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Noteworthy Books with Canadian Historical ThemesFrench Titles
Cover reproduced by permission of Éditions Pierre Tisseyre.
Yannik and Roxanne, two very modern teenagers, are duped by archaeologist Élise Lecamp, who is trying to steal a piece of "valuable property" left on Beausoleil Island by the Jesuits in the 17th century. A second drama unfolds with Roman, a young Ojibway, who dreams of his ancestors' glorious past, a past he would like to revive. The three young people are drawn together through their shared interest in the history of the island. Crime, suspense and history in one.
Cover reproduced by permission of Stoddart Kids' Division, Stoddart Publishing Co. Limited.
Les Vikings traces the Vikings' journey to Canada, their meeting with the Aboriginal peoples, their customs, their expeditions to distant lands and their mythology. The author asks young people to imagine the construction of an enormous ship for the adventure, possible reactions in the case of shipwreck, and the apparent brutality of the explorers. He invites readers to participate in the Vikings' life by building ships, houses, helmets and other everyday artifacts of the great navigators. The projects are presented in such a way that they can be put together with active imaginations and nimble fingers. The examples and models illustrated by A.G. Smith are a felicitous complement to the text that will facilitate the efforts of would-be explorers.
Cover reproduced by permission of Éditions Pierre Tisseyre.
The setting of Charlevoix is cleverly hidden behind the charm of the legends that make up this story. In 1865-1866, Jeannot and Noëlla, attempting to escape the paternal turf, set out in pursuit of a wandering brother. Their wild adventure takes the two young people around the world on a range of vessels of that era, where they meet various characters who help them on their journey. When the teenagers finally find their older brother, he promptly disappears, but filial duty brings Ernest back home where, not without difficulty, the young family is able to put down roots in the land they have chosen for their own.
Cover reproduced by permission of Les éditions de la courte échelle, Montreal, Canada.
Stéphane Poulin's soft black-and-white drawings illustrate this story by Denis Côté in which, through the intermediary of an old pair of boots discovered by accident one moonlit night, Jo and Maxime are transported back in time to 1889. They are astonished to see a horse pulling a trolley, children dying of smallpox and, worse still, to learn of superstitions which give rise to the persecution of a so-called witch who is interested in science and the future, toward which she will guide the young time-travellers. An intriguing, fast-paced story that will attract young readers with its simple and accessible vocabulary.
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