"Who owns my life?" Sue Rodriguez was dying of a form of ALS (or Lou Gehrig's disease) when she asked this question of the Supreme Court of Canada in 1993. She was fighting for the right to a physician-assisted death before she became fully paralyzed. At the time, assisted suicide could result in jail time for the participating physician. In a narr …

Clara Hughes has won multiple medals in both summer and winter Olympic Games. As a cyclist and speed skater, Clara pushed through pain to get to the finish line, trying to have her best race every day. Few knew that the same determination and focus were also needed to fight her own personal battles. Abusing drugs and alcohol from her early teens, C …

After a girl she knows from school goes missing and is found dead in the Red River, Feather is shocked when the police write it off as a suicide. Then, it's Feather's best friend, Mia, who vanishes but Mia's mom and abusive stepfather paint Mia as a frequent runaway, so the authorities won't investigate her disappearance either. Everyone knows that …

Olivia is living a double life -- high-school student by day, drummer by night. Olivia doesn't know when hanging out in clubs and drinking to appear older and enjoy the music scene became a habit, but she finds herself hungover at school and sneaking alcohol at home. Her bandmates Eddie and Lucas think she is older, and Olivia keeps up the pretence …

Bullied at school and ignored at home, Travis has a secret: cutting himself with a razor blade is the only thing that lets him control the pain in his life and find some peace. When he becomes friends with Chyvonne, a new girl at school, he doesn't know how to get close to her without revealing his secret and making himself even more vulnerable. Sp …

Maurice and Vijay are thrilled to be the only grade nine students to make the junior football team. But it soon becomes clear that their coach, Bob Jones, who has just been elected mayor, has his own reasons for giving his two new players preferential treatment.

Massive media coverage of the outspoken Coach Jones starts turning up allegations of ill …

By the mid-1960s Toronto was well on its way to becoming Canada's largest and most powerful city. One real estate firm aptly labelled it Boomtown. Expressways, subways, shopping centres, high-rise apartments, and skyscraping downtown office towers were transforming the city. City officials were cheerleaders for unrestricted growth.

All this "progres …

Alex gets a paper route, dreaming of the money he will make and how he will spend it. But it's more work than he bargained for. Not only does he have to figure out how much money he gets to keep, but he also has to face dangers like the savage Yapper Snapper and the dreaded Four-Headed Gargantuan.

Illustrated comic-book-style with the adventures of …

In 1991, nineteen-year-old Tammy Marquardt gave birth to a baby boy, Kenneth. Two years later he was dead. Tammy was convicted of his murder and sent to prison for life. Her conviction hinged largely on the evidence given by Dr. Charles Smith, the pediatric forensic pathologist at Toronto's famed Hospital for Sick Children. At the time, Dr. Smith w …

As captain of the Westside Warriors, Colt plays clean and hard. But lately his coach has been losing his temper and ordering the team to win at any cost, even if it means playing dirty. What makes it worse is that Coach is Colt's father, and his erratic behaviour at home and on the field has Colt wondering if something is seriously wrong with his d …

Most history books make a joke of it, but Canada faced a serious military threat in the 1860s -- and came under multiple attacks by military forces based in the United States. It took the combined effort of British troops in Canada and the Canadian militia -- plus some good luck -- to repel the invaders and end the threat. The experience helped pus …

On the night of June 23, 1990, teenage friends Kyle Unger and John Beckett made a last-minute decision to attend a music festival near Roseisle, Manitoba. They were loners, not the popular kids at school. But on this night they seemed to finally fit in. They had fun, played games, drank, and hung around bonfires with other people. The next morning, …

Professional hockey is a fast game, and a dangerous one. Skates slice like razors; a hard-shot puck can take out an eye; and the ice surface is as hard as rock, especially when skulls are slammed against it. Innovations in equipment make the game faster and more exciting -- and have to be countered by measures that keep it safe for players.

From hoc …

Rubin Carter was in and out of reformatories and prisons from the age of twelve. At twenty-four, he became a winning professional boxer and was turning his life around. But Carter was also very vocal about racism in the local New Jersey police force. In 1966, local policemen arrested Carter and a friend for a triple murder. The two were convicted a …

Bush pilots haul cargo to remote reserves along the West Coast of Canada. They ferry big-game hunters to base camps and fly-in fishermen to remote lodges. They take nature photographers to scenic vistas and archaeological explorers to their latest dig.
Bush pilots and the planes they have flown are an exciting part of Canada's aviation history. In …

Weather is the quintessential Canadian story. Despite it's characterization in the rest of the world as a land of bush and blizzards, Canada is a country of geographical and climatic variations. It experiences just about every type of extreme weather possible - tornadoes, droughts, dust storms, ice storms, hail storms, hurricanes, floods - in addit …

