The history of Toronto is peppered with countless tales of scandals and murder. This fascinating collection of crime stories features six chilling incidents that plagued the city's residents in days gone by. Exploring deadly love affairs, mysterious disappearances, and public hangings, these true accounts will keep you on the edge of your seat.

At the outbreak of World War II, the Royal Canadian Navy consisted of just 13 warships and about 3000 permanent and reserve members. By the war's end, however, it had grown into the third largest navy in the world, with 365 warships and more than 100,000 personnel. The men and women of the Royal Canadian Navy came from all corners of Canada to figh …

From the Irish princess, taken prisoner by pirates, who fell in love with one of her captors and settled in Newfoundland, to the ardent courtship of Alexander Graham Bell and his bride-to-be, Mabel, this book celebrates the passion, the pain, and the romance of Canadian lovers through the ages.

He's the face of the Calgary Flames, but there's much more to Jarome Iginla's story than just being the first black captain of an NHL team. He's also renowned for his social commitment and generosity off the ice.
Jarome (nicknamed Iggy) grew up in a single-parent household in St. Albert, Alberta. It was thanks to support of his grandparents that he …

The 1837 Rebellion in Upper Canada was a defining moment in Canadian history. It led to political and economic reforms, pushed forward the process of nationhood, and sparked a sense of patriotism. It was also a time of turbulence, uncertainty, and sacrifice. Rebels Against Tories in Upper Canada 1837 focuses on ordinary men and women who found them …

A wild and stormy ocean is not a friendly place to be, but for some this is their place of work. In extreme conditions, waves larger than houses can rip oil rigs apart and send them to the bottom of the ocean leaving survivors in desperate need. The response of search and rescue teams in times of danger is marked by courage and fierce determination …

Devout and charismatic, Aimee Semple McPherson led millions in prayer. A pioneer in female travelling evangelism, McPherson was believed to possess a healing touch. Great masses of the sick and the burdened gathered from far and wide to hear her sermons and perhaps to be cured by the miracle worker. This is the story of one woman's extraordinary li …

This is the story of the notorious, unsolved murder of the richest baronet in the British Empire, Sir Harry Oakes. The millionaire miner made his fortune from the rich mines in Northern Ontario. His wealth and lifestyle gave many a motive for murder. Rumours surrounding the murder case as well as prime details about the three suspects (including hi …

"These dedicated men and women gave blood, sweat, and tears as their contribution - And now, it really happened, our beloved bird was in the air." - Ray Boone, A.V. Roe Canada employee. In the 1950s, A. V. Roe Canada was at the forefront of aviation development worldwide. After building one of the first jet airliners and completing production of Ca …

Sixth-grader Maggie Ito believes she has been cursed by the Witch of Bloor Street. While her friends all seem to be best at something - Sasha is best at art, Alice is the most musical, and even her nemesis Jarrett Johnson is the fastest runner - Maggie believes the curse is keeping her from being best at anything. Her attempts to break it become i …

"Nicholson was shocked when a 'dazzling light and shrieking whistle' came out of nowhere and headed right for his train. Paralysed with fear, he... swore that the passengers in the ghost train's lighted cars had looked directly at him". This book will be especially fascinating for all readers interested in: mystery or history. What are the chances …

The human story behind Canada's worst chemical fire
"Why you leaving Stelco?" the friend asked the rookie firefighter.
"'Cause it's hot and dirty and I don't like shifts."
Enter the world of Hamilton's firefighters. Theirs is a smouldering, combustible workplace, and in the effort to save lives they routinely put their own on the line. They know t …

During the War of 1812, Canadian and British forces battled against the United States with great determination. Many of these soldiers displayed incredible bravery in the face of the enemy. The most legendary act, however, was performed by a civilian woman. This is the story of Laura Secord, a devoted wife and mother, who risked life and limb to wa …

"From an early age, lying came easily to her. Everything she did was a performance, a role she played to create an illusion." - From the story of Evelyn Dick. Six chilling stories of notorious Ontario murders are recounted in this spine-tingling collection. From the pretty but dangerous Evelyn Dick to the mysterious murder of one of the Fathers of …

"I never saw his equal for true grit... He lay all day with his body torn and bleeding, and it was only at night when the stretcher bearers could approach the trench to get out the wounded that he was carried away, and then he went last." The history of Canada is filled with charismatic and talented military leaders. Each of the men featured in thi …

Ontario is rich in ghost towns, communities that were once thriving but which have been reduced to mere shadows of their former selves. Nine villages -- including silver camps, fishing ports, crossroads hamlets, and farming settlements -- come alive on the pages of this book. The term 'ghost town' invariably conjures up images of fog-shrouded cemet …

During World War II, some of the most treacherous jobs were those performed by men and women located deep within enemy territory. Always in danger of being exposed and subjected to torture, imprisonment, and even death, their stories are chilling accounts of bravery and luck--and, in some cases, what happens when the luck runs out.

