National Network for Equitable Library Service

The captivating story of how the Blue Camas, a flower that has been cultivated on Canada's west coast since time immemorial, came to symbolize the meeting of two contrasting ways of life and the perseverance of traditional knowledge against all odds. Blue Camas, Blue Camas tells the story of a flower that is native to the Northwest Coast of North America. For thousands of years, it has been considered a sacred and valuable plant by the Indigenous Peoples of this region, who harvested and traded Blue Camas bulbs all along the west coast.

A thirteen-year-old boy finds a pocket watch linked to a local legend about a lost treasure. Theo is happy spending his summer searching the river for treasure. Even if he mostly just finds empty cans and fishing lures. But when he discovers a pocket watch in the waters beneath a bridge that's said to be haunted, he is sure his luck has changed. Theo soon learns that the pocket watch is linked to a local legend about a ghost and buried treasure. Theo is determined to solve this mystery and posts his progress online.

"A profound, realistic story of a multiracial family...This brilliantly written tale is a lovely introduction to the important topics of wildfires and animal sanctuaries for young readers. Great for animal lovers and children curious about nature."—School Library Journal, starred review. On returning to their home after a massive wildfire, nine-year-old Jasmin and her seven-year-old brother, Hunter, thought the biggest surprise would be whether their fire-resistant house had survived. Jasmin and Hunter did not expect to find an orphaned bear cub stuck in the neighbors' well.

Transgender teen Ichiro enters a drag contest in hopes of earning enough money to live off the grid. Ichiro is a transgender youth in his final year of high school. He has a job as a dishwasher to earn money to help support his single mother. But it's not enough. Ichiro dreams of buying a camper van for the two of them so they can escape and live off the grid and not have to worry about money anymore. A budding drag queen, he takes a second job performing drag at a local club and learns of an upcoming contest where the prize money would be enough to pay for a camper van.

Winner, Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize (BC Book Prizes) — Longlisted for the Dublin IMPAC Literary Award. A sharp and gritty novel told in multiple voices, Anatomy of a Girl Gang is the powerful story of a gang of teenage girls in Vancouver called the Black Roses, a.k.a.

A great book for children by the author of the perennial bestseller, The Curve of Time. A charming story for children aged 6 to 8, in which a slightly mixed-up young killer whale loses his mother but finds a friend—a pink-toed seagull named Timothy, who is full of good advice but doesn't manage to keep Henry out of trouble as they explore the BC coast together.

A massive earthquake forces Amy and her estranged half-sister to work together to survive. Amy is happy it's the last day of school...until a huge earthquake hits. She's surprised that it's Mara, her half-sister, who finally comes for her, since they hardly know each other. There's no word from any of their parents, and their homes have been destroyed. So Amy and Mara set out on a perilous journey from their suburb into the city to search for their parents. As they walk day and night, the scope of the horrific destruction becomes clear.

Harold Macy's newest book, a collection of short stories depicting life in British Columbia, resonates with the land and the people who inhabit it. Whether he's chronicling the death song of a Douglas fir, the brassy orchestra of trumpeter swans, or the sweet sap symphony of a tapped maple, Harold Macy contemplates the beauty of all that British Columbia has to offer with graceful lyricism and appreciation for the natural world, highlighting the particular magic of the West Coast.

"In this new collection Gaston's range is so wide, his technique so masterful, his tenderness, humour and intelligence so finely measured that he stops my heart."—Barbara Gowdy. A Mariner's Guide to Self Sabotage is populated by the lonely and alienated, holders of secrets, members (or would-be members) of shadowy organizations, screw-ups, joyriders and runaways.

Frida, and her husband Blake have chosen not to have children. Concentrating on her artistic career instead, Frida has mostly managed to accept this difficult decision while putting her own traumatic childhood behind her. That is, until a stranger knocks on their door with a child she insists is Blake's daughter. From that moment on their fragile marriage, their lives are devastatingly changed forever.