<p>It’s 1917 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The First World War is raging, and despite its distance from the conflict, the Halifax Harbour is bustling with activity. Anti-German prejudice is rampant, and though 12-year-old Livy Schroeder and her 15-year-old brother Will are still mourning the loss of their father, who died in a mysterious boating accident just six months before, his German heritage doesn’t merit them much sympathy. The rumours he’d been a German spy are only flamed by his disappearance.</p>
<p>On the morning of December 6, while Livy is in Richmond begging forgiveness from the Schroeders’ former housekeeper, Will is atop Citadel Hill reporting for the school paper, when he sees two ships collide. A flash of light, then thunder from underground: the Halifax Explosion hits. Instantly, the city is unrecognizable. Lost and separated in the dark, destroyed city, will the siblings find each other again? Where is their mother? And who is to blame for the catastrophe?</p>
<p>In <i>A Blinding Light</i>, award-winning author Julie Lawson (<i>No Safe Harbour</i>) tells a riveting story of the Halifax Explosion and its aftermath, exploring the concepts of guilt, blame, and taking ownership, the divide between the rich and poor, locals and immigrants, as well as the human bonds that arise in times of tragedy. Young readers will be spellbound, and teachers and librarians will find plenty of topics for discussion in the book’s historical and cultural lessons.</p>
Historical
<p><i>Spring. Beautiful blossoms. Chirping peepers. Trees swaying in their new greenery. Pussy willows glistening in furry white coats. Rain and warmth. New births and new beginnings…</i></p><p>Ten-year-old Abigail Price is excited about spring in her new home in Birchtown. Spring means lots of things, like flower buds and fresh leaves and her Aunt Dinah’s new baby. She’s hoping it also means she’ll get a new dress to wear for the celebration, but new clothing, like many things, is hard to come by.</p><p>The first children’s picture book set in historic Birchtown, Nova Scotia, Abigail’s Wish is a window into the life of a Black Loyalist family in the early years of the historic colony. Through the eyes of young Abigail, this stunning collaboration between poet and novelist Gloria Ann Wesley and awardwinning illustrator Richard Rudnicki will teach readers about Black Loyalist life, and the value of friendship and patience.</p>
English description follows. Après avoir embauché trois gouvernantes, le père d’Adélaïde, notaire à Québec, n’en peut plus : Adélaïde ira pensionnaire au couvent de Lamèque. Pour une jeune fille qui […]
A powerful reimagination of what it was like to live in Africville in the 1960s through the eyes of a young girl.
English description follows.
Alors qu’une jeune fille visite le site historique d’Africville, à Halifax en Nouvelle-Écosse, elle se remémore les histoires qu’elle a entendues dans sa famille.
À quoi ressemblait la communauté ? Des maisons aux couleurs vives, logées dans la colline ; des champs où les garçons jouaient au football ; un étang où les enfants faisaient du rafting ; la pêche en abondance; des immenses feux de joie… La jeune fille sort de sa rêverie ; elle visite le parc historique actuel et le cadran solaire où le nom de son arrière-grand mère est gravé dans la pierre, et célèbre un jour d’été aux retrouvailles annuelles d’Africville.
It’s the Second World War and John and his uncle Fred are going smelt fishing when they see a military plane crash, and a parachute fly down… In the middle of the night, as a storm is raging, they get captured by captain Otto Von Muller, who orders them to lead him to Richibouctou’s lighthouse. But his radio message to a German submarine will be intercepted by a Canadian corvette…
Award-winning children’s author Deirdre Kessler has set her latest story in the late summer of 1864. Nine-year-old twins Gabriel and Grace help their parents run the Great George Street Livery Stables in Charlottetown. They are part of all the excitement as a circus comes to town and as politicians arrive by steamship from the Maritimes and the Provinces of Upper and Lower Canada. The twins have drawing lessons with their friend, fourteen-year-old artist Robert Harris, who plays in the band that entertains the delegates at a grand banquet and ball at Province House. But the twins are most excited about their favourite horse, who is about to give birth to her first foal. Travel back in time to the streets of Charlottetown for an insider’s peek at the meetings that led to Confederation, beautifully illustrated by award-winning illustrator, Brenda Jones.
<p>Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s epic poem, <i>Evangeline</i>, tells the story of two young people deported from beautiful Acadie just before they are to be married and their search for each other that lasts the rest of their lives. First published in 1847, the poem has been important to Acadian identity ever since.</p>
<p>In <i>Evangeline for Young Readers</i>, the tragic story of Evangeline and Gabriel’s Deportation is recounted to a new generation. In simple prose true to Longfellow’s poem, Hélène Boudreau describes the utopian village of Grand-Pré where Evangeline grows up, the traumatizing Deportation, and Evangeline’s relentless search across America for her true love. Patsy MacKinnon’s stunning illustrations bring the story to life in full colour.</p>
<p><i>Evangeline for Young Readers</i> is a vital interpretation for children of Longfellow’s classic.</p>
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s epic poem, Evangeline, tells the story of two young people deported from beautiful Acadie just before they are to be married—and their search for each other that lasts the rest of their lives. First published in 1847, the poem has been important to Acadian identity ever since.
In Évangéline: Récits pour jeunes lecteurs, the tragic story of Evangeline and Gabriel’s Deportation is recounted to a new generation. In simple prose true to Longfellow’s poem, Hélène Boudreau describes the utopian village of Grand-Pré where Evangeline grows up, the traumatizing Deportation, and Evangeline’s relentless search across America for her true love. Patsy MacKinnon’s stunning illustrations bring the story to life in full colour.
Évangéline: Récits pour jeunes lecteurs is a vital, French-language interpretation for children of Longfellow’s classic.
Share the adventure of a ten-year-old boy who must save the day by getting the news out after the city exploded!
Martin is a teenager living in Dieppe. War rages on, and his country, France, is under Nazi occupation. Cohabitation is tough, and living conditions are poor. While living with Mrs. Agnes, a resourceful old lady, Martin is unwillingly dragged into the horrible conflict of the Second World War and makes a life-changing discovery…
<p> <em>If This Is Freedom</em> continues the story of struggle for Loyalist settlers in Nova Scotia after the American Revolutionary War. In the black settlement of Birchtown, times are especially […]
