Orca US Catalog by Orca Book Publishers

S P R I N G 2 011 Board Books • Picturebooks Formac First Novels • Lorimer Streetlights Orca Echoes • Orca Echoes in French Orca Young Readers • Lorimer Sports Stories Lorimer Deal With It • Lorimer Recordbooks Native Trailblazers • Holocaust Remembrance Women’s Hall of Fame • Juvenile Fiction Orca Currents • Orca Sports Teen Fantasy • Teen Fiction Lorimer SideStreets • Orca Soundings Orca Titles in Spanish and French • Rapid Reads New Planners and Calendars

Middle-School Fiction for Reluctant Readers

Contents Highlights...........................................................................................................................................................1 Board Books • Ages 0–3................................................................................................................................2 Picturebooks • Ages 2–9................................................................................................................................4 Formac First Novels • Ages 6–9................................................................................................................10 Streetlights • Ages 8–10...............................................................................................................................12 Orca Echoes • Ages 7–9..............................................................................................................................13 Orca Echoes in French • Ages 7–9............................................................................................................15 Orca Young Readers • Ages 8–11..............................................................................................................16 Lorimer Sports Stories • Ages 8–13.........................................................................................................19 Lorimer Deal With It • Nonfiction • Ages 8+.........................................................................................22 Lorimer Recordbooks • Nonfiction • Ages 11+....................................................................................24 Native Trailblazers • Nonfiction • Ages 6–14..........................................................................................26 Women’s Hall of Fame • Nonfiction • Ages 9+......................................................................................28 Juvenile Fiction • Ages 8–12........................................................................................................................29 Graphic Guide Adventures • Ages 8–12..................................................................................................38 Orca Currents • Hi-Lo • Ages 10–14........................................................................................................39 Orca Sports • Hi-Lo • Ages 10+................................................................................................................42 Teen Fantasy • Ages 12+..............................................................................................................................44 Teen Fiction • Ages 12 +..............................................................................................................................46 Lorimer SideStreets • Ages 13+.................................................................................................................52 Orca Soundings • Hi-Lo • Ages 12+..........................................................................................................54 Orca Soundings in Spanish • Ages 12+.....................................................................................................58 Orca Titles in French • Ages 10+...............................................................................................................59 Rapid Reads Fiction • Adult.........................................................................................................................61 Rapid Reads Nonfiction • Adult..................................................................................................................63 Polestar Planners and Calendars...............................................................................................................64 Orca Digital....................................................................................................................................................66

Ordering Frontlist Order form....................................................................................................................................67 Terms & United States Retail Sales Representatives.............................................................................69

Orca Book Publishers gratefully acknowledges the support for its publishing programs provided by the following agencies: the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund and the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Province of British Columbia through the BC Arts Council and the Book Publishing Tax Credit.

Printed in Canada.

Spring 2011 Highlights Orca Audio With forty new titles from Orca Book Publishers, including eight new translations as well as more exciting digital initiatives and enhanced resource material for educators, Spring 2011 promises to be our biggest season yet.

We’re always looking for new ways to reach reluctant readers. Our latest endeavor is audio. We have a new data CD with MP 3s of five Orca Soundings titles, and individual MP 3s for many Orca titles can be purchased on our website at www.orcabook.com. MP 3 purchases can be made only on our US site at this time.

Customer Service We take great pride in our customer service. Customer requests are always a priority and a real, live person will always answer the phone. Want to talk to us face-to-face? Check out upcoming trade shows in your area—we attend all of the major trade and library shows.

Trilingual Orca Last season we introduced French translations to our list. This season we’ve got four more French books for reluctant readers, as well as a brand new offering: Orca Echoes in French. With eighteen Orca Soundings available in Spanish, our trilingual status is confirmed. See pages 15 and 58–60 for details.

It has been a year since we *22' 7+,1*6 launched the Rapid Reads series &20( ,1 60$// of short high-interest novels 3$&.$*(6 for adults. The Rapid Reads hat th this i season wee are received such a warm welcome that expanding the series to include nonfiction. See pages 61–63 for details.

“With rare voices and taut suspense, these titles provide accessible choices for struggling and strong readers alike.” —Booklist

Award News

Orca Book Publishers is thrilled to announce that virtually all of our titles are now available as ebooks— many in multiple formats to meet the various needs of the growing ebook reading community. For more information, see page 66.

The year 2010 was a great year for awards at Orca Book Publishers. Me, Myself and Ike by K.L. Denman was nominated for the Governor General’s Literary Award in the children’s text category, and three of our novels are YALSA Quick Pick selections: Jacked by Carrie Mac, Taken by Norah McClintock and Five Minutes More by Darlene Ryan. Look for more Orca titles as Quick Pick selections in 2011. Check out our website for more awards information. All awards are listed on book detail pages for individual titles at www.orcabook.com. www.orcabook.com

New Board Books

An ABC book of colorful critters

April 2011 9781554693603 $9.95 bb 7x7 24 PAGES AGES 0–3 Orca

Alligator, Bear, Crab A Baby’s ABC Lesley Wynne Pechter

lligator, Bear, Crab is an ABC book for babies and toddlers alike that introduces the shapes and sounds of the alphabet amid a colorful collection of critters. The bright colors and playful images make for a unique board book, the perfect size for a child’s small hands. Lesley Wynne Pechter was born in England. She studied at Concordia University in Montreal, where she received her BFA in graphic design. Lesley lives in Victoria, British Columbia, where the sea and island weather are a constant source of inspiration. Themes: animals, alphabet, board book

2 www.orcabook.com

New Board Books

A fabulous baby board book for bedtime.

Baby’s Lullaby Jill Barber Illustrated by HildaRose

enowned musician Jill Barber provides soft, soothing words to calm baby before sleep. HildaRose’s colorful illustrations depict different parent-child pairs getting ready for sleep: from otters, to ﬁsh, geese, squirrels, raccoons and, of course, baby! The stimulating visuals and patterns, recognizable baby and animal faces, and closeups on parent-child interaction will keep baby engaged. The text’s use of rhythm, repetition and simple language means baby and parents will enjoy reading Baby’s Lullaby again and again. This sturdy board book is suited for babies age 0–2 years old. When you purchase the book, you’ll receive a code to redeem a free song download of “Lay Down,” the song that became the book.

April 2011 9781551097954 $8.95 bb 6.5 x 6.5 16 pages Ages 0–2 Nimbus

Jill Barber is an acclaimed Canadian singer-songwriter, Juno nominee and multiple East Coast Music Award winner. HildaRose lives and works in Prospect Bay, Nova Scotia. Trained as a graphic designer, she worked in museums for many years but now works in her home studio on various graphic design and illustration projects. She has illustrated several children’s books, including the baby board book Kisses Kisses Baby-O! Themes: bedtime, poetry, animals

www.orcabook.com

New Picturebooks

On Tova’s farm, anything might be possible.

May 2011 9781554693191 $19.95 hc 10 x 10 32 PAGES AGES 4–8 Orca

Can Hens Give Milk? Joan Betty Stuchner Illustrated by Joe Weissmann Tova rushed into her parents’ room. “What’s wrong, Papa?” “Let me ask you a question,” said Shlomo. “Why does a cow give milk?” “Everyone knows that, Papa. A cow gives milk because she eats grass.” Shlomo and Rivka beamed at their youngest daughter. “What a wise child you are,” said Shlomo. “So if we feed grass to our hens, they will still lay eggs, but they will also give us milk.” “Shlomo,” said Rivka, “you are a genius.” “I am indeed,” said Shlomo, and he blushed.

ova lives with her family on a small farm in the famous town of Chelm, a mythical village populated, according to Jewish folklore, by fools. Tova’s farm has hens and even a rooster, but no cow. Her mother, Rivka, wishes they could afford to buy a cow, so they could have fresh milk and butter every day. One night Tova’s father has a dream about how to get milk without actually owning a cow. He asks Tova to help him ﬁnd a way to get milk from their hens, and the results are hilarious. Finally, to the family’s joy and the hens’ relief, the problem is solved by none other than the Great Rabbi of Chelm himself, and a little extra help from Tova. Can Hens Give Milk? is Joan Betty Stuchner’s sixth book. When not writing, she works in a library, teaches part-time and acts in community theater. She confesses that, although her family has a big backyard, they don’t keep chickens, or even a goat. She assures her readers that no hens were harmed in the writing of this story. Joan lives in Vancouver, British Columbia. You can ﬁnd out more about Joan at joanbettystuchner.blogspot.com. Joe Weissmann was born in Austria and came to Canada at the age of eleven. He studied art at the Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal and Concordia University. An award-winning illustrator, Joe works for both book and magazine publishers in Canada and the United States. His many books include The Bug Book and Bottle, The Bird Book and Feeder, Joseph Had a Little Overcoat and Mummies, Monsters, Ghosts, and Magic. He lives in rural Ontario with his wife, two dogs and three cats. Themes: humor, nonsense, Judaica, Chelm 4 www.orcabook.com

New Picturebooks

Will Welly’s day end worse than it started?

Wellington’s Rainy Day Carolyn Beck Illustrated by Brooke Kerrigan Wellington Wallaby Withers was most disgruntled. Curled in his basket by the hearth, he groaned, “Fire’s out, Master Horace. Can’t bake my back.” Master Horace was asleep in his chair. Sn-ooo-re. The maddening smell of freshly made meatloaf hung about the house. “But my bowl,” Wellington said, “is empty.” And, oh, how his nose smarted! Honey, that sour sneak of a cat, had swatted him again.

May 2011 9781554692842 • $19.95 hc 10 x 10 32 PAGES AGES 4–8 Orca Also by Carolyn Beck:

t’s a rainy day. Wellington is down in the dumps and can’t resist the smell of his master’s freshly made meatloaf. While his master snoozes, Welly devours every last bite. After he hides the empty pan, he eats the contents of the garbage can too. Honey, a sneaky kitty and Wellington’s archenemy, threatens to tell on him. Welly’s tummy begins to churn and out comes everything he has gobbled down. What a mess! But in this lively, rhyming picturebook, things have a way of turning out better than expected for Welly, and just this once he escapes being blamed for the missing meatloaf.

Richard Was a Picker 9781554690886 • $19.95 hc AGES 4–8

Carolyn Beck ﬁrst learned about letters when she was ﬁve. Right away she liked them. They make interesting sounds, like the s-s-s-sneaky S, the punchy P and the bouncy B. And best of all, in bunches they make WORDS! (Carolyn also discovered numbers and liked them too, but that is another story.) Wellington’s Rainy Day is her third picturebook with Orca. She lives in Toronto, Ontario. Brooke Kerrigan grew up in Toronto. She studied interpretive illustration at Sheridan College and graduated with an applied arts degree. Brooke now lives in Chamonix, France. She divides her time between illustrating, back-country skiing, spending time with good friends and eating chocolate with a cup of tea while reading a good book. Themes: humor, rhyme, irony

Buttercup’s Lovely Day 9781554691227 • $9.95 pb 9781551435121 • $19.95 hc AGES 4–8 www.orcabook.com

New Picturebooks

True friendship is worth waiting for.

April 2011 9781554694006 $19.95 hc 10.25 x 10.25 32 PAGES AGES 4–8 Orca

Today, Maybe Dominique Demers Illustrated by Gabrielle Grimard

oday, Maybe is a story about a little girl who is waiting for someone, a friend. She doesn’t yet know who this friend will be. In a series of surprising and humorous encounters, several well-known characters from children’s literature arrive at her door. But none of them is the one she is waiting for, and she graciously sends them all away. With only her bird to keep her company and hope filling her heart, weeks and then months pass as she waits and waits. When there is a scratch at the door one night, certainty fills the little girl’s heart, and she opens the door to discover true friendship is indeed worth waiting for. Dominique Demers has a PhD in children’s literature and has written nearly thirty books for children. Many of her stories have become films. The most well-known is La Mystérieuse Mlle C. Dominique taught children’s literature classes at the Université du Québec à Montréal for fifteen years and continues to give conferences across Canada on the joy of reading. She lives in Montreal, Quebec, with her very small dog, Poucet. Gabrielle Grimard has been drawing since she was a young girl. Her passion for drawing and painting led her to pursue studies in fine arts and arts education at Concordia University. After she had her first child, she began her career as an illustrator. She moved from Montreal to the Eastern Townships, where she now lives with her two children, several chickens and her husband, who builds wood boats. They share an old barn as their artist’s studio. Themes: friendship, kindness, humor, patience

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New Picturebooks

An accessible, engaging picturebook about the bald eagle.

Eagle of the Sea Kristin Bieber Domm Illustrated by Jeffrey C. Domm

s they did with their immensely popular Atlantic Puffin, Jeffrey C. Domm and Kristin Bieber Domm have teamed up to create an accessible, engaging picturebook about another famous bird: the bald eagle. Written in the first person, Eagle of the Sea details the life of the most famous American bird. The text describes the eagle’s life cycle, hunting prowess and habitat, as well as its special anatomical features like talons and flying feathers. The colorful illustrations are well-researched and accurate; the depictions of eagles soaring through the air, pursuing prey and even swimming are educational and awe-inspiring. Children will especially love Domm’s illustrations of eaglets, newly hatched and learning to fly.

March 2011 9781551097497 $9.95 pb 8x8 32 pages Ages 4–8 Nimbus

Kristin Bieber Domm is the author of four books for children, including Atlantic Puffin. Kristin teaches writing and graduate education courses part-time at Mount Saint Vincent University. She is a participating writer in the Writers in the Schools program and plays bassoon in the Wyndrock Quintet. Jeffrey C. Domm is an award-winning illustrator with over thirty wildlife-related books to his credit, including the children’s books Atlantic Puffin and The Hatchling’s Journey. Themes: eagles, natural history, habitat

www.orcabook.com

New Picturebooks

Splish, Splat! Alexis Domney Illustrated by Alice Crawford

Conversation between two deaf painters leads to an unexpected effect.

W April 2011 9781897187883 $15.95 hc 8.5 x 8.5 24 pages Ages 4–8 Second Story

hen Colin tells his mom he doesn’t like the yellow color on his bedroom walls, she asks around for a house painter. The painting company she calls recommends that she hire two women named Heather and Molly, who happen to be deaf. They spend all day and do an excellent job, painting the walls blue. At the end of the day they start on the white trim, and as the two women sign while painting, the white paint splashes over the blue, leading to an unintentional effect on the walls which Colin loves. The ugly yellow is gone and has been replaced by a blue with white speckles, leading Colin to announce: “This is a room I can dream in!” A light-hearted introduction to sign language and how deaf people communicate, Splish, Splat! was produced in conjunction with the Canadian Cultural Society of the Deaf, a nonproﬁt organization dedicated to enhancing the cultural lives of deaf people. Alexis Domney graduated from Sir James Whitney School for the Deaf—the oldest deaf school in Ontario. She spends her time volunteering at deaf community events and is currently volunteer staff for the Canadian Deaf Youth Leadership Camp in 2012. Alice Crawford is a deaf professional graphic designer and illustrator. Her whimsical collage illustrations are made from scraps of paper, catalogues, discarded printed-paper stock from distributors, fabric and her photos of found objects and of nature. Themes: hearing-impaired, sign language, inclusiveness

Princess to the Rescue Claudia Souza Illustrated by Christelle Ammirati

This princess is not afraid of dragons.

