Series

After overcoming years of trouble with his alcoholic father and surviving a near-death car accident, Bobby Byington - for the first time in his life - has a strong family. His parents are reunited, his father has turned away from the bottle, and he is a starter on the basketball team at his high school.

But the door to trouble never stays closed. Bobby's girlfriend, next-door-neighbor Faye, suffers attacks from a bullying classmate, and some of Bobby's basketball teammates are dealing with family problems that are all too familiar to him. Maybe Bobby's old backyard hideout will need to be uncovered again and the door reopened.

Hoping to help his friends, Bobby shares the Choctaw legend of No Name that Coach Robison had told him back when Bobby needed to hide from his father. Who knew Coach's wisdom would become so meaningful to others?

As the playoffs near and the team plays to win, Coach delivers a message that extends well beyond the basketball court: "Your life is carved by the choices you make. You earn your name by your actions."

Educator & Series Information
Reading Level: 2.5

Recommended Ages: 12-16

This is the third book in the No Name series, which is part of the PathFinders series. The PathFinders series of Hi-Lo (high interest, low readability) novels offers the following features: 

• Indigenous teen protagonists
• Age appropriate plots
• 2.5 – 4.5 Reading Level
• Contemporary and historical fiction
• Indigenous authors

The PathFinders series is from an American publisher. Therefore, Indigenous terminology in the PathFinders books is not the same as Canadian Indigenous terminology. This prompts a useful teaching moment for educators in discussing appropriate terminology use in Canada.  The recommended ages for books in the PathFinders series are 12-16.

Additional Information
160 pages | 4.50" x 7.00"

Sixteen-year-old Angelo has moved to Toronto from the Philippines to join his mother, who has been living and working in Canada for most of Angelo's life. Adjusting to a new country isn't easy for Angelo, with a new language, curfews, new rules, and pressure from a mom who seems like a stranger. Angelo's mother takes him to the Filipino Community Centre where he meets Marcus who has shared the same experience.

At school, Marcus introduces Angelo to Felix and Darius. The boys quickly give Angelo a reality check, pointing out how rich everyone else is, and how no one respects poor Filipino immigrants. They lure Angelo into running petty thefts as a way of proving his friendship. But when Angelo is accused of stealing something valuable from the house his mother cleans and she loses her job, he realizes that everyone sees him as just a punk. He wants to set things right, but how can he go against his friends without getting the law involved?

Reviews
"Cold Grab presents readers with one boy's experience in leaving behind a home he loves to join his mother in a new country. Readers journey with him as he struggles to find his place in this new-to-him world, and they can connect with the lessons Angelo learns and reflect upon the application of these lessons in their own lives."— CM: Canadian Review of Materials

"Author Steven Barwin's portrayal of adjusting to life and family in an unfamiliar environment and the perils it engenders is told in the straightforward terms we have come to associate with his sports novels. Barwin presents the clash of values and culture experienced by Angelo and how he works through it without sentiment or preaching, making a complex and nuanced situation accessible without diminishing its urgency."— Resource Links

Educator Information
This book is part of the SideStreets series. SideStreets are edgy, fast-paced novels that combine real-world themes and believable characters to make for short, heart-stopping books — sure to engage the most reluctant reader.

Themes: Law & Crime, Diversity & Multicultural, Assimilation, Peer Pressure

Interest age: From 13 To 18
Fry Reading Level [grade]: 3.3
Lexile Reading Level: HL560L

Additional Information
192 pages | 5.25" x 7.50"

Thumps DreadfulWater has finally found some peace and quiet. His past as a California cop now far behind him, he’s living out his retirement as a fine-arts photographer in the small town of Chinook. His health isn’t great, and he could use a new stove, but as long as he’s got his cat and a halfway decent plate of eggs, life is good.

