bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Out of the woods: a true story of an unforgettable event bu R. Bond
Authors: Pearce Hanne 
Published: April 2016

Bond, Rebecca. Out of the woods: a true story of an unforgettable event. New York: Margaret Ferguson Books, Farrar Straus Giroux, 2015. Print.The year is 1914 and Antonio lives in Ontario on the edge of lake Gowganda in a hotel run by his mother. The hotel is a curious place to live, with workers who make food, clean and keep things working. There are also all kinds of guests who pass through the hotel that Antonio finds fascinating. Some visitors are sportsmen out to hunt and fish, others are workers who stay longer and have interesting stories to tell. While there are not many children to play with, Antonio’s time is divided by exploring the woods around the hotel and engaging with the hotel workers and guests. When Antonio is only five, a serious forest fire causes all the hotel guests to take refuge in the waters of the lake. Some unlikely visitors join them: the woodland animals from all around them. As they wait for the fire to end, the humans and animals wait in the water. All are held hostage by this catastrophic event.Rebecca Bond has captured this striking story from her grandfather’s life and retold it in a way that reaches out to young readers. The story itself is quite striking as it causes the reader to think about the broad sweeping effects a natural disaster can have. It also makes one reconsider our connection to animals and how we are all vulnerable when it comes to nature. The sketched illustrations in this book have a sense of warmth mixed with dark detail so that children and adults will both enjoy reading the images as much as the text. The images of Antonio’s life come alive in great detail, especially when the forest fire is depicted, with its ominous browns and oranges, which really sets the appropriate mood. This book is likely best for children in early grade school, as younger children may not fully grasp the story.Out of the Woods captures a small piece of Canadian history and presents it alongside a pivotal moment in a young boy’s life. This would be an excellent book for parents and children to read together, so they can discuss it afterwards.Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Hanne PearceHanne Pearce has worked at the University of Alberta Libraries in various support staff positions since 2004 and is currently a Public Service Librarian at the HT Coutts Education and Physical Education Library. Aside from being an avid reader she has continuing interests in writing, photography, graphic design and knitting.
Grandmother Ptarmigan by Q. Mikkigak & J. Schwartz
Authors: Campbell Sandy 
Published: April 2016

Mikkigak, Qaunaq and Joanne Schwartz. Grandmother Ptarmigan. Illus. Qin Leng. Iqualuit: Inhabit Media, 2013. Print.Inhabit Media Inc. has as one of its goals: the collection and publication of Inuit traditional stories. This picture book is another of their unique products. Many Inuit stories have recurring themes, including kind and caring treatment of children and origin stories, which tell us why things are they way they are. This collaboration between Inuit elder, Qaunaq Mikkigak and writer, Joanne Schwartz, includes both. In this story a baby ptarmigan wants his grandmother to tell him a bedtime story. She insists, instead, that he go to sleep. When she finally relents and tells him a story, he is frightened by it and flies away. The book ends with his grandmother searching for him, uttering the familiar call, “nauk, nauk”. In the story, ptarmigan play the roles of people. They live in igloos, sleep under furs and have "armpits". Illustrator Qin Leng shows the birds with human-like expressions and emotions. Leng's illustrations match the story in their simplicity. Most of the pictures are drawings of the ptarmigan on white or blue-green backgrounds, with no ornamentation.There are several lessons about adult-child relationships that often appear in traditional Inuit stories. The two that appear in this story are that young people should respect their elders, listen to them and do as they are told and that adults should be kind and caring towards children. In this story, we expect the baby ptarmigan to get into trouble for not going to sleep, but because the grandmother frightens him with the story, it is the grandmother who is left is a worried state, searching for him.Grandmother Ptarmigan would be a good addition to school and public libraries and those libraries with Canadian Indigenous folktale collections.Highly Recommended: 4 stars out of 4Reviewer: Sandy CampbellSandy is a Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Alberta, who has written hundreds of book reviews across many disciplines. Sandy thinks that sharing books with children is one of the greatest gifts anyone can give.
A Children’s Guide to Arctic Birds by M. Pelletier
Authors: Campbell Sandy 
Published: April 2016

