WINNER
AWAKE AND DREAMING by Kit Pearson
Penguin Books 1996 0-14-038166-X RL: 6 IL: 5+
This is a ghost story with a difference. A heart pounding narrative about a girl coping with an unhappy life with her single mother, and her dreams of belonging to a real family.
NOMINEES
AFTER THE WAR by Carol Matas
S&S Childrens 1996 0-689-80722-8 RL: 5 IL: 5+
The unforgettable story of a Jewish teenager who survives World War II and embarks on a long and dangerous journey.
ANYWHERE BUT HERE by Axele Dueck
James Lorimer & Company 1996 088995-147-0 RL: 3 IL: 3-6
For 12-year-old Marjorie farm life in summer is not life at all. But things heat up when she and a neighbor make a startling discovery in an old barn.
BILLY AND THE BEARMAN by David A. Poulsen
Napoleon Publishing 1996 0-929141-48-2 RL: 6 IL: 6+
Two runaway boys, alone against nature, deal with the demons of their pasts when catastrophe in the woods nearby presents them with the greatest challenge of their lives.
BREATH OF A GHOST by Anita Horrocks
Stoddart Kids 1996 07736-7453-5 RL: 4 IL: 4+
The engrossing account of a young boy’s attempt to confront his fears and come to terms with the tragic loss of his brother.
TO DANCE AT THE PALAIS ROYALE by Janet McNaughton
St. John’s Tuckamore Books 1996 1-895387-70-1 RL: 7 IL: 7
In 1928, Agnes arrives in Canada to work as a servant. Through good fortune, she finds a position with a wealthy family, and even poses as a socialite for one glamourous night of dancing!
EAR WITNESS by Mary Ann Scott
Boardwalk Books 1996 1-895681-12-X RL: 6 IL: 6+
Jessica March lives with her mother in Toronto. Witnessing a murder is frightening, but when her mother’s boyfriend is arrested as the killer, she is terrified.
THE GOLDEN ROSE by Dayle Campbell Gaetz
Pacific Educational Press 1996 1-89576621-4 RL: 6 IL: 6+
An exciting novel about the adventures and tragedies 14-year-old Katherine and her family experience as they establish a new life on a homestead in Hope, BC during the 1860’s Gold Rush.
HOME CHILD by Barbara Howorth-Attard
Roussan Publishers Inc 1996 1-896184-18-9 RL: 6 IL: all ages
When 13-year-old Arthur arrives from England in 1914 to work on their farm, Sadie’s mother forbids her children to speak “with his kind”. A fire forces Sadie to choose between her family’s mistrust and her own belief in Arthur.
KERI by Jan Andres
Groundwood Books 1996 0-88899-240-8 RL: 5 IL: 6+
When a young girl and her brother discover a huge whale on the beach, they are desperate to try and save it.
THE PERFECT GYMNAST by Michele Martin Bossley
James Lorimer & Company 1996 1-55028-510-6 RL: 4 IL: 3-6
Abby makes a friend at gymnastics who’s everything she would like to be – then realizes that looks can be deceiving. Now she faces a difficult choice, which may mean risking the friendship.
A PLACE NOT HOME by Eva Wiseman
Stoddart Publishing 1996 1-7737-5834-8 RL: 5 IL: 4-8
Nelly’s life in Hungary crumbles during the Revolution. Danger convinces her parents to flee the country. Settling in Montreal, Nelly begins to understand home is not a place but a state of mind.
ROSEMARY FOR REMEMBRANCE by Sonia Craddock
(A Lorimer Blue Kite Adventure) James Lorimer & Company
1996 1-55028-528-9 RL: 5 IL: 3-6
Rosie’s grandmother vanishes for hours on end! Where does she go? Rosie sets out to solve granny’s secret.
THE TUESDAY CAFÉ by Don Trembath
Orca Book Publishers 1996 1-55143-074-6 RL: 6 IL: 6
After setting fire to a garbage can, Harper is ordered to write an essay on how he plans to turn his life around. His mother enrolls him in a writing class, but it’s not the kind of class he expected.
THUNDER ICE by Alison Acheson
Coteau Books 1996 1-55050-105-4 RL: 5 IL: 4-6
In the 1880’s Prince Arthur’s landing is a boisterous mining town. Fort William is quiet and almost forgotten by the Hudson’s Bay Company. Can anything bring the communities together?
STARS by Eric Walters
Stoddart Publishing 1996 0-7736-7447-0 RL: 6 IL: 7
Stuck in the wilderness, Joseph participates in a rehabilitation program for young offenders. All he wants is to escape, but it takes all his strength to face the truth.