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Anne of the Island (Vol3)
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$10.95In the third installment of the Anne of Green Gables series, Anne Shirley heads for Redmond College, leaving behind her rural life in Avonlea for the city of Kingsport. There she must deal with an unfortunate marriage proposal, the beginning of her writing career, and the sudden attention of Gilbert Blythe. Is Anne ready for true love?
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Broken Pieces An Orphan of the Halifax Explosion
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$17.95One hundred years ago, on December 6, 1917, the French munitions ship Mont Blanc collided with the Belgian relief vessel Imo in the Halifax Harbour. At first, a small fire broke out aboard the Mont Blanc, which grew bigger crowds of people and emergency responders linded the shores of Halifax and Dartmouth to get a better look. Suddenly, the Mont Blanc‘s explosive cargo blew up, flattening homes and businesses, and triggering a tsunami.
Amid the confusion and devastation that followed the blast was fourteen-year-old Barbara Orr, who had been walking from her neighbourhood in Richmond to a friend’s house. Follow Barbara as she navigates post-explosion Halifax, learning about rescue efforts, the kindness of strangers, and the bravery of heroes like Vincent Coleman along the way.
Part of the popular Compass series, this full-colour non-fiction book includes highlighted glossary terms, informative sidebars, over 50 illustrations and historical photographs, a detailed index, and recommended further reading. In commemoration of the tragic event’s 100th anniversary, Broken Pieces is a great resource for young readers and educators.
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Let’s Read!
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$10.95Let’s Read! brings parents, babies and books together to celebrate the joys of reading. This latest book in the popular Baby Steps series shows the many ways babies engage with books at different ages and stages, from looking and listening to pointing at pictures and choosing their bedtime books. See the foundation of reading build, from a newborn listening to their parent’s voice to a toddler excited about reading. Evocative photos of babies interacting with books and a bouncy read-aloud text will appeal to baby and parent alike. Every new parent will want Let’s Read! on their baby’s bookshelf.
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Black Water Rising
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$17.95When heavy November rains threaten to flood the small town of Black River, New Brunswick, the community calls on the hydroelectric company to open the gates of its dam and drop the water level. But local management has been overruled by their parent company and ordered to keep it closed. It’s got some people hinting it’s time they took things into their own hands.
Seventeen-year-old Stanton Frame is caught in between: his father is manager at the dam, but his girlfriend, Jessica, has joined an environmental group that’s taken an interest in the matter. With just hours until the town floods, things come to a violent clash between police and protesters. The next morning the dam has been sabotaged, Jessica is missing, and Stanton has more questions than answers.
Suspenseful and authentic, with a fine ear for the nuances of local politics and teenage sensibilities, celebrated YA author Robert Rayner’s new novel combines activism, love, and mystery.
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Sea Glass Summer
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$19.95A gentle, lyrical story about Molly, who, after moving far away, yearns to be back on the beach with her Gram, searching for sea glass. Vibrantly illustrated, this picture book explores the powerful lure of the ocean, and the meaningful treasures within.
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Cyrus Eaton Champion for Peace
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$19.95Award-winning artist Richard Rudnicki uses vibrant imagery and accessible text to tell the true story of Nobel Peace Prize-winning billionaire Cyrus Eaton. From Eaton’s roots in rural Pugwash, Nova Scotia, the book introduces a new generation to the industrious pacifist who helped make the world a safer place.
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Chasing the Phantom Ship
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$12.95Matt has two weeks left to enjoy summer with his best friends, Danny and Emma, but he has to include his younger cousin Adam. Matt’s summer takes on an unexpected adventure when he and Adam spot a burning, ghostly ship and become determined to unravel the mystery. Recruiting Danny and Emma, the four set out to find the ship, only to encounter other, very real dangers on the Northumberland Strait.
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Prisoner of Warren
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$14.95When his dad decides to hire a German prisoner-of-war to help out on their New Brunswick farm, thirteen-year-old Warren Webb is pretty sure the family is doomed. Who invites a Nazi to sleep under their roof? But Martin is not the German Warren expected. After his early attempts to get rid of Martin fail, Warren takes his dead brother Pete’s advice and finds himself learning more from his enemy than he ever expected. Soon Martin, a promising track-and-field athlete before the war, is coaching Warren for his provincial summer games race. And when a trio of local bullies threatens their lives, Warren and Martin are forced to rely on each other like never before.
In Prisoner of Warren, acclaimed children’s author Andreas Oertel captures the inner life of a thirteen-year-old boy with frankness and humour. With its 1940s rural setting, this funny, suspenseful middle-grade novel is a highly engaging look at friends, foes, and all the grey areas in between.
