Lost in the Barrens by Farley Mowat
Summary: Falling prices in the fur trading business means Jamie must leave his boarding school in Toronto to live with his uncle in Manitoba. Enthusiastic about getting out of the city, Jamie learns about living in a more rugged setting, and volunteers to go on a hunting trip with his new friend Awasin when an Indian tribe needs some assistance filling their stores for the winter season. The eagerness of the two together gets them into trouble when they go exploring on their own and end up losing their canoe to the rapids. Lost in the treeless tundra of Canada, Jamie and Awasin must gather...
Read MoreThe White Archer by James Houston
Summary: An attack by Indians leaves Kungo with no parents and a sister who has been abducted. Rage and a need for revenge burns under his skin, but first he must become a warrior who can live off the land and care for himself. Adopted by an elderly couple with no children, Kungo receives skilled instruction and love, forming bonds with the old man and the old woman as well as the animals of the land. When he is ready, he seeks his revenge as the white archer – until a familiar face helps him take the old woman’s words about the danger of hate to heart. Number of Pages: 95 Age...
Read MoreSkraelings by Rachel and Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley
Summary: When Kannujaq finds himself in the midst of a Tuniit community under attack from the Skraelings, he uses his knowledge as an Inuit to help them end up victorious. Given the Tuniit’s history of being poor hunters, Kannujaq is not surprised they need his help, but he is surprised to find a slave and the community’s shaman are both originally Inuit. As he discovers the whole story about the Skraelings he realises the situation is more complex than he thought, and Kannujaq begins to see the bigger picture of having to share his people’s land with others. Number of...
Read MoreThe Country of Wolves by Neil Christopher and Ramon Perez
Summary: Caught on an ice floe while hunting during the spring thaw, two brothers find themselves on a long journey, crossing over into the country of wolves. Missing their families, the brothers only encounter tragedy among the wolves, but a rapid escape by the elder brother and taking down the leader of the pack put him on his way to returning to his wife. Travelling for days, he finally makes it back to her in one piece. Unfortunately, all is not as it seems. Number of Pages: 83 Age Range: 13-14 Review: A haunting story about two brothers who are taken far from home while out hunting, The...
Read MoreTrue Confessions of a Heartless Girl by Martha Brooks
Summary: Seventeen year-old Noreen hasn’t had an easy life. With a mother who is Amazing in name only and a step-father who is abusive, the best part of their marriage comes in the form of Gladys, Noreen’s step-sister. But as the years pass and when Gladys moves out to get married, Noreen starts down a path of self-destruction. Meeting and falling in love with Wesley changes things for a little bit, but at the first misunderstanding Noreen takes off, ending up in Pembina Lake among people who just might be able to help her start over and stop sabotaging herself by being more...
Read MoreQueen of Hearts by Martha Brooks
Summary: In the early 1940s, a visit from Marie-Claire’s Oncle Gérald brings more than his welcome presence, it brings tuberculosis (TB) to her family. After he is hospitalized and dies in a local sanatorium, Marie-Claire, her brother Luc, and her sister Josée all develop TB, and with their varying degrees of severity find themselves in different parts of the same sanatorium. But while Josée seems to be improving, Luc is getting worse, and Marie-Claire herself is in a holding pattern, waiting for the lesion in her lung to finally heal. As a year passes, Marie-Claire faces life from a...
Read MoreAbout Amy
Amy Mathers has been passionate about reading from a very young age, and hopes others will share her enthusiasm for funding a teen book award. Read more Follow Amy
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