- friendship (161)
- non-classifiable (118)
- mysteries & detective stories (92)
- self-esteem & self-reliance (86)
- law & crime (84)
- humorous stories (72)
- values & virtues (62)
- death & dying (42)
- siblings (40)
- general (see also headings under social themes) (35)
- school & education (35)
- bullying (33)
- crime (33)
- survival stories (32)
- emotions & feelings (27)
- orphans & foster homes (26)
- hockey (25)
- music (25)
- environment (24)
- imagination & play (24)
The Bonemender's Choice
When Dominic's children are kidnapped by raiding pirates, Gabrielle and Feolan find themselves drawn into their most frightening adventure yet, a sea journey into unknown lands. The adventure takes a deadly turn when the Gray Veil, a plague that slowly chokes its victims, strikes the harbor town where the children have been taken. Gabrielle's heali …
Responsible
Kevin Frasier is in a new high school—his fourth in the last year. He is trying to get along and not cause any waves. When he falls in with Nick and his friends, Frasier ends up going along as the group bullies and threatens their way through the school. When Nick starts tormenting Erin—and she stands up to him—the harassment escalates until …
Rhyme Stones
In Rhyme Stones, we go spelunking, we meet a witch who can't stay on her broomstick, a schoolyard bully, and we see how a simple piece of cloth can become anything we want it to be. Each long poem is followed by an exclusive interview with the main character, and each short poem has a "trailer" of cool facts about the theme.
A Puppy is for Loving
Elsie is about to have puppies, and Elizabeth is going to help. Her grandmother shows her exactly how to make the den for the dog and how to be ready when the puppies come out. After they are born, Elizabeth helps Elsie care for them. Most important of all, though, she helps her grandmother find just the right home for each, especially the very las …
House Party
As the new girl in a strange town, Casey is trying desperately to fit in and make friends. When her parents leave town for the weekend, her friend suggests she have a house party. Casey is reluctant to go along, until she realizes maybe this is the answer to fitting in and making friends—and getting back at her parents. They invite a few people a …
Down
Remy has just been released from juvenile detention and is back in his old neighborhood. He went away because he severely assaulted a guy who insulted his girlfriend—Asia. As a white boy dating an immigrant, Remy has had to take a lot of the inbred racism that exists in the inner-city—from strangers, his family and even the police. When the whi …
Bull's Eye
After Emily's aunt dies, Emily learns that everything she has always believed is a lie, and her world crumbles. Forced to face the fact that her mother is not who she thought she was, Emily tries to find the truth about her past and make sense of her future. Turning to graffiti and vandalism as a way to deal with her anger, she comes to realize tha …
Winter Hawk Star
Tyler is a good, solid hockey player, but not a great one. That honor belongs to the obnoxious Riley, a sixteen-year-old spoiled superstar who makes Tyler's life miserable. When Tyler and Riley are sent to volunteer at a local youth program, Tyler finds the passion and commitment he needs to step up his game on ice—and off.
TJ and the Quiz Kids
When master fact-gatherers TJ and Seymour are asked to join the school Quiz Kids team, TJ thinks Seymour should take the stage at the upcoming contest against the high-pressure Fairview School team.
TJ is already more than occupied rescuing his cats and helping Gran get ready for her upcoming trip to Belize. When he goes with his dad to help with a …
Ten Thumb Sam
Sam Stringbini, the youngest son in a family of circus performers, is living every kid's dream, except for the fact that he is no good on the high wire, trapezes freak him out and magic mystifies him. When the Triple Top Circus is threatened by repeated acts of sabotage, Sam is the number one suspect. To clear his name, Sam enlists the help of his …
Out of Order
Fifteen-year-old Sophie sees her move to Victoria as a chance to start over and leave her old self behind. She is soon drawn into the orbit of the charismatic but troubled Zelia. As their friendship develops, and Zelia's behavior becomes increasingly self-destructive, Sophie struggles to maintain both the friendship and her own sense of self. Then …
Horse Power
Once again Callie is forced to take part in her mom's latest crusade.
