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AMELIA FRANCES HOWARD-GIBBON AWARD (CANADIAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION)
Cover reproduced by permission of North Winds Press, a Division of Scholastic Canada Ltd.
Two little girls reluctantly approach the annual family get-together which, this year, is celebrating Gran's 90th birthday. Shy and squirmy at first, they soon lose their inhibitions and join the other kids in wild, mad-cap games, running and spinning around the adults in the huge backyard. They stop briefly to gorge themselves on picnic food and Gran's birthday cake. Then it's back to the night air and one last game of hide-and-go-seek. The exuberant party atmosphere is captured with simple rhyming text and colourful plasticine illustrations. A complete package, this is Barbara Reid at her best. ANN CONNOR-BRIMER AWARD (THE NOVA SCOTIA LIBRARY ASSOCIATION)
Cover reproduced by permission of Creative Book Publishing Ltd.
Aggie knows that when she turns 17 on February 15, 1928, she must leave everything that is dear to her in the coal mining town of Loughlinter, Scotland - her large family, Davy (her young man), and Mrs. MacDougall (the kindly widow for whom she works) - to seek work as a domestic servant in Toronto, Canada. The money she sends home will finance the family's only chance to escape the dust, drudgery, and disease endemic to the coal pits. A colourful and authentic portrait of life on both sides of the Atlantic emerges in this coming-of-age novel about an engaging young woman seeking a new life for herself and her family in Canada in the early part of the 20th century. ARTHUR ELLIS AWARDS CHILDREN'S FICTION
Cover reproduced by permission of Scholastic Canada Ltd.
On a dark and stormy night five years ago, Tasha's mom left the family in a huff, never to return. Today Tasha appears to be a typical teenager, but secretly she still nurses her hurt and hopes for a reconciliation. When she finds out that, in fact, her mother never left town, but was murdered and buried in the basement of their family-owned restaurant, Tasha's life changes forever. Her father stands accused, and she and her boyfriend, Jace Bhupal, must reconstruct the events of that fateful evening, so many years before, in order to clear his name. As one clue after another is eliminated the tension builds, but the knowledge they accumulate leads them to a surprising and satisfying solution. BOOK OF THE YEAR FOR CHILDREN AWARD (CANADIAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION)
Cover illustration: Jacobson/Fernandez, reproduced by permission of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
Working on the premise that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, the author has taken two little bats and fashioned them into interesting and appealing characters in this remarkable animal fantasy. Together, Shade, a fledgling Silverwing bat, and Marina, a shimmering but resourceful Brightwing bat, cross oceans, mountains and cities, battle wind and snow, thunder and lightning and encounter formidable friends and foes (owls, pigeons, rats, and even other bats) in search of Shade's lost colony. Although tormented throughout their adventure with the knowledge that they are creatures of the night to whom the sun is forbidden, they ultimately find self-acceptance, concluding that they are "pretty happy" being bats. ELIZABETH MRAZIK-CLEAVER CANADIAN PICTURE BOOK AWARD (INTERNATIONAL BOARD ON BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE - CANADA)
Ghost Train. text copyright ©1996 by Paul Yee. Illustrations copyright ©1996 by Harvey Chan. A Groundwood Book/Douglas & McIntyre.
On one level, Ghost Train tells the story of impoverished Chinese immigrants who were exploited and killed during the construction of the transcontinental railway. On another level it tells of the bond between Choon-yi, a young artist, and her father Ba, one of the workers who lost his life. Visiting her in dream sequences after his death, Ba encourages Choon-yi to create a perfect painting of a fire-car (locomotive) to transport the souls of the dead Chinese workers back to their homeland so that they may rest in peace. Hauntingly beautiful oil paintings, evocative of the talent of Choon-yi, complement this immensely sensitive tale. GEOFFREY BILSON AWARD FOR HISTORICAL FICTION FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (CANADIAN CHILDREN'S BOOK CENTRE)
Cover reproduced by permission of Creative Book Publishing Ltd.
Aggie knows that when she turns 17 on February 15, 1928, she must leave everything that is dear to her in the coal mining town of Loughlinter, Scotland - her large family, Davy (her young man), and Mrs. MacDougall (the kindly widow for whom she works) - to seek work as a domestic servant in Toronto, Canada. The money she sends home will finance the family's only chance to escape the dust, drudgery, and disease endemic to the coal pits. A colourful and authentic portrait of life on both sides of the Atlantic emerges in this coming-of-age novel about an engaging young woman seeking a new life for herself and her family in Canada in the early part of the 20th century. GOVERNOR GENERAL'S LITERARY AWARD/CHILDREN'S LITERATURE (THE CANADA COUNCIL)
Cover reproduced by permission of Penguin Books Canada Ltd.