All that changes when a body turns up on the eve of a major water conference and the understaffed sheriff’s department turns to Thumps for help. Thumps wants none of it, but even he is intrigued when he learns the deceased was developing a new technology that could revolutionize water and oil drilling . . . and that could also lose some very powerful people a lot of money. As strangers begin to pour into Chinook for the conference, Thumps finds himself sinking deeper and deeper into a conflict between secretive players who will kill to get what they want.

In Cold Skies, the sly, wry, reluctant investigator of DreadfulWater and The Red Power Murders returns for another irresistible mystery that only Thomas King could tell.

Reviews
“Whimsical and wry, large-hearted and at times laugh out loud funny, but with an underlying gravitas and significance.” — Quill & Quire

“Even armchair sleuths who can see the solution from a mile away will appreciate GoodWeather’s unerring knack for converting social, racial, and economic conflict into blissful farce.”— Kirkus Reviews

Series Information
This novel is part of the DreadfulWater Mystery series from Thomas King.

Books in this series include:
- Dreadful Water
- The Red Power Murders
- Cold Skies
- A Matter of Malice
- The Obsidian Murders
- Deep House 
- Double Eagle
- Black Ice

Additional Information
464 pages | 6.00" x 9.00"

After her online mischief threatens her father's job, sixteen-year-old Sasha is eager to leave for Canada with her mother. She thinks she has found a new start in CREW (Confident, Remarkable, Excellent, Welcoming), a girls' volunteerism group at her new school. But she quickly learns that the group is a front for a girl gang — and their true philosophy is to Con, Rip Off, Exploit, and Weaken the people they claim to help. Their leader, Martha, who goes by the nickname Master, is eager to exploit Sasha's computer skills for a more lucrative level of crime: stealing identities and luring and blackmailing men online.

Afraid of being exposed for her role in the crimes, Sasha is forced to stay in CREW and follow Master's orders. But when she starts getting attention from Master's crush, Sasha finds herself in more danger than ever. With only her online wiles at her disposal, Sasha must use Master's hunger for power and fame against her and bring her down for good.

This story plays out against the backdrop of peer pressure and digital media, showing readers that fitting in with a powerful group isn't worth sacrificing your safety and integrity.

Reviews
"The story is captivating, moving, full of suspense and twists and turns."— Anthony Cherrier, NetGalley

"Gang Girl could certainly have a place in a classroom library ... The language is clear and simple for an emerging or struggling reader while the content is suitable for a more mature audience." — Allison Giggey, teacher-librarian, CM: Canadian Review of Materials

"In addition to the diverse protagonists, many secondary characters also bring diversity to the series."— Kirkus Reviews

Educator & Series Information
This book is part of the SideStreets series.  SideStreets are edgy, fast-paced novels that combine real-world themes and believable characters to make for short, heart-stopping books — sure to engage the most reluctant reader.

Interest age: From 13 To 18
Fry Reading Level [grade]: 3.6
Lexile Reading Level: HL600L

Additional Information
176 pages | 5.25" x 7.50"

Seventeen-year-old Lucy "Lucky" Graves is devoted to her championship rugby team, but her dreams of a scholarship are destroyed when she breaks her leg during an important game. If it doesn't heal properly, Lucy could be benched for the rest of the year. Goodbye pro career, goodbye college, goodbye future. Without rugby, who is she? Now her anxiety is getting worse, and a past trauma has resurfaced to haunt her. Lucy needs to get real about what happened when she was twelve, and about what it really means to be a team player.

Reviews
"A good book about women in sport and has enough romance and family drama to interest other readers. Highly Recommended." — CM Magazine, July 2018

"Clever, quippy dialogue and enjoyable first-person voice make the sassy, inner-monologuing Lucy a pleasure of a protagonist…Bonus points are given for winning subplot involving a goofball math teacher, and a sweet, sincere look at the complexities of female friendship between competitive athletes. This book tackles a lot and scores at every turn."— Booklist, August 2018

Educator & Series Information
This book is part of the Orca Sports series. Orca Sports stories engage middle-schoolers and teens with fast-paced plots and easy-to-read language. Topics include a variety of team and individual sports. Reading levels from grade 2.0 to 4.5; Interest level ages 10+.

