English Language Arts 8
Personal and Philosophical
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R032725
Camp X
The setting is Whitby, Ontario in the summer 1943. Two brothers, 12-year-old George and 14-year-old Jack, are left on their own a lot while their father fights overseas and their mother works in a munitions plant. As the boys explore the town they have moved to, they play war games. One game brings them to what looks like a military base. They are escorted home and ordered to stay away, but curiosity brings them back to Camp X. The boys become involved in the work of the top-secret spy camp and soon learn that everyone is under suspicion, including themselves.
The story is fictitious, but a spy camp was established in Whitby in 1941 by the Canadian who headed British security during the war. This Canadian, Sir William Stephenson, appears in the novel in a minor role as Little Bill.
The story is fictitious, but a spy camp was established in Whitby in 1941 by the Canadian who headed British security during the war. This Canadian, Sir William Stephenson, appears in the novel in a minor role as Little Bill.
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Media and Formats :
Book
Price :
$11.99
Record posted/updated:
July 8, 2024
R038202
Of Sound Mind
As the only hearing person in the family, teenaged Theo resents his role as the designated interpreter. Additional pressure mounts as his father suffers a stroke and concerned friends offer Theo support. A romantic friendship prods Theo to examine his family role in relation to his personal needs. This poignant tale of family dynamics will appeal to many middle level readers.
Media and Formats :
Book
Price :
$12.99
Record posted/updated:
September 13, 2023
R010729
For Angela
Starring Tina Keeper and Tiffany Peters, this production presents a re-enactment of a racial assault on Rhonda Gordon and her daughter Angela. When confronted and verbally abused by a group of youths on a bus, Rhonda worries that the incident will cause Angela to reject her Aboriginal heritage. In a meeting with the leader of the youths, Rhonda allows the boy to see the consequences of his action and to express his regret.
Media and Formats :
Video
Price :
Free
Record posted/updated:
November 22, 2018
R048703
Never to Be Told
Asia has lived with Ira and Maddy for as long as she can remember. She loves the farm at Cold Creek. When Ira suffers a heart attack, Asia and Maddy rush him to the hospital. Ira's son Harry arrives and is determined to have Ira and Maddy move to California to live with him and locate Asia's real family.
Asia roams the farm and senses someone or something is near. It is a ghost named Miranda and only Asia can see and hear her. Harry locates Asia's family and she is sent to live with Beth, her grandmother in West Vancouver. Asia solves the mystery of Miranda and her mother's disappearance.
Asia roams the farm and senses someone or something is near. It is a ghost named Miranda and only Asia can see and hear her. Harry locates Asia's family and she is sent to live with Beth, her grandmother in West Vancouver. Asia solves the mystery of Miranda and her mother's disappearance.
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Media and Formats :
Book
Price :
$8.95
Record posted/updated:
July 8, 2024
R036730
Stitches
Travis lives with his aunt and uncle in a trailer court while his mother travels around as a country-and-western singer. Travis loves to sew and he is often bullied because he is different. Travis and his best friend, a physically challenged girl named Chantelle, are encouraged by two teachers to accept new challenges that foster their creativity. The bullying, however, reaches a deplorable level.
A winner of the Governor General's Award in 2003, this story addresses issues relevant to many young students.
A winner of the Governor General's Award in 2003, this story addresses issues relevant to many young students.
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Media and Formats :
Book
Price :
$9.95
Record posted/updated:
July 8, 2024
R038200
Trial by Fire
Running serves as a method of escaping past and present conflicts for 17-year-old Nathan. Placed in an abusive foster home, Nathan's life is filled with obstacles ranging from an addicted mother to racist schoolmates. Accusations of arson set Nathan on an investigation to clear his name. Nathan's pursuit of the arsonist places him in dangerous predicaments that ultimately result in Nathan realizing that he does not have to be a victim of his circumstances.
Media and Formats :
Book
Price :
$8.95
Record posted/updated:
January 1, 2019
R071009
Define "Normal"
When conservative straight "A" student Antonia Dillon is approached to become a peer counsellor to troublemaker and punk rocker Jazz Luther, she reluctantly agrees to become part of the program. As the counselling progresses, the two girls discover that they have more in common than they realized. When Antonia's family life falls apart, Jazz appears to be her only lifeline. This darkly humorous book begs readers to question their stereotypes regarding normal and abnormal people.
This book was nominated by American Library Association (ALA) as a Best Book for Young Adults in 2004.