O April 2011 9781897187937 $15.95 hc 8.5 x 8.5 24 pages Ages 4–8 Second Story

nce upon a time, there was a princess who saved princes…So begins this delightful re-imagining of the traditional fairy tale. This particular princess is not afraid, she is not weak, and she does not need to be rescued. In fact, she is the one who does the rescuing—she has saved princes who’ve been turned into frogs, who’ve been kidnapped by ogres, who were locked in terrible dungeons and who were lost in scary forests. Now the princess is faced with her toughest rescue yet, as she tries to save a prince who has been captured by a wicked witch. This is a charming princess who turns centuries of storytelling on its head, not by using her charms, but by using her intelligence. She deﬁes traditional expectations as she saves the day and wins the prince’s heart. Claudia Souza is a psychologist and researcher of children. She has published several articles on education and child psychology, but it has taken her many years to have the courage to write a children’s book. She lives in Italy. Christelle Ammirati was a fan of Spiderman as a child. Instead of annoying dresses, she preferred to wear patched overalls—the better to climb trees. She currently lives in Milan, where the trees are too high to climb, forcing her to explore the city on foot in the company of her dog. Themes: fairy tales, conﬁdence, gender roles

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New Picturebooks

Crosby and Me Hugh MacDonald Illustrated by Dale McNevin

A hockey story for the whole family, especially Dad!

id you ever get to your hockey game and realize you’d forgotten a skate? That’s precisely what happens in Crosby and Me, a picturebook for children. Of course, Dad hits the roof because he wants his son to be the next Sidney Crosby, and he knows that by the time he drives all the way home and back, the game will be over. Mom reminds Dad that it was he who forgot the skate. They’re just on their way out the door when Suzy comes to the rescue with her skates and the son gets to play after all. After the game, Dad is proud, Mom is glad, and Crosby, the family mutt, is full of pizza. And the boy? He tells his parents that he’ll continue to play only as long as he’s having fun. Poet, editor, novelist and hockey dad, Hugh MacDonald has received several awards, including the L.M. Montgomery Children’s Literature Award and a ﬁrst prize for poetry from the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia.

April 2011 9781894838504 $9.95 pb 8x8 28 pages Ages 5–9 Acorn

Dale McNevin has illustrated several children’s books, including the bestselling, awardwinning The True Meaning of Crumbfest, Everything that Shines and Three Tall Trees. Themes: sportsmanship, fun

Once Upon a Bathtime Vi Hughes Illustrated by Sima Elizabeth Shefrin

Bedtime, bathtime, storytime: In goes little Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, you!

he tub bubbles over with fairy tales as a little girl gets ready for bed with her favorite toys. This tender story is illustrated with Sima Elizabeth Shefrin’s beautiful collages and is sure to become a nightly bedtime ritual. Vi Hughes has been fascinated by the art of storytelling all her life. She is a writer and educator who teaches the importance of reading aloud to children, especially before bedtime. Sima Elizabeth Shefrin lives and paints on Gabriola Island, British Columbia. She is a wellknown cloth and collage artist and is especially interested in the ways that art brings together people of different cultures.

February 2011 9781896580548 $17.95 hc 9x9 32 pages Ages 2–6 Tradewind

Themes: bedtime, bathtime, family life

www.orcabook.com

New Formac First Novels

Formac First Novels Get kids reading on their own! • • • • • •

Humorous, beginner chapter novels with illustrations Short chapter-book format Award-winning authors with characters kids can relate to Appealing to beginner readers transitioning to independent reading Reading level grades 2–4 Interest level ages 6–9

Raffi’s New Friend Sylvain Meunier Illustrated by Elisabeth Eudes-Pascal

Raffi and the new girl both know about birds, and being bullied.

he new girl at Raffi’s school ducks out of the way of classmates that try to grab her head scarf. It might look like a game, but Raffi sees the tears in her eyes. Raffi knows all about being different. He suffers from sickle-cell anemia, which makes it hard for him to get around and makes him a target for bullies. The new girl, Fatima, shares Raffi’s interest in birds, and they feed the mourning doves together. Sadness sets in when the kids discover that the dove nest had been destroyed by the previous day’s storm, but the return of Fatima’s father, who had been missing since she and her mother had immigrated, brings inspiration to everyone.

March 2011 9780887809330 $5.95 pb 5 x 7.5 64 pages Ages 6–9 Formac

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Sylvain Meunier was born in Lachine, Quebec, and has written several books for adults and children. Two of his novels, Le seul ami and L’Homme a la bicyclette, have been ﬁnalists for the Governor General’s award Themes: animals, bullying, class differences

New Formac First Novels

Music by Morgan Ted Staunton Illustrated by Bill Slavin

Morgan and Aldeen, in disguise—as each other!

organ is not pleased when his parents sign him up to play ﬂoor hockey at the community center; he stinks at hockey and it’s no fun. So when Aldeen Hummel, the Godzilla of Grade Three and a good hockey player, is unhappily signed up for piano lessons, Morgan crafts a plan to trade places. Ted Staunton divides his time between writing and a busy schedule as a speaker, workshop leader, storyteller and musical performer for children and adults. His previous books include the well-loved Green Applestreet Gang series, the Cyril and Maggie series and the Morgan series. Themes: music, humorous stories, friendship

March 2011 9780887809262 $5.95 pb 5 x 7.5 64 pages Ages 6–9 Formac

Mia, Matt and the Lazy Gator Annie Langlois Illustrated by Jimmy Beaulieu

Can Mia and Matt teach the world’s laziest animal to dance?

wins Mia and Matt can’t wait to get to their uncle’s summer cottage and ﬁnd out what animal will be the star of their vacation. Uncle Orlando is the best animal trainer in the country for movies and television. Last time, they helped him train a group of pigs to sing. This year turns out to be a challenge—to get an alligator, the slowest and laziest animal on the planet, to dance! All Nestor the Gator will do for Orlando is bathe in the sun. Will the twins get bitten, or will Matt’s breakdancing skills help Nestor learn some moves? Suddenly, a strange thing happens—the gator starts making a sculpture out of mud and grass. What is he up to? Mia and Matt are in for a surprise! The alligator turns out to be female, and soon thirty baby alligators, nesting in the sculpture, hatch from their eggs. Annie Langlois has been involved with children’s literature for more than ten years, ﬁrst as a librarian and then as the art director for a publishing house. She recently completed a doctorate in children’s literature. Themes: animals, humorous stories, nature

April 2011 9780887809361 $5.95 pb 5 x 7.5 64 pages Ages 6–9 Formac

www.orcabook.com

New Lorimer Streetlights

Lorimer Streetlights • • • • • • •

Fun, engaging, realistic fiction for young readers! Great novels full of humor and adventure Short chapters and dynamic stories make for reading success Feature a variety of kids New and classic titles Reading level grades 2–4 Interest level ages 8–10

The Witch of Bloor Street Beth Pollock

Maggie has been cursed—by a real-life, tattoo-loving WITCH!

ixth-grader Maggie Ito believes she has been cursed by the Witch of Bloor Street. While her friends all seem to be best at something—Sasha is best at art, Alice is the most musical, and even her nemesis Jarrett Johnson is the fastest runner—Maggie believes the curse is keeping her from being best at anything. Her attempts to break it become increasingly far-fetched, but her luck is still bad. With the help of her friends and a supportive teacher, Maggie ﬁnds conﬁdence in her own abilities and the strength to confront her “witch.” Beth Pollock is the author of two novels for children. She lives in Toronto with her husband and two daughters. Themes: imagination, humorous stories, adolescence

March 2011 9781552775363 $8.95 pb 5 x 7.75 120 pages Ages 8–10 Lorimer 12 www.orcabook.com

At-level fiction for ages 7 to 9

Early chapter books for beginning readerss Free individual teachers’ guides online Complete resource guide available Guided Reading selections 15 black-and-white illustrations 64 pages each

Orca Echoes Collection

he Orca Echoes are now available as a collection of 44 paperbacks in a convenient display that is perfect for retailers’ shelves and the classroom. With books by authors such as Jean Little, Frieda Wishinsky, Karleen Bradford, Jo Ellen Boggart and Sigmund Brouwer, this collection is sure to delight emerging readers. Special discounts offered with this collection. Please contact us for details. Available 9781554692613 $256.80 Collection of 44 paperbacks ages 7–9 Orca

Orca Echoes Resource Guide Alex Van Tol

he Orca Echoes are lively, entertaining short chapter books aimed at readers between ages seven and nine. These popular classroom favorites are well suited for social responsibility and character building programs. The Orca Echoes Resource Guide helps teachers open the door for meaningful classroom discussion. Professionally written guides with curriculum connections, writing exercises, discussion questions and activities are provided for each title in the Orca Echoes series. With additional information on teaching ideas, reading levels, literature circles and assessment, the Orca Echoes Resource Guide is a valuable tool for teachers using Orca Echoes in the classroom.

Available 9781554697991 $45.00 cd 9781554692408 $45.00 coil-bound Orca www.orcabook.com

New Orca Echoes

Mystery of the Missing Luck Jacqueline Pearce Illustrated by Leanne Franson

Even the best bakery needs a little luck.

ara loves her grandmother’s bakery. It’s a special place—not only because of its delicious Japanese buns and pastries. She enjoys spending time with her obaachan, her grandmother. But things aren’t going well for the bakery. When the bakery’s lucky cat statue goes missing, Sara wonders if the bakery’s luck is gone for good. But then a mysterious cat appears in the backyard one night and inspires a plan. With the help of her friend Jake, Sara just might ﬁnd the statue and restore the bakery’s lost luck.

May 2011 9781554693962 $6.95 pb 5.25 x 7.625 64 PAGES AGES 7–9 Orca

Jacqueline Pearce grew up on Vancouver Island. She has always been fascinated with local history, and her ﬁrst three novels, The Reunion, Discovering Emily and Emily’s Dream are stories about Vancouver Island’s past. Her interest in other countries and cultures, nature and animals also makes its way into her novels and short stories. Jacqueline has degrees in English literature and environmental studies. She currently lives in Burnaby, British Columbia, on the edge of a ravine with her husband, daughter, dog and two cats. Themes: family, mystery, lucky cat statue, Maneki Neko

Something’s Fishy Jeff Szpirglas and Danielle Saint-Onge Illustrated by Dave Whamond

What has Jamie done now?!

amie loves sharks. He reads about them. He talks about them. Sometimes he even pretends to be a shark. Too bad no one else wants to join his Shark Club. His peers and parents are quickly growing tired of his current obsession. When Jamie’s teacher, Mr. Claxton, brings in a new class pet, Jamie is put in charge. But Jamie has an accident while feeding it, and everyone becomes upset with him. He needs to ﬁnd a way to make things right. In the end, he comes up with a solution that pleases both his teacher and classmates, a solution that also gives Jamie an opportunity to share his newest obsession—lizards.

May 2011 9781554697878 $6.95 pb 5.25 x 7.625 64 PAGES AGES 7–9 Orca

14 www.orcabook.com

Jeff Szpirglas and Danielle Saint-Onge live together in Toronto and teach in classrooms with students of diverse cultural backgrounds. Jeff has written several books, including Gross Universe and Fear This Book, as well as scripts for radio and television. He likes to make Danielle watch scary movies with him. Danielle has a master’s degree in social anthropology and is a crusader for equity in the classroom. Whenever Jeff makes her watch a scary movie, she usually makes Jeff watch one about people in love afterward. Themes: pets, problem solving, acceptance, humor

New Orca Echoes in French

Les Loups gris à la chasse (Timberwolf Hunt) Sigmund Brouwer and Gaston Gingras Illustrated by Dean Griffiths

He may shoot, but he never scores.

hen the Timberwolves get a new coach, they also get the coach’s son. The only problem is that Eldridge Elwell is a terrible hockey player. The team is on the hunt to make the playoffs, and every time Eldridge plays a shift, it hurts the team more. Johnny Maverick is just as angry about it as anyone on the team, until he learns something important about the coach’s son. Sigmund Brouwer is the bestselling author of many books for children and young adults. He has contributed to the Orca Echoes series (Howling Timberwolves series), Orca Currents series (Wired, Sewer Rats), and the Orca Sports series (most recently Absolute Pressure).

Stanley Cup winner Gaston Gingras played ten seasons in the National Hockey League, including time with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the St. Louis Blues, and four seasons for the Montreal Canadiens, with legends like Larry Robinson and Guy Laﬂeur. A resident of Montreal, he also spends time in communities in the northeast Arctic, combining hockey with literacy efforts.

May 2011 9781554698141 $6.95 pb 5.25 x 7.625 64 PAGES AGES 7–9 Orca

Themes: hockey, sportsmanship

Le défi des Loups gris (Timberwolf Challenge) Sigmund Brouwer and Gaston Gingras Illustrated by Dean Griffiths

A practical joke can turn on the joker.

ohnny Maverick has come up with an idea to win a fundraising contest for the Howling Timberwolves hockey team. It seems fun, until a girl visits Howling—and starts to win challenges against Johnny. The entire town ﬁnds it funny; even worse, his friends Tom and Stu like what’s happening. Sigmund Brouwer is the bestselling author of many books for children and young adults. He has contributed to the Orca Echoes series (Howling Timberwolves series), Orca Currents series (Wired, Sewer Rats), and the Orca Sports series (most recently Absolute Pressure). Stanley Cup winner Gaston Gingras played ten seasons in the National Hockey League, including time with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the St. Louis Blues, and four seasons for the Montreal Canadiens, with legends like Larry Robinson and Guy Laﬂeur. A resident of Montreal, he also spends time in communities in the northeast Arctic, combining hockey with literacy efforts.

May 2011 9781554698127 $6.95 pb 5.25 x 7.625 64 PAGES AGES 7–9 Orca

Themes: practical jokes, competition, fundraising

www.orcabook.com

Award-winning, bestselling chapter books

• At-level fiction for ages 8–11 • Themes include historical, contemporary, Judaica, humor, and sports

Orca Young Readers Collection Twenty-ﬁve of our most popular Orca Young Readers are now available as a collection, packaged in a display that is perfect for retailers’ shelves as well as for the classroom. These award-winning chapter books include historical, contemporary, Judaica, humor and sports themes. Available 9781554693870 $193.65 Collection of 25 paperbacks ages 8–11 Orca

Orca Young Readers Resource Guide Alex Van Tol The Orca Young Readers Resource Guide provides teachers with ideas for connecting each title in the collection to curriculum and to the students. Certain to encourage lively classroom discussion and foster an engagement with literature, the Orca Young Readers Resource Guide is a valuable tool for dedicated teachers.

