Book picks similar to
Lena and the Whale by Deirdre Kessler


favourites
picture-books
really-good-recommend
reimer-library

Cammie Takes Flight


Laura Best - 2017
    Visually impaired and abandoned by her parents, she was raised by her tenacious, bootlegging aunt in rural Tanner, Nova Scotia. After Cammie and her best friend, Evelyn Merry, destroy the local moonshine still, Cammie convinces her aunt to send her to the Halifax School for the Blind.Cammie Takes Flight finds Cammie navigating life at her new school, armed with an envelope with her estranged mother’s address on it. Unsure if she can trust her new friend, Nessa, Cammie enlists her help in tracking to help track her mother down. Will Cammie finally learn why she was abandoned and be able to start her new life? Or will she find too many secrets to count, and realize that she might never put the past behind her?A heartfelt coming-of-age story, Cammie Takes Flight explores the values of perseverance, unlikely friendships, and what it means to be a family.

The Story of Life


Chris (Simpsons Artist) - 2017
    this book is a magical journey through life from the beginnings of time to the birth of a child and the adventure that we take on our way to the grave and beyond to the starsit is a celebration of being human and all of the beautiful things that is in between.if you like books that are about:why we are herehow we are madebabies shedding their baby legs and growing their child legsthe innocence of childhoodthe warmth of papas backteen lifebody harethe first kissfalling in lovebeing alonethe gift of a feathertales of witchessaturday nightsmonday morningsthe mystery of old peoples earlobesdeathghostsand the meaning of lifethen this book is for youbecause inside of this book there is all of those things and after reading about 5 pages of it you will be the main expert of human life and there will be nothing in this world that you will not know love from your friend chris (simpsons artist) xox

Suppandi Volume 5: From Hired to Fired


Rajani Thindiath
    But one thing’s for certain—where there’s Suppandi, there’s bound to be chaos!• Suppandibecomes an auto rickshaw driver with ridiculous results on the road inRoad Rules. • Suppandi has some funny ideas about doctorswhen his best friend Maddy falls ill in Doctor.• Suppanditurns quality checker as he is tasked with checking the quality of everything he lays his hands on. What happens next? Utter madness! Check outBurnout.

The Last Gunfighter Of Space


Ty Patterson - 2017
    IT FINDS A THIEF 5050 AD. Earth as we know it has been decimated. It is a radioactive wasteland. The few millions who survived, fled to Calara, a planet in the Icarus Galaxy, where they have established civilization. But, life on Calara hasn't turned out the way they wanted it. AI rule over them. Which wasn't the way humans saw how their lives turning out when they arrived on the new planet. They brought their ways and technology. They tried to colonize the other planets and stars in the galaxy. As humans have tended to do. Then, AI took over. But now, the humans are rebelling. Remember history? They need someone to rally around. To lead them. To show them the way. Enter Cade Stryker. Let's not glorify him. He is a thief. He sails Andy, short for Andromeda, his ship, in the farthest reaches of space. Trading with anyone, anywhere. Well, he calls it trade. Everyone else calls it smuggling. He thinks he is like Wyatt Earp. Because where he flies, is indeed like the Wild West. No rules. No borders. There's the small matter that Earp was a lawman. And Cade is a... let's not harp on that. So, Cade. He isn't in the hero business. No, sir. Cade is too smart for that. Because heroes have a short shelf life. And need to have noble intentions. Cade and noble don't go together. Nope. The fate of humans definitely Does Not lie in the hands of Cade Stryker. No way. Check out Ty Patterson's USA Today Bestselling Warriors Series The Warrior The Reluctant Warrior The Warrior Code The Warrior's Debt Boxset 1, Books 1-4 Flay Behind You Hunting You Zero Boxset 2, Books 5-8 Death Club Trigger Break Scorched Earth RUN!