Additional Information
184 pages | 7.00" x 4.25"

Cole Harper is struggling to settle into life in Wounded Sky First Nation. He may have stopped a serial killer but the trouble is far from over. A creature lurks in the shadows of Blackwood Forest, the health clinic is on lockdown by a mysterious organization, and long-held secrets threaten to bubble to the surface. Can Cole learn the truth about his father's death? Why won't Choch give him a straight answer? Where the heck is Jayne? Oh, and high school sucks.

Reviews
"Cole, 17, is an interesting main character caught in a web of deception and surrounded by threatening people and circumstances. One of the main themes of the book is Cole’s mental health and his need to deal with sometimes crippling anxiety. There are times he can talk himself down, times he needs medication and times that the support from his friends help him cope. Robertson speaks from personal experience, and so his portrayal of Cole is filled with realism as well as understanding and empathy." — CM: Canadian Review of Materials

"The ending...is so unexpected that readers will eagerly anticipate a third volume. A satisfying continuation of a moody, stylish series." — Kirkus Reviews

"Robertson’s knack for writing distinct teenage voices also provides important character development — a tough requirement for the middle volume of any trilogy, in which plot resolution is usually minimal. The dialogue between Cole and his friends also uncovers the different ways in which folks grieve both those they’ve lost and the culture they’ve left behind. "— Nyala Ali, Winnipeg Free Press

Educator & Series Information
Monsters is the second novel in David A. Robertson's The Reckoner trilogy. It is the follow-up to Strangers, and is proceeded by Ghosts.

The Reckoner series is recommended for ages 12 to 18.

The Canadian Indigenous Books for Schools list recommends this resource for Grades 9-12 English Language Arts.

This book is available in French: La trilogie Reckoner - Tome 2: Monstres

Additional Information
260 pages | 5.50" x 8.50"

Echo Desjardins, a 13-year-old Métis girl adjusting to a new home and school, is struggling with loneliness while separated from her mother. Then an ordinary day in Mr. Bee’s history class turns extraordinary, and Echo’s life will never be the same. During Mr. Bee’s lecture, Echo finds herself transported to another time and place—a bison hunt on the Saskatchewan prairie—and back again to the present. In the following weeks, Echo slips back and forth in time. She visits a Métis camp, travels the old fur-trade routes, and experiences the perilous and bygone era of the Pemmican Wars.

Educator & Series Information
Recommended for ages 12+ by the publisher.

Pemmican Wars is the first graphic novel in the A Girl Called Echo series.

Books in this series include: 
Volume 1: Pemmican Wars
Volume 2: Red River Resistance
Volume 3: Northwest Resistance
Volume 4: Road Allowance Era

The Canadian Indigenous Books for School list recommends this for Grades 5-12 for these subject areas: Arts Education, English Language Arts, Social Studies.

This book is available in French: Elle s'appelle Echo Tome 1: La guerre du Pemmican

Additional Information
48 pages | 6.50" x 10.00"

Sixteen-year-old Zaine Wyatt has a lot to be angry about. His mother walked out of his life when he was 12, and he was kicked out of his Aunt Sarah's place by his uncle. After living on the streets and getting badly beaten up, he is back at Aunt Sarah's, but Zaine is still angry, afraid, and uncertain that he has a permanent place to live. When his mother breaks yet another promise to take him back, he flees to an empty art studio he has taken refuge in before. But now it is just a storage shed, and he vents his rage by trashing the place and injures the new owner as he flees.

