2012 - 2013 Selections

Seven Sacred Teachings is a message of traditional values and hope for the future. The Teachings are universal to most First Nation peoples. These Teachings are seen in school communities from coast to coast across North America. They are a link that ties all Native, Inuit and Métis communities together.

The seven teachings include: respect, humility, love, truth, honesty, wisdom and courage. The stories in the book provide an example of how each teaching came to be.

Educator Information
Seven Sacred Teachings has been produced in several languages. This edition is in English and Ojibwe.

This resource is also available in French: Les Sept enseignements sacrés

B.C. Science Supplementary Resource: K-Physical and Earth Science

Charlie and Grandma are doing chores around the house. While doing the chores, grandma shares loving stories with Charlie on how to take care mother earth.

This series was developed through consultations with health promotion workers and early childhood educators. There are six titles in the series that deal with issues such as healthy eating, safety, dealing with feelings and notions of respect. This series is appropriate for ages three to five, and the books have full-colour illustrations.

This charming story, richly steeped in Métis culture, focuses on the boyhood reminisces of Moushoom as her describes finding the "great giving tree" with his mother and father. The story emphasizes the Métis core values and beliefs including strength, kindness, courage, tolerance, honesty, respect, love, sharing, caring, balance, patience, and most of all, the important connection with the creator and Mother Earth.

Additional Information
50 Pages | 27.9 cm H x 21.5 cm W

Belle, an 11-year-old Métis girl, and Sarah both want the coveted job of church bell ringer. An embroidery contest is held to award the position, and Sarah cheats. Before Belle can expose her, the two are caught up in the advancing forces of General Middleton and his troops as they surround Batoche in the 1885 Riel Rebellion. The church bell disappeared that day and remains missing to this day.

Reviews
"This book can be a starting point for a more in-depth look at the Métis settlement and the struggle which ensued or it can be read just for enjoyment." — Resource Links, September 2004

Educator & Series Information
This book is part of the Orca Young Readers series, which are award-winning, bestselling chapter books for ages 8–11. Titles in this series include historical and contemporary stories with age-appropriate plots.

Additional Information
144 pages | 5.00" x 7.50"

Samantha Aqsarniq Keyes is used to a life on the move. Her military family has been transferred across Canada, and she's grown up with stories of her Inuit ancestors exploring the far north. For Sam, soccer has been the one constant in her life. But now that she's thirteen, her home base isn't the only thing that's changing.

Sam longs to show up Carly, her school's reigning soccer star, but Sam's new interest in theater is taking up a lot of time. Does she have the time to practice her sport and be the lead in the school play? And just how far will she go to prove to her parents that she can handle more than one extracurricular activity?

Soccer Star! is a novel about big ambitions and tough choices.

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 10 to 13.

Additional Information
136 pages | 5.00" x 7.75" | Paperback 

When twin brothers Evan and Brynley Selkirk move with their family from the remote Cree community of Whapmagoostui to bustling Calgary, their worlds turn upside-down. In place of the grey, frigid waters of Hudson Bay, they see the downtown canyons of a modern city.

Bryn, a musical prodigy, trades piano practice for hockey practice to impress a new girlfriend; Evan, the family hockey hero, starts running with a bad crowd and neglecting the game. As the brothers' lies get them in deeper and deeper trouble with their parents, they have to rely on each other to gain the courage to do what's right.

Rink Rivals is an action-packed account of how sport can help young people find the courage to confront sudden and radical changes in their lives.

Additional Information

Matthew Eagletail can't wait until his on-line friend John Salton flies from San Francisco to Bragg Creek, Alberta for a summer visit. John is almost as big a basketball fan as Matt is, and dreams of being the first coach in the NBA to use a wheelchair.

When Matt's sister Jazz tells them about the upcoming Rocky Mountain Summer Basketball League in Calgary, they decide immediately to get a team together. Unfortunately, so does Matt's archrival, John Beal. Soon the Bobcats and the Mean Machine are fighting it out on the court, determined to win by any means necessary. It's too close to call, until Matt and John get some crucial advice from an unexpected source.

Free Throw is a basketball novel that smokes down court with hard-hitting action and suspense.