Special Collections

Walking Backward

When Josh's mother dies in a phobia-induced car crash, she leaves two questions for her grieving family: how did a snake get into her car and how do you mourn with no faith to guide you? Twelve-year-old Josh is left alone to find the answers. His father is building a time machine. His four-year-old brother's closest friend is a plastic Power Ranger. His psychiatrist offers nothing more than a blank journal and platitudes. Isolated by grief in a home where every day is pajama day, Josh makes death his research project. He tests the mourning practices of religions he doesn't believe in. He tries to mend his little brother's shattered heart. He observes, records and waits—for his life to feel normal, for his mother's death to make sense, for his father to come out of the basement. His observations, recorded in a series of journal entries, are funny, smart, insightful—and heartbreaking. His conclusions about the nature of love, loss, grief and the space-time continuum are nothing less than life-changing.

Date Added: 05/25/2017

Warden of Greyrock

In this third volume of the Warlocks of Talverdin series, Maurey must make an impossible choice while Annot, Baroness of Oakhold, fights for freedom; should either fail, Talverdin will fail.

Date Added: 05/25/2017

War Games

Ryan Taber's father is about to deploy for his first tour of duty with the Canadian army in Afghanistan. Ryan lives his days on an army base in Alberta, and spends his evenings at the CyberKnights cafe, playing his favourite video game, Desert Death. At CyberKnights, Ryan meets the Desert Death ultimate champion and becomes entangled in a world of danger and deceit that begins to resemble the very real circumstances his father is facing overseas.

Date Added: 05/25/2017

War of the Eagles

During WWII, Jed’s English father serves as a fighter pilot overseas, while Jed and his mother move back to her Tsimshian community on Canada's west coast. When the military sets up a naval base in town, Jed is hired to help out, honored it seems, for both his father's bravery and his own native skills as a hunter. Presented with a military jacket, Jed finds an allegiance to his country and a pride in his mixed heritage that he's never felt before.    But one day Jed's world is shattered. His best friend Tadashi, along with the other members of the nearby Japanese village, are declared enemy aliens and told to prepare to leave their homes. Now Jed must ask himself where his allegiance really belongs…to his country's rigid code, or to the truth that is buried in his Tsimshian soul.    War of the Eagles is the first of two books in a series. Book two is Caged Eagles.

Date Added: 05/25/2017

The Warrior's Daughter

Luaine is daughter to the greatest of Irish warriors, the legendary Cuchulainn. Although known throughout Ireland as the most fearsome of killers, to Luaine he is a loving playful father who amuses her with his exciting tales and marvelous feats. When the unthinkable happens -- Cuchulainn returns from war injured nearly to the death -- it is the first intimation of the hero's downfall, and Luaine's first painful step toward an adult life unlike anything she has imagined. As she faces loss, betrayal, suffering and fear, Luaine must find a strength that comes neither from the sword nor from her proud parentage, but from her own courageous spirit.

Date Added: 05/25/2017

Watch Me

At first Kaz intends to help the old lady who's fallen in the park. But then Kaz starts thinking about how he never gets what he wants. The next thing he knows, he's running away with her purse. The purse contains only five dollars and a battered watch. When Kaz learns who the old woman is and where the watch came from, he begins to understand consequences in a new way. This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for middle-grade readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read! The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

Date Added: 05/25/2017

Water Fight!

Josie's sister Melissa is too perfect, better than her in everything--except in the pool. Josie dreams of Olympic swimming gold, and works hard with her Calgary swim team to achieve it. So when Melissa decides to join the team too, Josie is outraged and afraid that, once again, her sister will beat her. But as the big invitational swim meet approaches Melissa acts to help make Josie's dream come true, and forces them both to reconsider the value of sisterhood. "Water Fight!" is the story of two sisters who overcome sibling rivalry and learn to be themselves.

Date Added: 05/25/2017

Wave Warrior

Ben is determined to learn to surf. In the rough North Atlantic waters near his home, only the tough can make it on the water. His first attempt is a disaster. Then he meets Ray, a surfing veteran from California. Ray promises to teach him to surf—and to face his inner demons. As Ben becomes more comfortable on his board he learns to face his fears and prove that he has what it takes to become a Wave Warrior.