They head into ranch country to camp—bloodthirsty mosquitoes, stinky outhouses and all—at a protest to save a rural school. Callie's grandmother shows up with her biker buddies and the singing grannies. Callie hates camping and wants nothing to do with the protest. To make mat …
Manga Touch
Dana is excited about her school trip to Japan despite the fact that she is surrounded by the Melly Mob, "in-crowd" kids who make fun of her.
Dana is certain she will be less of an outsider in Japan, home of manga and anime. But she soon discovers that it's just as difficult to fit in with a foreign culture as it is to fit in at school. And the only …
Hurricane Power
When David's family moves from northern Ontario to Miami, Florida, it takes him less than a day to discover how out of place he is in his new neighborhood.
David joins his school's track team, hoping to make new friends, but soon he is pulled into a school-wide web of secrecy and danger. And the one person who can help him keeps running away.
This sh …
Hitmen Triumph
Left winger Nolan Andrews thinks it's great that he can play hockey in Calgary, where his older brother, Nathan, is a star center for the Hitmen.
When Nolan finds out that a lot of things about Nate's new life in Calgary don't make sense—or might not even be legal—Nolan has to make some difficult choices that will affect him and his brother for …
Crossbow
Fourteen-year-old Matt has only one goal in life: to become a hermit.
He has no use for school, but he loves the solitude of the forest. When he hikes up to the cabin he built for himself, he discovers a mysterious stranger named Forrest has moved in. At first, Matt doesn't connect Forrest's appearance with the rash of local robberies. Forrest seem …
Rebel's Tag
Sam's grandfather vanished from his life the day Sam's father was buried.
Now, ten years later, Grandpa Max wants to make amends. He sends letters that lead Sam on a scavenger hunt. Sam follows his grandfather's bizarre instructions though he's still not ready to forgive. To alleviate his anger at his grandfather, Sam turns to his favorite stress re …
Emville Confidential
When a new client presents herself at their backyard detective agency, Baron and his best friend, Myles, are suddenly at odds.
Baron dreams of being like his favorite hard-boiled detectives: tough, sexy and in control. In reality, he's anything but, as his older sister, Kitty, never fails to point out. Could a new case and this new client be Baron's …
Orphan Ahwak
Aneze, a young Inuit girl, is left for dead after her village is ripped apart by a wife-raid; her father and brother are killed and her mother is kidnapped.
Aneze is the only survivor. She renames herself Orphan Ahwak as she struggles to survive on her own, first in the forest and then in a remote world of tundra and sea-ice. She endures cold and hu …
Klutzhood
Arlo thinks his mother is crazy for taking a job in a small town, far away from his old home and his good friends.
To make matters worse, the students at his new school are crazy—hockey crazy. Arlo has never laced up a pair of skates in his life, and he's not about to start. To avoid making a complete fool of himself in front of his classmates, Ar …
Lady Ginny's Tea Parties
When ear-scratcher (the duke) and Calls-Me-Sweetie-Pie (the Duchess) do not return in time to host their family's famous series of tea parties, Lady Ginny (the poodle) and Codger (the cat) must step in. Codger slows them down a bit, but with the help of Cook and two tiny and unusual characters, they entertain eleven gatherings of guests from mounta …
Ben's Bunny Trouble
Ben's Bunny Trouble is set in a near future in which the world has lost all its green space. When Ben decides that the city is not the best place for his bunnies, he embarks on an out-of-this-world journey to find them a better home. It takes a few false landings and help from a variety of aliens, but in the end, Ben finds his bunnies -- which seem …
Wave Warrior
Ben is determined to learn to surf. In the rough North Atlantic waters near his home, only the tough can make it on the water. His first attempt is a disaster. Then he meets Ray, a surfing veteran from California. Ray promises to teach him to surf—and to face his inner demons. As Ben becomes more comfortable on his board he learns to face his fea …
When the Curtain Rises
Chloe McBride has some reservations about accepting her elderly great-aunts' invitation to spend part of the summer with them in Little Venice, but her initial reluctance is outweighed by her curiosity about the mysterious key that came with her aunts' note.