Pelletier, Mia. A Children’s Guide to Arctic Birds. Iqaluit, NV: Inhabit Media Inc., 2014. PrintMia Pelletier is an ecologist who, since 2010, has worked with seabird populations in Nunavut. In this children’s field guide, she introduces fourteen species of Arctic birds. Each bird is introduced in two pages. One full page displays Danny Christopher’s illustrations of the birds and the facing page provides the natural history of the species. Each description includes both English and Inuktitut names, though notably, not the standard Latin name. The text is broken into easy to read paragraphs for: physical description, where to look for the birds, what they eat, the sounds they make, nests, eggs, chicks and where the birds winter. In addition to the species descriptions, Pelletier has supplied helpful sections including a coloured chart of the birds’ eggs, a size comparison chart, and comparative descriptions of the birds’ feathers, bills and feet. In addition to her own knowledge, Pelletier has based her work on research, including visiting a museum in Iceland to view species and eggs that she had not seen in the wild.Danny Christopher’s watercolours are excellent representations of the birds. Every species could easily be identified from the paintings. Each image page also contains a “Feathered Fact” that tells the reader something special about the bird. For example: “Long-tailed ducks like to sneak their eggs into the nests of other long-tailed ducks”.Overall, this is an excellent introduction to common Arctic birds, which could be used to learn about the birds or as a guide for field identification. This work is highly recommended for public libraries and elementary school libraries.Highly Recommended: 4 stars out of 4Reviewer: Sandy CampbellSandy is a Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Alberta, who has written hundreds of book reviews across many disciplines. Sandy thinks that sharing books with children is one of the greatest gifts anyone can give.
Wildlings Book 1: Under My Skin by C. de Lint
Authors: King Alanna 
Published: April 2016

de Lint, Charles. Wildlings Book 1: Under My Skin. Toronto: Razorbill Canada, 2012. Print. This Young Adult fantasy begins in present day Santa Feliz, California. The story unfolds through two voices, Josh and Marina, who are best friends. This school year, each character has become a Wildling, someone who shape shifts from human to animal form. As more and more local teens are becoming Wildlings overnight, government and corporate organizations move in to lock down the situation. Josh’s quest is to make sure any external interest has good intentions, and Marina’s journey is more about acceptance and making sure that Wildlings are treated with respect. Both Josh and Marina are caught up in the movement as different factions of Wildlings compete for their attention. Some come across as eco-warriors, while others explore the spiritual blessing nature of shape shifting and other natural gifts. Every single adult and teen group involved in the Wilding phenomenon has a different agenda, and neither Josh nor Marina can identify where they belong. Instead, Josh is singled out as a natural leader, as his animal self, the mountain lion, is one of the oldest animal clans known. Marina’s intentions of aiding the Wildling cause confuse her as she has to choose between the cause and her own dreams. The alternating voices in each chapter allow the reader to understand the perspectives more deeply. This novel is a familiar story of teens being misunderstood as they go through their quest for identity. The shape shifter motif allows the author a way to explore questions of identity in sexuality, race and belief. As the shape shifter story is now a popular culture meme, this puts Under My Skin clearly in a fantasy category for beginners. The book ends as Josh and Marina escape their first test of Wildling experimentation leaving room for the proposed sequel to take place. The story hints briefly at stirrings of sexuality and the violence is dramatic but not overdone. This novel’s realistic and modern setting will appeal to most any reader who is ready to dabble in the fantastic. Readers who are more experienced with the genre may find de Lint’s explanations of fantastical elements to be juvenile. Recommended: 3 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Alanna King Alanna King is a Masters student in the Teacher-Librarianship through Distance Learning Program at the University of Alberta.
Mastiff: Beka Cooper Book 3 by T. Pierce
Authors: Moruzi Kristine 
Published: April 2016

Pierce, Tamora. Mastiff: Beka Cooper Book 3. New York: Random House, 2011. Print. The final book in the Beka Cooper trilogy begins three years after the close of the previous book, Bloodhound, at the funeral of Beka’s fiancé. Instead of grief, Beka is relieved to be free of this unhappy relationship; enthusiastically, she begins a new hunt for the King’s abducted son, along with her supernatural cat, Pounce; her scenthound, Achoo; and her partner, Tunstall. Soon joined by the deceptively capable mage, Farmer, and the lady knight, Sabine, the group follows the heir’s trail through noble houses, discovering corruption in all levels of the government. Pierce is known for her strong female protagonists, and Beka is no different. Fiercely loyal and honest, Beka is an upstanding member of the Tortall police force who believes in protecting the poor. When she discovers that the prince is being held by slave traders, she becomes even more determined to rescue him. Her relationships with her friends are tested by a shocking betrayal that causes innocents to die. The story is fast-paced and includes a growing relationship between Beka and Farmer that provides a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. Although it could be read as a standalone novel, some elements of the narrative are explained in the previous books. Recommended: 3 out of 4 starsReviewer: Kristine MoruziKristine Moruzi is a Grant Notley Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of English and Film Studies at the University of Alberta, where she is examining representations of girlhood in Canadian children's literature between 1840 and 1940.
Urban Tribes: Native Americans in the City by L. Charleyboy & M.B. Leatherdale (Eds.)
Authors: Cardinal Trudy , Caudron Fran 
Published: April 2016

