Plunge
Cade's dad thinks triathlons are for wimps.
He doesn't think it's a real sport and wishes Cade would play football instead, like his older brother, Trent. So Cade trains in secret and qualifies to compete in the provincial championship in Sylvan Lake. The night before the event, Cade's coach suddenly can't go, and Cade is forced to ask his dad for a …
Show Mode
Adina has always wanted to be a part of the annual fashion show at her school for the arts.
Now that Adina is finally in the ninth grade, she and her friends can audition. She knows their act could be perfect. They've got great music, gorgeous costumes and wicked dance moves. But Willow is being her usual flaky self, and Sandra's getting touchy. May …
Jungle Jitters
Even though he's secretly terrified of deep water and all the scary things that swim below, Tate wants to shake his boring reputation, so he agrees to travel with his class up the Amazon River to help build a village school.
But there are even scarier things than anacondas lurking in the jungles of South America, and Tate soon learns of the legend o …
Bullies Rule
Daniel Abel is surprised when, instead of being punished for "pantsing" another eighth-grader, he is invited to become an ambassador of Mountview High at the school's upcoming open house.
What Daniel doesn't realize is that he is part of a social experiment on bullying being conducted by the local university. He is a little nervous to learn he will …
Quiz Queens
Jane has no interest in boys.
Jane's mom, Sherry, has brought home so many creeps over the years that Jane has decided to focus for the next five years on her studies. Her best friend, the boy-crazy Kiara, is obsessed with online quizzes and convinces Jane to help her create a questionnaire that will determine whether muscular Liam or Omar with the …
Food Freak
It really seems like Dani's dad has gone around the bend.
Ever since Dani's mother died of cancer, all her dad does is stand around on street corners with his crazy signs, proclaiming that processed foods mean the end of the world. The Food Freak, as he is known, has already scared away all of Dani's friends at her old school. But it's a new year, a …
Death Drop
On his way to baseball practice, Zeke lines up for Vancouver's newest thrill ride: Death Drop, an elevator that falls faster than gravity.
The theme of the ride is based on the story of Persephone, who tumbled into the underworld. Zeke tumbles into a frightening situation himself after he discovers a little girl who is lost. He takes her to the Deat …
Billboard Express
Elle has come to Nashville to become a star.
She has what it takes, but her agent and all the label executives want to change everything about her—her hair, her body, her clothes and, most important, her music. So Elle becomes a blond, sings about cookin' for her man and wears tiny shorts and revealing tank tops. Then a chance meeting with an esta …
Shatterproof
Thirteen-year-old Nate needs a break from looking after his newly disabled mom.
One day when Nate's mom thinks he's at a cross-country meet, he goes to the mall with a friend he's forbidden to have contact with. At the skate shop he sees a new board he can't afford but has to have, and Nate gets talked into running a scam. It turns out Nate looks a …
High Note
Is landing a role worth losing a best friend?
Hailey McEwan has many interests—soccer, field hockey, animation. She'd probably never have started singing if her best friend, Crissy, hadn't persuaded her to take singing lessons and join her choir. No one had any idea that Hailey would be such a natural, least of all Hailey herself. A shared love of …
Gang Tackle
After budget cuts force the Southside Saints football team to disband, Jamal and his friends have to settle for playing pickup on the hardscrabble field behind their high school.
Then the president of a sporting goods company offers to donate $20,000 worth of equipment to the team. There's only one catch: he wants to be the coach. Thrilled to have a …
Across the Floor
Luc Waldon always figured he knew what his passion was: football.
Luc lives it, he breathes it—and he thinks he has what it takes to go all the way to the NFL. So when his football coach orders him to sign up for contemporary-dance classes to improve his game, Luc's less than thrilled. When he realizes that dance might actually be his true passion …
Bungee Jump
Thirteen-year-old Chris and his family are setting up a bungee jump in his backyard.
It's a real large-scale bungee jump off a bridge that connects his backyard to a small island owned by his family. Not only is it going to be the coolest attraction around, but it also provides Chris with an opportunity to watch a real engineer in action. Chris woul …
The Commons
Between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries, most of the English common lands were enclosed—taken, by force, out of the hands of local collective use and privatized. The resistance to capitalism’s “primitive accumulation,” registered in recurring peasant revolts, failed to stem this tide of what we now call “privatization”—but it s …
Terra Preta
A thorough look at the many benefits of the ultra-fertile soil called terra preta and instructions on how to make it.
Terra preta, meaning “black earth” in Portuguese, is a very dark, fertile soil first made by the original inhabitants of the Amazon Basin at least 2,500 years ago. According to a growing community of international scientists, t …
Camp Disaster
Charlotte Summers is sure that summer camp is going to be a disaster.