She's also anxious to put the humiliating memory of a disastrous piano recital as far behind …
Titan Clash
Jack Spencer has more to worry about than being kicked off his high school's basketball team. He uncovers suspicious circumstances surrounding the car crash that severely injured his mother and learns of his father's arrest for fraud. Jack's dad is tough on him, but he has learned to live with it. For the most part, he has it pretty good. Jack is a …
Racing for Diamonds
Jaz lives in the small northern community of Destiny and is a new member of the Junior Canadian Rangers. Her divorced parents argue a lot, and Jaz hopes if she wins a dog-mushing derby, they will be so proud of her they will stop arguing. But the derby would be a lot more fun if she wasn't paired with Colly, an older boy who is a more experienced J …
I.D.
When Chris finds a wallet on the street he tries to return it to its owner. In trouble at home and at school, he is struggling to do the right thing. However, as circumstances slowly start unraveling and his whole life appears headed down the drain, Chris realizes that the person who owns the wallet looks a lot like him and has a life he would do a …
Boot Camp
When Nick and Kia are invited to former Toronto Raptor Jerome "Junk Yard Dog" Williams' basketball camp in Washington, DC, they quickly discover that this is no ordinary summer hoop camp. This is a basketball boot camp that focuses on discipline and hard work. Jerome and Johnnie's father, "Sergeant Push-up" to the campers, is the no-nonsense camp d …
The Darwin Expedition
Tej and Liam are going snowboarding. When they take a shortcut over a treacherous logging road and have an accident, their adventure becomes more about survival than fresh powder. Tracked by a hungry bear, while trying to outrun the weather without any food, Tej and Liam learn about their friendship and what it will take to survive. When Tej is hur …
Bang
Quentin and JD have been friends forever. Even after JD gets in trouble Quentin stands by him. Hanging out together Quentin learns JD has a gun and when they are caught in a robbery JD uses the gun—with deadly results. Trying to cover up the crime and escape detection, Quentin gets in even deeper than he expected and learns that the only person h …
Timberwolf Hunt
When the Timberwolves get a new coach, they also get the coach's son. The only problem is that Eldridge Elwell is a terrible hockey player. The team is on the hunt to make the playoffs, and every time Eldridge plays a shift, it hurts the team more. Johnny Maverick is just as angry about it as anyone on the team, until he learns something important …
The Warrior's Daughter
Luaine is daughter to the greatest of Irish warriors, the legendary Cuchulainn. Although known throughout Ireland as the most fearsome of killers, to Luaine he is a loving playful father who amuses her with his exciting tales and marvelous feats. When the unthinkable happens—Cuchulainn returns from war injured nearly to the death—it is the firs …
Lucky's Mountain
The year is 1935 and Maggie Sullivan's world has fallen apart. Maggie has grown up in a close-knit mining community perched atop a mountain in British Columbia. But now her father has been killed in a mine explosion and she is being forced to leave the only home she has ever known. To make matters worse, she must also leave behind her best friend L …
Jeremy and the Golden Fleece
What has twenty legs but just one wing? That is part of the riddle Jeremy must solve in this sequel to Jeremy and the Enchanted Theater and Jeremy in the Underworld, if he is to help Mr. Magnus save the Enchanted Theater. However, he will have to captain a ship and face a magical bull to do it.
The Summer of the Marco Polo
In the summer of 1883 a famous clipper ship ran aground off the coast of Prince Edward Island near the home of a young girl named Lucy Maud Montgomery. Lucy Maud, who became one of Canada's most beloved writers, wrote about the grand adventure in her journals and reflected on it years later in her notebooks. The town of Cavendish was transformed by …
Kicker
Izzy and Julia have been on the same soccer team for years.