This book was nominated by American Library Association (ALA) as a Best Book for Young Adults in 2004.
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Media and Formats :
Book
Price :
$11.86
Record posted/updated:
July 8, 2024
R035656
The War Within
The setting of this story is in the Southern United States during the Civil War. When the Union army occupies Holly Springs, a small town in Mississippi, Hannah, her family and other Jewish people are forced to evacuate the area. The family has to leave its home and business and follow the Union army to Memphis. Written in diary style, this is a story of war and prejudice.
Media and Formats :
Book
Price :
$11.99
Record posted/updated:
November 22, 2018
R037519
A Different Kind of Beauty
This sequel to Bringing Up Beauty, which won the Silver Birch Award in Manitoba's Young Readers' Award, shows how the training of a guide dog is a difficult process. The story is told by Elizabeth and Kyle. Elizabeth vows she will never train another guide dog, however, in an attempt to keep her friend Scott at her side, she decides to train another dog without getting attached. When Kyle starts at Elizabeth's school, she thinks that he has a bad attitude. Kyle has lost his eyesight prematurely because of his diabetes; he is terrified of dogs and tries to cope with a white cane and poor helpers. After a big party, Elizabeth and her dog, Beauty, meet Kyle and a new kind of beauty is discovered by all.
(More information)
Media and Formats :
Book
Price :
$11.95
Record posted/updated:
September 13, 2023
R038207
The Same Stuff as Stars
This novel features a resilient but lonely, young girl who accepts the responsibilities of raising her brother in the absence of their parents. Left with their fragile great-grandmother, Angel copes with loneliness and the absence of parental love. A kind uncle and a benevolent librarian ignite the girl's passion for literature and astronomy. Convincing the neglected girl that she too is "made of the same stuff as stars" serves as a multilayered metaphor for this novel.
Media and Formats :
Book
Price :
$11.50
Record posted/updated:
November 22, 2018
R070668
Albert Einstein. A Life of Genius
This book includes photographs, complemented by text, to provide information about this well-known genius. The author involves the readers by asking questions about Einstein to show what they have learned as they read. After the opening section of the book, the information about Einstein follows in chronological order. Einstein's discoveries in physics are presented and the author describes Einstein's dedication to peace and his anguish over his creation of the atomic bomb.
Included are a timeline of Einstein's life and a list of places to visit in order to learn more about this famous scientist.
Included are a timeline of Einstein's life and a list of places to visit in order to learn more about this famous scientist.
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Media and Formats :
Book
Price :
$7.95
Record posted/updated:
July 8, 2024
R040040
Alma
After her father dies, Alma and her mother face difficult times that include leaving the farm and moving to town. Alma finds comfort in the books that she reads and the short story that she writes. She longs for the day when she can be a real writer like her favourite author, R. R. Hawkins. Alma's handwriting prompts her teacher to recommend her for a job writing letters for a reclusive old lady,
Miss Lily. Alma and Miss Lily's mutual love of reading leads to friendship and trust. Miss Lily shares her books with Alma and encourages her to write stories.
Miss Lily. Alma and Miss Lily's mutual love of reading leads to friendship and trust. Miss Lily shares her books with Alma and encourages her to write stories.
(More information)
Media and Formats :
Book
Price :
$7.99
Record posted/updated:
July 8, 2024
R050892
Small Steps
In this sequel to Holes, Armpit is trying to turn his life around in Austin, Texas. It does not help that Armpit has a record and everyone expects the worst from him. The only person who believes in Armpit is his next door neighbour, Ginny. Together, they take small steps as they try to move forward. Former Camp Green Lake resident, X-Ray, shows up with a get-rich-quick scheme.
Armpit agrees to X-Ray's scheme to sell concert tickets at an inflated price. With two tickets left over, Armpit takes Ginny to the concert. It is discovered that the tickets are counterfeit and Armpit is beaten and handcuffed by the police. Teen pop sensation, Kaira DeLeon, invites Ginny and Armpit to view the concert from backstage.
Surrounding Kaira are her management team who abuse her finances and her manager, who is plotting to kill Kaira. Armpit must learn to overcome obstacles that keep him from reaching his goals in life.
Armpit agrees to X-Ray's scheme to sell concert tickets at an inflated price. With two tickets left over, Armpit takes Ginny to the concert. It is discovered that the tickets are counterfeit and Armpit is beaten and handcuffed by the police. Teen pop sensation, Kaira DeLeon, invites Ginny and Armpit to view the concert from backstage.