And she’s right. But it’s not as disastrous for her as it is for her counselor, Abby. Abby has no control over the girls in her charge. The control is held by the cabin’s mean girl. Charlotte realizes that she could tip the balance of power and unseat the bully, but does she …
Leggings Revolt
Eric and his buddies have left behind their all boys school to attend high school with girls.
Eager to find his place in this exciting new world, Eric joins the student life committee, unaware that he is expected to enforce the school’s strict dress code. The dress code is particularly harsh on the girls he is keen to get to know. Eric finds this …
Centerville
Basketball-crazy Jake Burnett is thrilled to be leaving home to attend the prestigious Centerville Prep.
It’s an opportunity to pursue his hoop dreams at the highest level. But things aren’t quite as advertised at his new school, and Jake soon finds himself struggling both on and off the court. At first, Jake is determined to play harder and ign …
Yves Saint Laurent Coloring Book
Adult colouring books (such as Secret Garden) have exploded in popularity in recent years, embraced for their calming, therapeutic effect. This elegant, imaginative colouring book explores the dynamic, fanciful creations of iconic fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent, who headed the House of Dior at the age of twenty-one before launching his own des …
Lost
Key Selling Points
- Lost is the fourth adventure featuring Sam and Annabel following Stolen, Bones and Gold, also in the Orca Currents line.
- Enhanced features (dyslexia-friendly font, cream paper, larger trim size) to increase reading accessibility for dyslexic and other striving readers.
On Cue
Can Randi find a way to make it all work out?
Randi wants to be an actress and is excited about practicing her craft in drama class. So she is devastated to learn the program has been cut. When her friends put together a successful proposal to have drama class taught as an extracurricular activity, Randi is thrilled—until reality sinks in. Extracu …
Odd One Out
"There's a person here, Roof. You need to come home."
"Here where? In the house? You let a stranger in the house?"
"Well she's just a girl. Or like a young woman or whatever."
My phone was fading again. It does that. Mom got it as a cheap add-on to her own cell.
Or: Maybe the stranger had her hands around Josie's throat?
Every single lesson we'd been ta …
Breaking Big
Will his big break kill his career before it even starts
Robin’s got everything it takes to be a principal dancer: the body, the feet, the strength and the passion. But his devil-may-care attitude plays havoc with discipline at the Premier Dance School. One more prank may be one too many. That’s why everyone is shocked when he’s the only stude …
At Ease
At fifteen, Will already knows he wants to spend his life playing classical violin.
When Will is invited to take part in a summer program for young musicians, he realizes it is a chance to make his dream a reality. But years of playing only for Mr. Jorgensen, his elderly neighbor and mentor, haven’t prepared Will for what will happen when he steps …
Betting Game
Jack’s a star player on an elite soccer team along with his brother, Alex.
The Lancers are on top of the league, even favored to win the National Championship. But the game’s about to change. A slick bookie wins Jack’s friendship and introduces him to illegal betting. Before long, Jack is hooked on the adrenaline rush, and early wins convince …
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 …
Bad Business
Lindy has been working hard cleaning and doing odd jobs around the neighborhood to earn money for a trip to the Arctic.
When Mrs. Naulty, an elderly client, mistakenly pays her a huge amount of money, Lindy keeps it to pay the early-bird rate for her trip. It’s only when a schoolmate learns what she did and starts blackmailing her that Lindy start …
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, …
Learning the Ropes
Mandy dreams of a career in the circus, working as an aerialist who specializes in rope climbing.
When Mandy is accepted into the prestigious Montreal Circus College summer program, she feels that she is finally on her way to fulfilling her dreams. At circus camp she is befriended—and challenged—by young circus performers from around the world. …
Eye Sore
The last thing Chaz wants is to spend his summer working on his father’s Eye, a Ferris wheel with glass-bottomed gondolas set up to view scenic North Vancouver.
For one thing, Chaz would prefer to pursue his own passion: dance in the style of the late, great Gene Kelly. More importantly, Chaz suffers from vertigo, and even the thought of the Eye m …
Off the Rim
Dylan’s wish comes true when Coach Scott names him to the starting lineup for the Mountview High Hunters’ first game of the playoffs.
But just when Dylan should be concentrating on basketball, he becomes the target of some off-court aggression. As he’s driving his girlfriend, Jenna, home one night, a black pickup truck tries to run them off th …
The Frail Days
Sixteen-year-old drummer Stella, guitarist Jacob and bassist Miles need a wild singer for their old-school rock band.
When they discover nerdy Tamara Donnelly, who nails the national anthem at a baseball game, Stella is not convinced Tamara’s sound is right for the band. Stella wants to turn Tamara into a rock goddess, but Tamara proves to be a co …