Available 9781554693894 $45.00 coil-bound Orca 16 www.orcabook.com

New Orca Young Readers

New! Orca Young Readers Resource Guide Now available on CD too! The Orca Young Readers Resource Guide is now available on cd. This new compact format is perfect for the busy teacher. The cd is easy to transport between home and school and individual pages can be printed out for classroom use.

Available 9781554698752 $45.00 cd

Trouble in the Trees Yolanda Ridge

If Bree wants to keep climbing, she’ll have to go out on a limb.

leven-year-old Bree is happiest when she’s climbing the trees at Cedar Grove, her urban townhouse complex. She’s the best climber around, even better than an older boy, Tyler, who drives her crazy with his competitiveness. When Ethan, a younger boy, falls from a tree and hurts his elbow, the neighborhood council bans all tree-climbing in Cedar Grove. If Bree chooses to ignore the bylaw, her family could be kicked out of their home, so she vows to change the rule instead. After giving a presentation to the neighborhood council, she realizes this is not a battle she can win on her own, but rallying the Cedar Grove troops is more difﬁcult than she imagined.

The mother of four-year-old twin boys, Yolanda Ridge writes whenever and wherever she gets a chance. She lives in Burnaby, British Columbia, near an old-growth forest, where the trees are much too big for her to climb. Trouble in the Trees is her ﬁrst book. Visit her on the web at www.yolandaridge.com. Themes: tree-climbing, activism, courage

May 2011 9781554693856 $7.95 pb 5 x 7.5 144 PAGES AGES 8–11 Orca

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New Orca Young Readers

Somebody’s Girl Maggie de Vries

There’s more to family than shared DNA.

artha knows she is adopted, but she’s well-loved and popular, at least until her mother gets pregnant and she feels her parents’ attention start to shift. Upset and confused, Martha lashes out at—and loses—her friends. She also makes no secret of her annoyance at being forced to do a school project about sturgeon with Chance, a difﬁcult boy whose foster parents are family friends. To add insult to injury, Martha’s birth mother announces that she is getting married and moving away. Now Martha isn’t number one in anybody’s life. When her mom goes into labor prematurely, Martha realizes that she needs to ﬁgure out a way to be a better friend and daughter, and a great sister.

May 2011 9781554693832 $7.95 pb 5 x 7.5 144 PAGES AGES 8–11 Orca

Maggie de Vries is the author of seven books for children, including the picturebooks Tale of a Great White Fish: A Sturgeon Story and Fraser Bear, and the prequel to this story, Chance and the Butterfly. She lives in Vancouver on the banks of the Fraser River, and in recent years has grown increasingly fascinated by the ﬁsh that swim in the river and the birds that ﬂy above it. Maggie also teaches creative writing at UBC and UNBC, travels regularly to lead writing workshops with children and teachers, and occasionally edits children’s books. Themes: adoption, foster care, new baby

Chance and the Butterfly Maggie de Vries

Chance learns the importance of letting go.

very time Chance turns around, he gets in trouble. In school, he can’t sit still. Reading is hard and math is harder, but anything to do with science fascinates him. When his class starts raising butterflies from caterpillars, Chance is hooked. School is suddenly fun again, but when he decides to take his caterpillar home, he learns that loving something often means letting it go. Maggie de Vries is the author of seven books for children, including the picturebooks Tale of a Great White Fish: A Sturgeon Story and Fraser Bear. She lives in Vancouver on the banks of the Fraser River, and in recent years has grown increasingly fascinated by the fish that swim in the river and the birds that fly above it. Maggie also teaches creative writing at UBC and UNBC, travels regularly to lead writing workshops with children and teachers, and occasionally edits children’s books.

May 2011 9781554698653 $7.95 pb 5 x 7.5 144 PAGES AGES 8–11 Orca

18 www.orcabook.com

Themes: foster care, butterﬂies, family

Back in Print!

New Lorimer Sports Stories

Sidelined Trevor Kew

Never think you’re too tough to tackle.

or Vicky Parker, life has never been better. Despite mom’s new boyfriend (ew!), Vicky and best friends Parm and Marjan seem to be shoo-ins for the soccer team and the chance to play in the tournament—in England! But friendships turn into rivalries as the pressures of tryouts get to be too much and a charming grade twelve boy takes an interest in Vicky instead of Marjan. How far are the girls willing to go when the competition heats up? And is a trip (and a boy) worth the sacriﬁce of a teammate and a best friend? Trevor Kew is an English teacher and regular contributor to the soccer magazine Free Kick. Trevor is based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Themes: reluctant readers, soccer, girls and women

March 2011 9781552775509 • $9.95 pb 9781552775516 • $16.95 hc 5 x 7.75 128 pages Ages 8–13 Lorimer

Fadeaway Steven Barwin

There is a fine line between rivalry and bullying…

enna Rashad is not only captain, she’s also de facto coach of her basketball team. But when a rival from an opposing team takes a vacant spot on the team, Renna faces some tough choices she wasn’t prepared for. It starts with a shove in the hall, then a slight on the team’s online blog, followed by exclusion from a team social event, and ﬁnally an uncalled-for move on the court that leaves her injured. Will Renna admit she’s the target of bullying before her beloved team is torn apart? Steven Barwin has written for television shows as well as DVD interactive games. His previous Sports Stories novels, Slam Dunk and Roller Hockey Blues, were both Canadian Children’s Centre Best Books for Kids & Teens selections. Themes: reluctant readers, bullying, basketball

April 2011 9781552775479 • $9.95 pb 9781552775486 • $16.95 hc 5 x 7.75 136 pages Ages 8–13 Lorimer

www.orcabook.com

Lorimer Sports Stories Backlist

Sports Stories • Action-packed, realistic sports stories for

reluctant readers! • Hockey stories—new editions with attractive, dynamic covers • Themes that connect, from competition to racism • Award-winning authors who know their sports!

Reading level grades 3.0–4.9 Interest level ages 8–13 $9.95 each 5 x 7.75

Cross-Check! Lorna Schultz Nicholson

Delaying the Game Lorna Schultz Nicholson

Josh, Peter and Sam are thrilled to reunite at hockey camp, but a lot has changed. Can they really pick up where they left off as teammates and friends?

When Shane comes along, Kaleigh finds herself unsure whether she can balance hockey, her friendships and this new dating life.

9781552776964 112 pages

9781552775714 136 pages

Danger Zone Michele Martin Bossley

A Goal in Sight Jacqueline Guest

When Jason accidentally checks a player from behind, the boy is seriously hurt. Jason is devastated when the boy’s parents want him suspended from the league.

When Aiden has to perform one hundred hours of community service, he is assigned to help a blind hockey player whose team is the Calgary Seeing Ice Dogs.

9781552775592 128 pages

9781552775578 144 pages

Deflection! Bill Swan Personal rivalries and interference from Jake’s three all-too-supportive grandfathers start to create tension among the players. 9781552775691 136 pages

20 www.orcabook.com

• • • •

Lorimer Sports Stories Backlist Hat Trick Jacqueline Guest

Power Play Michele Martin Bossley

Twelve-year-old Leigh is one of the top players—and the only girl on the Falcons hockey team.

Power Play is a dramatic and fastpaced story about a boy who wants to play hockey—not get hurt.

9781552775639 128 pages

Hockey Night in Transcona John Danakas Coach Brackett takes his own son off the front line so Cody can take his place, and Cody has to decide what’s more important— taking his time to shine or sticking up for a friend.

9781552775554 120 pages

Rink Rivals Jacqueline Guest When the Selkirk family moves from their remote Cree community to Calgary, life is turned upside down for twin brothers Evan and Bryn 9781552775653 176 pages

9781552775615 160 pages

Home Ice Beatrice Vandervelde

Roughing Lorna Schultz Nicholson

Tori joins the Rangers—the worst hockey team in the league.

Josh shares a room at hockey camp with Peter, a player skilled enough to give Kevin, the star junior player, some serious competition, which creates trouble on and off the ice.

9781552775752 128 pages

9781552775677 136 pages

Icebreaker Steven Barwin

Two Minutes for Roughing Joseph Romain

Gregg Stokes can tell you exactly when his life took a turn for the worse. It was the day his new stepsister, Amy, joined the starting lineup of his hockey team.

Roddy Smith and his brother Lenny are tough. They run things on the Metro Cats, a hockey team in the city’s east end. 9781552775738 112 pages

9781552775530 128 pages

www.orcabook.com

New Lorimer Deal With It

Help Kids Deal with Bullying and Conflict  Up-to-date issues kids face every day, from ghting to cyberbullying!  Stereotype-free approach is balanced and gender appropriate  Tween magazine style with engaging and attractive graphics  Specialist authors who know what kids deal with today

    

Great support material for teachers Tools to get discussions going Grades 4–7 Interest level ages 8+ Now available in hardcover

Cliques Deal with it using what you have inside Kat Mototsune Illustrated by Ben Shannon

Feeling left out? Who decides who gets to be part of a clique and who doesn’t, anyway?

A March 2011 9781552775448 • $12.95 pb 9781552775455 • $24.95 hc 8.5 x 11 32 pages Ages 8+ Lorimer

s long as there have been girls in schools, there have been cliques—a particularly malicious and subtle form of bullying that isn’t always recognized for what it is. And with the growing role of social media, their mean-spirited goals have only become easier to achieve. Cliques: Deal with it using what you have inside, the latest book in the Deal With It series, offers young readers up-to-date discussions about: distinguishing groups from cliques, inclusion/ exclusion, gossip, cyberbullying, self-esteem and peer pressure. The book directly addresses the problem of cliques and provides many practical tips on how to identify, confront and overcome it—with style. The text is written to be comfortable for every reader, whether on the inside making trouble for someone else, on the outside or as a bystander wondering what to do. Quizzes, comics and graphic-novel-style illustration help make this book a fun and accessible way to approach an often difficult-to-address problem. Kat Mototsune is a former editor at chickaDEE Magazine and OWL Books. She has worked on dozens of critically acclaimed nonfiction and educational books for children, including many volumes in the Deal With It series. Ben Shannon’s work has appeared in publications such as Rolling Stone, Wired, National Geographic World and The Globe and Mail. Themes: adolescence, conflict resolution, bullying

22 www.orcabook.com

Lorimer Deal With It Backlist Now Available in Hardcover!

All titles: 8.5 x 11 • 32 pages Ages 8+ • $24.95 hc

Arguing

Gaming

Deal with it word by word Elaine Slavens

Deal with it before it outplays you Diane Peters

9781552774984

9781552774908

Themes: peer pressure, communication, social situations

Themes: conflict resolution, computers, addiction

Bullying

Gossip

Deal with it before push comes to shove Elaine Slavens

Deal with it before word gets around Catherine Rondina

9781552775004

9781552774991

Themes: peer pressure, violence, social situations

Themes: peer pressure, communication, social situations

Cyberbullying

Racism

Deal with it and Ctrl Alt Delete it Robyn MacEachern

Deal with it before it gets under your skin Anne Marie Aikins

9781552774960

9781552774953

Themes: internet safety, conflict resolution, communication

Themes: social situations, tolerance

Fighting

Teasing

Deal with it without coming to blows Elaine Slavens

Deal with it before the joke’s on you Steve Pitt

9781552775011

9781552774977

Themes: peer pressure, violence, social situations

Themes: peer pressure, communication, social situations

www.orcabook.com

New Lorimer Recordbooks

Lorimer Recordbooks See how real-life sports hero stories can hook kids into historical and social issues • Writing with a ﬂair for making history books feel like novels • Accompanied by historical photos and sports trivia • Knowledgeable authors highlight historical controversies in a full context • Short chapters, easy-to-read format • Great for ESL and adult readers • Reading level grades 3.0–4.9 • Interest level ages 11+

China Clipper Pro football’s first Chinese-Canadian player, Normie Kwong Richard Brignall

He was younger than the rest, he was smaller than the rest…and he was Chinese.

ormie Kwong’s parents immigrated to Canada from China in the early 1900s. For them, and many other Asian immigrants, moving meant having to face both the government’s anti-Asian policies and society’s attitude of Chinese exclusion. But Normie overcame it all, and, despite his small stature, in 1948 he became the youngest footballer ever to play in a Grey Cup game. Nicknamed the “China Clipper” as a nod to both his Chinese heritage and his record-setting speed on the football ﬁeld, Kwong went on to become a hero and popular sports role model for generations of football fans in the West. After retiring from football, Kwong entered politics and was later appointed Lieutenant Governor of Alberta.

March 2011 9781552775271 • $9.95 pb 9781552775288 • $16.95 hc 4.25 x 7 152 pages Ages 11+ Lorimer 24 www.orcabook.com

Richard Brignall is a journalist from Kenora, Ontario, who has written for such publications as Cottage Life and Outdoor Canada. He was previously the sports reporter for the Kenora Daily Miner and News. Themes: sports and recreation, Canadian history, overcoming obstacles

New Lorimer Recordbooks

Jordin Tootoo The highs and lows in the journey of the first Inuit to play in the NHL Melanie Florence

“Fight your way through,” his father told him.

ockey is a relatively new sport in Canada’s North. It wasn’t until 2003 that Jordin Kudluk “Thunder” Tootoo became the first Inuk to play in an NHL game. Although hockey is a rough sport to begin with, Jordin Tootoo is known for having to “fight his way through.” Jordin has had more than his fair share of fights—both on and off the ice. He’s had to overcome the social problems that are associated with the North, fight his way through the discrimination and culture shock he encountered after leaving Rankin Inlet and moving to Alberta to play in the Juniors, and see his way through the grief of losing his NHL-bound older brother and hero, Terence Tootoo, to suicide in 2002. This new biography explores the struggles and accomplishments of the most recognized role model for young Aboriginal and Inuit people today. Melanie Florence is a proud Cree and a full-time journalist and children’s writer currently based in Toronto. Melanie is working on her first YA novel, the story of an Aboriginal boy growing up on the rez. Themes: reluctant readers, ice hockey, the Arctic

March 2011 9781552775295 • $9.95 pb 9781552775318 • $16.95 hc 4.25 x 7 102 pages Ages 11+ Lorimer

Jarome Iginla How the NHL’s first black captain gives back Nicole Mortillaro

He was the team’s only black player growing up.

e’s an Olympic champion and a star player for the Calgary Flames, but there’s much more to Jarome Iginla’s story than just being the ﬁrst black captain of an NHL team. He’s also renowned for his social commitment and generosity off the ice. Jarome (nicknamed Iggy) grew up in a single-parent household. It was only thanks to the support of his grandparents that he was able to play hockey. His hard work paid off, and in 1996, at the age of eighteen, Iggy was drafted into the NHL. He went on to become a multiple-award-winning hockey player and two-time Olympic champion. But he never forgot his struggles in his rise to hockey stardom. Today, Iginla plays an important role for many young hockey lovers by working to ensure that the sport is open to committed players of all backgrounds. Nicole Mortillaro is a children’s sports book author and editor. She is an avid hockey fan and has edited several bestselling children’s hockey books. Nicole lives north of Toronto with her daughter. Themes: ice hockey, celebrity, racism

April 2011 9781552775417 • $9.95 pb 9781552775424 • $16.95 hc 4.25 x 7 112 pages Ages 11+ Lorimer www.orcabook.com

New Native Trailblazers

Native Trailblazers Inspiring biographies of Native people

Portrays positive role models High-interest chapter books, great for reluctant readers Gives an accurate picture of contemporary Native people Provides resource information for Native organizations

Native Defenders of the Environment Vincent Schilling

Environmental justice is their passion.