Gwendoline Cramer was one of the 48,000 war brides transported to Canada by the Canadian government between 1942 and 1947. Many of them were escorted across the water and handed over to their husbands with nothing more than a handsake and a cookbook. Following her heart to rural Saskatchewan, Gwen felt like a fish out of water. She couldn't milk a …

Crimes of passion, brutal slayings, infanticide, and revenge: here are eight gruesome and often tragic stories of women accused of murder. Many are little known or long forgotten, such as Mary Osborn, the first woman to be hanged in Upper Canada, executed for poisoning her disappointing husband. Read about the crimes and subsequent trials of Mary a …

Forget social studies, math, and science -- this hilarious novel is about surviving some of the real problems tween girls face in the sixth grade. Honest and heartwarming, the story follows eleven-year-old Becky Lennox over the course of the school year as she figures out how to survive friendships, first crushes, embarrassing parents and annoying …

The Canadian Fuhrer is the story the emergence of prominent fascist leader Adrien Arcand and a dark chapter in Canada's past.

During the 1930s, when the misery of hunger, unemployment and the threat of war shadowed life for many, Canadians were drawn to a wide range of new political ideas. Communism, socialism, and the social credit movement all att …

Grace Marks, the Victorian servant who inspired Margaret Atwood's Alias Grace ... Elizabeth Workman, a Sarnia housewife who turned on her abusive husband and paid the price for it ... Evelyn Dick, a glamourous 1940s party girl who Hamiltonians still talk about ... These are just some of the murderers featured in Lethal Ladies, a collection of accou …

While visiting her grandparents' farm, city girl Anna decides she wants a pet. A cow? A snake? Anna realizes that these creatures won't be happy in the city, and she doesn't want a pet unless it's happy. Grandma and Grandpa have just the right thing for Anna.
Short chapters and easy-to-read text make this story perfect for beginning readers.

Michael Strike is captain of both the school soccer and chess teams. He's got his eye on fellow soccer player and overachiever Miriah, the founder of the youth organization War Orphans of the World. Miriah is quick to befriend a new student, Zahir Jamiat, who has recently moved from the Middle East, but Michael sees the newcomer as a rival. When M …

"Those darn cows!" said Tod. "I wish they'd just get lost!"
But when the cows do get lost, it's up to Tod Bean, his sister Jen Bean, and their black dog Zip to find them and bring them home. Tod and Jen learn that on a farm, everyone helps.
Short chapters and easy-to-read text make this story a perennial favourite.

Nothing seems to be going right for Jane's soccer team this year. Then, to make things worse, some of the girls' stuff starts going missing. Everyone points the finger at the new girl, but Jane is determined to find the real culprit . . . and get her team back on track.

Trapped is a story that shows how tiny rumours can have huge consequences, and h …

Sable Island has indelibly marked all who have come into contact with it - by accident or by choice. Since 1583, 350 ships have wrecked against its shape-shifting shores as if lured into a trap by a whispering siren wind. This exciting collection casts explorers, castaways, pirates, settlers, and the quintessential symbols of survival - the Sable I …

Lizzie's just been named captain of the soccer team -- the boys' soccer team -- but some of her teammates aren't playing nice. Will it be boys vs. girls forever, or can Lizzie think of a way to settle the score, once and for all?

Lizzie's Soccer Showdown is the story of a strong young woman who, when faced with prejudice, reacts with grace under pre …

First published in 1990, this book charts the emergence and rapid growth of Canada's powerful seniors' movement.

Seniors' political clout has been increasingly evident since the mid-eighties, when their protest convinced Brian Mulroney to drop his efforts to limit pension benefits. Gifford's book provides a short history of seniors' organizing and t …

This is a story not of military campaigns and grand strategy, but the joys and sorrows of life on a more intimate battlefield--the battlefield of the French resistance.
Born and raised in Saskatchewan, Gladys Arnold was sent to Paris by Canadian Press in October 1939, and was the only Canadian reporter to experience the invasion of France by the G …

The arrival of Europeans in the New World forever changed the fate of the Beothuk. As more settlers arrived, the Beothuk were forced inland. They were tracked, abducted, and even murdered. Their plight was epitomized by the tragic story of Shanawdithit - the last of the Beothuk.

Written in the early 80s, this book brings to life the fascinating story of pipeliners, politicians and the chase for the big energy dollars.

