The Reluctant Deckhand
Jan Padgett
Tess is 10 years old, old enough to join her mother for a summer on the Henry Bay, Sue's fishing boat. But Tess doesn't want to go-and she's both fearful and resentful. Over the summer, though, the reluctant deckhand becomes a resourceful crew member. She rises to the challenge of rapids and storms, and thrills in the summer's unexpected pleasures-sighting dolphins and orcas, visiting a lighthouse, and exploring a deserted Native village.
The Reluctant Deckhand is part of an educational package developed with the National Film Board. An animated film accompanies the novel, and a teacher's guide will help classroom teachers incorporate the package into their classrooms. The Reluctant Deckhand fits well into language arts, social studies, and personal planning classes, and its availability in two media presents an opportunity for students to compare writing and film.
Fiction for readers aged 8-11
Paper, 128 pages, 5-1/2 x 8-1/2
7 b&w illustrations
Novel ISBN 1-895766-01-X $8.95
Teacher's Guide
ISBN 1-895766-15-X $5.95
Videotape ISBN 1-895766-09-5 $26.95
Book/Videotape/Guide Package
ISBN 1-895766-11-7 $29.95
The Golden Rose
Dayle Campbell Gaetz
A boat trip from England in 1860 is the first step in a journey that takes 14-year-old Katherine Harris and her family to a new life on a plot of land near Hope, B.C. The Harris family suffers a serious blow when the eldest daughter, Susan, contracts Panama fever and dies just as the family reaches their new homestead. Before she dies, Susan presses a nugget of gold into her sister's hand-the Golden Rose, given to her by the grateful parents of a sick child. Katherine is determined to live up to the virtue that earned her sister the nugget, but her brother George can't deal with the family's tragedy and heads north to the Cariboo in search of gold. Intrepid Katherine dons boy's clothes and heads after him, helped by her new friend William, who accompanies her as far as his family's winter village near Camchin (Lytton). William teaches her his people's values, insists that she keep the Golden Rose-and shows her the necessity of letting Susan go. The Golden Rose can be used in novel studies and its historical setting makes it ideal for social studies programs as well.
Fiction for readers 11+
Paper, 160 pp, 5-1/2 x 8-1/2
ISBN 1-895766-21-4 $9.95
Teacher's Kit: Teacher's guide; student masters; 1 copy of the novel $13.95
A Sea Lion Called Salena
Dayle Campbell Gaetz
Kristie is a lonely 9-year-old who discovers a wounded sea lion pup hiding under a wharf near her home. She tries to befriend and help "Salena," but soon realizes that the pup needs more help than she can give. When Salena is also threatened by local fishers, Kristie joins forces with new friends to help Salena survive.
A Sea Lion Called Salena is available by itself or in a teacher's kit. The kit includes a short guide and 7 masters, including a map of the Gulf Islands, where the novel is set. The guide contains information on novel studies, specific suggestions for reading and discussion, and activities. A Sea Lion Called Salena can be used in language arts programs, and its themes of wildlife and our relationship to the environment makes it useful in science and social studies programs too. The story can show west coast life to students studying Canadian regions.
"Should be purchased by all elementary libraries.... Students will find it interesting and relevant."-BCTLA Reviews
Fiction for readers aged 8-11
Paper, 128 pages, 5-1/2 x 8-1/2
7 b&w illustrations
ISBN 0-88865-069-8 $8.95Teacher's Kit: Teacher's guide; 7 masters; 1 copy of the novel $12.95
Trapped by Coal
Constance Horne
Set in Extension, B.C. in 1916, Trapped by Coal tells the story of the Piggotts, a coal-mining family determined to escape from an often cruel working life. Effie Piggott struggles to keep her family together by working as a seamstress in Ladysmith. To keep the family from losing their house, 14-year-old Art finds work as a winch boy in the mine. His sister Millie, determined to free the family from Extension's mine, struggles to remember where in her grandfather's house he hid his savings.
Trapped by Coal is available by itself or in a teacher's kit that includes a short teacher's guide and a selection of reproducible masters. The teacher's guide contains information on novel studies, specific reading strategies, discussion questions, and activities. Its historical setting makes Trapped by Coal especially useful for integrating language arts with social studies.