Facing charges and a possible criminal record, Zaine agrees to participate in a restorative justice program to keep from being kicked out again by his aunt. Zaine works to fix the damage he has caused and helps the owner's disabled grandson Lucas get to and from school, but his attempts to stay on the right side of the law are challenged by a group of teens who want to recruit him into a gang. Can Zaine complete the restorative justice program and prove himself worthy of a home, whether with his mother or not?

Reviews
"The author deals knowledgeably with restorative justice in this book, as well as the procedural requirements of the criminal justice system. This adds another dimension to the story without complicating the narrative or diminishing any of the characters."— Resource Links

"Push Back is an engaging read that will offer opportunities for discussion of the justice system."— Ruth McMahon, Librarian, CM: Canadian Review of Materials 

Educator & Series Information
This book is part of the SideStreets series. SideStreets are edgy, fast-paced novels that combine real-world themes and believable characters to make for short, heart-stopping books — sure to engage the most reluctant reader.

Themes: Law & Crime, Homelessness & Poverty, Bullying, Parents

Interest age: From 13 To 18
Fry Reading Level [grade]: 4.0
Lexile Reading Level: HL600L

Additional Information
184 pages | 5.25" x 7.50"  

Echo Desjardins is adjusting to her new home, finding friends, and learning about Métis history. She just can’t stop slipping back and forth in time. One ordinary afternoon in class, Echo finds herself transported to the banks of the Red River in the summer of 1869. All is not well in the territory as Canadian surveyors have arrived to change the face of territory, and Métis families, who have lived there for generations, are losing access to their land. As the Resistance takes hold, Echo fears for her friends and the future of her people in the Red River Valley.

Educator & Series Information
Recommended for grades 5 to 9.

Red River Resistance is volume two in the graphic novel series, A Girl Called Echo, by Katherena Vermette.

Books in this series include: 
Volume 1: Pemmican Wars
Volume 2: Red River Resistance
Volume 3: Northwest Resistance
Volume 4: Road Allowance Era

Recommended in the Canadian Indigenous Books for Schools 2019-2020 resource list as being useful for grades 5-12 with regard to these subjects: English Language Arts, Art Education, Social Studies.

This book is available in French: Elle s'appelle Echo Tome 2: La guerre du Pemmican 

Additional Information
47 pages | 6.50" x 10.00"

Everyone expected Leon Kline, anchor for the 4x100 sprint relay, to secure Gilburn High's spot in the record books. But a freak accident on the final stretch changes everything. Suddenly his future is gone. No more running, no scholarship, no college. But then he meets sassy and straight-talking Casey De Vries, and life doesn't look quite so bleak. She even gets him running again. He can't sprint anymore, but he can handle longer distances. As he gets to know Casey better, he realizes that something is not quite right. How can he help her if she won't tell him what’s going on?

Educator & Series Information
This book is part of the Orca Sports series. Orca Sports stories engage middle-schoolers and teens with fast-paced plots and easy-to-read language. Topics include a variety of team and individual sports. Reading levels from grade 2.0 to 4.5; Interest level ages 10+.

Additional Information
176 pages | 4.25" x 7.00"

Tasha Spillett’s graphic novel debut, Surviving the City, is a story about womanhood, friendship, colonialism, and the anguish of a missing loved one.

Miikwan and Dez are best friends. Miikwan is Anishinaabe; Dez is Inninew. Together, the teens navigate the challenges of growing up in an urban landscape – they’re so close, they even completed their Berry Fast together. However, when Dez’s grandmother becomes too sick, Dez is told she can’t stay with her anymore. With the threat of a group home looming, Dez can’t bring herself to go home and disappears. Miikwan is devastated, and the wound of her missing mother resurfaces. Will Dez’s community find her before it’s too late? Will Miikwan be able to cope if they don’t?

Awards

• Winner of the 2019 Indigenous Voices Award for Works in an Alternative Format
• Co-winner of the Eileen McTavish Sykes Award for Best First Book by a Manitoba Author
• Winner of the Manuela Dias Design and Illustration Award, Graphic Novel category

Educator & Series Information
Recommended Grades: 7-12.

