(For FICTION and NON-FICTION)
Readers who are blind or visually impaired can access a selection of the nominated books in alternate format at the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) Library. Contact CNIB Library Reader Services at: 1-800-268-8818 for more information.
Nominees for FICTION are....
Adventures of Tommy Smith
by Robert Sutherland
Toronto: HarperCollins, 2003
Orphaned at age 7, Tommy is sent to Canada with his older brother to make a new life. Tommy's brother doesn't survive the voyage, so Tommy has been making his own way since he was 8. On the run, Tommy ends up a stowaway on a ship that flounders in a Georgian Bay storm. Surviving the shipwreck is just the start of Tommy's latest adventures. Can he keep a step ahead of the man who has accused him of murder and who wants Tommy dead? You'll be swept along in this fast paced adventure.
Company of Fools
by Deborah Ellis
Markham: Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2002
You don't have to know a lot about the Middle Ages to enjoy this tale. As the plague is about to devastate France, Henri, a cloistered choirboy orphan and Micah, a mischievous urchin troubadour with a heavenly voice develop a close bond. Fun, but serious too, it intertwines themes of friendship, the seven deadly sins, hope, religion, superstition, magic and goodness. This is another book by the award-winning author of "The Breadwinner" and "Looking for X".
Dance of the Stones
by Andrea Spalding
Victoria: Orca Book Publisher, 2003
Chantel, Adam, Holly and Owen return in Book Two of The Summer of Magic Quartet, eager to assist the Wise Ones again by seeking Ava's circlet buried deep within the ancient Stone Circle of Avebury. Legend, fantasy and reality intertwine once more as the children pursue their quest and take on several challenges, including the evil wraith.
Dear Canada: Alone in an Untamed Land
by Maxine Trottier
Markham: Scholastic Canada, Ltd, 2003
Suddenly orphaned, fourteen year old Helene and sixteen year old Catherine are banished from their comfortable Paris home to the wilds of Canada by their new guardians. Catherine is to become a Fille du Roi, a bride for a Canadian settler. When she dies during the voyage, Helene must choose. Will she agree to take her sister's place, or find herself completely alone in the untamed province of Quebec?
Deep End Gang
by Peggy Dymond Leavey
Toronto: Napoleon Publishing, 2003
Who is the mysterious Mr. Dietz and why does he sit for hours staring across the street? What is the secret behind the empty mansion near Martin's house? Making friends, solving mysteries and sharing secrets are all wrapped up in the Deep End Gang's summer adventure.
Finding Sophie
by Irene N. Watts
Toronto: Tundra Books, 2002
This book is a based on historical events of wartime rationing, the "Kindertransport," and the image of "skeletons wearing striped jackets, with six pointed stars sewn over their hearts." Although Sophie believes her real life is with her Aunt Em, she still struggles with the question as to where she belongs. Sophie symbolizes her belief that England is "home" by symbolically changing the spelling of her own name from "Zoffie" to "Sophie." Does Zoffie want to go back to Germany with her parents or does Sophie prefer to stay with her aunt in England? In the end, she receives the best of both worlds.
Jeannie and the Gentle Giants
by Luanne Armstrong
Vancouver: Ronsdale Press, 2002
When Jeannie's mother falls ill and can no longer care for her, Jeannie is placed with foster parents. Upset with the situation and worried for her mother, Jeannie withdraws into herself but she is gradually drawn back into life by two large and gentle workhorses and their likeable owner. It is a moving and sometimes humorous story about friendship and learning to trust again when one is in pain.
Leaving the Log House
by Ainslie Manson
Victoria: Orca Book Publishers, 2003
Teresa learns to be self-reliant when she is sent far from home to the city to be fitted for prosthetic leg. During this often emotionally painful experience discovers that she has the strength and character to deal with adversity.
Newton and the Giant
by Mike McGowan
Toronto: HarperCollins, 2003
This is an impossibly funny story of a young, awkward, unathletic boy who desperately needs to escape from his sports-crazed quadruplet brothers. And escape he did!! Newton finds himself in a weird world of giants who live in trees where he embarks on a crazy adventure to save a race of giants using his stellar knowledge of science and literature, a quality much unappreciated back home by his family. Newton Wiggins knows that he is doomed. Will he save the Merriwart giants from enslavement? Will he be able to convince his bullying brothers that scoring a goal on his own team in soccer was truly an accident?