"The deftly woven plot and quick pacing will propel readers through the novel."-Quill & Quire
- Recommended for Language Arts in B.C. and Saskatchewan and Social Studies in B.C.
- Shortlisted for the Geoffrey Bilson Prize for Historical Fiction, 1996
- Canadian Children's Book Centre "Our Choice" 1996/97
Fiction for readers aged 8-12
Paper, 144 pages, 5-1/2 x 8-1/2
7 b&w illustrations
ISBN 0-88865-091-4 $8.95
Teacher's Kit: Teacher's guide; student masters; 1 copy of the novel $12.95
The Jo Boy Deserts & Other Stories
Constance Horne
This collection of three short stories sharing western historical settings is ideal for literature-based language arts and social studies classes. "The Jo Boy Deserts" tells the stirring tale of a young boy forced to work for a cruel mate on a merchant ship in the nineteenth century. A young Vancouver Island girl and her family help him desert ship. "The Mystery of the Slashed Cabbages" is set in a rural community in Manitoba and tells the story of a Dutch farming family and the troubles they encounter as they try to win a prize for their cabbages at the county fair. The mystery is solved, and the young boys in the story learn something about the tough times in which they live. "The Trouble with Esmay" is a comic story set in Depression-era Winnipeg about an escaped pig and the young ladies who try to help her.
Teachers may request a free mini teacher's guide when they order this book. This mini-guide contains suggestions for integrating literature into the classroom and includes a variety of individual and group activities linked to the stories.
"The emphasis is always on action, which moves at a brisk and engrossing pace that will undoubtedly appeal."-Quill & Quire
"This book should be popular with teachers and students alike and deserves a place in both school and public library collections."-Canadian Materials
Fiction for readers aged 7-11
Paper, 112 pages, 5-1/4 x 7
6 b&w illustrations
ISBN 0-88865-085-X $7.95Also Available
Free mini teacher's guide with reading strategies, discussion questions, and activity suggestions for whole classes, small groups, and individual students.
Moses, Me & Murder
Ann Walsh
This popular children's novel is based on a real unsolved murder that took place in Barkerville, B.C. during the 1860s Gold Rush. The quick-paced and engrossing story brings to life an exciting era of British Columbia history as its hero, Ted, struggles with his doubts and fears when he tries to solve the mysterious murder of a young man on his way to the gold fields. When the story presents an actual trial conducted by a historical B.C. judge, young Ted must consider the issue of capital punishment.
An appendix of historical notes gives a brief sketch of each real character, including Judge Begbie, who was known as a "hanging judge." Now in its fourth printing, this book is widely used in elementary classrooms.
"A readable and informative novel of the Gold Rush era."-B.C. Library Association Reporter
Fiction for readers aged 7-11
Paper, 128 pp, 5-1/2 x 8-1/2
20 b&w illustrations, appendix
ISBN 0-88865-059-0 $9.95
The Suzie A
Alan Haig-Brown
The Suzie A is a seine boat, and this novel tells her story from the time she is launched in 1927 at Steveston, B.C. down to the present. The story of the Suzie A is closely intertwined with the story of Ritchie, a young boy who lived in Steveston when the boat was built. As they read the story of this fishing boat, students will learn about the history of the B.C. fishing industry, and especially about the Japanese-Canadian contribution to it.
Teachers will find this novel especially useful in language arts and social studies classes, especially where there is a focus on issues connected to multiculturalism and racism.
"This small book fills an important chapter in British Columbia history .... Haig-Brown brings to life evocative names that still have the tang of the salt-water fishery. One almost wants to join as a crew member and cast off from land. Recommended."-Canadian Materials
Fiction for readers aged 9-12
Paper, 112 pp, 5-1/2 x 8-1/2
11 b&w illustrations, plus maps and diagrams
ISBN 0-88865-068-X $9.95
Pacific Educational Press
Faculty of Education
University of British Columbia
Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1Z4
CANADA
Telephone: +604-822-5385
Fax: +604-822-6603