This graphic novel is part of the Surviving the City series, which is also part of the Debwe Series.

The Surviving the City series includes these titles:

• Surviving the City
• From the Roots Up
• We Are the Medicine

Recommended in the Canadian Indigenous Books for Schools 2019-2020 resource list for grades 10 to 12 for English Language Arts and Social Studies.

This book could be triggering for some readers as it contains mature content and focuses on issues such as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

A Teacher Guide is available: Surviving the City Teacher Guide: Exploring Identity, Allyship, and Social Action for Meaningful Change in Grades 7-12 

Additional Information
56 pages | 6.50" x 10.00" 

Del's great-aunt, Kitty, has retired from a life of crime and embarked on a new venture, the B-Team. Although Del works at an animal shelter by day, by night she, her great-aunt and their cohorts, Dino and Ritz, use their criminal skills to right wrongs. In this fun book, the modern-day Robin Hoods set out to return a necklace to its rightful owner but along the way discover they've been duped by an imposter who also wants to get her hands on the necklace. The problem is, criminals can't go to the police, even if they are on the side of the good. Del comes up with a new plan, and the B-Team saves the day. Not without a few detours along the way.

Reviews
"The latest entry in the publisher's 'Rapid Reads' series of high-low novels aimed at adults with a third-grade reading level, Campbell's humorous mystery is for readers who enjoy a cast of quirky characters with unusual talents. "— Library Journal, January 2018

"Campbell tells a full force mystery novel in a rapid read package…Her style is plot forward, fuelled by feel-real, snappy dialogue that reveals the sense of place right down to the street corner. The B-Team…[is] delivered with intensity and laughter."— Don Graves, Canadian Mystery Reviews, January 2018

"The B-Team is well written, attention grabbing and fun. Once started, most readers will be hooked and have a hard time putting the book down. "— CM Magazine, March 2018

Educator & Series Information
This book is part of the Rapid Reads series. Rapid Reads are short novels and nonfiction books for young adults aged 16+ and adult readers. They are intended for a diverse audience, including ESL students, reluctant readers, adults who struggle with literacy and anyone who wants a high-interest quick read.

Additional Information
144 pages | 4.75" x 7.25" 

Fourteen-year-old Logan Grant is the star center for the Westside Wolves bantam hockey team. He has all the skills and all the looks, but he has alienated many of his teammates with his me-first attitude. One night Logan's life is forever changed when a fire sweeps through his house. He survives, but his face and body are badly burned. Too embarrassed to show his deformed face on the ice, Logan believes he'll never play hockey again until he stumbles across an old goalie mask that gives him the courage to get back to the rink. Taunted by the other players, Logan is defended by an unlikely ally, a teammate he once bullied because of his own facial disfigurement.

Reviews
"Another excellent sports-themed book for young people…Howling paints a very true picture of relationships between teens, their peer group, and parents, especially in the sports world which puts a different twist on relationships…An excellent book for [hockey] players and nonplayers."— CM Magazine, September 2018

"Howling's character development of Logan is exceptional."— Resource Links, October 2018

Educator & Series Information
This book is part of the Orca Sports series. Orca Sports stories engage middle-schoolers and teens with fast-paced plots and easy-to-read language. Topics include a variety of team and individual sports. Reading levels from grade 2.0 to 4.5; Interest level ages 10+.

Additional Information
160 pages | 7.00" x 4.25" 

While most of the world has drowned beneath the sudden rising waters of a climate apocalypse, Dinétah (formerly the Navajo reservation) has been reborn. The gods and heroes of legend walk the land, but so do monsters.

Maggie Hoskie is a Dinétah monster hunter, a supernaturally gifted killer. When a small town needs help finding a missing girl, Maggie is their last best hope. But what Maggie uncovers about the monster is much more terrifying than anything she could imagine.