April 2011 9780977918379 $9.95 pb 6x9 128 pages Ages 6–14 7th Generation

26 www.orcabook.com

rom the Native Trailblazers series comes a new book with the stories of twelve brave people who work tirelessly to save our environment. These are stories of courage, determination and resistance to multinational corporations and disastrous government policies that are harming the planet. Readers will learn about Grace Thorpe, who worked to keep Native reservations from becoming nuclear waste dumps; Tom Goldtooth, the director of the Indigenous Environmental Network; and Winona LaDuke, who works on a national level to raise public support and create funding for Native environmental groups. Read about the next generation of Native environmentalists, including Ben Powless, a founding organizer of the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition; Melina Laboucan-Massimo, tar sands campaigner for Greenpeace Canada; and Teague Allston, an intern with the National Wildlife Federation tribal and public lands program. Vincent Schilling, an enrolled member of the St. Regis Mohawk tribe, is a freelance journalist and photographer as well as a radio host. He is the author of Native Athletes in Action, Native Men of Courage and Native Musicians in the Groove. Themes: Native peoples, environment, justice

Holocaust Remembrance Backlist

H olocaust

R emembrance •

9781897187067 • $14.95

•

More than 50 awards won across the series, including the UNICEF Paolo Ungari Award and the Prize for Children’s Holocaust Literature from Yad Vashem, Israel. The books in this series have been translated into more than 40 languages around the world

• •

•

For ages 9+ Founded on the principle that it is possible to talk to children about serious issues Addresses these issues in a sensitive way

Praise for Hiding Edith “A beautifully written true story of a...Jewish girl from Vienna, and her journey to survival.” —Jewish Book World

9781897187050 • $18.95

9781897187586 • $14.95 9781897187395 • $14.95

www.orcabook.com

New Women’s Hall of Fame

Women’s HALL OF FAME • For ages 9+ • Founded on the belief that girls can grow up to do anything they choose • Each volume profiles ten inspiring, innovative women in a given field

“A must for the junior and high school library.” —Kliatt Terrific Women Teachers Helen Wolfe

Educators and miracle workers: ten women teachers from around the world

nspire the educators of tomorrow with the life stories of ten women teachers. Each of them made a difference in the lives of their students and in education as whole. Included is Maria Montessori, who at the turn of the last century became the ﬁrst female doctor in Italy, going on to found the Montessori method of self-directed learning. Paired together in another chapter are the inextricably linked Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan, the “miracle worker” who found the bridge for Helen to communicate with the world. Also included is Christa McAuliffe, the high school teacher who tragically lost her life in the Space shuttle Challenger disaster, but whose legacy is maintained by the many US schools that carry her name. Other women proﬁled include Native educator Dorval Onesime from Canada and Malalai Joya, who is campaigning for girls’ education in Afghanistan.

April 2011 9781897187869 $10.95 pb 9x6 112 pages Ages 9+ Second Story

28 www.orcabook.com

Helen Wolfe has been a teacher for more than thirty years, focusing on teaching English, English as a second language, special education and history. She lives with her family in Toronto. This is her ﬁrst book for children. Themes: education, biography, activists

New Juvenile Fiction

Before Thea can move forward, she has to go back.

Missing Becky Citra

hea and her dad are always on the move, from one small Cariboo town to another, trying to leave behind the pain of Thea’s mom’s death. They never stay long enough in one place for Thea to make friends, but when her dad gets work renovating a guest ranch on Gumboot Lake, she dares to hope that their wandering days are over. At the ranch she makes friends with Van, a local boy, and works hard to build the trust of an abused horse named Renegade. When Thea unearths the decades-old story of a four-year-old girl who disappeared from the ranch and was never seen again, she enlists Van to help her solve the mystery. When some disturbing facts come to light, she ﬁnally starts to come to terms with the losses in her own life. Becky Citra is the author of many books for children, including After the Fire, Never To Be Told and Whiteout. Becky lives on a ranch in Bridge Lake, British Columbia, where she has ridden and trained horses for thirty years. Themes: death, horses, mystery, friendship, family

April 2011 9781554693450 • $9.95 pb 5 x 7.5 184 PAGES AGES 9–12 Orca Also by Becky Citra:

After the Fire 9781554692460 • $9.95 pb AGES 9–12

Never To Be Told 9781551435671 • $8.95 pb AGES 9–12 www.orcabook.com

New Juvenile Fiction

Sometimes reading faces is a lot harder than reading books.

March 2011 9781554693627 • $9.95 pb 5 x 7.5 224 PAGES AGES 9–12 Orca Also by Anna Kerz:

The Mealworm Diaries 9781551439822 • $9.95 pb AGES 9–12

The Gnome’s Eye 9781554691951 • $9.95 pb AGES 9–12 30 www.orcabook.com

Better Than Weird Anna Kerz

n this stand-alone sequel to The Mealworm Diaries, Aaron is anxiously waiting for his father to return for the first time since Aaron’s mother’s death eight years earlier. Aaron works hard with a counselor at school, but he still has problems getting along with and understanding other kids, and he’s worried that his dad will think he’s weird. As well as having to confront Tufan, the class bully, Aaron must find ways to cope with the fact that his dad now has a pregnant wife and his beloved Gran needs surgery. In the end, his greatest strength is not his intelligence or his sense of humor, but the openness and warmth of his heart. Anna Kerz’s first book, The Mealworm Diaries, was shortlisted for many awards, including a Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Award. Anna is also the author of The Gnome’s Eye, a story loosely based on her experiences as an immigrant child. When she’s not writing, Anna is collecting and telling stories to audiences of all ages. She lives in Scarborough, Ontario, with her husband, Frank, and their dog, Bailey. Themes: friendship, bullying, self-control, family

New Juvenile Fiction

Ellie’s vacation is an education in music, history and family dynamics.

Out of the Box Michelle Mulder

ife is smoothest for thirteen-year-old Ellie when she keeps her opinions to herself, gets good grades and speaks carefully when her parents ask her to settle their arguments. She feels guilty that she welcomes the chance to spend the summer in another city with her mother’s older sister, Jeanette. Ellie makes a new friend and learns to play an Argentine instrument called the bandoneón, which she ﬁnds in her aunt’s basement. When she goes searching for the bandoneón’s original owner, she discovers a story of political intrigue and family secrets that help her start to ﬁgure out where her parents end and she begins.

April 2011 9781554693283 $9.95 pb 5 x 7.5 176 PAGES AGES 9–12 Orca Also by Michelle Mulder:

When she was growing up, Michelle Mulder’s favorite spot was the library, so it’s no surprise she studied literature at university. After graduating, she cycled across Canada, traveled in South America and married the Argentine pen pal she’d been writing to since she was fourteen. She lives in Victoria, British Columbia, with her husband and daughter. For more information visit www.michellemulder.com. Themes: Argentine tango music, political oppression, depression, family

After Peaches 9781554691760 • $7.95 pb AGES 8–11

www.orcabook.com

New Juvenile Fiction

Three clever kids uncover a mystery at a World War II base.

May 2011

The Archaeolojesters

9781926909868 • $10.95 pb 5 x 7.75 192 pages Ages 9–12 Lobster Press Also by Andreas Oertel:

The Archaeolojesters Pillars of Time 9781897550922 • $10.95 pb

Trouble at Impact Lake Andreas Oertel

ody, Eric and Rachel—also known as the Archaeolojesters—have returned from their time-traveling adventures in Egypt. Now it’s back to Manitoba and their boring old routine—or so they think! While getting ready for yet another day of ﬁshing, Cody and Eric run into a pair of divers who say they are on a mission to recover a sunken military plane from the restricted World War II base at Impact Lake. Something about their story seems off, and the kids can’t resist investigating. It turns out there is a lot of history—and mystery— surrounding the base, including rumors of valuable meteorites in the area and the legend of a seven-foot-tall “mad trapper.” After researching military records online, the kids stake out the base to spy on the divers, but can’t shake the feeling that somebody else is secretly observing them. Have these clever sleuths dug up more danger than they can handle? Find out in the exciting third installment in the Archaeolojesters series. Andreas Oertel was born in Germany and has spent most of his life in Manitoba. Fascinated by archaeology, ancient civilizations and discovery, he can often be found exploring local beaches with his trusty metal detector. Themes: history, World War II, mystery

The Archaeolojesters 9781897550830 • $10.95 pb 32 www.orcabook.com

New Juvenile Fiction

Discover the spinetingling fifth book in the Grim Hill series.

Grim Hill Forest of Secrets Linda DeMeulemeester

fter nearly losing Sookie to a coven of witches during their student exchange to Sweden, Cat Peters has vowed to keep her sister as far from magic as possible. But when Cat and her friends are taken hostage and find themselves stranded in Headless Valley, it’s clear they will need a miracle to get back home. Although they find an abandoned cabin for shelter, their supply of food and water is running out fast, their kidnappers are hot on their heels, and a sinister threat lurks in the loft of the cabin. Cat has to make an impossible choice—risk the group’s chances of survival, or risk her sister, who may be able to summon help using her magical skills. But if Sookie opens the door to Fairy, what will be the cost? Linda DeMeulemeester graduated from the Clarion West Workshop for writers of science fiction and fantasy and won the Ontario Library Association’s Silver Birch Award for her debut novel, The Secret of Grim Hill. Themes: Celtic myth, fairy lore, magic

May 2011 9781926909875 $10.95 pb 5 x 7.75 192 pages Ages 9–12 Lobster Press Also by Linda DeMeulemeester: Grim Hill The Family Secret 9781897550656 • $10.95 pb Grim Hill The Forgotten Secret 9781897550137 • $10.95 pb Grim Hill The Secret Deepens 9781897073971 • $10.95 pb

www.orcabook.com

New Juvenile Fiction

Two very different girls have to find the strength to survive the infamous 1998 ice storm.

April 2011

Ice Storm

9781550504514 $8.95 pb 5.25 x 7.5 192 pages Ages 9–12 Coteau

Disaster Strikes, Book 6 Penny Draper

welve-year-old cousins Alice and Sophie are a study in contrasts. Alice, a tall brunette who lives in Montreal with only her dad, is a figure skater with a lot of talent and a bit of an attitude. Sophie, a short blond who lives on a dairy farm with her mom, dad and spooky little brother Sebastian, loves looking after their herd of cows. In January 1998, it starts to rain and it won’t stop. The rain turns to ice and causes big trouble. First, the roads are closed, and then the power lines come down and the electricity is gone. Alice struggles to stay warm, alone in the dark, because her dad is working around the clock for Quebec Hydro. Meanwhile, Sophie and her family fight to look after their high-maintenance dairy cows without power to run the water pumps, the milking machines or anything else. Penny Draper is the author of five bestselling novels in the Disaster Strikes! series, all of which have been cited in Young Readers’ Choice and other award programs. Themes: adventure, history, adversity

34 www.orcabook.com

New Juvenile Fiction

Twelve-year-old Erik faces the challenges of adapting to pioneer life.

Racing Home Adele Dueck

rik never wanted to leave his grandfather’s farm, and the memory of his dead father, in Norway. But in Canada his family can have their own farm, so Erik, his mother, and his older sister Elsa journey to the Canadian west with Rolf, their mother’s new husband. Rolf is a hard man to talk to and even harder to get to know. And he’s keeping a secret from his new family. Erik does a man’s work, helping Rolf break land and build a sod house. Rolf’s brother and his son Olaf live in the nearby town. Olaf looks a lot like Rolf, but for some reason won’t talk to him, and seems to resent Erik as well. The boys start to get along through their shared efforts to save Tapper, an injured horse. Tapper gets well enough to be entered in a local horserace and turns out to be a real winner. “Tapper” is the Norwegian word for “brave,” and Erik really must be “tapper” to face all the challenges of his new life and be a winner himself.

May 2011 9781550504507 $8.95 pb 5.25 x 7.5 192 pages Ages 9–12 Coteau

Adele Dueck’s books for children include Nettie’s Journey, from Coteau’s From Many Peoples series and Anywhere But Here, which was a ﬁnalist for the Silver Birch Award in Ontario and for Manitoba’s Young Reader’s Choice Award. Themes: immigration, family issues, prairie settlement

www.orcabook.com

New Juvenile Fiction

Pit Pony Joyce Barkhouse

Dreaming of wild horses on a remote island helps Willie face the hard realities of working in a coal mine.

f Willie could have his dream, he would go to Sable Island and ride free over the sand dunes on the back of a wild horse. Instead, eleven-year-old Willie must work in the coal mines of Cape Breton, hardly ever seeing the light of day. But with the help of Gem, the gentle pit pony, he discovers that things aren’t always as bad as they seem. And a surprising event reveals that miracles can happen, even in a coal mine.

Joyce Barkhouse is the author of many short stories and books for children, including Anna’s Pet and The Witch of Port Lajoie. She received the Order of Nova Scotia and was made a Member of the Order of Canada for her children’s books and work in literacy. Themes: animals, courage/bravery, emotions and feelings

March 2010 9780887809248 $9.95 pb 5 x 7.75 136 pages Ages 8–10 Formac

Sky Pony Elaine Breault Hammond

Katie’s pony can fly--through time as well as space.

welve-year-old Katie resents her beloved parents when they decide to move their family to the Yukon for Dad’s new job. But when they take in six-year-old Siggi as a foster child, Katie is REALLY mad. She escapes from her unhappiness quite by chance when she realizes her pony, an Icelandic horse called Peggy, can ﬂy—through time as well as space. By accident she takes Siggi to nineteenth-century England, where the two are adopted into a loving family. But when Peggy and Siggi are kidnapped and forced to work in an underground mine, Katie must rescue them or risk losing them forever. Through the danger and the triumph, and the connections she makes through time travel, Katie comes to understand the meaning of family.

Elaine Breault Hammond is the author of the bestselling The Secret Under the Whirlpool, Under the Waterfall and Explosion at Dawson Creek.