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Mayann’s Train Ride
Artist: Tamara Thiébaux-HeikaloPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$22.95Nine-year-old Mayann Francis and her family are travelling from their home in Cape Breton to New York City by train. Everything is exciting to young Mayann, from the beds that fold down to the stop in Montreal to visit friends. Most exciting of all is the chance to show off her brand new purse.
When the Francis family arrives in big, bustling New York City, Mayann visits with relatives, goes to the zoo, and rides the subway. She even receives a beautiful black doll, something she has never seen before. But one subway ride, she loses her beautiful purse. At first she’s heartbroken, but she just might learn a lesson that makes the whole trip worthwhile.
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Jacob’s Landing
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$12.95Coping with the recent death of his father, twelve-year-old Jacob Mosher is sent to spend the summer with his aging, estranged (and strange!) grandparents in rural Newport Landing, Nova Scotia. Reluctantly, he trades the security of his foster mum in “Upper Canada” for a blind grandfather, Frank, who dresses like a sea captain and conducts flag-raising ceremonies, and a quirky grandmother, Pearl, who sometimes forgets her dentures and has Jacob running in circles.
Jacob has two short months to figure out how to deal with his ailing grandfather, the surging Avon River tides, and the family secret that’s haunting his newfound grandparents. He didn’t expect so much danger and mystery to be lurking in tiny Newport Landing.
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Gertrude at the Beach
Artist: Dayle DodwellPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$19.95Everyone’s favourite goat, Gertrude Allawishes, is back! School is out for the summer, and Starr and her family—even Gertrude—are heading to the cottage. Starr’s mom is worried Gertrude will get into trouble. But it isn’t long before Gertrude proves she is one loyal goat and saves the day!
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Wereduck Book 1 of the Wereduck Series
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$12.95Kate’s family has told her that on her thirteenth birthday she’ll hear the “Whooooo” call of the moon, and howl back, and become a werewolf just like them. But she doesn’t want to be a werewolf. She’s always felt more like a duck. On the night of her thirteenth birthday, Kate stands near her family’s cabin in the backwoods of New Brunswick and hears the moon calling—but it sounds like more of a “Whooooo?” as in “Who are you?” and Kate does what she’s always wanted to do—she quacks. Quack, quack, quacks.
Her family tries to understand Kate’s new full-moon form, but they are busy integrating themselves with some new, edgy werewolves in town.
Engaging, hilarious, and utterly believable, Wereduck is a thrilling addition to the were-canon.
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Smallest Rabbit (new edition)
Artist: Barb MartinPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$9.95Award-winning author Joyce Barkhouse has created a wonderful story beautifully illustrated by Barbara Martin. A charming story about Smallest Rabbit’s first winter.
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Look at Me Now !
Artist: Carmen MokPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$10.95Look At Me Now! is a celebration of the many developmental milestones of toddlerhood. The book follows an 18-month-old through his day as he proudly practices new skills, like getting dressed and walking up stairs. The bouncy text has a celebratory beat that reinforces a toddler’s confidence in his new accomplishments and the charming illustrations are filled with eye-catching details that will invite lively conversation between parent and child. Toddlers will want to hear this story over and over again!
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Hullabaloo Bugaboo Day
Artist: Kelly UlrichPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$11.95Upper Millidocket Elementary School is an exceptionally lovely place to be. The children are excited to learn, the teachers are excited to teach, and the school secretary holds everything together. But when Mr. Tiggle, the principal, forgets to recite his daily poem during the morning announcements, everything goes upside down. Miss Argyle, the school secretary, disappears (and decides to stay disappeared for a while), tarantulas escape their cages, and the school comes very close to falling completely apart. A second edition of a Sheree Fitch classic with new illustrations from Kelly Ulrich.
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Butterflies Don’t Lie
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$15.95Sixteen-year-old magazine quiz junkie Kelsey Sinclair wants to make this summer unforgettable by (hopefully) seducing her secret crush, Blaine Mulder. Armed with romance advice articles, Kelsey tackles true love with scientific precision, including getting a job at the seaside restaurant that overlooks the yacht club where Blaine teaches sailing.
However, visions of rendezvous on the beach are clouded when the new kitchen guy’s laid back attitude and smouldering stare quickly get under her skin. With his renegade demeanour and unpredictable stunts, Luke is the opposite to Blaine’s golden boy reputation. Determined to follow through with her original goal, Kelsey ignores her growing attraction to Luke, certain he’s not the guy for her. But when she finally manages to get Blaine’s attention, Kelsey worries the magazines are all wrong, and that sometimes the best matches are the ones you least expect.