Date Added: 05/25/2017

A Way with Horses

Caroline grew up around horses and had been a tough, skilled rider as long as she could remember. When she wins a rodeo near her Millarville, Alberta home, the owner of a posh riding school recognizes her talent invites her to learn show jumping, free of charge. Soon she's moving in a different world, full of thoroughbred horses, expensive trainers, and rich, sophisticated students. As Caroline trains to try out for the Jump Alberta Team, however, she learns that success in the show ring comes at a high price, win or lose. A Way with Horses shows how one athlete's ambitions can come into conflict with the complexities of her sport.

Date Added: 05/25/2017

What World is Left

A pampered child used to having her own way, Anneke Van Raalte lives outside Amsterdam, where her father is a cartoonist for the Amsterdam newspaper. Though Anneke's family is Jewish, her religion means little to her. Anneke's life changes in 1942 when the Nazis invade Holland, and she and her family are deported to Theresienstadt, a concentration camp in Czechoslovakia. Not only are conditions in the camp appalling, but the camp is the site of an elaborate hoax: the Nazis are determined to convince the world that Theresienstadt is an idyllic place and that European Jews are thriving under the Nazi regime. Because he is an artist, Anneke's father is compelled to help in the propaganda campaign, and Anneke finds herself torn between her loyalty to her family and her sense of what is right. What World is Left was inspired by the experiences of the author's mother, who was imprisoned in Theresienstadt during World War II.

Date Added: 05/25/2017

When Elephants Fight

Based on the eyewitness accounts of five children experiencing wars around the world, each chapter in this powerful volume tells one victim’s personal story in detail, followed by a long discussion of the history and politics of the conflict. The narratives are in the third person, accompanied by occasional moving photos of the child before the war, of his or her home under fire, and a brief final “follow-up” note about where the child is now. Some young people are direct targets in cases of genocide, with child soldiers trained to dehumanize others. Some children bear the brunt of an attack, as so-called collateral damage, and suffer starvation, disease, and loss of shelter. They also lose out when there are no resources for health and education. Some are in refugee camps and army barracks. A few lucky ones are immigrants who escaped. One, Toma in Chad, remains an ongoing victim of war. The harrowing individual accounts humanize today’s news reports and statistics.

Date Added: 05/25/2017

When the Curtain Rises

Chloe McBride has some reservations about accepting her elderly great-aunts' invitation to spend part of the summer with them in Little Venice, but her initial reluctance is outweighed by her curiosity about the mysterious key that came with her aunts' note. She's also anxious to put the humiliating memory of a disastrous piano recital as far behind her as possible.

Chloe's great-aunts tell her the legend of her great-grandfather, Dante Magnus, an ambitious magician who vanished without a trace almost a century earlier, and Chloe begins to search for clues to his disappearance. When her investigations eventually lead her to a mysterious rosewood box, which has been hidden for almost a hundred years, Chloe's belief in the power of magic forces her to confront her own fears and ambitions.

Date Added: 05/25/2017

The Whirlwind (Orca Books)

Ben flees Nazi Germany only to find himself in a battle for his life and his soul.

Date Added: 05/25/2017

The White Horse Talisman

The White Horse Talisman is the first volume of The Summer of Magic Quartet, four books involving a Canadian brother and sister visiting their two English cousins.

Date Added: 05/25/2017

White Sand Blues

When paramedic Ashley Grant finds her boyfriend in bed with another woman, she moves out of her house (okay, his house), quits her job and takes a new one in a tiny Caribbean country, the Victoria and Albert Islands. Ashley is thrown into the deep end when she arrives. Her new colleague picks her up at the airport in the island's only ambulance, which is called to the discovery of a body floating off the beach at the exclusive Club Louisa. The body is that of a man vacationing with his daughter and glamorous new wife. Coincidentally, Sally, the daughter of the dead man, recognizes Ashley from high school. She is convinced that her stepmother killed her father and begs Ashley to help her prove it. Before she can even unpack her bags or enjoy the view from her ocean-side apartment, Ashley is unwittingly dragged into a murder investigation. First in a new series from award-winning author Vicki Delany.

Date Added: 03/15/2018

Who Owns Kelly Paddik?

Kelly Paddik is locked up. Sent to a secure facility because she is a "danger to herself," Kelly wants only to escape. But her painful past continues to haunt her until she is forced to face up to the most painful memory of all. A searing look at one girl's struggle for self respect.