April 2011 9781894838511 $12.95 pb 6x9 160 pages Ages 8–12 Acorn

36 www.orcabook.com

Themes: moving, adoption, family

New Juvenile Fiction

Full Steam to Canada A Barr Colony Adventure Anne Patton

A British family’s 1903 journey to the promise of a better, richer life on the Canadian prairies. Based on a true story.

orothy Bolton and her family are making ends meet in Britain in 1903, but the growing number of stories about vast expanses of fertile, free land have caught the eye of her father and her brother. Her father dreams of having a farm of his own. When young Frank loses his clerk job to a returning Boer War veteran, the Boltons’ last good reason for staying where they are is gone with it. They follow the lead of Reverend Isaac Barr, whose stated mission it is to create an exclusively British colony in the new world. In lively language and crystal-clear detail, Anne Patton recreates the Boltons’ farewell to friends and family, their journey across the Atlantic in a ship packed with other emigrants on the Barr Colony mission and their journey by train from the Maritimes to the Canadian prairie. Based on interviews with the original Dorothy Bolton, Full Steam to Canada is a novel, but it absolutely is a true story. Anne Patton’s award-winning books for children include Fiddle Dancer, Dancing in My Bones and Song Lei in a New Land. Themes: immigration, ships at sea, prairie settlement

May 2011 9781550504576 $8.95 pb 5.25 x 7.5 216 pages Ages 9–12 Coteau

Ghost Messages Jacqueline Guest

A stowaway girl in an ocean liner crosses the Atlantic in this nail-biter of an 1865 seafaring adventure.

n pursuit of stolen treasure in 1865 Ireland, thirteen-year-old Ailish winds up trapped on the Great Eastern as it sails! The largest ship ever built, the Great Eastern’s mission is to lay the ﬁrst undersea telegraph cable across the Atlantic Ocean. On the journey, Ailish gets help from a young boy, Davy, who seems to live belowdecks. She makes friends with an Irish sailor and tries to track down the hiding place of her father’s treasure. The crew must battle the seas and the mishaps of their cable-laying mission, some of which would appear to be sabotage. Through many adventures, Davy is her constant companion. But why won’t he ever come topside? Can Ailish use her wits, her determination and her friendships to survive the trip, let alone save the day? Jacqueline Guest is the author of more than a dozen books for young readers. Her books have received numerous Our Choice and Young Readers’ Choice awards. Themes: ghost story, historical event, ship at sea

April 2011 9781550504583 $8.95 pb 5.25 x 7.5 200 pages Ages 9–12 Coteau

www.orcabook.com

New Graphic Guide Adventures

Book Six in the Graphic Guide Adventure series

www . powerplaygraphicnovel . com

April 2011

Power Play

9781554690695 • $9.95 pb 5.75 x 8 64 PAGES AGES 8–12 Orca Also by Liam O’Donnell:

Food Fight 9781554690671 • $9.95 pb AGES 8–12

Liam O’Donnell Illustrated by Mike Deas

evin and Nadia team up with Bounce, Pema and Marcus as they all travel to Northern Ontario to watch their parents present to the Summit of World Leaders. A swarm of politicians, lobbyists, corporate bosses and protestors have all converged on the summit to get their messages heard. A tragic accident just hours before their parents’ presentation plunges the kids into their biggest mystery yet and sets them on the trail of a murderer bent on stopping their parents’ controversial message from being heard. It’s a fight against the planet’s power players as the kids dive into the world of politics, uncovering how government works, the history of democracy, the influence of lobbyists and corporations on politicians and the potential of civil society to change it all. Liam O’Donnell was born in Northern Ireland and came to Canada when he was five years old. From chapter books to comic strips, Liam writes fiction and nonfiction for young readers. He is the author of the popular Max Finder Mysteries. Liam lives in Toronto, Ontario. Mike Deas is a talented illustrator in a number of different genres. He graduated from Capilano College’s Commercial Animation program and has worked as a game developer. Mike lives in Victoria, British Columbia. This is his sixth Graphic Guide Adventure, and he is at work on another graphic novel, which he is writing and illustrating. Themes: government, politics, mystery

Media Meltdown 9781554690657 • $9.95 pb AGES 8–12 38 www.orcabook.com

Middle-School Fiction for Reluctant Readers

Short high-interest novels for ages 10 to 14 • • • •

Reading levels from grade 2.0 to 4.5 Free individual teachers’ guides online Accelerated Reader selections New! Orca Currents in French—see pages 59–60

Orca Currents Collection

he Orca Currents are now available as a collection of 38 paperbacks in a convenient display that is perfect for retailers’ shelves and the classroom. Special educational discounts offered with this collection. Please contact us for details.

Available 9781554692590 $378.10 Collection of 38 paperbacks ages 10–14 Orca

Orca Currents Resource Guide Kate Lane Hill, Susan Geye and Janice Reynolds

ritten by best-selling, award-winning authors, Orca Currents have become classroom favorites. With compelling mysteries, humor, adventure and contemporary themes, Orca Currents offer something for every kind of reader, particularly the reluctant reader. The Orca Currents Resource Guide, now available on CD, provides information on using the books in this popular series as part of the classroom curriculum. Professionally written guides with curriculum connections, writing exercises, discussion questions and activities are provided for each title in the Orca Currents series. With additional information on reading levels, literature circles and assessment, the Orca Currents Resource Guide is a valuable tool for teachers using Orca Currents in the classroom.

Available 9781554692347 $45.00 cd 9781551439563 $45.00 coil-bound Orca www.orcabook.com

New Orca Currents

Benched Cristy Watson

Will this prank mean Cody loses everything?

hen Cody and his friends accept a challenge from a local gang to steal a park bench, their main concern is keeping themselves on the gang’s good side. Cody learns that the stolen bench had been dedicated to the father of the English teacher who sponsors the school newspaper—the paper that Cody has just started writing for—and he’s worried about the consequences. As the gang applies pressure for more from Cody and his friends, he realizes they’ve crossed a line, and now he has to ﬁgure out how to make it right.

One day, while walking around the ponds near her home, Cristy Watson discovered that one of the park benches had gone missing overnight. The idea for Benched was born. Cristy lives in White Rock, British Columbia. Themes: gangs, theft, restorative justice

March 2011 9781554694082 • $9.95 pb 9781554694099 • $16.95 hc 4.25 x 7 128 PAGES AGES 10–14 • rl 3.8 Orca

Storm Tide Kari Jones

What the tide washes in…

eft alone for the ﬁrst time on the island he calls home, Simon is looking forward to a day of personal indulgence. His sister Ellen only wants to make sure they get their chores done. Their parents are busy trying to convince the government not to close the lighthouse that the family operates, and it’s up to the kids to make sure everything runs smoothly. Neither Simon nor Ellen is prepared for the mysterious and potentially dangerous visitor who brings with him an unexpected storm and a riddle that may lead to treasure—treasure that could help them save the lighthouse. Simon and Ellen have to work together to solve the riddle before the stranger—or the weather—destroys their chances. Kari Jones is a Victoria-based writer and teacher who has a passion for the out-of-doors. She loves to spend time exploring the natural world and dreaming up adventures to share.

March 2011 9781554698073 • $9.95 pb 9781554698080 • $16.95 hc 4.25 x 7 128 PAGES AGES 10–14 • rl 3.4 Orca

40 www.orcabook.com

Themes: mystery, adventure, lighthouses

New Orca Currents

Windfall Sara Cassidy

Changing the world one tree at a time.

ife is full of challenges for thirteen-year-old Liza. She is already having trouble coping with the death of a local homeless man when she learns that her family’s apple tree will need to be chopped down. If that wasn’t enough, the new principal at school keeps blocking her attempts for a positive outlet by refusing permission for every project that GRRR! (Girls for Renewable Resources, Really!) and BRRR! (Boys for Renewable Resources, Really!) proposes. Liza starts to feel like she needs to create change in her world without seeking permission. When she chooses the school grounds as the site for her latest endeavor, she may have gone too far.

Windfall is Sara Cassidy’s second entry in the Orca Currents series. Her ﬁrst Current, Slick, also features Liza and the girls of GRRR! Themes: homelessness, grief, guerilla gardening

April 2011 9781554698493 • $9.95 pb 9781554698509 • $16.95 hc 4.25 x 7 128 PAGES AGES 10–14 • rl 4.5 Orca

Beyond Repair Lois Peterson

Stalking the stalker.

s much as life has irrevocably changed since the death of his father, much has stayed the same for Cam. He’s always had a great deal of responsibility around the house, but the burden is heavier now in combination with the load of grief he’s been carrying. After the man who was driving the truck that killed his father turns up at the end of the driveway, Cam feels pressure to keep his family safe as well. He starts to see the man everywhere: at his work, in stores, at his sister’s school. Cam needs to know what the man wants from his family, and he starts following his father’s killer in search of answers.

Lois Peterson is the author of Meeting Miss 405 and The Ballad of Knuckles McGraw in the Orca Young Readers series, and Silver Rain, juvenile ﬁction. She lives in Surrey, British Columbia. Themes: grieving, family, stalkers

April 2011 9781554698165 • $9.95 pb 9781554698172 • $16.95 hc 4.25 x 7 128 PAGES AGES 10–14 • rl 2.9 Orca

www.orcabook.com

• • • •

Mystery stories with sports themes for ages 10+ Reading levels from grade 2.0 to 4.5 Free individual teachers’ guides online Accelerated Reader selections

Orca Sports Collection

T Available 9781554692583 $238.80 Collection of 24 paperbacks Ages 10+ Orca

he Orca Sports novels are now available as a collection of 24 paperbacks in a convenient display that is perfect for retailers’ shelves and the classroom. Each book in the Orca Sports series is written at a grade 2.0 to 4.5 reading level, with exciting stories that will compel even the most reluctant reader. Special discounts available for this collection. Please contact us for details.

Orca Sports Resource Guide Sarah Harvey, Susan Geye and Janice Reynolds

erfect for reluctant teen readers, the Orca Sports titles combine mystery and adventure with team sports such as hockey, baseball, football and soccer, and solo sports like scuba diving, running, sailing, horse racing and even race-car driving. Written by popular, award-winning writers such as Sigmund Brouwer and Nikki Tate, Orca Sports books engage young readers with exciting plots and easy-to-read language.

Available 9781554697984 $25.00 cd 9781551439259 $25.00 coil-bound Orca 42 www.orcabook.com

The Orca Sports Resource Guide provides teachers with ideas for connecting each title in the series to the curriculum, the text and, most importantly, the students. Certain to encourage lively discussion in the classroom, the Orca Sports Resource Guide is a valuable tool for teachers who want to give their students the very best.

New Orca Sports

Gravity Check Alex Van Tol

Finding weed in the woods turns out to be a giant buzz-kill.

amie is determined that nothing—not even his annoyingly popular younger brother Seth— is going to spoil his fun at a mountain biking camp in the backcountry. Nothing but stumbling on a giant grow-op in the woods, that is. And watching their fellow campers get captured by violent drug dealers. And working with Seth to ﬁgure out a way to save their friends without getting caught themselves. Alex Van Tol grew up reading a wide range of books, from Enid Blyton to Stephen King. She taught middle school for eight years, then made the switch to writing for a living. This is her second novel with Orca Book Publishers. She lives in Victoria, British Columbia. Themes: mountain biking, brothers, drugs, danger

May 2011 9781554693498 $9.95 pb 4.25 x 7 176 PAGES AGES 10+ • rl 3.0 Orca

The Drop Jeff Ross

Alex lives to snowboard. Now he must snowboard to live.

lex’s goal in life is simple: to snowboard all day, every day. His ultimate dream is to be part of the Backcountry Patrol, an elite group of snowboarders who patrol the ungroomed slopes of British Columbia. But first, he and three other young hopefuls (Dave, Bryce and Hope) must endure a series of tests, which takes them to remote and dangerous terrain. When Bryce disappears, the teens are left with Sam, their dubiously qualified instructor, and no links to the outside world. As Alex and Hope scramble to find out what happened to Bryce, they must confront their own fears of the whiteout conditions and the ominous, mysterious drop. Jeff Ross has been hurtling himself down mountains on a piece of fiberglass and hoping for the best for as long as he can remember. He grew up near Collingwood, Ontario, where he learned to ski, snowboard, skateboard and injure himself in fantastic and unique ways. Jeff lives in Ottawa, Ontario, where he teaches English and Scriptwriting for Television and Animation at Algonquin College. He is humored on a daily basis by his wife and two sons. The Drop is his first novel. Themes: snowboarding, friendship, loyalty, courage

May 2011 9781554693924 $9.95 pb 4.25 x 7 176 PAGES AGES 10+ • rl 2.8 Orca

www.orcabook.com

New Teen Fantasy

The gripping conclusion to the Salt Trilogy

March 2011

The Limping Man

9781554692163 • $18.00 hc 5.5 x 8.25 208 PAGES AGES 12+ Orca Also by Maurice Gee:

Gool: The Salt Trilogy, V. 2 9781554692149 • $18.00 hc AGES 12+

The Salt Trilogy,Volume 3 Maurice Gee

n this compelling ﬁnal volume of The Salt Trilogy, Hana narrowly escapes Blood Burrow after her mother chooses to swallow poison rather than die in the great witch-burning in People’s Square. Deep in the forest she meets Ben, son of Lo, and Hawk, who becomes her silent protector and guide. But even in the forest there is no peace. When they learn of the advancing armies that will wipe out all those who have sought refuge in the wilderness, they realize they have no choice but to return to the city and confront the terrible power of the Limping Man head-on. The problem is they know that, unless they discover the secret to his power, none of them—alone or together—is strong enough to ﬁght the evil the Limping Man embodies.

Maurice Gee is one of New Zealand’s ﬁnest writers, with more than forty books for adults and young adults to his credit. He has received several literary awards, including the New Zealand Children’s Book of the Year Award and the New Zealand Post Book Award for Young Adult Fiction for Salt. The Limping Man is the ﬁnal volume of The Salt Trilogy. Themes: quest, dystopian fantasy, adventure

W W W. S A LT-T H E -T R I L O G Y. C O M

Salt: The Salt Trilogy, V. 1 9781554692095 • $18.00 hc AGES 12+ 44 www.orcabook.com

New Teen Fantasy

The Divided Realms Captured Maggie L. Wood

A teen is transported to an enchanted realm--could she be the hero that the kingdom seeks?

ifteen-year-old Willow Kingswell has been listening to her Nana’s tales of faeries and enchanted kingdoms for as long as she can remember. But when she is magically transported to the realm of Mistolear, she is stunned to learn that the stories were true, and that she is actually a princess. Suddenly, Willow has to fit into a royal family she didn’t know she had, deal with customs she doesn’t understand and sort out her feelings for Brand, the handsome knight who has sworn to protect her. On top of everything, she may also be the key to saving Mistolear from a terrifying spell. The nefarious faerie prince Nezeral has pitted two kingdoms against each other in a life-or-death chess match, in which people are the game pieces. As a pawn, Willow now glows with the light of the game and must find the courage and cleverness to battle Nezeral before her loved ones fall. Could a meager pawn really be the most powerful piece on the board? Captured is the first book in the thrilling Divided Realms series. Maggie L. Wood grew up on Prince Edward Island. She later moved to London, Ontario, where she became a bookseller, and developed a passion for YA fiction and fantasy. Themes: fantasy, magic, romance

May 2011 9781770800717 $12.95 pb 5.5 x 8.5 288 pages Ages 13+ Lobster Press

The Divided Realms The Darkening Maggie L. Wood

Maggie L.Wood’s vibrant worlds collide in the second Divided Realms adventure.

ife is returning to normal since Willow defeated the faerie prince who had ensnared Mistolear in a deadly game. She is refining her skills at Mage School and spending time with her new friends, especially Brand, the handsome knight who has sworn to protect her. Unfortunately, he also drives her mad with his old-fashioned rules about “proper courtship.” The peace does not last, however, as a misstep in Clarion dooms Willow to play another twisted faerie game. If she loses, faeries will once again be free to wreak havoc in the realms of Mistolear and Earth. The Game Master, King Jarlath of the Unseelie Court, throws Willow and Brand into the Goblin’s Gauntlet where goblins, phookas and a host of bloodthirsty creatures are on the hunt. In a surprising move, Jarlath sends his own children into the game as well. Dacia, the female twin, is ruthless and cunning. Theon, the male, is clever, flirtatious and, like all faeries, devastatingly beautiful. Willow struggles to resist Theon’s charm, while Brand’s jealousy simmers—but with the fate of two realms hanging in the balance, both must push their emotions aside. Can Willow and Brand trust the faerie siblings, or is there more than one game being played? Maggie L. Wood grew up on Prince Edward Island. She later moved to London, Ontario, where she became a bookseller and developed a passion for YA fiction and fantasy.