Charleyboy, Lisa and Mary Beth Leatherdale (Eds.). Urban Tribes: Native Americans in the City. Toronto, ON: Annickpress Ltd., 2015, Print.Lisa Charleyboy and Mary Beth Leatherdale, editors of the highly acclaimed Dreaming in Indian (2014) have created another anthology, this time with a focus on Urban Indigenous youth and young adults (aged 13–35). From poets to financiers to Hollywood actors, the anthology provides a glimpse into over 30 lives of successful Indigenous young people.Pushing boundaries and troubling stereotypes, the editors offer a deeper understanding of the multiplicities of lives as they share stories of Indigenous youth and young adults negotiating who they are and are becoming in an urban landscape. The mixed media portrayal with an exquisite use of photographs and graphic art weaves together stories, each told in unique ways, inviting the reader into the lives of the youth and young adults in meaningful ways. This book is an honest and realistic portrayal of both the adversities and advantages experienced by Indigenous youth, some of whom have left tight-knit communities on reserves to follow their dreams in large cities and some of whom have lived in urban centers all of their lives. Calling our attention to notions of renaissance, shattering stereotypes, racism and identity the book does not shy away from the more difficult stories or the larger context that shape the lives of Indigenous Peoples. With the focus on individuals and their lives we are able to see the beauty in the myriad of ways that the youth respond as they create lives that are not bound by any one notion of success, inspiration or Indigenous culture. In the midst of the stories there are statistics, historical contexts and geographical understandings of the sometimes invisible lives of Urban Indigenous Peoples across North America making this anthology a great resource for all Canadian Classrooms ranging from junior high to post-secondary. From this anthology Indigenous Peoples and non-Indigenous alike are able to gain a better understanding and appreciation of the diversity and complexity of lives of Urban Indigenous Peoples.Highly Recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewers: Trudy Cardinal & Fran CaudronDr. Trudy Cardinal is a Cree/Métis scholar from the University of Alberta whose research interests center on the experiences of Indigenous children and families on and off school landscapes. Her passion for stories and storytelling includes a love of children’s literature, especially literature written by and portraying the multiplicities in the lives of Indigenous youth and families.Fran Caudron (MRE) is a teacher in northern Alberta who teaches in a school that serves a large and diverse Indigenous student population. She graduated with her MRE from Newman Theological College in 2011, and is interested in using literature to promote and instill a love of reading and writing in her students.
Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated by K. DiCamillo
Authors: Deakin Andrea 
Published: April 2016

DiCamillo, Kate. Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated. Illus. K. G. Campbell. Somerville: Candlewick Press, 2013. Print.The Tickhams have acquired a new, vigorous vacuum cleaner. It is far beyond Mrs. Tickham’s Control. Next door, Flora is reading about The Amazing Incandesto while skilfully ignoring her mother who, in any case, is up to her eyes writing romance novels. A powerful noise outside attracts Flora’s attention: Mrs. Tickham’s new cleaner is making directly for an innocent little squirrel. Flora is just in time to see the squirrel vacuumed up before it can react.Running gallantly to the squirrel’s relief Flora succeeds in saving the poor thin creature (well, half of its fur has been vacuumed away). Without hesitation she administers CPR and revives a remarkable creature: part squirrel (he is always hungry) and part Super Squirrel. The potentially fatal accident has left a squirrel gifted with: strength, the ability to fly, and a gift for poetry (if not spelling). Flora now has a friend, a companion, and a little trouble ahead.Relying on her favourite books “Terrible Things Can Happen to You” and “The Criminal Element”, Flora becomes involved with Ulysses the squirrel in a series of adventures that heal hearts, mend wounds, and expose truths. There are possibilities for trust, for friendship and for love - prompted by the affection of a unique squirrel plus Flora’s intelligence, perception and good heart. Many things are healed by them both, reconciliations are achieved and misunderstandings cleared.The squirrel sums up some of it in his poem to Flora:Nothingwould beeasier withoutyou, because you areeverything,all of it-sprinkles, quarks, giantdonuts, eggs sunny-side up-youare the ever-expandinguniverseto meFlora and Ulysses is a funny, sensitive, perceptive and thoroughly enjoyable book housing two unique heroes. It is one of Kate DiCamillo’s finest.Flora and Ulyssesis this year’s winner of the Newbery Medal.Highly Recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Andrea DeakinAndrea has been involved with books since she was class librarian in Primary School, Student Librarian in Grammar School, student librarian for the Education Faculty when she was a student, and school librarian in schools both in England and in Canada, except for the first two years in Canada where she arrived in 1959. When she retired from teaching ( English and History) she was invited to review in February 1971, and continued to review for press, radio, and finally on the Internet (Deakin Newsletter from Okanagan College) until she retired in 2011. Forty years seemed sufficient- although she still cannot keep her nose out of good children's and YA fare.
Larf by A. Spires
Authors: Campbell Sandy 
Published: April 2016