Date Added: 05/25/2017

Wild Ride

In this sequel to "Lightning Rider", January and her family have taken in an RCMP summer student as a border. When Willow Whitecloud pulls up on her Kawasaki ZX-10R, January takes an instant liking to her. Willow becomes both a friend and a spiritual guide, who helps January connect with her Native heritage. But January is shocked when a number of clues suggest that her mentor may be involved in illegal activity that threatens the natural world she has taught January to respect.

Date Added: 05/25/2017

The Winning Edge

Jennie loves training at Richmond Skate, her Calgary figure skating club, but her Olympic dreams always seem impossibly far away. When her coach suggests she's got real talent, however, Jennie's ready to do what it takes to make her dreams real--or so she thinks. Soon she's trying again and again and again to land her double Axel, and sacrificing her social life for the rink. As the cost of skating success becomes higher and higher, Jennie starts to wonder if being a star is worth what she's losing along the way. The Winning Edge is an exciting, fast-moving story about a young skater whose ambitions force her to examine what she values most in life.

Date Added: 05/25/2017

Winter Hawk Star

Tyler is a good, solid hockey player, but not a great one. That honor belongs to the obnoxious Riley, a sixteen-year-old spoiled superstar who makes Tyler's life miserable. When Tyler and Riley are sent to volunteer at a local youth program, Tyler finds the passion and commitment he needs to step up his game on ice—and off.

Date Added: 05/25/2017

Winter Road

Sixteen-year-old Kat and her mom haven't seen much of each other since Kat's father died last year. Her mom has taken over the family trucking business and has been away a lot. She promised that Kat could join her on her next run, a journey across the frozen Manitoba lake known as the "winter road." But at the last minute she changes her mind. Kat, who has recently been diagnosed with diabetes, stows away in the back of the semi instead. By the time her mother discovers her, it's too late to turn back. This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for middle-grade readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read! The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

Date Added: 03/15/2018

Wired

Keegan Bishop, championship skier, is almost injured by a wire strung across the ski run. Snowboard tracks leading away from the trap are the only clue as to who might be responsible. Keegan teaches himself to snowboard so he can find the culprit on the snowboarding slopes. When Keegan discovers that someone has been stealing snowboards and skis at Bear Mountain resort, and the girl he's just met is somehow involved, he must face his fears and test his new snowboarding skills in a run for safety. This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for middle-grade readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read! The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

Date Added: 03/27/2018

Worst Date Ever

Jennie has been a widow for two years. Her twelve-year-old son thinks it's about time she started dating, and so does her best friend, Angela. So with Angela's help, Jennie signs up to an online dating site. Within hours, she has several dates lined up for the week. Surely there will be one Prince Charming in the bunch. And if not, it's only one date, right? How bad could it be?

Date Added: 03/15/2018

Written in Blood

Set in the harsh desert world of the Arizona Territory and northern Mexico during the 1870s, Written in Blood follows young Jim Doolen as he attempts to find some trace of the father who abandoned his family ten years earlier. As he travels through a scorched landscape very different from the lush West Coast forests of his home, Jim crosses paths with an assortment of intriguing characters, including an Apache warrior, a cave-dwelling mystic, an old Mexican revolutionary and a mysterious cowboy. And with each encounter he learns something more of the strange world he has entered and adds one more link in a chain that leads back to his father-and back to a dark, violent past. As his story approaches its thrilling conclusion in a ruined Mexican hacienda, Jim comes to realize that his father's life was much more complex than he had imagined, and that, in discovering his past, he has opened the way to his future.

Date Added: 05/25/2017

Yellow Line

Vince lives in a small town, a town that is divided right down the middle. Indians on one side, Whites on the other. The unspoken rule has been there as long as Vince remembers and no one challenges it. But when Vince's friend Sherry starts seeing an Indian boy, Vince is outraged and determined to fight back -- until he notices Raedawn, a girl from the reserve. Trying to balance his community's prejudices with his shifting alliances, Vince is forced to take a stand, and see where his heart will lead him.

Date Added: 05/25/2017

Zee's Way

Zee is torn between making a statement with graffiti and making art. (RL3.2)

Date Added: 05/25/2017