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Flight of the Griffons
Artist: Sydney SmithPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$19.95In Flight of the Griffons, the sequel to The Dread Crew: Pirates of the Backwoods, we follow young Missy Bullseye as she ventures from her pirate crew’s adopted Nova Scotian home base to begin probationary work terms along the road to union-certified junking. From the deep northern woods of Ontario and Quebec to the great western prairies, Missy wanders far on a secret mission—one that turns her against her own.
While tracking and spying on a blacklisted crew, Missy encounters mechanical moths, an outlawed tilt-rotor airship, a mega-pipeline, and the unexpected sound of grassland drums. What she discovers along the way is that heroes can look like villains, crimes can look like profit, and heights aren’t so bad—as long as a true-hearted pirate is holding the rope. Includes 15 full-page illustrations from artist Sydney Smith.
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Maritime Christmas Treasury
$29.95A collection of best-loved Maritime Christmas stories in one beautiful book for children. From the hilarious Gadzooks the Christmas Goose to the heartwarming A Christmas Dollhouse, each carefully selected story highlights another aspect of the Christmas season. Love, family, the natural world, and yes, even Christmas presents, are all celebrated in this gorgeous treasury.
Interspersed with the stories are classic poems and Christmas carols (including Bruce Nunn’s Bluenose version of “Twelve Days of Christmas”!), as well as beautiful and lively illustrations from a range of artists. A Maritime Christmas Treasury is sure to be cherished by Christmas lovers of all ages.
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Birchtown and the Black Loyalists
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$17.95“Although diminished in numbers, Birchtown remains a proud symbol of the struggle by Blacks in the Maritimes and elsewhere for justice and dignity.” So says the plaque at Black Loyalist Heritage Park in Birchtown, commemorating the former Black slaves who fought with the British in the American Revolutionary War to gain their freedom in the form of a small plot of land near Shelburne, Nova Scotia.
In Birchtown and the Black Loyalists, Wanda Taylor recounts the incredible story of the Black Loyalists of Birchtown for young readers. With educational and accessible language, readers are introduced to the journey of Black American soldiers taken from Africa as slaves, their quest for freedom, the settlement and struggle of Black Loyalists on Nova Scotian soil, and the enduring spirit of their descendants in spite of a history marked by hardship and loss. Includes informative sidebars, highlighted glossary terms, recommended reading, historic timeline, an index, and dozens of historical and contemporary images.
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Flying With a Broken Wing
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$12.95Cammie Deveau began life with a few strikes against her. She’s visually impaired, abandoned by her mother at birth, her father was a casualty of the Second World War—and if all that isn’t enough, she’s being raised by her bootlegging aunt. No wonder she dreams of starting a brand new life.
When Cammie learns about a school for blind and visually impaired children she becomes convinced a new life is waiting for her in Halifax, but how will she ever convince her aunt to let her go? With the help of her best friend, they devise a plan to blow up the local moonshiner’s still. But Cammie has not managed to change her luck, and things get worse than she ever imagined.
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King of Keji
Artist: Patsy MacKinnonPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$12.95Jacob’s brother, Ben, is always king of the castle. Jacob is tired of being the dirty rascal!
Jacob and his grandfather decide to set out on a camping trip to Nova Scotia’s Kejimkujik National Park. There, they find lots of hidden treasure fit for a king, like emeralds (the green of a hemlock’s foliage), amber (the eyes of a deer), and diamonds (in the sky).
Jacob even builds himself a crown, and it isn’t long before Gramps declares Jacob the King of Keji!
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Baby Talk
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$8.95Baby Talk is the third book in the Baby Steps series. Each book in the series focuses on a key developmental stage in baby’s first year. Babies love to communicate with the ones they love. With its modern twist on classic nursery rhymes, Baby Talk gives families the opportunity to have fun with sounds and words that are the building blocks of early language. Baby Talk will encourage baby’s first words in a fun and playful way.
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There Were Monkeys in My Kitchen (pb)
Artist: Sydney SmithPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$12.95Willa Wellowby’s house has been overrun by monkeys. They’re ballet dancing, playing the bagpipes, listening to the Beatles, and causing mayhem and destruction all over the house and yard. And the more Willa asks them to leave, the more havoc they wreak. She calls the police, the RCMP, the FBI, and Scotland Yard to get rid of these monkeys…but when the Mounties finally show up, it’s Willa who’s in trouble!
First published in 1992, There Were Monkeys in My Kitchen won the Canadian Children’s Book Centre Mr. Christie Award for Best Canadian Children’s book, ages 8 and under. This new softcover edition will introduce the bestselling book to a whole new generation.
