Aggie And Mudgy

Based on the true story of the author’s biological mother and aunt, this middle-grade novel traces the long and frightening journey of two Kaska Dena sisters as they are taken from their home to attend residential school. When Maddy discovers an old photograph of two little girls in her grandmother’s belongings, she wants to know who they are. Nan reluctantly agrees to tell her the story, though she is unsure if Maddy is ready to hear it. The girls in the photo, Aggie and Mudgy, are two Kaska Dena sisters who lived many years ago in a remote village on the BC–Yukon border. Like countless Indigenous children, they were taken from their families at a young age to attend residential school, where they endured years of isolation and abuse. As Nan tells the story, Maddy asks many questions about Aggie and Mudgy’s 1,600-kilometre journey by riverboat, mail truck, paddlewheeler, steamship, and train, from their home to Lejac Residential School in central BC. Nan patiently explains historical facts and geographical places of the story, helping Maddy understand Aggie and Mudgy’s transitional world. Unlike many books on this subject, this story focuses on the journey toresidential school rather than the experience of attending the school itself. It offers a glimpse into the act of being physically uprooted and transported far away from loved ones. Aggie and Mudgy captures the breakdown of family by the forces of colonialism, but also celebrates the survival and perseverance of the descendants of residential school survivors to reestablish the bonds of family. Winner, 2022 City of Victoria Children's Book Prize Winner, 2022 Jeanne Clarke Regional History Award Shortlisted, 2022/23 First Nations Communities READ Award Nominated, 2022 Rocky Mountain Book Award

Little Wolf, grown up with children of her own, moves to the country where her mother, White Raven, shares a sad story from her childhood. All grown up with a family of her own, Little Wolf moves from the big city to the island of her ancestors. She wants to share the beauty and mysteries of nature with her children, and she wants them to learn as much about their culture as possible. One day, Little Wolf’s mother, White Raven, visits and begins to tell her grandchildren stories from her own childhood. But the stories are not happy ones. As a child, White Raven left her family to attend St. Michael’s Residential School in Alert Bay, BC. While there, she experienced hunger, loneliness, shame, and isolation from her language and her culture. Even years later, as a grown woman and Elder, she has nightmares about her time at the school. But by sharing her story with Little Wolf and her grandchildren, White Raven begins to heal and brings the family closer together. Through simple, heartfelt text and vivid illustrations that combine contemporary and traditional Indigenous motifs, White Raven is an engaging teaching tool as well as a relatable narrative about the impact of intergenerational trauma on families. Based on the author’s own life and her mother’s residential school experience, the central message of this book is one of healing and family unity.

A young Indigenous girl moves to the big city and learns to find connections to her culture and the land wherever she goes, despite encountering bullies and feelings of isolation along the way. When Little Wolf moves to the big city with her mom and sister, she has difficulty adjusting to their new life. She misses living close to nature and seeing animals wherever she goes, and she misses fishing with her grandfather and seeing dolphins leaping beside their boat. Most of all, she misses feeling connected to her culture. At school, Little Wolf has trouble fitting in. Although her class has kids from many different cultures, no one is Heiltsuk, like her. The other kids call her names and make her feel unwelcome. Her only defence is to howl like a wolf so they run away. But this only isolates her further. Gradually, Little Wolf starts to see the beauty in her new surroundings. She discovers that there is wildlife everywhere, even in the big city. An otter swims beside her as she walks on the seawall. A chickadee chirps in a tree in the big park near her house. And her mother helps her stay connected to their culture by signing them up for beading and dance classes. Despite the difficult start, Little Wolf grows up proud of her background and ready to face the future. This inspiring tale, the first in a trilogy, combines traditional and contemporary Indigenous themes and artwork.

Matt, a white quarterback from Montreal, Quebec, flies to France (without his parents’ permission) to play football and escape family pressure. Freeman, a black football player from San Antonio, Texas, is in Paris on a school trip when he hears about a team playing American football in a rough, low-income suburb called Villeneuve-La-Grande. Matt and Free join the Diables Rouges and make friends with the other players, who come from many different ethnic groups. Racial tension erupts into riots in Villeneuve when some of their Muslim teammates get in trouble with the police, and Matt and Free have to decide whether to get involved and face the very real risk of arrest and violence.

"An engaging look at how the animals, people, and seasons within an ecosystem are intertwined. To the Gitxsan people of Northwestern British Columbia, the eagle is an integral part of the natural landscape. Together, they share the land and forests that the Skeena River runs through, as well as the sockeye salmon within it. Follow the eagle mother as she teaches her eaglets what they need to survive on their own. The Mothers of Xsan series uses striking illustration and lyrical language to bring the poetry of the Xsan ecosystem to life."--

Cole Fennety doesn't know it, but he is about to have the strangest summer of his life. His boss, Sam Kerrigan, is the meanest man in town. But beneath Sam's crusty exterior lies a kind heart - as well as a terrible secret that forces Cole to face questions to which there are no easy answers.

Sarah and her mother become the recipients of an unusual inheritance. A home of their own sounds too good to be true but the conditions that come with it are strange indeed.

Scarlett's lost a lot. Her mother, dead from cancer. Her friends, who have no idea what to say. And now her Dad, who has found someone new. Then, on a park bench on a cold and windy evening, she discovers Hayden. Hayden is the life and soul. He makes her laugh and he sees her pain. She dives into his life - heaving parties, sweaty raves ... and worse. The only thing that matters now is him and her: but all is not as it seems. Scarlett embarks on a long and difficult emotional journey ...