May 2011 9781770800724 $12.95 pb 5.5 x 8.5 288 pages Ages 13+ Lobster Press

Themes: fantasy, magic, romance www.orcabook.com

New Teen Fiction

Tegan was in the car when her two best friends were killed. What did she see? And why won’t she say?

April 2011 9781554693351 • $12.95 pb 5.5 x 8.25 224 pages AGES 12+ Orca Also by Norah McClintock:

She Said/She Saw Norah McClintock But before he got a word out, his eyes shifted from me to the driver’s-side window. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Something stung my cheek. It turned out to be a shard of glass. Something splattered all over my face and my hair and the front of my coat. It turned out to be blood and brains and tiny pieces of bone. Someone screamed. It turned out to be me.

T Taken 9781554691524 • $12.95 pb AGES 12+

egan was in the backseat when her two best friends were gunned down in front of her. Was it an argument over drugs? An ongoing feud? Or something more random? Tegan says she didn’t see who did it. Or know why. Nobody will believe her. Not the police; not her friends; not the families of the victims; and not even Kelly, her own sister. Is she afraid that the killer will come back? Or does she know more than she is saying? Shunned at school and feeling alone, Tegan must sort through her memories and try to decide what is real and what is imagined. And in the end she must decide whether she has the strength to stand up and do the right thing. Norah McClintock is the bestselling author of a number of titles, including Taken, Masked and Picture This. Themes: friendship, responsibility, perception

Masked 9781554693641 • $9.95 pb 9781554693658 • $16.95 hc AGES 12+

46 www.orcabook.com

New Teen Fiction

But what is real? Are you? Am I? Is anyone?

What Is Real Karen Rivers

ex Pratt is seventeen years old, a star basketball player and a budding ﬁlmmaker. And his life has been turned upside down. His parents have split up and his mother has remarried and taken him to a new life in the city. When his father attempts suicide and fails, Dex returns to their small town to care for him. He is not, however, prepared for how much everything has changed. Gone is the suburban split-level on the outskirts of town. Gone are the new cars, fancy bikes and other toys. Now he and his wheelchair-bound dad live in a rotting rented house at the back of a cornﬁeld. And, worse, his father has given up defending marijuana growers in his law practice and has become one himself.

May 2011 9781554693566 $12.95 pb 5.5 x 8.25 208 pages AGES 12+ Orca

Unable to cope, Dex throws his camera in the trash and begins smoking himself into a state of surrealism. He begins to lose touch with what is real and what he is imagining. And then there are the aliens…And the crop circle…And the girl-of-his-dreams… What Is Real presents a poignant portrait of suburban family life gone south. Dex Pratt is smart, funny, creative and compulsive; he’s also angry and disillusioned. But most of all he’s a character that readers won’t soon forget. Karen Rivers is the author of fourteen novels, mostly for young adults. Her books have been nominated for a number of awards, including the Sheila A. Egoff Children’s Literature Award and the Silver Birch Award. Karen lives, reads and writes in a yellow house near the beach in Victoria, British Columbia, and can almost always be found online at karenrivers.com. Themes: family life, alienation

www.orcabook.com

New Teen Fiction

A little hope can go a long way.

April 2011 9781554693306 • $12.95 pb 5.5 x 8.25 208 PAGES AGES 12+ Orca Also by Monique Polak:

The Middle of Everywhere 9781554690909 • $12.95 pb AGES 12+

What World is Left 9781551438474 • $12.95 pb AGES 12+ 48 www.orcabook.com

Miracleville Monique Polak

ixteen-year-old Ani lives in the tiny Quebec town of Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré, where her family runs Saintly Souvenirs, a tourist shop catering to the many pilgrims who come to the town seeking a miracle. The bane of Ani’s existence is her hyperactive, over-sexed younger sister, Colette. Ani and her mother, Therèse, are devout Catholics; Colette and her father are not. When Therèse is paralyzed after a freak accident, Ani’s faith is tested, but when she is confronted with something shocking in her mother’s past, she has to rethink her whole existence. Miracleville is Monique Polak’s twelfth novel for young adults. Her historical novel, What World is Left, won the 2009 Quebec Writers’ Federation Prize for Children’s and Young Adult Literature. Monique teaches English and Humanities at Marianapolis College in Montreal and also works as a freelance journalist. She lives in Montreal with her husband, a newspaper man. She believes in miracles. Themes: faith, sisters, paternity, disability

New Teen Fiction

Could life get any suckier?

Rattled Lisa Harrington

ifteen-year-old Lydia, resigned to a boring summer, is thrilled when Megan and her totally hot brother, Sam, move in across the street. But their rude and hostile mother, Mrs. Swicker, is strangely protective and does everything she can to stop Lydia and her older sister, Jilly, from getting anywhere near her kids. One day Lydia accidentally stumbles across something very puzzling in the Swickers’ basement. Determined to ﬁnd some answers, Lydia enlists the help of Jilly. But the further they investigate, the more bizarre the discoveries. Lydia’s suspicions about Mr. Swicker are mounting, but she has no idea what a twisted, dangerous secret she has uncovered until it’s too late.

March 2011 9781551097831 $11.95 pb 5.25 x 7.75 192 pages Ages 12–16 Nimbus

Lisa Harrington was a substitute teacher and worked with children, until she tried her hand at writing. Lisa lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia, with her husband and two children, who, much to their horror, provide a constant source of material. This is Lisa’s ﬁrst novel. Themes: sisters, detective work, summer

www.orcabook.com

New Teen Fiction

A raw and complex coming-of-age story about figuring out who we are, and what we expect of ourselves.

March 2011 9781894549868 $14.95 pb 5.5 x 8.5 324 pages Ages 15+ Sumach

Parachuting Leora Freedman

t’s 1973 in the sleepy Connecticut suburbs, and sixteen-year-old Zoe Diamond has way more than sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll on her mind. Her best friend Naomi has threatened to commit suicide, and while Zoe wants to help her, she also wouldn’t mind a conversationstarter with their young Hebrew schoolteacher Rivka Lev, for whom she’s developing confusing and intense feelings. Rivka is like no one she’s ever met: maddening, inspiring, and most of all, she challenges Zoe to make worthwhile choices in a world she doesn’t totally understand. As fears for Naomi come to a head, Zoe ﬁnds herself increasingly confronted by big questions and realizes that coming close to the edge is easier than she used to believe.

Leora Freedman is the author of an award-winning ﬁrst novel, The Ivory Pomegranate, as well as short stories which have appeared in a variety of literary magazines. Leora spent many years living and writing in the Arizona desert, the wilds of British Columbia and in Jerusalem, Israel, before settling in Toronto, where she now lives with her family. Themes: Judaism, sexuality, suicide

50 www.orcabook.com

New Teen Fiction

Leap Jodi Lundgren

When life is changing, sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith in yourself.

atalie Ferguson has just turned ﬁfteen, a momentous age that, happily, means she’s ofﬁcially a grown-up. But while her mom doesn’t seem to have got the memo, Kevin, her best friend Sasha’s older brother, has. The school year is over, and Natalie is looking forward to a summer of perfecting her technique at dance camp. Caught up with the excitement of Kevin’s attention, their relationship quickly becomes intimate and all-consuming. Natalie’s summer is a mix of amazing highs and dramatic lows. She goes from being in love and lust with Kevin to realizing that he is not the guy she thought he was, and she may have lost her friendship with Sasha in the process. Then, just when she’s ready to turn to her single mom for advice, she learns that her mother is now in love with a woman. Losing her virginity, dealing with her new understanding of her mother, and trying to renegotiate her relationships, Natalie clings to her dancing as the only sure thing in a life suddenly full of questions. Jodi Lundgren grew up dancing and writing. She teaches English and creative writing at Camosun College in Victoria, British Columbia.

March 2011 9781897187852 $11.95 pb 8.25 x 5.5 264 pages Ages 12+ Second Story

Loon Island Donna Firby Gamache

A family vacation leads to a dangerous confrontation.

ourteen-year-old Alex O’Grady has tried to forget the past. But the past is hard to forget when everyone keeps reminding you of it. People stare at Alex, kids at school avoid him and customers at the restaurant where his mom works know exactly who she is and what happened to their family. Alex’s mother decides that they need a break, so she takes Alex and his sisters to Family Camp at Loon Island, hoping to ﬁnd some peace of mind. Alex would rather be on his own, but Jerry, a persistent kid from out of town, makes an attempt at friendship during the boat ride to the island. Although Alex is hesitant to trust anyone, Jerry doesn’t know about his past, and having someone to hang out with might not be so bad. When the two boys start exploring the camp, they discover signs that there is an intruder in their midst. But by the time Alex and Jerry ﬁgure out the identity of the mysterious trespasser, they realize they are in way over their heads. Is the past doomed to repeat itself?

Donna Firby Gamache is a retired teacher from rural Manitoba who infuses her writing with a love of the outdoors. She has won several awards for her short stories, and her novels for young readers include Sarah: A New Beginning and Spruce Woods Adventure. Themes: mystery, betrayal, trust

May 2011 9781770800700 $9.95 pb 4.25 x 7 144 pages Ages 12–15 Lobster Press www.orcabook.com

New Lorimer SideStreets

Edgy, contemporary young adult fiction that gets teens reading! • Page-turning novels that engage reluctant readers and deal with real-world issues in real ways • Award-winning, knowledgeable authors

• Diverse characters and settings • Reading level grades 3.0–5.5 • Interest level ages 13+

Final Takedown Brent R. Sherrard

Best friends Elias and Jordan have been warned: clean up their act, or they’ll be facing a stint in juvie.

or as long as they’ve been friends, Elias has been relying on his buddy Jordan. It’s Jordan’s mom who takes him in when his own mother is on an alcoholic binge; it’s Jordan who acts as the brother and role model that Elias doesn’t have. But now they’ve gone too far, and a schoolyard ﬁght has landed them both in jail. The judge gives them a warning: Shape up, or face time in juvie. The clock is already ticking when Jordan gets his girlfriend pregnant and then comes up with a big-time takedown that’ll set them both up for life. For Elias, it’s not worth the risk. But can he free himself of Jordan’s inﬂuence in time? Brent R. Sherrard and his wife Valerie live in Miramachi, New Brunswick. He is also the author of Wasted. Themes: aggression, class differences, coming-of-age

March 2011 9781552775233 • $9.95 pb 9781552775257 • $16.95 hc 4.25 x 7 128 pages Ages 13+ Lorimer 52 www.orcabook.com

New Lorimer SideStreets

Thief Girl Ingrid Lee

Haven’t you ever lied?

ixteen-year-old Avvy Go straddles the line—between the immigrant neighborhood were she lives and works and the established neighborhood where she attends high school, the line between right and wrong, and the line between telling secrets and keeping them. Set in an urban Chinatown neighborhood, Thief Girl is a frank look at the challenges faced by one teen caught between two worlds. Ingrid Lee lives in Toronto, Ontario, where she teaches high school English and art. Her ﬁrst novel for teens, Dog Lost (Scholastic Canada), was shortlisted for the Rocky Mountain Book Award, the Manitoba Young Reader’s Choice Award and the Hackmatack Children’s Choice Book Award. Ingrid is also the author of several chapter books for younger readers. Themes: multiculturalism, stealing, decision making

March 2011 9781552775387 • $9.95 pb 9781552775394 • $16.95 hc 4.25 x 7 152 pages Ages 13+ Lorimer

Stalked Christine Hart

How far will Amy go to get what she wants?

t’s the summer before her final year of high school, and Amy and her best friend Elise are stoked about their summer job. Two months, no parents, a dreamy twenty-something boss and a remote island resort. It sounds like the perfect opportunity for shy, artistic Amy to reinvent herself. But when her dream boss turns creepy, Amy has to decide how far she’s willing to go to get the recommendations she needs for her future. Christine Hart writes young adult fiction and short stories. She is also the author of Watching July, winner of a 2008 Moonbeam Gold Medal. She lives in Victoria, British Columbia. Themes: first job, girls and women, sexual abuse

April 2011 9781552775332 • $9.95 pb 9781552775349 • $16.95 hc 4.25 x 7 144 pages Ages 13+ Lorimer www.orcabook.com

Teen Fiction for Reluctant Readers

Contemporary, compelling stories for ages 12+ • • • • •

Reading levels from grade 2.0 to 4.5 Free individual teachers’ guides online Accelerated Reader selections Orca Soundings in Spanish—see page 32 New! Orca Soundings in French—see pages 33–35

Orca Soundings Collection

T Available 9781554692606 $597.00 Collection of 60 paperbacks ages 12+ Orca

he Orca Soundings are now available as a collection of 60 paperbacks in a convenient display that is perfect for retailers’ shelves and the classroom. Special discounts offered with this collection. Please contact us for details.

Orca Soundings Resource Guide Susan Geye and Janice Reynolds

Available 9781554692330 $45.00 cd 9781551439549 $45.00 coil-bound Orca 54 www.orcabook.com

ith contemporary themes and exciting stories, the Orca Soundings for reluctant teen readers are books that teens want to read. The Orca Soundings Resource Guide, now available on CD, provides information on using the books in this popular series as part of a literacy program. Professionally written guides with curriculum connections, writing exercises, discussion questions and activities are provided for each title in the Orca Soundings series. With additional information on reading levels, literature circles and assessment, the Orca Soundings Resource Guide is a valuable tool for teachers using Orca Soundings in the classroom.

Audiobooks

Five MP3s on one disk! The Orca Soundings Audiobooks is a collection of five Orca Soundings titles in mp3 format on one convenient data compact disk.The titles included are: Battle of the Bands by K.L. Denman, Bull Rider by Marilyn Halvorson, Overdrive by Eric Walters, Picture This by Norah McClintock and Refuge Cove by Lesley Choyce. Individual mp3s are also available for purchase on our US website.