Maggie reluctantly enlists the aid of Kai Arviso, an unconventional medicine man, and together they travel the rez, unraveling clues from ancient legends, trading favors with tricksters, and battling dark witchcraft in a patchwork world of deteriorating technology.

As Maggie discovers the truth behind the killings, she will have to confront her past if she wants to survive.

Welcome to the Sixth World.

Reviews
“Someone please cancel Supernatural already and give us at least five seasons of this badass indigenous monster-hunter and her silver-tongued sidekick.” —The New York Times

“[C]rafts a powerful and fiercely personal journey through a compelling postapocalyptic landscape.” —Kate Elliott, New York Times bestselling author of Court of Fives and Black Wolves

"Roanhorse vividly depicts Navajo land, legends, and culture in her marvelous fantasy debut, which launches the Sixth World series. After a cataclysm flooded much of the earth, the Dinétah—the homeland of the Navajo, or Diné—was one of the few remaining areas where people could survive. Legendary powers have risen among the Diné, and Maggie Hoskie is one of those who wield them. She was trained by a supernatural mentor to hunt monsters, and after vicious creatures commit a series of grisly murders, she has to muster all her skills to confront the incredibly powerful witch creating them. Roanhorse unspools a fascinating narrative of colorful magic in a world made otherwise bleak by both natural and man-made circumstances. The monster-hunting plot nearly takes a back seat to Maggie’s challenging journey of working through personal and cultural trauma, including the violent deaths of loved ones and an abusive relationship. Her partner, Kai, is a force for healing despite, or because of, his own history of pain. Their story is a fresh take on the tale of the emotionally and spiritually wounded hero who faces down increasing evil to make the world better. This rich tale from a strong Native American voice is recommended for all fantasy audiences." Sara Megibow, Publishers Weekly

Series Information
This is the first book in The Sixth World series.

Additional Information
304 pages | 6.00" x 9.00"

Following the Scotiabank Giller Prize-shortlisted Son of a Trickster comes Trickster Drift, the second book in Eden Robinson's captivating Trickster trilogy.

Jared Martin, seventeen, has quit drugs and drinking. But his troubles are not over: the temptation to slip is constant (thanks to his enabling, ever-partying mom, Maggie). He's being stalked by David, his mom's ex--a preppy, khaki-wearing psycho with a proclivity for rib-breaking. And Maggie, a witch as well as a badass, can't protect him like she used to because he's moved from Kitimat to Vancouver for school.

He figures that in order to be safe from both magic, addiction and David, he's got to get his grades up, find a job that doesn't involve selling weed cookies, and learn how to live with his Aunt Mave, who has been estranged from the family ever since she tried to "rescue" him as a baby from his mother. Though she smothers him with hugs, Mave is blind to the real dangers that lurk around them--the spirits and supernatural activity that fill her apartment.

As the son of a Trickster, Jared is a magnet for magic, whether he hates it or not. He sees ghosts, he sees the monster moving underneath his Aunt Georgina's skin, he sees the creature that comes out of his bedroom wall and creepily wants to suck his toes. He also still hears his father in his head, and other voices too. When David finally catches up with him, Jared can't ignore his true nature any longer. And neither can anyone else he loves.

Reviews
“As with the first book, Trickster Drift is most memorable for its set pieces. . . . The mix of sharp comedy, quick character sketches, and unsettling horror is note-perfect.” —Nathan Whitlock, Quill & Quire.

"The great strength of Trickster Drift is that humanity and empathy, but let’s be clear: there are monsters here, both human and otherwise. The novel builds to a climax that is simultaneously thrilling and thought-provoking, one which overturns much of what we have come to know. The third novel can’t come soon enough." — Robert J. Wiersema, The Star

Educator & Series Information
This is the second book in Eden Robinson's Trickster Trilogy.  It is preceded by Son of a Trickster.

Additional Information
384 pages | 5.18" x 8.00" | Paperback