Spine chilling accounts of school hauntings after the Halifax Explosion, premonitions of the Titanic tragedy, the phantom reappearance of the Yarmouth, the Great Amherst Poltergeist Mystery, the cursing of the Narrows area in Halifax Harbour, and the famous "Bell Island Hag" in Newfoundland are just some of the supernatural stories found in this co …

A Piece of Forever begins where Catching Forever ended, with the story of Rose and her experiences being of Mennonite faith in a public school. In A Piece of Forever, Rose is forced to address the issue of warfare, and to examine her own feelings about violence and peace for the upcoming Remembrance Day assembly. While doing research for a school p …

In this fabulous follow-up to Kathy Stinson's classic children's novels, Seven Clues and The Great Bike Race, Matt Randall uncovers two mysterious objects in his neighbour's attic: a magician's costume and a brand new clue. Or is it an old clue? Matt sets out to discover the history of this dusty mystery with the help and hindrance of a familiar ca …

Matt is bored. It's summer vacation, all his friends are away, and there is nothing -- NOTHING -- to do in Pebble Creek ... until he receives a clue to a mystery!
"There's something you should look for. It will bring you great pleasure. Not coins in a pirate's chest but a different sort of treasure."
A treasure? In Pebble Creek? That's crazy, thi …

Fans of Canadian Idol, Camp Rock, and High School Musical will delight in reading this super funny story of eleven-year-old Libby Meek and her plans for superstardom!

The only thing standing in Libby's way is her school's low provincial test results. With all extra-curricular activities put on hold so the students can retake the test, Libby and her …

Alison is held captive by the powers of a mysterious pipe bowl belonging to a Mi"kmaq shaman. The bowl takes her back in time where she forms friendships with troubled ghosts who need her help. She must uncover the history of the pipe, and she must do it quickly, before she too is consumed by the grim fate of the pipe's beholders.

[Fry Reading Level …

Maurice Richard was the greatest hockey player of the 20th century. He was also the most popular and respected hero of French-speaking Canadians. His career paralleled the dramatic changes that occurred in Quebec after the Second World War, when the Quebecois people asserted their equality and their rights.

This new biography of Richard records his …

A world without war: this is the vision that Douglas Roche has pursued for decades. A long-time Progressive Conservative Member of Parliament, Canadian ambassador for disarmament, and later a senator, Roche has been in the thick of international affairs for more than forty years.

Though few of us realize it, today the world is more peaceful than in …

For the first time, here's a no-holds-barred inside account of life for criminal gang members in cities and towns across Canada.

Mark Totten has slowly gained the confidence of gang members in many Canadian cities and small towns, and he knows enough to get the real goods from these men and women. In this book he tells the life stories -- so far -- …

Dave Davidson's heart is in the right place. He believes it's his mission to cure his friends of their fears. But his solutions are hare-brained at best and often come with unintended and hilarious consequences. Afraid of dancing at the school dance? Dave's got ways to fix that: sprain an ankle, eat expired food to get sick, or even get yourself s …

Over eight months worth of planning, hundreds of hours of hard physical training, amassing a team of dedicated crewmates, approaching sponsors and collecting donations -- and finally, swimming for twenty-seven hours across the cold, rough waters of Lake Ontario.

Why would a fourteen-year-old girl take on such a challenge?

For Annaleise Carr, the moti …

In the summer of 1795, a teenager was exploring a tiny island in Nova Scotia's Mahone Bay when he came across a curious depression in the ground. Driven by visions of lost pirate treasure, he later returned to the spot with shovels, pickaxes, and two friends. The trio began to dig, and in so doing launched what would become one of the most famous t …

More than 250,000 courageous men and women were enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II. These Canadians fought valiantly in every major air operation from the Battle of Britain to the bombing of Germany. Thousands lost their lives. Those who survived to tell their stories were forever changed. Here are some of their incredible …

This is a history of black major league baseball players and the crumbling of the colour barrier in sport, and the story of how Fergie Jenkins rose to the top to become Canada's first inductee into the American Baseball Hall of Fame.

Fergie Jenkins grew up in the era when Jackie Robinson became the first black man to play major league baseball, and …

This is a lively, readable, and informative account of life in Moscow by the wife of a Canadian military attach� who witnessed the last days of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War

Janice Cowan was trained by the Canadian government for her role in Moscow. She and her husband went to spy school in Canada to learn how to gather intelligenc …

Canadians know that the jurors at a trial decide the defendant's guilt or innocence according to the law of the land. What they don't know is how far that right actually goes, and what the real power of juries is.