Surrounding Kaira are her management team who abuse her finances and her manager, who is plotting to kill Kaira. Armpit must learn to overcome obstacles that keep him from reaching his goals in life.
(More information)
Media and Formats :
Book
Price :
$12.95
Record posted/updated:
July 8, 2024
R070669
Alexander Graham Bell. An Inventive Life
This biography of Alexander Graham Bell is written in a magazine style format. Included are photographs, information boxes and quotations. MacLeod provides information about Bell's early life, his first experiments, his invention of the telephone and the iron lung, his marriage and his work with Helen Keller.
An index, a timeline and related websites about this famous Canadian inventor are included.
An index, a timeline and related websites about this famous Canadian inventor are included.
Media and Formats :
Book
Price :
$7.95
Record posted/updated:
July 8, 2024
R049961
Dog Tracks
Abby has lived most of her life with her grandparents in town. Choom, her grandfather, falls ill and Abby must leave her friends, her pink bedroom and adjust to living with her mom, a new father and a half-brother on the reserve. Life on the reserve is more traditional than what Abby is used to. Helping Abby with her journey is Paulie, the reserve's Chief and a puppy, Ki-Moot. Abby rediscovers her culture, the Anishinawbe traditions and history through the teachings of the community Elders.
Media and Formats :
Book
Price :
$14.95
Record posted/updated:
November 22, 2018
R055597
Seeds of Time
In this prequel to Secret of Light, 13-year-old Darrell Connor is spending her summer at Eagle Glen Alternative School, a boarding school where she can study art. Darrell is still haunted by a motorcycle accident that took her father's life three years ago and resulted in the amputation of part of her leg. Darrell makes friends with a dog, Delaney, who leads her to a cave that takes her back in time to Scotland during the Black Plague.
Darrell is able to help people with the Black Plague, but she is not able to travel back to the time of the motorcycle accident and prevent her father's death. Gradually, she becomes more accepting of her losses. A subplot, set in the present day, involves smuggling of computer parts and software. Darrell makes friends over the course of the summer and comes to enjoy the school, but Conrad Kennedy, a local bully, harasses her.
Darrell is able to help people with the Black Plague, but she is not able to travel back to the time of the motorcycle accident and prevent her father's death. Gradually, she becomes more accepting of her losses. A subplot, set in the present day, involves smuggling of computer parts and software. Darrell makes friends over the course of the summer and comes to enjoy the school, but Conrad Kennedy, a local bully, harasses her.
(More information)
Media and Formats :
Book
Price :
$12.99
Record posted/updated:
July 8, 2024
R028242
Dovey Coe
A 12-year-old tomboy is accused of murdering her sister's boyfriend in this drama set in the hills of North Carolina in 1928. The story is narrated by Dovey in a frank, authentic voice and builds momentum right up until the surprising conclusion. Dovey's need to protect both her deaf brother, Amos, and her sister, Caroline, makes her a believable victim.
Media and Formats :
Book
Price :
$9.99
Record posted/updated:
November 22, 2018
R053170
Sprouts! An Anthology of Plays from Concrete Theatre's Sprouts New Play Festival for Kids
This collection of short plays explores growing up. Each play is designed for a 15-minute performance. The plays provide numerous opportunities to explore multicultural narratives, personal experiences and acceptance of individual differences. The book includes a table of contents and brief background information on each play.
Media and Formats :
Book
Price :
$25.00
Record posted/updated:
January 1, 2019
R038306
The Bone Collector's Son
Fourteen-year-old Bing-wing Chan lives in Vancouver's Chinatown in 1907. He resents his father, not because his father gambles away their money, but because he is a bone collector. He digs up the bones of the dead and sends them home to China for permanent burial. Bing hates having to help his father with this job and is afraid of the ghosts that hover around graveyards. In order to escape his father and bone collecting, Bing gets a job as a houseboy in a westerner's home. But the westerner's house is haunted and Bing must overcome his own fears in order to rid the house of ghosts.
Readers learn about the lives of Chinese immigrants in the early 1900s and the struggles they faced due to poverty and discrimination.
Readers learn about the lives of Chinese immigrants in the early 1900s and the struggles they faced due to poverty and discrimination.