Fran?ois Bregha discusses the implications of the federal Liberal government's 1980 decision to support the prebuild of a section of the Alaska Highway pipeline project, permitting the export of Alberta gas to …

How did the son of Irish immigrants outrow blueblood scullers from Oxford and Cambridge to become one of the most famous athletes of his time? Award-winning author Wendy A. Lewis recounts the compelling story of the "Boy in Blue," from his childhood on the Toronto Islands, where he rowed himself to school on the mainland every day, to laurels won a …

Lionel Conacher excelled at football, hockey, baseball, boxing, wrestling, and lacrosse. He taught himself how to play and he worked hard, and it paid off. He supported his struggling family, never giving up or letting people down. He was given the nickname Big Train because he was unstoppable on the football field when he ran through the oppositio …

In November 2008 the opposition came very close to replacing Stephen Harper with a new government. It was an astonishing few days for Canadian politics; opposition party leaders came together, announcing a formal coalition of the Liberals and the NDP, while the Bloc offered guaranteed support for the new government in the House of Commons.
This ca …

All C.J. has ever wanted is to play basketball--one day pro basketball. Already in grade nine she's the captain of her high school team in Naskup, British Columbia.
But her success comes at a price: her teammate Debi can't accept someone so young as captain, and is making C.J.'s life as difficult as possible. To make matters much worse, one morni …

The Cape Breton Grizzly Bears are a bad news basketball team--they haven't won a single game all season. But the rules say a team from their region has to play in the Nova Scotia Invitational Tournament in Halifax, and they're it.
Their "star" player is the harebrained Chip Carson, whose constant scheming and practical jokes keep his coach and te …

In October 1993, Robert Latimer, a Saskatchewan farmer, decided to end the life of his chronically ill daughter rather than subject her to another painful surgery. Tracy, who had the mental capacity of a five-month-old infant, was twelve at the time of her death. She had already endured multiple operations to correct conditions caused by her severe …

For nearly 250 years the people who built, defined, and defended Canada relied on horses to help get their job done. One breed stood out during that period for its outstanding role in Canadian life. It's known as "The Canadian, Le Canadien." In 2002, Parliament officially declared The Canadian to be Canada's national horse. The origins of the breed …

A lively book illustrated with archival photos, Secrets of Lake Simcoe is a valuable addition to local history collections and provides a refreshing way for anyone to view what some consider to be Canada's sixth Great Lake.

At the heart of central Ontario, Lake Simcoe has played an important role in the province's history for hundreds of years. Toda …

Katie plans to win the junior girls' barrel race at her Alberta town's Heritage Days Rodeo. She has a good chance on her fast, sure-footed trail horse Fudge.

As the day approaches, however, her older brother John claims he needs to ride Fudge, and their parents back him up. Katie scrambles to locate another mount. When she finally finds an all-black …

D'Arcy is a 16-year-old overachiever and a budding newshound. When her classmate Zania's mother goes missing, D'Arcy thinks she's found the mother of all scoops. She's determined to solve the mystery and capture it all on film. But Zania's troubles are no game. She suspects her mother's drug-dealing boyfriend may be behind her sudden disappearance …

In this sequel to Lightning Rider, January and her family have taken in an RCMP summer student as a boarder. When Willow Whitecloud pulls up on her Kawasaki ZX-10R, January takes an instant liking to her. Willow becomes both a friend and a spiritual guide, who helps January connect with her Native heritage. But January is shocked when a number of c …

Christine and Danelle have been best friends forever, a relationship as seemingly infinite as the glow-in-the-dark stars they have affixed to their bedroom ceilings. Lately, though, the girls have been drifting apart, as Danelle's quirky moods turn into wild and reckless acts. At first Christine wonders if her friend is on drugs, but what kind of d …

Kyle never expected to see Calgary's hard side--its seedy neighbourhoods marked with trash-filled lots, abandoned buildings, abandoned lives. But when his 14-year-old sister Meghan runs away from home, he knows he has to track her down.
Soon Kyle discovers a dark world of after-hours clubs, desperate street kids, drugs and violence. As he gradual …

Indoor soccer is what Lizzie does best. At school other kids bug her and her teacher thinks she's a troublemaker, but during a game she feels focused, free.
Lately, however, her younger sister Shelby has taken up the game. Shelby's a nice kid, but she leads a charmed life--she copies everything Lizzie does, then does it better. Soon Shelby is a s …

There are some things a teen can take for granted, or so Penny thinks. Beautiful girls get all the breaks. An eccentric old woman is going to be the target of every kid in the 'hood. But what if things are not all they seem? Lori Weber's talents are on full display in this in this remarkable, insightful story of beauty's fleeting power and the effe …

Remy and Alison play on rival soccer teams. Remy hasn't trusted Alison ever since her former friend attended an elite soccer camp in England last summer. When Remy finds out Alison has a special plan to beat Remy's team in the tournament, she becomes convinced that Alison will sabotage her team's players.
Foul Play is an entertaining story of misg …

This dark and gritty new story from New Brunswick author Robert Rayner examines the moral choices of one teen with a childhood filled with emotional neglect and social bullying, and how haunting real-life choices made when you're young can be when you're older.
Life was never easy for Julian, aka Scab. After years of being tormented by his peers an …

Glen and Jacob are best friends and linemates until a new hotshot, Danny, joins their Toronto soccer team.
Glen thinks Danny is cool, and together they get deeper and deeper in trouble. Jacob tries to warn his old friend that he's headed for disaster, but Danny's bad attitude threatens to take the whole team down.
Heads Up! is a story about the h …