Sometimes people -- even jurors -- wonder if a law or a judgment in a particular case is a just one. When the law seems wrong, we are tol …

Between 15,000 and 20,000 underage youths, some as young as ten, signed up to fight in Canada's armed forces in the First World War. They served in the trenches alongside their elders, and fought in all the major battles: Ypres, the Somme, Passchendaele, Vimy Ridge, and the rest. Many were injured or suffered psychological wounds. Many died. This i …

Included in this book are 28 traditional recipes by Chef Jeff O'Neill, showcasing Canada's multicultural heritage, plus a special section of 18 Christmas recipes from across the country, highlighting Canada's regional diversity. The origin of a Canadian Christmas is a fascinating blend of different traditions and festivities. The stories behind the …

Mythological sea monsters lurking in the depths of Lake Simcoe, a fair-haired Sasquatch combing the isolated stretches of northern highways, and the mournful "Maid of the Mist" of Niagara Falls are just some of the mysterious stories of Ontario found in this collection. Read up on the eerie events of Ontario's history that will challenge reason and …

Edwin Boyd woke up, rolled out of bed, and got ready to rob his first bank. He began his preparations by disguising himself. He shoved wads of cotton into his cheeks and nostrils, smeared black mascara on his eyebrows, and rubbed rouge on his cheeks.

This book will be especially fascinating for all readers interested in: history, biography, true cri …

Canadian women have been conquering mountains for more than 100 years. The early pioneers set the standard for the women who followed. This group of extraordinary women include the founder of the Alpine Club of Canada and the first North American woman to summit Everest. These women were all strong and determined, and shared a love of adventure.

The Ottawa Senators have had a long and storied history as one of the original -- and dominant -- Canadian hockey franchises. Stocked with skilled and adventurous players, the early Senators were known for their aggressive play and never-say-die attitude. The fascinating story of the team continues into the present with the thrilling account of how …

"Fifteen years ago, I gave my heart to this nation, and I am ready to give it again." - Louis Riel, 1884.
This book will be especially fascinating for all young readers interested in: history, biography, or politics. Louis Riel is perhaps the most controversial figure in Canadian history. A rebel and a powerful orator, he emerged as a leader of the …

The towns and villages of Canada's East Coast are home to countless tales of drama and intrigue, some of which do not end happily. This fascinating collection of crime stories features many chilling incidents that have scarred the history of the Atlantic Provinces. Exploring deadly love affairs, mysterious disappearances, and murderous mutinies at …

In 1917, the Montreal Canadiens became one of the four founding teams of the National Hockey League. Since then, the team has enjoyed countless breathtaking triumphs. Not only have they won more Stanley Cup Championships than any other team in the NHL, they have also boasted some of the best players the league has ever seen. Through it all, they ha …

"Since its construction in 1931, the Maple Leaf Gardens had seen its share of powerful, memorable moments and held its share of championship glory. But there was something different about this evening of May 2, 1967."
This book will be especially facinating for readers interested in hockey or sports. The Toronto Maple Leafs is one of Canada's great …

Murder, mutiny, and mayhem were the order of the day in the seas off the East Coast during the golden age of sailing. Pillagers and opportunists plied the seas in search of riches in the holds of American ships. And they invariably found what they were looking for...

When a black teen was murdered in a Sydney, Cape Breton park late one night, his young companion, Donald Marshall Jr., became a prime suspect. Sydney police coached two teens to testify against Donald which helped convict him of a murder he did not commit. He spent 11 years in prison until he finally got a lucky break. Not only was he eventually ac …

It seems like Kat's parents have done little but prepare for her sister Hannah's return since she was sent away to a home for troubled teens. Everyone is determined to find out what went wrong with Hannah and make things right again -- everyone except Kat, that is.
Kat dreads going back to a life dominated by her sister's tantrums and rule-breakin …

In the early morning of August 19, 1942, over five thousand Canadian troops landed on the beach at Dieppe to reclaim the shore from German troops occupying France. It was a mission doomed from the start. Mere hours later, over two-thirds of the men were dead, wounded, or taken prisoner by German forces. It was the worst disaster in Canadian militar …

In 2011 the Harper Conservatives won a majority government with a minority of votes. If the opposition parties were willing to work together, they would have an excellent chance of defeating the Conservatives in the next election. Yet a merger doesn't seem to be in the cards any time soon.

In Power Trap, veteran journalist Paul Adams draws on many h …

Willie O'Ree quietly made NHL history at the Montreal Forum on January 18, 1958, when he became the first black player to take to the ice. In the dressing room before the game, his Boston Bruins teammates told him not to worry. If any one of the Montreal players said anything to him, they'd have his back.

There was a round of applause when O'Ree ste …

David Milgaard was a troubled kid, and he got into lots of trouble. Unfortunately, that made it easy for the Saskatoon police to brand him as a murderer. At seventeen, David Milgaard was arrested, jailed, and convicted for the rape and murder of a young nursing assistant, Gail Miller. He was sent to adult prison for life.

Throughout his twenty-three …

At twenty-four, Guy Paul Morin was considered a bit strange. He still lived at home, drove his parents' car, kept bees in the backyard, and grew flowers to encourage the hives. He played the saxophone and clarinet in three bands and loved the swing music of the 1940s.

In the small Ontario town where he lived, this meant Guy Paul stood out. So when t …