their first day of school, Charlie’s dad is mistaken for the notorious Stocking Bandit and is arrested. Charlie, Bernadette and Lewis must race to solve the mystery and find the real bandit before Charlie’s dad is convicted. Full of humour and magic, From Charlie’s Point of View provides wonderful insight into being a blind student in today’s school system, and takes the reader along through an exciting adventure.

FLOWER by Irene Watts

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Thirteen-year-old Katie thinks she is going to London with her father and new stepmother, but is furious to find out at the last minute that she’s being left behind at her grandparents’ B&B in Halifax. But when she goes to bed in the attic room of the old house, she is startled out of her discontent by the appearance of the ghost of a young girl who tells Katie her story.

The ghost girl is Lillie. She is a six-year-old orphan in 19th century London forced to work all day hemming handkerchiefs by the woman who is paid to look after her. Lillie is left-handed and is slapped when she is caught using her “wrong” hand to sew. Every night when she goes up to her attic room, Katie learns a little more of Lillie’s story.

The novel alternates between Katie in 2005 and Lillie and the heartbreaking conditions endured by poor children in Victorian England. Meanwhile, Katie also gets to know her grandfather and finds out that his father was an English orphan too and that along with the other orphaned English children he and Lillie were eventually sent to Canada. Find out the amazing conclusion to this compelling story about how Katie uncovers her own personal connection to Canada’s past.

DEAR CANADA: WINTER OF PERIL by Jan Andrews

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Sophie Loveridge’s father decides that the only way to become a great poet is by moving his family to Canada from the stately manor in England where they live off relatives and are taken care of by servants. So in 1721 the ill-equipped Loveridge family embarks on a rough voyage on a vessel crossing the Atlantic to Newfoundland, fishing for cod. On board, Sophie is left on her own while her parents withdraw to their cabin. Going about the ship, Sophie starts to make friends with the workers and help them with their jobs. She even joins in cleaning and salting the fish. Before the ship returns to England, the crew builds a few cabins for the Loveridges, a helper named Lige and two poor Irish families who have come to Canada to homestead. After this the ship leaves before the sea freezes over. In this harsh landscape there is no settlement, no food unless you catch it yourself, and no servants. Sophie’s parents continue to ignore the realities of their new life, and when Old Lige dies it is up to Sophie to keep the family alive through an unbelievably harsh winter. Sophie’s diary records this frightening, difficult time.

COMING TO CANADA by Susan Hughes

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From the first Stone Age “immigrants” and right up to the present day, people have been coming to Canada from all over the world — by foot, boat, car, train, and airplane — to make this land their new home. Why did they leave? How did they get here? How did they learn to adapt?

Coming to Canada tells the stories of Canada’s immigrant groups, from the early French and English settlers to today’s refugees from war-torn places. With this book, you can imagine what their lives must have been like as they left their homes and made new lives in this vast country.

CHASING THE FALCONERS by Gordon Korman

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This is the first book in an absolutely addictive action series about Aiden and Meg Falconer, whose parents have been arrested as spies. The authorities change the kids’ names and put them into a work camp with tough delinquent children “for their own protection”. Then Aiden accidentally sets the barn on fire and, in the ensuing havoc, the two take off on foot to find the man who framed their parents. The resolute Falconer kids travel across the country by any means possible: horse, all-terrain vehicle, bus, and even though underage and unable to drive, a stolen SUV. There are plenty of hair-raising near-captures and ingenious escapes from the FBI agent who locked up their parents and a professional killer the kids call Hairless Joe. But the incredibly determined siblings won’t stop until they’ve proven their parents innocent.

BACKYARD BIRDS by Robert Bateman

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Here’s a birding book with a difference! Renowned wildlife artist and naturalist Robert Bateman invites young birders to discover the wonderful world of birds that exists in their own backyards. Chock-full of Bateman’s lifelike paintings and sketches, Backyard Birds also includes easy tips for identifying, feeding, and attracting birds of all kinds. There’s no better way to start a lifelong adventure with birds!

ARE YOU PSYCHIC? by Helaine Becker

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Have you ever had a dream about something, only to find that it happened the very next day? Or have you received a phone call from the very person you were just about to call? Does this mean you are psychic? Is there really such a thing as ESP? In this book, you will explore this fascinating topic. You will uncover some tricks used by dishonest fortune tellers, and you will learn about scientific experiments designed to test whether or not psychic abilities are real. A mind-bending book from start to finish!

Welcome to the Red Cedar Club!

This year, we are trying something new in the Red Cedar Book Club at Mamquam: we will be "blogging" our feelings and opinions on the books we read! I will make the original post for each book- complete with mini-review and picture of the book cover- and you can "add" comments. This is a great place to come to just after you've read a particularly exciting/ disturbing/ thought-provoking/ hilarious/ sad (you get the picture) part. Write about it, and comment on other people's writings too! When we meet every two weeks, we'll celebrate everyone's readings and go over the best posts. I look forward to "discussing" the books online with you this year!

Mrs. Sherlock