Izzy is frustrated that Julia spends too much time cherry-picking and getting all the credit when they score. But when someone starts threatening the team and their home field is sabotaged, the friends must work together to find the answers. Why would someone threaten their star player? And …
Cobra Strike
After discovering tainted water in the creek near his grandmother's cabin in the Kentucky hills, senior Roy Linden slowly uncovers a connection between his high school team's new star quarterback and the source of the pollution.
Roy Linden should be thrilled. His high school football team, the Johnstown Striking Cobras, just got a new quarterback, a …
Cracked
Trevor, Nick and Robyn are ready to solve another mystery.
When bobsledder Josh Gantz is accused of deliberately injuring a fellow competitor, he runs the risk of being thrown out of the sport—right before the World Cup. Courtney Gantz asks Trevor, Nick and Robyn to help clear her brother's name. Can they find out who framed Josh? What is the mean …
Shadows on the Train
It's all aboard! for mystery when Dinah Galloway takes the cross-country train from Vancouver to Toronto, to appear on a TV talent show. But will she make it-or be permanently derailed? Along with her sister Madge, and her fellow junior musicians, tree fanatic Pantelli Audia and history buff Talbot St. John, Dinah is shadowed by someone who wants t …
Blazer Drive
Josh is afraid of what will happen if he gets involved. As he learns more, he's afraid of what will happen if he doesn't
When Josh Ellroy, left-winger for the Kamloops Blazers, and his dad find more than a dozen dead cattle on the family ranch, Josh has some serious decisions to make. On one hand, the Western Hockey League playoffs are ahead, plus a …
Hypnotized
Rufus and his sister Alexa hate each other at the best of times.
When Rufus's friend Phil manages to hypnotize Alexa, Rufus is ready to enjoy the power. They begin by ordering Alexa to be kind to her parents and Phil. The plan backfires when Alexa sweetly suggests canceling an expensive family vacation in favor of a week at home playing board games. …
Finding Elmo
Fifteen-year-old Tim loves his job at his dad's pet store, partly because he gets to spend time with his best friend, a black cockatoo named Elmo.
But things at work have been tense since the store moved to a larger, more expensive location. To make extra money his father rents out the store's exotic birds for parties and Tim is furious at this expl …
Mirror Image
Sable wears only black and has always felt that doom is near. Lacey wears pink and seeks beauty everywhere.
A sadistic art teacher pairs Sable and Lacey together for their final project. The girls have to get to know one another and select a suitable poem for the back of each other's decorative mirror. Sable is less than thrilled at having to spend …
George the Best of All
George stood up in the saddle and waved his hand in the air. He went up and down, up and down. The lights of the night sky glittered in his eyes. He would get himself a hat. He would get himself a pair of silver spurs to match his silver saddle. He would blaze a new trail clear across the country! George is back, more popular than ever. And Katie a …
Behind the Sorcerer's Cloak
The four volumes of Andrea Spalding's Summer of Magic Quartet are among her most exciting work. The White Horse Talisman was nominated for the Silver Birch, Hackmatack and Manitoba Readers' Choice Awards. Dance of the Stones was also a Silver Birch nominee. Heart of the Hill left one of her four characters in grave danger. Now, as the Dark Being di …
Jo's Triumph
In the late 1850s in and around Carson City, struggles between the Indigenous and local white people are growing. During the struggles, Joselyn, a young orphan, meets Sarah Winnemucca, a Paiute girl who becomes her friend and gives her some valuable advice. When Joselyn takes that advice and escapes from the Carson City Home for Unfortunate Childre …
Hello Groin
When Dylan Kowolski agrees to create a display for her high school library, she has no idea of the trouble it's going to cause -- for the school principal, her family, her boyfriend Cam and his jock friends, and her best friend Jocelyn. And for Dylan herself. If only her English class had been studying a normal, run-of-the-mill, mundane book like L …