Ontario

The Unwritten Girl by James Bow

Posted by on Aug 4, 2014 in Book Reviews, Ontario | 0 comments

Summary: When Rosemary stops reading yet another fiction book, the characters in the stories she has discarded fight back by kidnapping her brother, Theo, and holding him hostage in the book world. With Puck as her guide, Rosemary and her new friend Peter go after him, making their way through challenge after challenge before they reach the villain and figure out what they need to do to rescue Theo. Along the way they learn about the characteristics of good story-telling, and enjoy revisiting previously read books. Confronting Marjorie, the mastermind behind the kidnapping, reveals if...

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Sorrow’s Knot by Erin Bow

Posted by on Aug 3, 2014 in Book Reviews, Ontario | 0 comments

Summary: Born to the pinch’s binder, Willow, Otter is even more powerful than her mother when it comes to binding the dead with knots. But when Willow rejects Otter as her successor, events conspire to place Otter in a position where she must become binder anyway. Her friends Kestral and Cricket have different roles in the pinch, but their combined knowledge helps the three unravel why the White Hands are haunting their people, and how it all began. Cricket’s openness as second storyteller gets him banished from the pinch though, and Kestral and Otter go after him hoping they are...

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Hockey Girl by Natalie Hyde

Posted by on Aug 2, 2014 in Book Reviews, Ontario | 0 comments

Summary: When Tara’s championship-winning baseball team finds themselves in their off-season, a goading dare from a local boys hockey team nudges them into becoming hockey players. While they have the skills, the politics behind playing on a girls hockey team quickly become apparent as they face one obstacle after another: the loss of their coach, limited ice time and outrageous practice hours. As the dare becomes a bet that involves having the highest standings in their respective leagues, Tara and her friends face extra discrimination as they must fight for the right just to play the...

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Signs of Martha by Sarah Raymond

Posted by on Aug 1, 2014 in Book Reviews, Ontario | 0 comments

Summary: Living in Putnam, Ontario, sixteen year-old Martha is caught between a potentially premature marriage and wanting to pursue her dreams of being an artist. For the summer, Martha is harvesting a cucumber crop with her friend Bernie, but when a woman named Velvet rolls into town painting unique signs for her customers, Martha is drawn to her like a moth to a flame. Under Velvet’s influence, Martha finds her voice, revealing hidden truths around town that have previously gone unsaid through her own signs. Velvet invites an art critic to town to view Martha’s work and Martha...

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Until Today by Pam Fluttert

Posted by on Jul 31, 2014 in Book Reviews, Ontario | 0 comments

Summary: For as long as she can remember, Kat has been harbouring a terrible secret: her father’s best friend has been manipulating her and abusing her since she was little. Volunteering in a children’s hospital where she encounters Taylor, a girl dealing with physical abuse, Kat becomes inspired by her bravery in telling others who is to blame. With a family that labels her as a troublemaker, Kat is understandably hesitant to reveal the truth, fearing no one will believe her. But when Greg, her abuser slips up, others start to question the nature of their relationship and Kat...

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What We Hide by Marthe Jocelyn

Posted by on Jul 30, 2014 in Book Reviews, Ontario | 0 comments

Summary: After receiving their draft notices to fight in the Vietnam War, Tom and his friend Matt take very different paths. Matt’s family encourages him to serve his country, while Tom’s family frantically searches for a loophole, finding one in the education clause. Tom and his sister Jenn are sent to England to go to school, hiding far away from the reality of war, and in the process end up meeting several colourful characters at Jenny’s boarding school with secrets of their own to hide. Number of Pages: 275 Age Range: 15-17 Review: A full-length novel, What We Hide by...

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