WINNER
NO ONE MUST KNOW by Eva Wiseman
Tundra Books 2004 0887766803 IL:5-8
15-year-old Alexandra Gal doesn’t know she is living a lie. Her parents came to Canada in the 1950’s as refugees from Hungary and there is much about their past they refuse to discuss. When circumstances dictate that their secret be revealed, Alex and her family must find the courage to be who they truly are, even it if means losing their place in Winnipeg society
HONOUR BOOKS
HEAVEN SHOP by Deborah Ellis
Fitzhenry & Whiteside 2004 1-55041-908-0 IL: 7&8
When their father dies of AIDS, 13-year-old Binti and her siblings are split up and she is sent to live with uncaring relatives. Enduring the hardships of being orphaned and losing the proud status she once held, Binti, with the help of her grandmother, learns of the joy in helping others and is reunited with her siblings.
AIRBORN by Kenneth Oppel
Harper Collins, 2004 0-00-639259-8 IL: 5+
Matt Cruse love being a cabin boy on the great airship Aurora, but even the excitement of living his life in the sky cannot compare to the adventu8re that is about to be set in motion. Spurred on by the words of a dying man, Matt will face an attack by pirates, a shipwreck in the middle of the ocean, and the most infuriating girl he has ever met, all on his way to making a discovery that will change the world.
NOMINEES
ANGELINE by Karleen Bradford
Harper Trophy Canada 2004 0-00-639343-8 IL: 6+
Set in the early 1200’s, this historical adventure opens with Angeline, a 14-year-old French Christian girl, being auctioned off as a slave to the Prince of Cairo. Angeline had decided to follow Stephen, a shepherd boy, who had a vision to lead a children’s crusade to the Holy Land. The crusade failed and many children were killed. Angeline must now learn to live in this new culture and she must find a way to save Stephen.
THE ALCHEMIST’S DAUGHTER by Eileen Kernaghan
Thistledown Press 2004 1-894345-79-7 IL: 7+
Set in Renaissance Elizabethan England, teenage daughter Sidonie must try to substantiate her father’s claim that she can see the future. Throughout this adventurous tale Sidonie meets historical figures like Queen Elizabeth I and Shakespeare as she tries to save her country using alchemy and magic.
B FOR BUSTER by Iain Lawrence
Delacorte Press 2004 0-385-73086-1 IL:7+
B for Buster is an incomparable story of 20th century warfare. The hero of this gut-wrenching novel is a 16-year boy from Northern Ontario, who we know only by the nickname Kak. He lies about his age and enlists in the Royal Air Force to fly highly dangerous bombing runs over Nazi Germany. This is an exceptional novel of Canadians at war; few others capture what it was like to be young, alone and afraid in a faraway place.
THE FORTRESS OF KASPER SNIT by Cary Fagan
Tundra Books 2004 0-88776-665-X IL: 5-7
The evil Kaspar Snit sets out to abolish beauty and pleasure from the world by stealing all the world’s fountains. After learning that she and her mother can fly, eleven-year-old Eleanor, her brother and parents set out on a hilarious quest over land, sea and mountains to thwart Snit’s diabolical plans.
FRANCESCA AND THE MAGIC BIKE by Cynthia Nugent
Raincoast Books 2004 1-55192-561-3 IL: 5-7
Francesca is a 10 year old who has already had her share of unhappiness. She is sent to live with a father that she has never met. Social Services is threatening to remove her from her new home if her father doesn’t become a responsible parent and stop leaving Francesca on her own. Francesca’s only friend is an elderly neighbor August and her dog Dan. Augusta sends Francesca to recover a family heirloom and gives her a very special bike to take her on incredible adventure
HECK, SUPERHERO by Martine Leavitt
Red Deer Press 2004 0-88995-300-7 IL: 5-8
Heck is a 13 year old boy who finds himself homeless when his mother abandons reality for “hypertime. He thinks of himself as a superhero who needs to rescue his mother from her “hypertime” by doing the perfect Good Deed. Heck is plagued by hunger, sleeplessness and a very bad toothache, all the while keeping his homelessness a secret from the authorities and his best friend and art teacher, Mr. Bandras.
THE HIPPIE HOUSE by Katherine Holubitsky
Orca 2004 1-55143-316-8 IL: 7+
The sudden disappearance of a young woman shatters the tranquil life of 14 year old Emma. When Emma’s brother discovers the victim’s body and a second girl disappears, FEAR affects everyone. Set in 1970 before DNA testing or the phrase “serial Killer” was used, suspense builds as the murderer chooses Emma next!
KAT’S FALL by Shelley Hrdlitschka
Orca Book Publishers 2004 1-55143-312-5 IL: 7+
When 15-year-old Darcy’s mother is released from prison after being charged with the attempted murder of his little sister Kat ten years ago, he finds it difficult to re-establish ties and accept her back into his life. However, he soon learns that things are not always what they appear when he, himself, is accused of a horrible crime and forced to face his own accusers and truths from the past.
LAST SAM’S CAGE by David A. Poulson
Key Porter Books 2004 1-55263-611-9 IL: 7+
Leaving a troubled home-life behind, fifteen-year-old Eddie strikes out on his own. Eddie decides to live at the Calgary Zoo, where he is befriended by a middle-aged man named Jack. Eddie is soon suspicious of Jack’s actions and his daily visits to the playground. Eddie resolves to find out more about him before tragedy strikes.
THE MINSTREL’S DAUGHTER by Linda Smith
Coteau Books 2004 1-550502-309-X IL:5-8
Catrina is desperate to find her father whom she has not seen for 12 years. Now 15 years old, Cat runs away to find him and escape her life in the village. A wizard’s Finding Spell leads her to the city of Freyfall and a world of magic and danger. She meets Garth and together they must try to stop a treacherous plot which threatens to start a terrible war.
SAM’S LIGHT by Valerie Sherrard
A Boardwalk Book/Dudurn Press 2004 1-55002-535-X IL: 7+
Desperate for a summer job, fourteen year old Cole Fennety ends up working at the town hardware store Sam Kerrigan who has the reputation of being the meanest man in town. However, as the summer unfolds, he learns that there is much more to Sam than meets the eye and Cole is forced to make the most serious and difficult decision of his life.
SEA CHASE by Curtis Parkinson
Tundra Books 2004 0-88776-682-X IL:5-8
After only four days at sea, 15 year old Brodie must turn the boat around and retrace his course to find his father, who has gone missing “overboard”. Suddenly sailing has become a matter of life and death. Brodie discovers that his father is being held captive in Columbia by gangsters. Carlos, a young Columbian joins him on his quest to find his father, but Carlos is not all who he appears to be.
A THIEF IN THE HOUSE OF MEMORY by Tim Wynne-Jones
Groundwood 2004 0-88899-574-1 IL:7+
When a thief breaks into the house where his family used to live and dies in a violent accident, 16-year-old Dee is confronted by memories of his mother’s disappearance, six years earlier. Switching between the past and present Dee searches to uncover past mysteries and discover why his mother disappeared.
WHITE GIRL by Sylvia Olsen
Sononis Press 2004 1-55039-147-X IL: 7+
14 year old Josie is forced to leave the city life that she loves and move to the Reserve when her mother suddenly marries Martin, a “real life Indian”. Josie has great difficulty adjusting to life on the Reserve and it seems only Grandma and Luke can see past her blond hair and blue eyes. Will she ever fit in and call this place home?