Available 9781554698110 $49.75 cd Orca

Over 60 Orca titles from the following popular series are now available in MP MP3 3 format:

For more information about our audio products, please email orca@orcabook.com www.orcabook.com

New Orca Soundings

Outback Robin Stevenson

In the unforgiving outback, one wrong step can mean death.

ince his girlfriend dumped him, Jayden has been avoiding school—and life in general. When his eccentric uncle Mel invites him to help with his biology research at an Australian university, he figures he has nothing to lose. Once he arrives, he discovers Mel is obsessed with finding a new species of lizard and is determined to be the first to discover it. Unfortunately, this means an expedition into the scorching desert heat of the Australian outback...with the increasingly paranoid Mel and an unfriendly biology student named Natalie. Then disaster strikes, and Jayden and Nat find themselves many miles from civilization fighting for their survival. Robin Stevenson is the author of a number of novels for children, teens and young adults, including Out of Order, A Thousand Shades of Blue, Impossible Things and Inferno. Robin lives in Victoria, British Columbia. Please visit www.robinstevenson.com.

March 2011 9781554694198 • $9.95 pb 9781554694204 • $16.95 hc 4.25 x 7 136 PAGES Ages 12+ • rl 3.0 Orca

Themes: survival, responsibility, family

Last Ride Laura Langston

Sixteen-year-old Tom Shields is struggling with guilt and a ghost.

e killed his best friend, Logan, in a street racing accident a year ago. As he tries to make amends to Logan’s girlfriend and keep his promise to never race again, Tom is haunted by his dead friend. He thinks Logan is trying to tell him something. Not only that, since he faces huge medical bills from the accident and may have to give up his car, the pressure to race is almost unbearable. Laura Langston is the award-winning author of a number of books for children and young adults. Laura lives with her family and assorted pets in Victoria, British Columbia. Visit www.lauralangston.com for more information. Themes: responsibility, street racing, ghosts

March 2011 9781554694167 • $9.95 pb 9781554694174 • $16.95 hc 4.25 x 7 136 PAGES Ages 12+ • rl 2.4 Orca

56 www.orcabook.com

New Orca Soundings

Viral Alex Van Tol

Lindsay seems to be determined to destroy herself. Can Mike save her?

ike has fallen deeply in love with his best friend, Lindsay. And he’s pretty sure she feels the same way…until a simple misunderstanding destroys Lindsay’s trust. Devastated and feeling betrayed, Lindsay leaves town for the summer. In the fall, she returns to school a different person and she’s suddenly tight with the “in” crowd. When Lindsay gets intoxicated at a party and ends up in a compromising situation, she has no idea that someone is ﬁlming the whole thing on his phone. When the footage goes viral around their school, Mike has to dig deep within himself to ﬁnd the courage to help Lindsay in her time of greatest need. Alex Van Tol has been writing for as long as she can remember. A freelance writer, she is the author of Knifepoint and Gravity Check, both from Orca Book Publishers. Alex lives in Victoria, British Columbia, and dreams of Bora Bora. Themes: friendship, responsibility, addiction

April 2011 9781554694112 • $9.95 pb 9781554694129 • $16.95 hc 4.25 x 7 128 PAGES Ages 12+ • rl 2.9 Orca

B Negative Vicki Grant

Is blood really thicker than water?

addy loves his family, all except for his annoying stepfather Anthony. When they have a discussion about his future, Paddy overreacts and threatens to join the army. Unable to back down, he ﬁnds he is alienating everyone around him. And when he takes the physical exam and learns his blood type, his world starts to crumble and he starts to question everything he thought he knew. Vicki Grant left her career in advertising and television to write her ﬁrst novel in 2004. Vicki lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia, with her husband and three children. More information is available at www.vickigrant.com. Themes: responsibility, family

April 2011 9781554698417 • $9.95 pb 9781554698424 • $16.95 hc 4.25 x 7 128 PAGES Ages 12+ • rl 3.1 Orca

www.orcabook.com

New Orca Soundings in Spanish

A reventar (Stuffed) Eric Walters

Can Ian convince the whole school to do the right thing?

hen Ian and his classmates watch a documentary about the health concerns of eating fast food, Ian decides to start a boycott and stop everyone he can from eating at Frankie’s, a huge fast-food chain with a questionable menu. The boycott takes off and Frankie’s gets concerned. The company’s lawyers threaten Ian and his friends and try to force them to stop the boycott. Ian must convince others that the boycott is a good idea. Can Ian stand up for what he believes in? Can you take on a corporate behemoth and win? A reventar (Stuffed) is Eric Walter’s third title translated into the Orca Soundings in Spanish series, following Al límite (Grind) and A toda velocidad (Overdrive). Eric is a tireless school presenter and the author of many acclaimed books. He lives in Mississauga, Ontario.

May 2011 9781554698615 $9.95 pb 4.25 x 7 144 PAGES AGES 12+ • rl 2.9 Orca

Themes: democracy, choice, accountability

A punta de cuchillo (Knifepoint) Alex Van Tol

Jill has always been good with horses, just not so good with people.

ill took a job which sounded perfect for the summer, guiding tourists on trail rides in the beautiful mountains. She didn’t realize that the money was terrible, the hours long and the co-workers insufferable. After a blow-up with her boss, she takes a single man into the mountains for a ride, only to finds that he is a dangerous killer. When Jill fights back and manages to escape, she is in a desperate race to survive and make it to safety. Alex Van Tol is a prolific freelance writer in Victoria, British Columbia. Knifepoint is her first novel.

May 2011 9781554698639 $9.95 pb 4.25 x 7 128 PAGES AGES 12+ • rl 3.0 Orca

58 www.orcabook.com

Themes: survival, crime, adventure

New Orca Titles in French

La revanche parfaite (Perfect Revenge) K.L. Denman

When mean girls turn to magick...

izzie Lane is used to life at the top of the food chain. Her near-perfect life is ruined when Rachel, a girl she socially destroyed, exacts her revenge by getting Lizzie in trouble for cheating on a test. Friendless and facing detention, Lizzie obsesses over finding the perfect revenge. When Stella, Lizzie’s strange new neighbor, teaches Lizzie about magick, Lizzie can’t resist creating a revenge spell. But she forgets the “rule of three,” that whatever spell you cast comes back on you three-fold, and her zit spell backfires with dramatic results. When she asks for help from Stella’s Baba, the only advice she gets is to “write the lesson of the zit on her heart.” Can Lizzie find a way to teach Rachel a lesson without causing permanent disfigurement to herself?

K.L. Denman has written numerous books for kids, including Mirror Image, Rebel’s Tag and The Shade in the Orca Currents series. She lives in Powell River, British Columbia. Themes: magic, ﬁtting in, humor

April 2011 9781554698530 $9.95 pb 4.25 x 7 144 pages AGES 10–14 Orca

Marqué (Marked) Norah McClintock

Is graffiti the key to solving this mystery?

hen Colin accepts the job to clean up the graffiti in an upscale neighborhood he worries that he might be targeted by gangs. But he didn’t expect to become a suspect in a series of robberies. Every time he is sent to clean up graffiti, the police are nearby investigating a crime. Colin knows he’s done nothing wrong, but even he acknowledges his presence at the crime scenes looks suspicious. The only way he can clear his name is to figure out what is really going on. Norah McClintock is the author of numerous mystery novels for kids and young adults, including Bang, Tell and Snitch in the Orca Soundings series. Norah lives in Toronto, Ontario. Themes: graffiti, employment, mystery

April 2011 9781554698554 $9.95 pb 4.25 x 7 128 pages AGES 10–14 Orca

www.orcabook.com

New Orca Titles in French

Ed spécial (Special Edward) Eric Walters

Is Edward special or special ed.?

dward is a classic slacker. He’s got better ways to spend his time than toiling over homework, and as long as he gets passing grades he’s happy. When his ﬁfty percent average is threatened he has to ﬁnd a way to pull up his grades without applying himself. Edward discovers that special education students get more time to complete tests, and he thinks he’s found the perfect scam. Little does he know that manipulating everyone around him will take more work than he ever imagined. Eric Walters is the bestselling, award-winning author of over sixty books for juveniles and young adults. Eric lives in Mississauga, Ontario.

May 2011

Themes: learning disabilities, school, humor

9781554698578 $9.95 pb 4.25 x 7 128 pages AGES 10–14 Orca

Monteur de taureau (Bull Rider) Marilyn Halvorson

Layne must face his greatest fear.

ayne wants nothing more than to follow in his father’s footsteps and to be a bull rider. His dad was one ride away from a National Championship when he got trampled to death. Layne wants to be able to give his dad that championship—by winning it for him. What he doesn’t want, though, is to end up like his father and die in the rodeo arena. When the chance comes, Layne realizes he must face up to his greatest fear. With the help of his friend Jana, and his bratty younger sister, Layne learns to reach deep inside and trust himself.

Marilyn Halvorson is also the author of Blue Moon in the Orca Soundings series. When she is not caring for cattle on her ranch, Marilyn spends her time writing.

May 2011 9781554698592 $9.95 pb 4.25 x 7 128 pages AGES 12+ Orca

60 www.orcabook.com

Themes: death, bull riding, family

New Rapid Reads Fiction

GREAT WRITING, GREAT STORYTELLING IN A SMALL, EASY-TO-READ PACKAGE “Each title hooks readers with a dramatic start…With rare voices and taut suspense, these titles provide accessible choices for struggling and strong readers alike.” —Booklist Booklist

The Fall Guy Barbara Fradkin

If necessity is the mother of invention, fear might be its father.

andyman Cedric O’Toole likes his simple life. He lives by himself on a hardscrabble farm, collecting sheds full of junk and dreaming of his next invention. Then one day a slick city lawyer drives down his lane and his nightmare begins. Lori-Anne Wilkins, the wife of a wealthy local businessman, has fallen to her death from a deck Cedric built, and the furious widower has slapped him with a lawsuit. When Cedric goes to check out the accident site, he discovers that someone has tampered with the railing around the deck. It appears he’s been set up to take the blame. But who might want Mrs. Wilkins dead? Then, when someone runs him off the road, he realizes that his life is in danger too. To clear his name and save his life, Cedric has to use his inventive mind to trap the real killer. Barbara Fradkin is a child psychologist with a fascination for how we turn bad. She is best known for her gritty detective series featuring Ottawa Police Inspector Michael Green. She won Arthur Ellis Best Novel Awards for both Fifth Son (2005) and Honour Among Men (2007). Themes: mystery, murder, family issues

April 2011 9781554698356 $9.95 pb 4.25 x 7.25 128 pages Adult Fiction Raven Books

www.orcabook.com

New Rapid Reads Fiction

And Everything Nice Kim Moritsugu

When honesty isn’t always the best policy.

wenty-four-year-old Stephanie manages a clothing store and lives with her mother in the townhouse where she grew up. Her life isn’t in a rut exactly, but it’s not headed where she’d like it to be. At her mother’s suggestion, she joins a community choir. Soon she’s singing rock songs in four-part harmony and has met a completely new group of people, including Anna Rai, a local TV personality. When Anna’s personal journal goes missing, she conﬁdes in Stephanie that she feels terribly vulnerable. What if the notebook falls into the wrong hands and her secrets are made public? She hints that such revelations could be devastating to her and other public ﬁgures. When a blackmailer demands cash in exchange for the notebook, the two women lay a trap to snare the crook. But will Stephanie use or abuse the information she now has?

April 2011 9781554698387 $9.95 pb 4.25 x 7.25 128 pages Adult Fiction Raven Books

Kim Moritsugu is the author of four previous novels. The Glenwood Treasure (2003) was shortlisted for the Arthur Ellis Best Crime Novel Award. She also leads a walking tour for Heritage Toronto, teaches creative writing at the Humber School for Writers, writes a food blog called The Hungry Novelist and sings in a community rock/pop choir. Themes: truth, lies, honesty and integrity

The Second Wife Brenda Chapman

Does Gwen Lake really want to save her ex-husband from a murder rap?

wen Lake is a forty-ﬁve-year-old Duluth police ofﬁcer with a desk job, an ex-husband and a future not even close to the American dream. A year after her divorce, and more out of boredom and curiosity than anything else, she agrees to a meeting with her ex’s new wife. She has no idea that the encounter will lead to murder. And she has decidedly mixed emotions when her ex-husband is arrested for the crime. Instead of accepting the lead detective’s advice to book a Club Med vacation and leave the investigation to the professionals, Gwen decides to work the case on her own. Her life is about to get a lot less predictable and a lot more dangerous.

April 2011 9781554698325 $9.95 pb 4.25 x 7.25 128 pages Adult Fiction Raven Books

62 www.orcabook.com

Brenda Chapman is the author of the murder mystery In Winter’s Grip (2010), along with the successful Jennifer Bannon mystery series for young adults. She is a former special education teacher and currently works as a senior communications advisor in the federal government in Ottawa, Ontario. Themes: mystery, murder, fraud

New Rapid Reads Nonfiction

Ortona Street Fight Mark Zuehlke

The battle for Ortona— Canada’s first major triumph of World War II.

ecember 20, 1943. Two Canadian infantry battalions and a tank regiment stand poised on the outskirts of a small Italian port town. They expect to take Ortona quickly. But the German 1st Parachute Division has other ideas. For reasons unknown, Hitler has ordered Ortona held to the last man. Houses, churches and other buildings are dynamited, clogging the streets with rubble. Germans with machine guns lie in ambush. Snipers slip from one rooftop to another. The Canadians seem to have walked into a death trap. This is a battle fought at close range, often hand to hand. Casualties on both sides are heavy. In the end, raw courage and ingenuity save the Canadians. Ortona Street Fight is a riveting telling of what is considered one of the most epic battles that Canadian soldiers have ever fought.

April 2011 With more than twenty books to his credit, Mark Zuehlke has been hailed as Canada’s leading popular military historian. He is also an award-winning mystery writer. Mark lives in Victoria, British Columbia. Themes: World War II, history, war, courage

9781554693986 $9.95 pb 4.25 x 7.25 128 pages Adult Nonﬁction Raven Books

Generation Us The Challenge of Global Warming Andrew Weaver

Global warming is not so much an environmental problem as an economic and social problem.

n clear and accessible language, Generation Us explains the phenomenon of global warming, outlines the threat it presents to future generations and offers a path toward solutions to the problem. The reality of global warming has long been accepted within the scientiﬁc community, yet it remains a hotly debated topic at the political and social level. Why is this? Is it the fact that the ultimate effects of global warming will not be felt in our lifetimes? Do we really feel no moral responsibility for future generations? Dr. Weaver, one of the world’s leading experts in the ﬁeld, contends that, just as humans have been responsible for creating the problem of global warming, we must also be the solution. Dr. Andrew J. Weaver is professor and Canada Research Chair in climate modeling and analysis in the School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of Victoria. He was a lead author in the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. He is also the author of Keeping our Cool: Canada in a Warming World (2008).