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Media and Formats :
Book
Price :
$12.95
Record posted/updated:
July 8, 2024
R036605
Search of the Moon King's Daughter
Search of the Moon King's Daughter is a historical novel set in industrial England in the 1830s. Emmaline Roke enjoys life with her family in Maidenfern. However, her world changes when Emmaline's father dies from cholera and the family moves to a factory town to work in the mill. When Emmaline is 15, her mother is injured in an industrial accident and becomes addicted to laudanum. In order to support her addiction, Mrs. Roke sells her deaf son Tommy into slavery as a chimney sweep. Emmaline travels to London to work as a maid and to rescue her brother from the cruelty of the chimney sweeps. Holeman has written a novel by juxtaposing the difficult lives of the working class struggling to survive in contrast to the opulent existence of those who have built the economy on human industry.
This book won the Mr. Christie's Book Award in 2003.
This book won the Mr. Christie's Book Award in 2003.
(More information)
Media and Formats :
Book
Price :
$12.99
Record posted/updated:
July 8, 2024
R019212
Concentus Citizenship Education Resources. Grade 8: The Intentional & Explicit Teaching of Essential Citizenship Competencies
Students explore the concept of democracy as demonstrated in Canada. Throughout the study of democracy, students reflect upon alternative decision making processes such as consensus and majority rule. Students trace the evolution of legislation from an idea to implementation. They learn how the democratic process is strengthened by citizen participation.
Media and Formats :
Document
Price :
Free
Record posted/updated:
November 15, 2023
R029893
Topher
Liam and his family inherit a cabin north of Prince Albert. Liam wants to fix it up and sell it. Thirty years ago, Liam's older brother runs away and drowns near the cabin after a bitter argument with his dad who, upon hearing the news, commits suicide. Liam's children are puzzled by their father's attitude, so they set out to discover what happened. What they discover is quite different from what Liam believes happened.
Media and Formats :
Book
Price :
$4.95
Record posted/updated:
November 26, 2018
R070680
Grind
Phillip is a fearless skateboarder. He is always eager to try a new move, even if it means a fall and a trip to the hospital. Phillip, his skateboarding friends Lisa and Wally, and computer whiz Nevin set up a website showing their skateboarding moves. It attracts a sponsor who is willing to pay one cent for every hit on the website. It seems like an easy way to attain fortune and fame, but the group wants more. When Wally is badly hurt trying a move he has almost mastered, Phillip decides it is time to re-evaluate what matters most in life.
(More information)
Media and Formats :
Book
Price :
$9.95
Record posted/updated:
November 22, 2018
R021790
The Wreckers
John Spencer survives a shipwreck off the barren coast of Cornwall. The community of Cornwall lures storm-tossed ships to crash upon the sharp rocks of its shore so people can feed and clothe themselves with the loot salvaged from the wreckage. John must try to save his father from a wrecker and in the process, learns about the people of Cornwall.
Media and Formats :
Book
Price :
$7.99
Record posted/updated:
January 2, 2019
R070670
Among the Barons
Background information in the opening chapter of this resource brings readers up-to-date on this fourth book in the Shadow Children Book Series. Luke Garner is a "shadow child," a third child in a futuristic society that allows only two children per family. Luke assumes the underground identity of Lee Grant, a member of a privileged family in society. Luke is sent to boarding school and things are fine. When Grant's younger brother comes to the school, a new world of adventure begins.
Media and Formats :
Book
Price :
$9.99
Record posted/updated:
November 22, 2018
R046369
Flight of the Tiger Moth
It is 1943 and the war has turned many prairie towns upside down. British men have come to Canada to train at a base near Moose Jaw. Jack is too young to enlist in the war, but his sister's boyfriend takes him up in an airplane and he secretly learns to fly. When a friend's plane comes down on the prairie, Jack has no choice but to make his first solo flight to save his friend's life. The story also provides a glimpse into Canadian life during World War II.
Media and Formats :
Book
Price :
$10.95
Record posted/updated:
November 22, 2018
R005129
The River
In this sequel to Hatchet, Brian returns to the forested area where he had previously been stranded. This time he is accompanied by a government psychologist who will study Brian's survival techniques to provide advice in future emergencies. Instead, a freak storm incapacitates his companion and Brian finds himself responsible for getting the man to medical help by transporting him downriver on a raft.