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Buried Secrets at Louisbourg
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$12.95Fred has had a rough summer. His secret crush on Mai is going strong, his mother has barely recovered from a battle with cancer, and his unreliable father’s diving business has gone completely underwater.
Now Fred, Mai, and Grace, extraordinary fossil hunters, are at the Fortress of Louisbourg hunting a different kind of treasure. They are secretly excavating the historic site, trying to find a mass of jewels Fred’s ancestor may have buried there—jewels that could save Fred’s family.
But Fred uncovers far more than he bargained for, including a dangerous plot that could leave Fred’s family in even more serious trouble.
The young detectives from the bestselling The Fossil Hunter of Sydney Mines shine in this fast-paced mystery for middle readers.
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Singily Skipping Along
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$19.95Kidlit heavyweight Sheree Fitch of River John and world-renowned rug hooking artist Deanne Fitzpatrick of Amherst have teamed up to create a kids’ book about body movement called Singily Skipping Along .Fitzpatrick’s rugs are on sale in an online auction (singilyskipping.ca) with all proceeds going toward L’Arche Atlantic, which is dedicated to homes, programs and support networks for people who have intellectual disabilities.“I didn’t want those rugs to get sold off one by one. I wanted something special to happen to them,” says Fitzpatrick.The rugs, each 38 centimetres by 38 centimetres, are “about being in the moment, about play.”
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My Goat Gertrude
Artist: Dayle DodwellPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$12.95Starr Dobson is a little girl living in a big, rambling house in the country with her family and lots of pets–including a mischievous goat, Gertrude Allawishes, who is known for eating anything and everything. One day Starr’s cousin Leanne comes to visit, but this time, she’s only brought one chocolate bar and doesn’t want to share with Starr. Before either Starr or Leanne realize what is happening, Gertrude arrives and solves the problem! Although names have been changed to protect certain cousins (who usually shared their chocolate just fine), Starr’s account of Gertrude Allawishes and her bizarre tastes is absolutely true! Now available in a softcover edition.
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I Spy a Bunny
Artist: Richard RudnickiPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$12.95Mandy and her Aunt Carla are spending the day at White Point Beach. They are playing I Spy, but Mandy is too busy climbing rocks, building sandcastles, and watching surfers to find the white-nosed bunny rabbit Aunt Carla spies.
This is a wonderful book for anyone who loves Nova Scotia beaches, bright colours, and bunny rabbits!
Now available in softcover.
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A Bluenose Twelve Days of Christmas
Artist: Doretta GroenendykPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$17.95On the fifth day of Christmas,
My true love gave to me
Five Highland flings!
Four coal seams,
Three lobster traps,
Two fiddle tunes,
And a Bluenose in at Pier Three.“The Twelve Days of Christmas” gets a taste of Nova Scotian revelry in this energetic retelling by storyteller Bruce Nunn. With Doretta Groenendyk’s charming and funny illustrations, readers young and old will want to read–and sing!–this version of the carol every Christmas.
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Baby Play
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$9.95Playing with baby is a bit like a dance-a joyful, back-and-forth rhythm. Baby Play gets the fun rolling with this loving look at baby’s day. Babies will love listening to the bouncy rhythm and rhyme of the text and looking at the bright, bold photos of a baby and family. This is the perfect board book for new parents, baby programs, and baby shower gifts. Extra information for parents is also available through the web link provided on the book’s back cover. Baby Play is the first book in a new series, “Baby Steps”. Each book in the series will focus on a key developmental stage in baby’s first year.
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Up Home
Artist: Susan TookePublisher: Nimbus Publishing$12.95Happy memories sparkle in this journey through poet Shauntay Grant’s childhood visits to North Preston, Nova Scotia. Her words bring to life the sights, sounds, rhythms, and people of a joyful place, while Susan Tooke’s vibrant illustrations capture the warmth of one of Canada’s most important black communities. Up Home celebrates the magic of growing up, and the power in remembering our roots now in a new softcover edition.
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Time Flies When You’re Chasing Spies A Halifax Mystery
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$12.95Andrew’s mother, Marion, works for Epsom Electronics, a security company that makes high-tech spy gear to keep world leaders safe. When she goes missing on the eve of a G8 summit in Halifax, Andrew and his father work desperately to find her. Luckily, Andrew and his best friend, both thirteen, are no strangers to danger, and they follow Andrew’s instincts-which run directly counter to the instructions his father gave him.When the two friends are nearly caught in a huge explosion at Citadel Hill, Andrew realizes his mother could be in even deeper trouble than he thought. Enlisting help from a credulous news reporter, the boys chase clues all over the HRM, narrowly avoiding serious harm on many occasions.Finally, they finally uncover a top-secret assassination plot-but are they just in time, or just a little too late?