TJ and the Haunted House
by Hazel Hutchins
Victoria: Orca Book Publishers, 2003
When TJ reluctantly agrees to turn his home into a Haunted House for a fundraiser, he doesn't expect to find a real ghost. The ghost (which may or may not be real) leads TJ to discover some amazing facts about his family history. Laugh and shiver your way through another amazing adventure with TJ!
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Nominees for NON-FICTION are....
The Kids Book of Black Canadian History
by Rosemary Sadlier
Illustrator: W. Qijun
Toronto: Kids Can Press, 2003
Increase your understanding of the important role that Black Canadians have played in our history. This book shares the inspiring stories and the significant contribution of those who struggled against oppression to make Canada their home.
Albert Einstein: A Life of Genius
by Elizabeth MacLeod
Toronto: Kids Can Press, 2003
This book is a reader-friendly, fascinating book about the man behind the equation. It does an excellent job of introducing young readers to a famous and influential thinker. From Einstein's early days as a patent clerk (he approved the Toblerone bar!) to his famous scientific theories, each two-page spread features text paired with eye-grabbing images, photos and quotations.
Under the Ice
by Kathy Conlan
Toronto: Kids Can Press, 2002
Under the Ice is a first-person account by marine biologist Karen Conlan. Learn what it is like to scuba dive and conduct experiments under the frozen ice of Antarctica, the coldest place on earth. The book is filled with amazing photographs of this little known part of the world. Follow along as the marine team studies the effects of human pollution on the animals that live on the ocean bed.
Achoo: The most interesting book you'll ever read about germs
by Trudee Romanek
Illustrator: Rose Cowles
Toronto: Kids Can Press, 2003
Ever wonder what germs look like and what function snot serves? Learn all about germs and the ways that our bodies fight off the intruders. Read the details, try out the experiments and amaze your friends (and maybe even gross out your parents).
Best Book of Bikes
by Amy Pinchuk
Illustrators: T. Holdcroft and A. Moon
Toronto: Maple Tree Press, 2003
Using cool diagrams, rad photographs and tons of wicked information, this book will take you on a wild ride through the world of cycling. While reading you find a combination of safety tips, repair techniques, as well as the history of cycling. Get ready to ride!
The Martial Arts Book
by Laura Scandiffio
Illustrator: N. Debon
Toronto: Annick Press, 2003
There is more to martial arts than the punching and kicking you see in the movies. Read all about the history and the diverse philosophies behind the ancient arts of self defense. Find out about Seiko Fujita, the last real ninja and some of the disciplines behind all the movie and TV martial artists.
Survivors! True Death Defying Escapes
by Larry Verstraete
Markham: Scholastic Canada, 2003
Five hair-raising chapters - Overpowered, Attacked, Stranded, Trapped and Injured - tell the breath taking stories of real life survivors of catastrophic events. Within each chapter you will find safety tips that just may help you in a life or death situation.
Adventures in Ancient China
by Linda Bailey
Illustrator: Bill Slavin
Toronto: Kids Can Press, 2003
If it hadn't been for the enticing scent of noodles, Josh, Emma and Libby would never have entered the Good Times Travel Agency. Libby's love for Chinese noodles draws the siblings into the agency and off on another time traveling adventure - this time to ancient China. Ancient China, home to the secrets of silk, rice and barbarians. Will the children be able to find their way back through time before the barbarians find them?
Tornado!
by Cynthia Pratt Nicolson
Toronto: Kids Can Press, 2003
What causes them? Why do they form? How often do they occur? Get the answers to these and many more questions, about tornados through its text, photographs and illustrations. Attempt to perform the experiments to further heighten your understanding of this weather event. Tornado! is one in a series of books written by Cynthia Pratt Nicolson.
Amazing International Space Stations
by Editors of Yes Magazine
Toronto: Kids Can Press, 2003
Get ready for lift-off! Take a virtual journey with a full crew of astronauts to and through a space station. You will find that it is much more than "a huge Lego set". Browse through the many photographs and read the text carefully to answer all those questions you have about what day-to-day life is really like without gravity. How do you go to the bathroom? How do you brush your teeth? Do you get free time? What exactly do you do all day? You'll be surprised by some of the answers!
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