Theo is a nine-year-old dreamer and bookworm who reads about magic and families to escape the drudgery of the wretched, impoverished existence she shares with her inattentive and irresponsible mom. While she watches a "real" family with four children and two doting parents on the ferry to Victoria, it seems fitting that - poof - she magically becomes a part of their life. She can't believe her good fortune; everything seems perfect. Can it be real? Is she awake or dreaming? In the end, it is a ghost who, drifting quietly in and out of the story, helps Theo to accept reality and to make the most of her life. GOVERNOR GENERAL'S LITERARY AWARD/CHILDREN'S LITERATURE
Cover reproduced by permission of North Winds Press, a Division of Scholastic Canada Ltd.
Two little girls reluctantly approach the annual family get-together which, this year, is celebrating Gran's 90th birthday. Shy and squirmy at first, they soon lose their inhibitions and join the other kids in wild, mad-cap games, running and spinning around the adults in the huge backyard. They stop briefly to gorge themselves on picnic food and Gran's birthday cake. Then it's back to the night air and one last game of hide-and-go-seek. The exuberant party atmosphere is captured with simple rhyming text and colourful plasticine illustrations. A complete package, this is Barbara Reid at her best. INFORMATION BOOK AWARD (THE CHILDREN'S LITERATURE ROUNDTABLES OF CANADA)
Cover reproduced by permission of Madison Press Books.
Seen through the eyes of 17-year-old Jack Thayer and 22-year-old Harold Bride, this book describes the excitement surrounding the maiden voyage of the magnificent Titanic and recounts the tragic events leading to its disastrous demise. Jack, a carefree first-class passenger, spends the first four days exploring the ship from bow to stern. Harold, a junior wireless operator, spends his hours in the ship's tiny radio room. Their stories offer the reader two ways of looking at the luxurious ocean liner, but their differences pale on that fateful night when they meet on an overturned lifeboat in the icy Atlantic. This compelling account is brought alive through crisp narrative, believable dialogue, and stunning illustrative material. MANITOBA YOUNG READER'S CHOICE AWARD (MANITOBA SCHOOL LIBRARY ASSOCIATION)
Mystery at Lake Placid by Roy MacGregor. Used by permission, McClelland & Stewart, Inc. The Canadian Publishers.
Twelve-year-old Travis lives and breathes hockey. He loves everything about the game: practices, pre-game locker room activities, and, most of all, the joyous sensation of being on the ice and playing the game. So it is a dream come true when he and his teammates are invited to an international peewee competition in Lake Placid complete with an Olympic-size arena and talent scouts. Or is it? Foul play threatens to disrupt the event and to sabotage the chances of his team, the Screech Owls. There is action aplenty on and off the ice in this fast-paced mystery novel which shows how "hockey does strange things to people". MR. CHRISTIE'S BOOK AWARD (CHRISTIE BROWN & CO.)
Cover reproduced by permission of Stoddart Publishing Co. Ltd., Stoddart Kids Division.
This enchanting book of verse describes the world from a dog's point of view. There are funny poems: "My grievance is so very small / I'm tempted to forget it. / But when it's you who threw the ball / Why must I go and get it?" and short poems: "Other dogs will sit and stay. / Beagles like to run away." Forty poems in all (to be savoured silently or aloud, one-at-a-time or in a single sitting) beg to be read, remembered and repeated. Funny, light-hearted illustrations, which capture the sheer joy of being a dog and reflect the good-natured playfulness of the poetry, brighten every page. MR. CHRISTIE'S BOOK AWARD (CHRISTIE BROWN & CO.)
Cover reproduced by permission of Owl Books/Greey de Pencier Books Inc.
A year-end move to a small coastal village means a career change for Jesse's artistic mom and an unwanted lifestyle change for nine-year-old Jesse. It is December and Jesse's mom hopes to carve and sell 24 different Santas in the days leading up to Christmas. Jesse is not sure if he believes in Santa, but magic is in the air and, it seems, in the wooden Santas his mother carves. Jesse succumbs. In this special Christmas story, packaged with magnificent full-page photographs of the wooden Santas, Jesse learns to value his family and friends and to trust in the goodness of others. MR. CHRISTIE'S BOOK AWARD (CHRISTIE BROWN & CO.)
Cover illustration: Jacobson/Fernandez, reproduced by permission of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
Working on the premise that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, the author has taken two little bats and fashioned them into interesting and appealing characters in this remarkable animal fantasy. Together, Shade, a fledgling Silverwing bat, and Marina, a shimmering but resourceful Brightwing bat, cross oceans, mountains and cities, battle wind and snow, thunder and lightning and encounter formidable friends and foes (owls, pigeons, rats, and even other bats) in search of Shade's lost colony. Although tormented throughout their adventure with the knowledge that they are creatures of the night to whom the sun is forbidden, they ultimately find self-acceptance, concluding that they are "pretty happy" being bats. MUNICIPAL CHAPTER OF TORONTO IODE BOOK AWARD (IMPERIAL ORDER OF THE DAUGHTERS OF THE EMPIRE)
A Winter's Tale. Copyright ©
1997 by Ian Wallace. A Groundwood Book/Douglas & McIntyre.
