Pierre's Friends Read-Along
Pierre, a pampered pooch, misses his friends, Sparky and Lou. But how will he ever find them? They live in a park on the other side of town. Pierre has a plan, and one afternoon while Miss Murphy naps, he slips out of their apartment and sets off to bring his friends home. Along the way, Pierre meets Old Wheezer and remembers Miss Murphy’s words, …
Best Friend Trouble Read-Along
Hanna is fed up with her best friend, Lizzy, who is always trying to be better than her.
When Lizzy tells Hanna she can throw her ball farther and succeeds, it’s the last straw. Hanna is tired of feeling second best, but what she doesn’t realize is that sometimes she makes Lizzy feel that way too. Maybe there’s a way they can still be best fr …
Seal Song Read-Along
"No good comes from seal songs," says Finn's father. But Finn believes differently.
Finn loves to swim with the seals in a secret cove. He arrives at the cove one day and rescues a young seal tangled in netting. Finn wishes the seal could live on land. That night the seals sing. When Sheila, a mysterious girl no one has ever seen before, appears on …
Today, Maybe Read-Along
Today, Maybe is a story about a little girl who is waiting for someone, a friend. She doesn't yet know who it will be.
In a series of surprising and humorous encounters, several well-known characters of children's literature arrive at her door. But none of them are the one she is waiting for, and she graciously sends them all away. With her bird to …
Clever Rachel Read-Along
In this retelling of a Jewish folktale, Jacob tries to stump Rachel with his best riddles but fails repeatedly.
When a young woman in need of help presents Rachel and Jacob with the trickiest riddles of all, they discover the only way to solve them is to work together.
Panama Pursuit
“Oertel knows how to develop a scene for maximum humorous or scary effect.”—Kirkus Reviews
When their friend is accused of stealing ancient artifacts, Cody, Eric, and Rachel spring into action. And this time, that action takes them far away from their sleepy town of Sultana and deep into the jungles of Panama! Can these smart thirteen-year-ol …
Scam
Josh’s mother always had issues—with drugs and just getting by. And Josh has always been the one who kept them together. But when his mom dies, he really is on his own and must find a way to look after himself. On his way to his mother’s funeral he meets Lindsay, a cute girl who flirts with him but then steals his wallet. When he confronts he …
Everyday Hero
Alice doesn’t like noise, smells or strangers. She does like rules. Lots of rules.
Nobody at her new school knows she is autistic, and soon Alice finds herself in trouble because the rules here are different. When she meets Megan in detention, she doesn’t know what to make of her. Megan doesn’t smell, she’s not terribly noisy, and she’s no …
Duke's Den
Amelia’s world came crashing down when her parents separated and she was forced to relocate with her mother to a new part of town.
When Duke and Gabriella move into the suite downstairs with their menagerie of exotic animals, Amelia feels like she’s been thrown a lifeline. Helping care for the animals gives Amelia a sense of purpose, and she’s …
Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
Darren Dirkowitz thought his life was over when his tippity-top-secret alter ego, Dirk Daring, Secret Agent, was outed to the entire Preston Middle School student body. If only he’d been so lucky. Now the Wolf Lords—a gang of teen thugs bent on wringing every last penny out of Preston students—are breathing down his neck. There’s only one s …
Trouble at Impact Lake
In the thrilling third instalment in the popular Shenanigans series, Cody, Eric, and Rachel are back in the present after their time-travelling adventure and ready to return to their boring lives in the sleepy town of Sultana, Manitoba. But no sooner have they settled into their old routine than they run into a suspicious pair of divers who claim t …
Raising the Stakes
It’s the start of a new season for Harrington High’s improv team—and Chloe is determined that this will be the year they make it all the way to the top.
Chloe's teammates (who also happen to be her closest friends) are a talented bunch, and she knows they can do it. They have to. Because getting to nationals is Chloe’s best chance to prove …
Ripple Effect
Best friends Dana and Janelle had big plans for grade six. Run on the cross-country team together. Try out for volleyball. They’d even planned to be partners for the class geography project. Neither girl could have known that a biking accident would land Janelle in the hospital all summer long. Dana is convinced that everything will go back to no …
Shimmy
Lila has always wanted a career in belly dance, so she is thrilled when she is invited to join Dana Sajala’s competitive and prestigious studio.
