National Network for Equitable Library Service

A fun-for-all-ages collection of over thirty spooky stories in settings across Western Canada. When friends and family gather around a campfire, good times and scary stories are sure to follow. In Campfire Stories of Western Canada, Barbara Smith, the author of twenty books of true ghost stories from across Canada, presents a creepy collection of tales tailor-made for your family’s next foray into the British Columbia or Alberta wilderness. Suitable for campers aged eight to eighty, these tales combine truth and local legend with truly bone-chilling results.

Sisters Jennifer and Sarah were once part of a happy, stable family, but their idyllic life comes to an abrupt halt with the death of their mother. Unable to cope with his grief and the needs of his two young daughters, their father finds comfort in alcohol, gets fired from his job, and loses his grip on his family. As twelve-year-old Jennifer approaches maturity, she starts to develop a tough exterior, especially when she attracts unwelcome attention from one of her father’s friends.

Yax is too young to accompany his father on a trading expedition and must stay at home with his mother and his younger sister. Disappointed, he goes off to practise his spear-throwing. When he loses his spear, he thinks he is old enough to go into the forest to look for it, even though he has been warned about the dangers that await children who wander into the woods alone . . .In this, her second book inspired by First Nations’ stories, author and illustrator Caroll Simpson tells how the first mosquito came to be.

Julia and Ruth have been unlikely best friends since they first met in Sunday school: Ruth was standing on the Bible-crafts table belting out "Jesus Loves Me." Now that they're a year away from graduation, they're putting the finishing touches on their getaway plans. But their dream of a funky big-city loft and rich, interesting older men is threatened when preacher's daughter Ruth goes to a wild party without studious Julia, and all hell breaks loose. Ruth gets pregnant; Julia gets creative.

Trevor, Nick and Robyn are hot on the trail of the sandwich thief when they learn that more than food has gone missing at school. A valuable hockey book has been stolen from the library, and the librarian might lose her job if it isn’t found. Who would steal a hockey book? Could it be Robyn’s arch-nemesis and hockey enthusiast, Cray? Or could it be the Oilers fan, Ms. Thorson? The kids are determined to solve these mysteries even though their sleuthing efforts land them in trouble at every turn.

Dan Hogg is thrilled when his uncle offers him work at a food fair. He wants money to hire a professional trainer to help him with his scrawny physique. Dan’s excitement vanishes when he learns that the job involves dressing up in a hotdog costume. Every dark cloud has its silver lining, he discovers, when he, or rather Frank Lee Better, his mascot persona, gains the admiration of a pretty girl names Brooke. The attention is great until Dan finds himself under attack.

Laurel se découvre une passion pour le journalisme d'investigation. Pour écrire un article-choc, elle mène une enquête sur une triche à son école. Elle découvre que la tricherie est généralisée—beaucoup plus qu'elle ne l'avait imaginé. Aveugle à toute autre préoccupation, Laurel est prête à perdre ses amies pour tirer cette histoire au clair. Mais son ultime découverte change tout.

Lorsque le directeur de l'école annonce une nouvelle politique relative aux uniformes, les amis d'Ian font pression sur lui pour qu'il s'y oppose. Sa meilleure amie Julia l'incite fortement à protester, mais le directeur est également déterminé à convaincre Ian que les uniformes sont une bonne chose. Ian ne veut pas s'en mêler—pour commencer. Puis il fait une découverte qui l'oblige à prendre position—peu importe le prix à payer.

Fifteen-year-old Christine is visiting her eccentric great-aunt in historic Witcombe, where a pickpocket has been victimizing tourists. Aunt Maude owns an antique store and also runs the town’s ghost walk, which gives Christine the opportunity to meet local characters and visitors, including a mysterious young man who seems to know far too much about the crimes. When the pickpocket targets Aunt Maude’s store, Christine is determined to find out who is behind the thefts.

After a lifetime of New Age “adventures” with her weirdo hippie mom, fifteen-year-old Maddie is realizing a lifelong dream and visiting New York City. Armed with her 130-item to-do list, Maddie hits the streets of New York with her friend Anna and Anna’s brother, Thomas. Maddie drags her friends around on an epic quest for the ultimate art-show outfit, oblivious to the fact that they don’t share her passion for vintage clothing. Three days into the trip, the arrival of Maddie’s mother threatens to derail the entire adventure.