For her ninth birthday, Abigail's father takes her and her brother on a winter camping trip deep into rocky and wooded bush country, miles from civilization. Ian Wallace's expansive, softly shaded, full-page illustrations capture the details of the story and the nuances of Abigail's emotions - her excitement in donning her snowshoes and in setting up camp and her delight in the immensity and splendour of the frozen landscape which envelops the three family members. An encounter with a trapped fawn at the end of the story reinforces the subtle, understated theme of respect for nature and the environment and makes the birthday celebration truly an event to remember. NATIONAL CHAPTER OF CANADA IODE VIOLET DOWNEY BOOK AWARD (IMPERIAL ORDER OF THE DAUGHTERS OF THE EMPIRE)
Wings to Fly. Text copyright ©
1997 by Celia Barker Lottridge. Illustrations copyright ©
1997 by Mary Jane Gerber. A Groundwood Book/Douglas & McIntyre.
The little prairie town of Curlew has grown in the three years since 1915 when Josie and her pioneer family moved to the area. More farms have been settled. Even so, Josie is still waiting for a friend her own age. When eleven-year-old Margaret and her parents move to the empty sod house nearby, Josie's heart is filled with hope. Alas, the road to true friendship is not always straightforward. In overcoming Margaret's reticence, the resourceful and plucky Josie learns some things about herself and a lesson or two about women's place in society. Contemporary issues discussed in a historical context in this novel will find resonance with today's young readers. R. ROSS ANNETT JUVENILE FICTION AWARD (WRITERS GUILD OF ALBERTA)
Cover reproduced by permission of Annick Press Ltd.
Fred's late mother wrote children's stories about the kingdom of Tarn and, one night, many years after her death, the Prince of Tarn visits Fred in his bedroom. At first the storybook character is just a nuisance, but gradually his presence brings back long-forgotten and cherished memories of Fred's mom and of her stories. The message here, about grieving and about hope, is subtly and deftly woven into an intricate tale which blends the stories of the real boy (Fred) and the fictitious boy (the Prince) into a book with a "happily-ever-after" ending for both characters and both their stories. RED CEDAR BOOK AWARD FICTION
Cover reproduced by permission of Scholastic Canada Ltd.
In an era when children are seen and not heard and when boys do not do housework, motherless Amy Phair sometimes finds life very unfair. She has faithfully kept the promise made six years ago, at her mother's deathbed, to care for her three younger brothers and baby sister, but she is not happy. Enter Winnie Plum, another twelve-year-old, and Amy's first real friend. Music, forgotten memories, and the welcoming embrace of Winnie's family help Amy to understand, accept and even change her lot in life. Little tidbits of information about Toronto in 1926 add to the ambience and help the reader to become a part of Amy's world. RED CEDAR BOOK AWARD NON-FICTION
Cover reproduced by permission of Stoddart Publishing Co. Ltd., Stoddart Kids Division.
One of the best-loved poems of World War I, "In Flanders Fields", was written by Dr. John McCrae, a Canadian medical officer who treated the wounded and buried the dead along the front lines. In the midst of mind-numbing horror and devastation, he wrote the simple guileless words which, even today, inspire images not only of loss and destruction, but also of hope and renewal. In celebrating the poem (not war) and the man who wrote it, the author and illustrator have created a thoughtful, informative and exquisite work of art which introduces children to the subject of war with restraint and sensitivity. RED MAPLE AWARD (ONTARIO LIBRARY ASSOCIATION)
Cover reproduced by permission of Scholastic Canada Ltd.
It is just after the war and 15-year-old Ruth Mendenberg, a survivor of Auschwitz and Buchenwald, is all alone. She tries to forget the war's atrocities, but it is not easy. Her memories are always with her, defining her, and threatening to overwhelm her. Her story is told as she shepherds Jewish orphans, in a clandestine operation, through Europe to a ship which will take them all to Eretz Israel to seek a new life. By listening to the stories of her young charges and, eventually, telling her own, she is able to find the strength to cherish earlier memories of happier times and to dream tentatively of a better future. RUTH SCHWARTZ CHILDREN'S BOOK AWARD PICTURE BOOK CATEGORY
Cover reproduced by permission of North Winds Press, a Division of Scholastic Canada Ltd.