Forgotten Valor: A Novel of the Korean War (The Jonas Stuyvesant Saga Book 1)


Richard Thomas Lane - 2018
    An unwinnable war. An impossible choice that could tear his platoon apart. Korea, 1950. Lt. Jonas Stuyvesant’s privileged upbringing hadn’t prepared him for the hardships of war. But when North Korea launches a surprise attack, he and his ragtag platoon suddenly find themselves on the front lines of a war not even Washington expected. And instead of North Korean peasants armed with pitchforks, Jonas and his fellow soldiers find themselves up against armored Soviet tanks and battle-tested hardened soldiers. Outgunned and outnumbered, his platoon retreats from Osan through Taejon on down the whole length of the Korean Peninsula until their backs are pressed against the sea. As the war-weary troops hunker in for a final stand, a twist of fate gives Jonas a chance to leave the deadly frontline far behind. Before their attackers close in, Jonas must make an impossible choice: leave his brothers-in-arms facing the enemy alone or sacrifice everything to stand by their side to the bitter end. Forgotten Valor: A Novel of the Korean War is a visceral work of historical fiction covering the first three months of America’s forgotten war. If you like under-examined military history, gritty details, and soldiers’ perspectives, then you’ll love Richard Thomas Lane’s story of courage under fire. Buy Forgotten Valor to march into an action-packed story of courage in the combat zone today!

My best friend bob is a scary monster: (Picture Books, Preschool Books, Ages 5-7 Baby Books, Kids Book, Bedtime Story, childrens book, fairy tales, monster story)


Annette Sawyer - 2018
    Join Jack and his monster companion as they explore exotic locations to try and find out what makes children scared. Learn about the secret world of monsters, what makes monsters afraid, and how to help a monster with their homework. Like all good bed-time books for kids, My Best Friend is a Scary Monster is appropriate for all reading levels and can be enjoyed over and over again. There’s even a lesson about finding true friendship and overcoming your own fears. Overall, if you have any interest in bed-time books for kids , then My Best Friend is a Scary Monster is a great way to introduce your young ones to the genre.

Stop Snoring Grandpa


Kally Mayer - 2014
    Perfect story to celebrate the special relationship between a family and their Grandpa. Find out how the family solves the issue. The ending will make you smile. If you have a Grandpa, who snores or not, you will enjoy this book!

At the Toss of a Sixpence


Lynda Page - 1997
    At twenty-one, she experiences further tragedy when her half-brother commits suicide, having squandered the family fortune. Robbed of her very last penny, Ally is thrust into a world of hardship for which she is ill-prepared. Her salvation comes in the form of Jack Fossett, a kind lad who takes pity on this beautiful, bedraggled girl, and welcomes Ally into his heart. But Jack's mother Flo is less convinced, and time must pass and secrets must be revealed before Ally and Flo see eye to eye - particularly when they discover that Ally is not as destitute as she thought...

All The Way Home


Kim Mills - 2017
    I said I would just be a friend, but when I fell in love instead I joined the army, moved away, and didn’t look back.That is until I find myself calling her up days before I head overseas. Seeing her again may have been a mistake, because now I won’t let her go. Especially when I find her with a split lip and college acceptance papers. Last time I was weak. This time, I won’t back down.JulietteTavish has always been the one for me, but as damaged as I am, I’ve never been good enough for him. When he left to join the army, I figured he was finally done with me for good. Then he came back and rescued me, again, right before he left for the war.When he gets home from Afghanistan, though, everything has changed.This time, he might need me to rescue him. All The Way Home is a Canadian-based military love story, the first in the Way Home series but is a stand-alone with it's own HEA.This book is intended for audiences 18+. For those dealing with combat related PTSD, some scenes may be difficult to read.

Rotten Perfect Mouth


Eva H.D. - 2015
    These poems are loose enough for the reader to flop down inside and stay awhile. They are plangent, personal, confessional, noisy, nostalgic, and maybe a little bit broken. They often contain boats and travel and Toronto (street names and railroad tracks, dives and parks and kitchens) because those are the sorts of things Eva H.D. is drawn to. In Rotten Perfect Mouth, readers will discover a writer with her heart on her sleeve and her hand on her pen, capturing the world around her with vibrant immediacy.

The Road to Hell: How the Biker Gangs Are Conquering Canada


Julian Sher - 2003
    By the spring of 2002, Boucher was safely in prison but the Hells Angels had grown to 37 chapters with close to 600 members across the country. They had taken over the drug trade and continued their rapid expansion into Ontario with a recent, high-profile enlistment -- or patchover -- of 168 members from other gangs. In Winnipeg, gang warfare turned ugly as the Hells muscled out the competition and firebombed a policeman's home. In Vancouver, they secured a stranglehold on smuggling in the all-important West Coast port. The Road to Hell is the story of how the Hells have taken over the Canadian crime scene: how politicians dithered while overburdened prosecutors burned out and lost major cases; how police brass squabbled while a handful of dedicated cops worked years to amass their evidence; how a few citizens stood up the bikers and paid for that bravery with their lives. Murder plots, drug deals, money laundering and assassinations are brought to life through never-before-revealed police files, wiretaps and surveillance tapes. In gripping prose, the authors tell all about Boucher's war on the justice system; how he finally lost in Quebec, thanks in part to Danny Kane, a reluctant biker turned informer; but how across Canada the Hells have succeeded in building a national crime empire. "The RCMP and then the police in Montreal would run Danny Kane as one of the most successful -- and most secretive -- agents ever to infiltrate organized crime. Kane would climb allthe way to the top: from a lowly hangaround to a trusted confidante of the Quebec Nomads, the elite chapter led by the top Hells Angels lieutenants of Maurice "Mom" Boucher. And through his entire six-year-career as a spy, few people -- even inside the police -- would ever know about his dangerous double life. -- from" The Road to Hell