April 2011 9781554698042 $9.95 pb 4.25 x 7.25 128 pages Adult Nonﬁction Raven Books

Themes: global warming, the environment, science, nature

www.orcabook.com

New Planners and Calendars

2012 Polestar Business Calendar Julian Ross

C › › › › › ›

reative time-management for our working lives. The Polestar Business Calendar is designed to organize all aspects of your life with its open, uncluttered format.

Features include: Weekly page spreads with lots of room to write Unique three-part time-management system Reference pages include monthly expense pages and note and address pages Great weekly quotes Front- and back-cover inside pockets 100% post-consumer recycled paper, FSC certiﬁed

9781551860732 $19.95 coil-bound 8 x 10 176 pages Polestar

2012 Polestar Planner Ruth Porter

personal organizer at a great price! This planner will keep you organized and on track, all in a handy portable format.

› › › › › › ›

9781551860749 $12.95 coil-bound 6x9 160 pages Polestar

64 www.orcabook.com

Features include: Three-part open, ﬂexible daily format Monthly double-spread planning pages Weekly quotes Large note section 2012 and 2013 Planning Calendars Front- and back-cover inside pockets 100% post-consumer recycled paper, FSC certiﬁed

New Planners and Calendars

2012 Polestar Family Calendar Ruth Porter

his award-winning calendar has proven indispensable for many thousands of busy families, helping them to organize, coordinate and simplify their lives. It provides a ﬂexible, spacious format for recording the entire family’s daily activities.

› › › › › ›

Features include: Three-part daily planning guide Ample space for To Do and To Buy lists, family proﬁles, items loaned and borrowed, and more Month-at-a-glance pages and yearly planning calendars Handy 43-page reference and notes section Front- and back-cover inside pockets 100% post-consumer recycled paper, FSC certiﬁed

9781551860718 $16.95 coil-bound 8 x 10 168 pages Polestar

The Original Student Calendar August 15, 2011 to August 26, 2012 Julian Ross

arol Smith of California states, “The Student Calendar has a place for everything! I would recommend it to anyone who needs even a little bit of organization in their life. And it’s a great price too!” This award-winning back-to-school bestseller helps students get organized and stay organized. Developed especially for university, college and high-school students.

› › › › › › ›

Features include: 12-month budget / expense pages A unique, easy-to-use student time-management system Week-at-a-glance format—lots of room to write in each day Term timetables, monthly planners, test and essay results Space for writing phone numbers, addresses, plus a Goals, Dreams and Accomplishments page Front- and back-cover inside pockets 100% post-consumer recycled paper, FSC certiﬁed

9781551860725 $11.95 coil-bound 6x9 168 pages Polestar

www.orcabook.com

Orca Digital

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Since most of our readers are now digital natives—those born into the digital age—Orca Book Publishers is thrilled to offer our titles in digital format. This is new and exciting territory for us. We have ebooks available through many wellknown retailers:

$PD]RQ .LQGOH %DUQHV 1REOH ,WXQHV .RER 6RQ\ The majority of our titles are available digitally on our website in pdf or epub format. Many titles are available in both formats. Subscriptions to our most popular series are also available on our website. This is a product perfect for teachers. The purchase of a subscription gets you multiuser access to every book in the series purchased for a full year. An unlimited number of students can read the book at the same time. All that is required is a computer with internet access. Orca titles are also available to school and library programs through Follett Library Resources, Overdrive and Dedicated Teachers.com. 66 www.orcabook.com

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:H DOVR SDUWLFLSDWH LQ D QXPEHU RI SURJUDPV RI VSHFLDO LQWHUHVW $ 6WRU\ %HIRUH %HG lets parents, grandparents and anyone with a special child in their life record audio and video of themself reading a children’s book right from their home computer. Children can watch these recordings anytime and as often as they like. %LJ 8QLYHUVH is an online reading and writing community for grades preK–8. This studentcentered website provides a large library of leveled nonfiction and fiction online books, a writing and publishing tool, a safe bookshelf sharing community, and many supporting tools such as reading logs and more. 7XPEOH%RRNV is an online collection of animated, talking picturebooks that teach kids the joy of reading. TumbleBooks are created by taking existing picturebooks, then adding animation, sound, music and narration to produce an electronic picturebook. As with every product and service we offer, we are always interested in your feedback. Is there a program you think we should get involved in? Questions about how you can use ebooks in the classroom? We want to hear from you. Please email melanie@orcabook.com.

United States Frontlist Order Form Toll-free Phone: 1-800-210-5277• Toll-free Fax: 1-877-408-1551 • Email: orders@orcabook.com Account Number: Phone Number:

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Alligator, Bear, Crab Baby’s Lullaby Can Hens Give Milk? Wellington’s Rainy Day Today, Maybe Eagle of the Sea Splish, Splat! Princess to the Rescue Crosby and Me Once Upon a Bathtime Raffi’s New Friend Music by Morgan Mia, Matt and the Lazy Gator The Witch of Bloor Street Orca Echoes Collection Orca Echoes CD Resource Guide Orca Echoes Resource Guide Mystery of the Missing Luck Something’s Fishy Les Loups gris à la chasse Le défi des Loups gris Orca Young Readers Collection Orca Young Readers CD Resource Guide Orca Young Readers Resource Guide Trouble in the Trees Somebody’s Girl Chance and the Butterfly Sidelined Sidelined Fadeaway Fadeaway Cliques Cliques China Clipper China Clipper Jordin Tootoo Jordin Tootoo Jarome Iginla Jarome Iginla Native Defenders of the Environment Terrific Women Teachers Missing Better Than Weird Out of the Box The Archeaolojesters: Trouble at Impact Lake Grim Hill: Forest of Secrets Ice Storm Racing Home Pit Pony Sky Pony Full Steam to Canada Ghost Messages

9781554693603 9781551097954 9781554693191 9781554692842 9781554694006 9781551097497 9781897187883 9781897187937 9781894838504 9781896580548 9780887809330 9780887809262 9780887809361 9781552775363 9781554692613 9781554697991 9781554692408 9781554693962 9781554697878 9781554698141 9781554698127 9781554693870 9781554698752 9781554693894 9781554693856 9781554693832 9781554698653 9781552775509 9781552775516 9781552775479 9781552775486 9781552775448 9781552775455 9781552775271 9781552775288 9781552775295 9781552775318 9781552775417 9781552775424 9780977918379 9781897187869 9781554693450 9781554693627 9781554693283 9781926909868 9781926909875 9781550504514 9781550504507 9780887809248 9781894838511 9781550504576 9781550504583

$9.95 bb $8.95 bb $19.95 hc $19.95 hc $19.95 hc $9.95 pb $15.95 hc $15.95 hc $9.95 pb $17.95 hc $5.95 pb $5.95 pb $5.95 pb $8.95 pb $256.80 pb $45.00 cd $45.00 coil $6.95 pb $6.95 pb $6.95 pb $6.95 pb $193.65 pb $45.00 cd $45.00 coil $7.95 pb $7.95 pb $7.95 pb $9.95 pb $16.95 hc $9.95 pb $16.95 hc $12.95 pb $24.95 hc $9.95 pb $16.95 hc $9.95 pb $16.95 hc $9.95 pb $16.95 hc $9.95 pb $10.95 pb $9.95 pb $9.95 pb $9.95 pb $10.95 pb $10.95 pb $8.95 pb $8.95 pb $9.95 pb $12.95 pb $8.95 pb $8.95 pb www.orcabook.com

United States Frontlist Order Form Quantity

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Title

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Power Play Orca Currents Collection Orca Currents CD Resource Guide Orca Currents Resource Guide Benched Benched Storm Tide Storm Tide Windfall Windfall Beyond Repair Beyond Repair Orca Sports Collection Orca Sports CD Resource Guide Orca Sports Resource Guide Gravity Check The Drop The Limping Man The Divided Realms: Captured The Divided Realms: The Darkening She Said/She Saw What Is Real Miracleville Rattled Parachuting Leap Loon Island Final Takedown Final Takedown Thief Girl Thief Girl Stalked Stalked Orca Soundings Collection Orca Soundings CD Resource Guide Orca Soundings Resource Guide Orca Soundings Audiobooks CD Outback Outback Last Ride Last Ride Viral Viral B Negative B Negative A reventar A punta de cuchillo La revanche parfaite Marqué Ed spécial Monteur de taureau The Fall Guy And Everything Nice The Second Wife Ortona Street Fight Generation Us 2012 Polestar Business Calendar 2012 Polestar Planner 2012 Polestar Family Calendar The Original Student Calendar 2011/2012

9781554690695 9781554692590 9781554692347 9781551439563 9781554694082 9781554694099 9781554698073 9781554698080 9781554698493 9781554698509 9781554698165 9781554698172 9781554692583 9781554697984 9781551439259 9781554693498 9781554693924 9781554692163 9781770800717 9781770800724 9781554693351 9781554693566 9781554693306 9781551097831 9781894549868 9781897187852 9781770800700 9781552775233 9781552775257 9781552775387 9781552775394 9781552775332 9781552775349 9781554692606 9781554692330 9781551439549 9781554698110 9781554694198 9781554694204 9781554694167 9781554694174 9781554694112 9781554694129 9781554698417 9781554698424 9781554698615 9781554698639 9781554698530 9781554698554 9781554698578 9781554698592 9781554698356 9781554698387 9781554698325 9781554693986 9781554698042 9781551860732 9781551860749 9781551860718 9781551860725

$9.95 pb $378.10 pb $45.00 cd $45.00 coil $9.95 pb $16.95 hc $9.95 pb $16.95 hc $9.95 pb $16.95 hc $9.95 pb $16.95 hc $238.80 pb $25.00 cd $25.00 coil $9.95 pb $9.95 pb $18.00 hc $12.95 pb $12.95 pb $12.95 pb $12.95 pb $12.95 pb $11.95 pb $14.95 pb $11.95 pb $9.95 pb $9.95 pb $16.95 hc $9.95 pb $16.95 hc $9.95 pb $16.95 hc $597.00 pb $45.00 cd $45.00 coil $49.75 cd $9.95 pb $16.95 hc $9.95 pb $16.95 hc $9.95 pb $16.95 hc $9.95 pb $16.95 hc $9.95 pb $9.95 pb $9.95 pb $9.95 pb $9.95 pb $9.95 pb $9.95 pb $9.95 pb $9.95 pb $9.95 pb $9.95 pb $19.95 coil $12.95 coil $16.95 coil $11.95 coil

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Retail: • 1 book 25% • 2–4 books prepaid 40% • 5–24 books 42% • 25–49 books 44% • 50+ books 46%

For damaged books or books received in error, please call 1-800-210-5277 for permission to return. Returns may be made without prior authorization not before 3 months or after 12 months from invoice date. All returns must be received in mint, resaleable condition. Books ineligible for credit may be returned at the customer’s expense.To receive full credit, return shipment must include an accurate packing slip detailing: invoice numbers and dates, ISBN and list price of titles, discounts and quantities of each title returned. Books returned without sufﬁcient information will be credited at 50% of retail price. Returns are for credit only. Clearly mark “Returns” on the outside of the box.

Toll-Free Phone: 1-800-210-5277 Toll-Free Fax: 1-877-408-1551 Email: orders@orcabook.com Order online and view a complete list of titles at www.orcabook.com

United States Retail Sales Representatives: The West (AK, WA, OR, CA, MT, ID, NV, WY, UT, CO, AZ, NM, HI) McCormick Associates Tom Rusch 5112 Van Noord Ave. Sherman Oaks, CA 91423 phone: 818-284-0611 tom.rusch@gmail.com Greg Chickman 250 Killdeer Court Foster City, CA 94404 phone: 650-574-3059 fax: 650-570-7575 chickmanis@comcast.net John and Karen Hopkins 1960 S.E. Larch Street Portland, OR 97214 phone: 503-206-6656 bookmejohnny@comcast.net ktlhopkins@comcast.net David Hurlbut 1563 Solano, PMB 146 Berkeley, CA 94707 phone: 510-526-4206 fax: 510-525-1747 booksrep@comcast.net

Library/Educational: Please call 1-800-210-5277 for details. Wholesale: Please call 1-800-210-5277 for details. Polestar Calendar Discounts: 50% returnable 55% non-returnable Returns of 2009 Polestar calendars must be made by February 1, 2010, to receive credit. Please call or email regarding our co-op policy, extra discounts for single-title quantities and in-store promotions. Reading copies available for all titles. Requests to be made directly to Orca Book Publishers via phone, fax or email.

Susan Payne 136 E. 8th ST. PMB 255 Port Angeles, WA 98362 phone: 360-417-1573 fax: 360-452-8202 fmc@tfon.com

Northeast (NY, NJ, PA, MD, WV, DE, DC) Northeast Publishers Reps Jim and Lisa Sirak 20 Davenport Rd. Montville, NJ 07045 phone: 973-299-0085 fax: 973-263-2363 lisas@nepubreps.com jims@nepubreps.com

Returns should be sent to: Orca Book Publishers Suite 110, 7068 Portal Way Ferndale WA 98248

South/Southeast (TX, AL, FL, LA, OK, AR, MS, western TN, Hastings, Ingram, AWBC) Bill McClung & Associates Bill McClung & Terri McClung 20475 Hwy 46W Suite 180 Spring Branch, TX 78070 phone: 312-933-4374 fax: 830-438-8483 bmcclung@ix.netcom.com tmcclung@ix.netcom.com

Midwest (ND, SD, MN, WI, NE, IA, IL, MI, IN, OH, KS, MO, KY) Blue4Books

Frank Porter 206 Virginia Ave. Audubon, NJ 08106 phone: 856-310-0554 fax: 856-310-0554 frankp@nepubreps.com

Nicholas Booth 101-1060 Pinegrove Dr. Holland, MI 49423 phone: 312-933-4734 fax: 312-624-7927 nicholas@blue4books.com

Bill Palizzolo 81 Indian Ridge Rd. Contoocook, NH 03229 phone: 603-496-1352 billp@nepubreps.com

Tom Hamburg 433 S. Elm St. Waconia, MN 55387 phone: 952-210-6529 tom@blue4books.com

Ray Chateauneuf 12 Willimansett St. S. Hadley, MA 01075 phone: 413-533-3255 fax: 413-533-2729 rayc@nepubreps.com

Ian Booth 8333 Jersey Avenue North Brooklyn Park, MN 55445 phone: 763-744-6921 fax: 312-624-7927 ian@blue4books.com www.orcabook.com

ORCA BOOK PUBLISHERS

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P O B ox 468 Custer, WA 98240-0468

PAID A.M.S.

For complete title information, resource guides, activities and reviews, check out our website at

www.orcabook.com Free teacher’s guides available for many Orca Young Readers, Orca Echoes, Orca Currents, Orca Soundings and Orca Sports. Call for information about author visits and promotional materials.

Toll-free: 1-800-210-5277 • Fax: 1-877-408-1551 Email: orca@orcabook.com GREAT WRITING, GREAT STORYTELLING IN A SMALL, EASY-TO-READ PACKAGE “Each title hooks readers with a dramatic start…With rare voices and taut suspense, these titles provide accessible choices for struggling and strong readers alike.” —Booklist Booklist

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