It will be a surprise to young children who are just learning to read that there are adults who do not know how. In this story, Jeremiah is a man of many accomplishments. Dignified and elderly, he is a farmer with children and grandchildren of his own. He can build a split-rail fence, make maple syrup, whistle through his teeth - but he can't read and he wants to learn! Minimal text and exquisite full-page illustrations will engage young children and others who are young at heart in this enchanting celebration of reading, life-long learning, friendship and family values. RUTH SCHWARTZ CHILDREN'S BOOK AWARD YOUNG ADULT/MIDDLE READER CATEGORY
Bone Dance. Copyright ©1997 by Martha Brooks. A Groundwood Book/Douglas & McIntyre.
Two teenagers are linked by a special piece of property in rural Manitoba in this moving and mystical novel. The land means nothing and everything to Alexandra whose deadbeat dad left it to her after a lifetime of neglect. Lonny, whose family owned it for generations, also has mixed feelings about it. Although they don't know each other when the story begins - Alexandra lives in Winnipeg and Lonny, near the property - their lives are surprisingly similar. When they meet by the lake, their hearts connect. This is romance with a spiritual dimension, for in sharing their memories and their dreams, they discover hope, inner peace and a reverence for the sacred land that binds them together. THE SHEILA A. EGOFF CHILDREN'S PRIZE (THE WEST COAST BOOK PRIZE SOCIETY)
It's 1940 and the war has been a great disappointment for Jamie and his friends - no invasion, no mass destruction, no excitement. Everything changes the night the Luftwaffe begins dropping bombs in their neighbourhood, not far from Liverpool's docks and shipyard. Reality hits home and Jamie's parents send him, out of harm's way, on a ship bound for Canada. What a disappointment for Jamie! What irony. Jamie is not long at sea before he is the victim of another enemy attack. This fictionalized version of the sinking of the ocean liner, City of Benares, is riveting and suspenseful. It concludes with a note by the author about the actual event. SILVER BIRCH AWARD (ONTARIO LIBRARY ASSOCIATION)
Cover illustration: Jacobson/Fernandez, reproduced by permission of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
Working on the premise that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, the author has taken two little bats and fashioned them into interesting and appealing characters in this remarkable animal fantasy. Together, Shade, a fledgling Silverwing bat, and Marina, a shimmering but resourceful Brightwing bat, cross oceans, mountains and cities, battle wind and snow, thunder and lightning and encounter formidable friends and foes (owls, pigeons, rats, and even other bats) in search of Shade's lost colony. Although tormented throughout their adventure with the knowledge that they are creatures of the night to whom the sun is forbidden, they ultimately find self-acceptance, concluding that they are "pretty happy" being bats. SILVER BIRCH AWARD (ONTARIO LIBRARY ASSOCIATION)
Cover reproduced by permission of Madison Press Books.
History comes alive in this keepsake album about Anastasia, the family clown and fourth daughter of Russia's last Tsar. The book begins with her birth on June 18, 1901 and, through the judicious use of family photos, letters and other memorabilia, follows her life to its untimely and violent end on July 16, 1918. The story of a happy-go-lucky childhood, presented against a backdrop of growing political unrest, from which the Tsar's children seem surprisingly immune, will entrance readers of all ages. A beautifully designed book, Anastasia's Album will be at home on the coffee table, in the classroom, or in a child's hands. VICKY METCALF AWARD (CANADIAN AUTHORS ASSOCIATION) 1998 WINNER:
Award-winning author, Kit Pearson, published her first book for children, The Daring Game, in 1986. Since then she has written several other novels for children, including the World War II trilogy, The Sky is Falling, Looking at the Moon, and The Lights Go On Again, and one picture book, The Singing Basket (illustrated by Ann Blades). She has won many literary prizes, including the Governor General's Literary Award/Children's Literature in 1997, the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People in 1990 and 1994, and the Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children Award in 1988 and 1990. After earning a Master of Library Science degree from the University of British Columbia (1976), and a Master of Arts in children's literature from Simmons College in Boston (1981), Kit Pearson immersed herself in the world of children's literature. She has worked as a librarian, book reviewer, journalist, lecturer, and author, but says that writing is what she likes to do best. YOUNG ADULT CANADIAN BOOK AWARD( 1998 WINNER:
Bone Dance. Copyright ©1997 by Martha Brooks. A Groundwood Book/Douglas & McIntyre.
Two teenagers are linked by a special piece of property in rural Manitoba in this moving and mystical novel. The land means nothing and everything to Alexandra whose deadbeat dad left it to her after a lifetime of neglect. Lonny, whose family owned it for generations, also has mixed feelings about it. Although they don't know each other when the story begins - Alexandra lives in Winnipeg and Lonny, near the property - their lives are surprisingly similar. When they meet by the lake, their hearts connect. This is romance with a spiritual dimension, for in sharing their memories and their dreams, they discover hope, inner peace and a reverence for the sacred land that binds them together. 
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