Media and Formats :
Book
Price :
$10.99
Record posted/updated:
November 22, 2018
R039636
Secret of Light
In this sequel to the Seeds of Time, Darrell Connor is back at Eagle Glen School and she is shocked to find out that her old adversary, Conrad Kennedy, is also a student. Kate and her dog Delaney discover an abandoned lighthouse will take them back in time to Italy during the Renaissance. There she meets Leonardo da Vinci and other artists of the period. As in Seeds of Time, Darrell tries unsuccessfully to go back in time to prevent the motorcycle accident that cost her father's life and resulted in the amputation of part of her leg.
The story will be easier to understand if students have already read Seeds of Time, since there are numerous references to events that have previously occurred.
The story will be easier to understand if students have already read Seeds of Time, since there are numerous references to events that have previously occurred.
(More information)
Media and Formats :
Book
Price :
$12.99
Record posted/updated:
July 8, 2024
R036850
Milkweed
Spinelli has written a story about survival on the streets of Nazi-occupied Warsaw during World War II. The irony makes this story compelling as a Jewish boy Misha does not understand the severity of the situation because of his age. Uri befriends Misha and makes up a story about his gypsy background to protect him. The story of Misha and his band of orphans has a Dickensian quality where the children were struggling to survive on the streets. Misha helps Janina and her family survive in the ghetto because of his street experience.
This book won the Golden Kite Award in 2003.
This book won the Golden Kite Award in 2003.
(More information)
Media and Formats :
Book
Price :
$10.99
Record posted/updated:
July 8, 2024
R047998
Bifocal
The issues of Bifocal include a student arrested on suspicion of terrorism and a high school torn apart by racism. The story is told from two different points of view. Haroon is devoted to his family and his grandparents emigrated from Afghanistan. Jay is a football star devoted to his team and is Caucasian.
One day their high school is on lockdown and the police arrest a Muslim student on suspicion of terrorist affiliations. The entire student body fragments along racial lines and both Haroon and Jay find that their differences initially put them at odds. The Muslim students become targets, while Jay and his teammates believe they have been set up to look like racists.
One day their high school is on lockdown and the police arrest a Muslim student on suspicion of terrorist affiliations. The entire student body fragments along racial lines and both Haroon and Jay find that their differences initially put them at odds. The Muslim students become targets, while Jay and his teammates believe they have been set up to look like racists.
(More information)
Media and Formats :
Book
Price :
$12.95
Record posted/updated:
July 8, 2024
R049647
Shimmerdogs
Mike's mother, Master Corporal Alice Mackelwain, serves in the army as a peacekeeper. She is in Bosnia and Mike worries about her safety. Mike and his sister, Nellie, also get caught up with his mother's stories about children living in Bosnia during the war. Mike struggles to make sense of the world and to overcome his fears and unanswered questions.
During a visit to the library, Mike comes across a book that describes a belief that dogs guard the doorways to death. He decides that dogs bring people back to life from the dead and he calls them shimmerdogs. When Merit, Mike's dog, disappears, he deduces that Merit is on a peacekeeping mission like his mother. As Mike's life gets more stressful, he meets his own personal shimmerdog.
During a visit to the library, Mike comes across a book that describes a belief that dogs guard the doorways to death. He decides that dogs bring people back to life from the dead and he calls them shimmerdogs. When Merit, Mike's dog, disappears, he deduces that Merit is on a peacekeeping mission like his mother. As Mike's life gets more stressful, he meets his own personal shimmerdog.
(More information)
Media and Formats :
Book
Price :
$10.95
Record posted/updated:
July 8, 2024
R055434
For the Children
This collection of poems speaks of Mi'kmaq life and the hope for a better world. Elder Rita Joe addresses topics such as residential schools, a cure for an ingrown toenail, pollution and death. In some of the poems, the Mi'kmaq words are translated as Joe had done in her original manuscripts. The book includes a table of contents.
Media and Formats :
Book
Price :
$18.95
Record posted/updated:
November 28, 2018
R070678
Extraordinary Women Explorers
The women mentioned in this book, several of whom are Canadian, followed their dreams of exploring the unknown. These short biographical selections provide background information as well as a summary of the women's adventures and contributions. Photographs and quotes by the explorers are included.
Media and Formats :
Book
Price :
$10.95
Record posted/updated:
November 22, 2018
R070633
Island Trilogy
In this trilogy, six troubled teens learn about cooperation and teamwork.
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Island Book One. Shipwreck
Media and Formats :
Book
Price :
unavailable
Record posted/updated:
August 30, 2021