Manitoba

Sandbag Shuffle by Kevin Marc Fournier

Posted by on Aug 23, 2014 in Book Reviews, Manitoba | 0 comments

Summary: When Owen and Andrew are evacuated from their North Dakota group home during the Red River Flood of 1997, they take the opportunity to skip town and start their lives over on their own terms in Canada. With charm, smarts, and the skills of teenage con-artists, Owen and Andrew make their way across Manitoba by tugging on heartstrings with Owen’s missing legs and taking advantage of people. Humourous situations ensue, but underneath everything Owen and Andrew end up contributing their help to a province in need as the flood continues. Number of Pages: 206 Age Range: 13-15...

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The World Outside by Eva Wiseman

Posted by on Aug 22, 2014 in Book Reviews, Manitoba | 0 comments

Summary: As seventeen year-old Chanie works on completing her last year of high school, a chance encounter with a non-orthodox Jewish guy while performing Outreach introduces her to the world outside of her tight-knit Hasidic community. Despite being forbidden to hang out with members of the opposite sex alone, Chanie and David start meeting in secret, opening Chanie up to his influence. When David hears her sing, he encourages Chanie to apply to Juilliard to study music instead of becoming a teacher in her community. At odds with her family, Chanie feels the pull of wanting to pursue her...

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The McGillicuddy Book of Personal Records by Colleen Sydor

Posted by on Aug 21, 2014 in Book Reviews, Manitoba | 0 comments

Summary: Obsessed with breaking a world record, Lee McGillicuddy makes attempts on several different records unsuccessfully. After the latest attempt gives him sunstroke, Lee remains more determined than ever, forcing himself to walk the Manitoba Marathon, a thirty-five kilometre journey. Despite his failures, Lee is hopeful, until he comes to the abrupt realisation that some people are born talented as opposed to having to work to put their names in the record books. He becomes discouraged, but encouragement from his friend Rhonda (call me Ron) ends up leading to a situation that will test...

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Karma by Cathy Ostlere

Posted by on Aug 20, 2014 in Book Reviews, Manitoba | 0 comments

Summary: With one parent who is Sikh and one who is Hindu, Maya (Jiva) is caught in the middle with two names and conflicting beliefs about God and life. As the only Indians living in rural town of Elsinore, Manitoba, the culture isolation hits Maya’s mother the most, leading her into depression and suicide. In response, her father takes Maya back to India, but it’s 1984 and prime minister Indira Gandhi is about to be assassinated, plunging the country into a violent rampage against Sikhs. Maya and her father are separated during the riots, each believing the other is dead, and...

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Sworn Enemies by Carol Matas

Posted by on Aug 19, 2014 in Book Reviews, Manitoba | 0 comments

Summary: In the 1800s, the Czar of Russia plans to convert Jews by forcing them to enlist in the army. Each community has a quota to fill, and those who are reluctant to give up their boys to the military find they can be kidnapped by khappers; men hired to force them to do their twenty-five years of service. If families can afford to pay, their sons will be safe, but Zev, a khapper, has a personal vendetta against Aaron, a scholar, and abducts him anyway. Suddenly, Aaron’s bright future of discussing the Torah and marrying Miriam, the love of his life, becomes a future of having to...

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After the War by Carol Matas

Posted by on Aug 18, 2014 in Book Reviews, Manitoba | 0 comments

Summary: When World War II ends, Ruth is left to pick up the pieces of her shattered life. As a Jew who survived the Holocaust, Ruth searches for her lost family members among a sea of displaced persons trying to find each other and a new purpose. Israel is the promised land in more ways than one, and Ruth’s motivation to join those on this exodus from Poland comes from being enlisted to the cause as opposed to religious fervour. Along the way, Ruth slowly faces the horrors she has experienced, watching the reactions of others while dealing with her own, searching like everyone else...

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