Beach Strip


John Lawrence Reynolds - 2012
    Everyone calls it suicide. Josie knows it isn’t . . . but fears it could be. After all, she had provided Gabe with a motive. The clues are so strong that even Josie begins to believe Gabe shot himself. But when a horrific slaying occurs literally at her feet, she knows Gabe was murdered, and her determination to prove it carries her toward dark corners of the beach strip and exposes the darker sides of its residents. Fending off her fears with humour and outrage, she encounters a drug-crazed drifter, an organized-crime boss with romance on his mind, a woman with a murderous past and a pervert who’s been frequenting her garden shed. When a chance remark leads Josie to the astonishing truth of Gabe’s death, her story takes a shocking turn that no one could have seen coming.

The Guy on the Left: Sports Stories from the Best Seat in the House


James Duthie - 2015
      The biggest games, the biggest trades, the juiciest rumours—chances are Duthie is the guy you tuned in to hear talk about them. There are other experts and insiders, stats guys and analysts, but no one else who can talk about sports with the humour, the knowledge, and the charisma Duthie brings to every event he covers. He also makes the best spoof videos.The Guy on the Left tells the story of Duthie’s career in broadcasting, from a nerdy appearance on a game show to chatting with Tiger Woods in the men’s room at The Masters. It’s a behind-the-scenes look at celebrated moments like Sidney Crosby’s famous game-winning goal at the Vancouver Olympics, but also less celebrated insights, like the disclosure that sports broadcasters often aren’t wearing pants on air. There are stories about goofing around with NHL superstars like Roberto Luongo and Anze Kopitar. There are also stories about wandering into the wrong house after walking his dog and surprising his neighbour in her underwear. His stories can also be serious. Tragedy strikes more than once in the sports world. Most notably, he had to go to air on the evening of September 11, 2001. His reflections on the way sport is part of all of our lives, from the athletes and sports figures on the planes to the kids who lost coaches and parents, are a powerful reminder of both the importance of sport and how lucky we all are to be part of it. Funny, thoughtful, self-deprecating, and wry, The Guy on the Left is everything fans love about James Duthie.

The Republic of Nothing: Reader's Guide Edition


Lesley Choyce - 1994
    A god-like ocean deposits many a thing, yet it also takes away. The 1960s blaze off shore and draw the island’s inhabitants into politics, the Vietnam War, and the peace movement. Sound impossible? Not on Whalebone Island, AKA the Republic of Nothing. Where else can a dead circus elephant, a long-dead Viking, the discovery of uranium, a raven-haired castaway who may be psychic, an anarchist turned politician, and refugees fleeing from the United States all be part of everyday life? Where else is eccentricity embraced with such open arms? In this new readers’ guide edition, complete with an afterword by Neil Peart, Lesley Choyce’s novel about resilience, independence, and anarchy comes alive, leading readers to discover once again that everything is nothing and nothing is everything.

Timothy Findley's the Wars


Dennis Garnhum - 2008
    Ross, who has a fondness for animals and shares a strong bond with his wheelchair-bound sister, trades his comfortable surroundings in Canada for the nightmare world of trench warfare. We watch Ross's slow unravelling as he moves from home to train to barracks and, finally, to the mud, smoke, and chlorine gas of the front line in France. With death and dying everywhere around him, Ross makes a desperate attempt to show his faith in life. Cruelty, heroism, terror and honour--"The Wars" takes us deep inside the mind of a soldier and straight onto the bloody battlefield. "The Wars" is one of Canada's most beloved novels, winner of the Governor General's Award for Fiction in 1977. This adaptation evokes the spirit, imagery, and heart of the novel, and adds the immediacy of the theatrical form.