But dancing at the new studio isn’t quite what she expected. Dana Sajala is a tough teacher, and Lila finds the constant criticism stressful. On top of that, Lila misses the dancers from her old troupe, …
Stones of Time
In their last adventure, Cody, Eric, and Rachel were clever enough to fool townspeople with a homemade "ancient Egyptian" tablet. Their exploits brought some much-needed tourism to Sultana, Manitoba, but their deception ensured they would spend the summer doing community service. While mowing the grass in the local cemetery, they stumble across som …
City Pictures
The sequel to Shirlee Smith Matheson’s critically acclaimed Prairie Pictures follows the main character, Sherri, as she is uprooted once again and forced to adjust to life in Calgary and get ready to start at yet another new school. Sherri is thrilled to instantly make a new friend in Sam, the girl next door. A year older than Sherri, Sam is happ …
City Pictures
The sequel to Shirlee Smith Matheson’s critically acclaimed Prairie Pictures follows the main character, Sherri, as she is uprooted once again and forced to adjust to life in Calgary and get ready to start at yet another new school. Sherri is thrilled to instantly make a new friend in Sam, the girl next door. A year older than Sherri, Sam is happ …
Off the Grid
Sixteen-year-old Cody was born and raised “off the grid” deep in the wilderness by idealistic parents. When his father becomes seriously ill, the family is forced to move into the city so he can get treatment. Attending high school for the first time, Cody is an oddity and has a hard time adjusting. He finds unlikely allies in DeMarco, an inner …
X Marks the Spot
A natural-born explorer, Leo loves to make maps and experiment with new ways of getting around the schoolyard. But explorers sometimes get sidetracked, which can lead to getting in trouble. When Leo’s teacher, Mr. Chang, announces he’ll be giving out an award for responsibility, Leo is determined to redeem himself. The upcoming class field trip …
Today, Maybe
Today, Maybe is a story about a little girl who is waiting for someone, a friend. She doesn't yet know who it will be.
In a series of surprising and humorous encounters, several well-known characters of children's literature arrive at her door. But none of them are the one she is waiting for, and she graciously sends them all away. With her bird to …
Best Friend Trouble
Hanna is fed up with her best friend, Lizzy, who is always trying to be better than her.
When Lizzy tells Hanna she can throw her ball farther and succeeds, it’s the last straw. Hanna is tired of feeling second best, but what she doesn’t realize is that sometimes she makes Lizzy feel that way too. Maybe there’s a way they can still be best fr …
Pierre's Friends
Pierre, a pampered pooch, misses his friends, Sparky and Lou. But how will he ever find them? They live in a park on the other side of town. Pierre has a plan, and one afternoon while Miss Murphy naps, he slips out of their apartment and sets off to bring his friends home. Along the way, Pierre meets Old Wheezer and remembers Miss Murphy’s words, …
The World Without Us
What do you do when someone you care about wants you to follow him to a really dark place? Do you pull away? Do you help plan the trip? Or do you put your own life on the line in the hope that love will coax your friend away from the precipice? When Mel meets Jeremy, she thinks she has finally found someone who understands her, someone who will lis …
Prairie Pictures
Finalist, Manitoba Young Readers’ Award
For twelve-year-old Sherri, moving is a way of life. Her family has lived in seven different places in as many years, three in the last year alone. But no place has ever been as strange as Gardin, Alberta, a ranching community right out of the Old West and struggling to accommodate new industries.
Sherri …
History in the Faking
Finalist, Silver Birch Award
Finalist, Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Awards
Finalist, New York State Reading Association Charlotte Award
Life is getting more dismal by the minute in the town of Sultana, Manitoba. Thanks to a dry season that nearly dried up the river, no one wants to camp there anymore. There aren’t enough tourists to keep the …
Prairie Pictures
For twelve-year-old Sherri, moving is a way of life. Her family has lived in seven different places in as many years, three in the last year alone. But no place has ever been as strange as Gardin, Alberta, a ranching community right out of the Old West and struggling to accommodate new industries.
Sherri makes friends with Jamie, another newcomer, w …
Ink Me
Bunny (real name Bernard) doesn't understand why his late grandfather wants him to get a tattoo. Actually, Bunny doesn't understand a lot of things, so it's good that his older brother, Spencer, is happy to explain things to him. But this is a task Bunny is supposed to do on his own, and nobody is more surprised than Bunny when, after he gets tatto …
Dirk Daring, Secret Agent
When Darren Dirkowitz's evil stepbrother (code name Waldo) gets hold of Darren's tippity-top-secret spy journal, he threatens to expose it to the entire Preston Middle School student body. Unless, that is, Darren starts doing his dirty work for him. Now Darren's got to use the oh-so-cloak-and-daggery skills he's honed in his secret alternate life a …
Double You
When Adam Murphy learns that his late, revered grandfather, David McLean, hid a huge stash of foreign cash and fake passports in the family’s cottage, he is stunned. Was Grandpa really a traitor, as some of the evidence suggests? And why was a loaded Walther PPK pistol hidden at the cottage? Determined to prove his grandfather’s innocence, Adam …
No-Matter-What Friend
This book is about the special relationship between a boy and his dog. Though the boy and his dog are growing older, they can always count on each other as special friends.
Dunces Rock
The Dunces—Josh, Magnolia, Wang and Wilmot—are back, and this time they’re going up against a formidable foe: Principal Hale, who has canceled their school’s drama and music program just when Wilmot needs it most. He has a guitar (given to him by a teen named Headcase), but no teacher and nowhere to practice (his dad hates rock ’n’ roll …
The Big Apple Effect
After a lifetime of New Age “adventures” with her weirdo hippie mom, fifteen-year-old Maddie is realizing a lifelong dream and visiting New York City. Armed with her 130-item to-do list, Maddie hits the streets of New York with her friend Anna and Anna’s brother, Thomas. Maddie drags her friends around on an epic quest for the ultimate art-sh …
