National Network for Equitable Library Service

When a circus train derails in Toronto in 1925, a lion escapes and finds shelter in High Park, a four-hundred-acre park in the west end of the city. No one knows about the creature except for Sadie Menken, the feisty daughter of a pie-maker. As various squirrels, dogs and an expensive peacock meet unfortunate ends, and the park "beast" is spotted by visitors, the lion's presence draws the attention of the authorities. Can Sadie save the lion? Can she resist the temptation to try to make a pet of a creature that is wild at heart?

Thirteen-year-old Jewel has been holding her life together ever since her older sister, Charmaine, suddenly left home with no forwarding address. She tried to find Charmaine once, but that only brought her family to the attention of the police. Now Jewel keeps her head down at school, looks after her special-needs brother as well as she can, tries to steer clear of her parents and their shady friends. Until one of her father's friends comes into her bedroom at night, and finally Jewel understands why Charmaine had to leave home.

When eleven-year-old Becca returns to her grandmother's rustic cottage for another summer, she finds herself seeing her beloved island in new ways. A hunting owl mistakes a bobbing ponytail for prey. A cozy sleepover on the beach takes on the tinges of a nightmare when a family of river otters shows up to claim their territory. An argument between a nestbound baby eaglet and its haranguing mother reaches operatic dimensions. Becca finds a dead bear on the beach and helps to give it a burial at sea. Then there are dramas of the human variety.

Three trouble-prone friends become pawns in a criminal cover-up after they discover an old bronze statue in a local pond. When Cody and Eric are denied permission to pick up golf balls from the ponds at their local golf course, they decide to trespass on the property at night. But they end up finding a lot more than just golf balls in the murky waters: they uncover a life-size bronze statue of a man! Following their discovery, the best friends start getting mysterious phone calls warning them to stay away from the golf course property, or else!

A group of friends risks their lives to solve a sinister, supernatural mystery that is plaguing their otherwise-sleepy town. Blending adventure and realism with a speculative twist, The Mystery of Croaker's Island introduces a group of unlikely friends who discover connections between a haunted island, monstrous sounds in the briny deep, vanishing cats, and teenagers disappearing in the night with no recollection of where they've been. Drawn together, the new friends become embroiled in a perilous quest to uncover the mystery.

A powerful and poignant story of two young girls' friendship, family, loss, and loyalty, set in 1940s Saskatchewan. "Beryl Young's novel Miles to Go is sparse, poetic and, at times, perfectly heart wrenching. It subtly captures the coming of age of two young prairie girls. The beauty of this story is in the little things, the life things. In short: it's wonderful."-Arthur Slade, Governor General's Award-winning author of Dust "This is a tender story about two friends dealing with tragic personal loss. Beryl Young captures a snapshot of small town life in the 1940s.

Horrible Harry says goodbye in the 30th anniversary finale of a beloved series! The last day of third grade is approaching fast, but a farewell to Room 3B isn't the only goodbye Doug has to say this year. Song Lee and Mary are busy preparing an end-of-year present for their favorite teacher, Mrs. Flaubert, but their excitement can't distract Doug from Harry's suspicious silence. When Harry finally admits that his family is moving to a whole other town, Doug can't believe his ears. How will he survive fourth grade without his best friend'!

Once upon a time there was a Princess ... ... who made a pit stop. While the Birds and Beasts changed her tires, her Fairy Godmother told her she was in last place! With just one lap left! She might as well give up! Give up' Not THIS princess! Instead, she hit the gas! Join Her Royal Highness in the driver's seat for a mad dash to the finish in this exciting ode to auto racing.

Three hundred years ago, fate bound Prosper Redding and Prince Alastor of the Third Realm together. Now the human boy and fiend heir to the demon kingdom must put aside a centuries-old blood feud to save everything they love. Alastor will guide Prosper through the demon realm-under one huge condition: Prosper must enter into a contract with the malefactor residing in him, promising eternal servitude in the afterlife. With Prosper's sister in the clutches of the evil queen Pyra, Prosper has no choice but to agree.

It's Little Red Riding Hood as you've never seen her before in this funny, feminist spin on the fairy tale, from award-winning author Ursula Vernon Most monsters know better than to mess with Princess Harriet Hamsterbone. She's a fearsome warrior, an accomplished jouster, and is so convincing that she once converted a beastly Ogrecat to vegetarianism. So why would a pack of weasel-wolf monsters come to her for help' Well, there's something downright spooky going on in the forest where they live, and it all centers around a mysterious girl in a red cape.