Spires, Ashley. Larf. Toronto: Kids Can Press, 2012. Print. This book is a twist on the “lonely hearts” theme, with lots of humour. Larf is a sasquatch who feels “like nobody knows [he] even exist[s]. Author Ashley Spires has given him a lifestyle that somewhat mirrors her own – jogging, gardening, and walking his pet bunny, Eric. Larf is excited to hear that another sasquatch is going to make an appearance in a town nearby, so he decides to go meet him. When he gets there, he is disappointed to find out that it is a guy in a sasquatch suit who tells him that “Sasquatches aren’t real”. But he does meet another sasquatch, who has also been enticed into town by the sasquatch performance, a girl sasquatch named Shurl. She carries a handbag and wears a pink dress. And so a friendship begins. This story is of the same genera as E.T., Shrek and Monsters, Inc. that make scary, imaginary creatures less scary by making them look cuddly or childlike and showing them leading day-to-day lives similar to our own. Larf is both cuddly, looking a bit like a furry teddy bear and child-like in that his head is large for his body, like a baby’s. Larf does ordinary things. He eats at a table, rides a bus, does laundry on Wednesday and would like to have a friend to play teeter-totter with him. It is hard to be afraid of a furry creature who is lonely and wants to have friends. The drawings are all cartoon-like and presented in a variety of attractive ways. Some fill more than a page while others are overlapped like photographs. Sometimes there are four small panels on a page, each with its own caption. There are a few jokes in the book. For example, we are told that Larf “is a master of camouflage”, but even small children will see that his beret, scarf and grey pants are not enough to disguise a giant-sized sasquatch. This book is fun to read and would be an excellent for public and school libraries, particularly those in “sasquatch country”, where children might have been spooked by scary stories about sasquatches. Highly Recommended: 4 stars out of 4 Reviewer: Sandy Campbell Sandy is a Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Alberta, who has written hundreds of book reviews across many disciplines. Sandy thinks that sharing books with children is one of the greatest gifts anyone can give.
What Do You Want To Do Before You Die?: The Buried Life
Authors: Lunny Jennifer 
Published: April 2016

Nemtin, Ben, et al. What Do You Want To Do Before You Die?: The Buried Life. New York: Artisan, 2012. Print. Nobody wants to think about dying. In fact, we often forget that our time is limited. The Buried Life, named after a Matthew Arnold poem, started in a garage in Victoria, BC when four disillusioned twenty-something university students got together to compile a list of 100 things they wanted to accomplish before they died. With a secondhand video camera and a used RV, these students set off for two weeks to tackle their bucket list. Six years later, they are still travelling the world, crossing items off that list. For every dream they accomplish, they help someone else fulfill a goal. “Write a bestselling book” was one dream on their list which they can now cross off. What Do You Want to Do Before You Die? is an illustrated compilation of stories about the background of the four members of The Buried Life, tales of how they crossed items off their list along with photographic evidence, and favourite quotations, as well as a list of items and narratives chosen from the tens of thousands of answers they have received in response to their question. Dreams vary from the simple, “I want to have my first kiss”, to the daring, “I want to climb the seven summits before I turn seventeen”, to the heartbreaking, “I want to finally say good-bye to my four friends who were killed in a car accident”. Somewhere in this book, every reader will find a dream that resonates. This is a book that will jump out at a YA audience, especially reluctant readers. Not only does the title and cover create immediacy, but the stories contained within it are edgy and thought-provoking. At eight pages, the introduction is the longest stretch of text, while the rest of the accounts are absorbing one page reflections that are scattered between bold and colourfully illustrated pages. This book will inspire readers to step outside of the ordinary. Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Jennifer Lunny Jennifer Lunny is a new teacher-librarian at Ballenas Secondary School on Vancouver Island. A former English and Social Studies teacher, she is excited to promote literacy in her new position. Finding that special book to connect with a student is one of the highlights of her job. She has spent the fall semester building the collection at her school with many of the titles that were proposed in this project.
The Calling by K. Armstrong
Authors: Feisst Debbie 
Published: April 2016

Armstrong, Kelley. The Calling. Toronto: Doubleday Canada, 2012. Print. Ontario writer, Kelley Armstrong, author of the New York Times and Globe and Mail bestselling Darkest Powers young adult urban fantasy trilogy, brings us the second offering of her Darkness Rising trilogy. The first in the trilogy, 2011’s The Gathering, was previously reviewed in the inaugural issue of Deakin, Vol. 1 No 1. This book is not recommended as a standalone, as The Calling starts immediately where we left off with The Gathering and the author’s recap on events and characters is minimal, which for fans of series is refreshing. Sixteen-year-old Maya Delaney and her friends have been forced to flee from their community of Salmon Creek, a small town on Vancouver Island, during a forest fire that was surely deliberately set. After their rescue helicopter makes an emergency landing in the remote wilderness, the group is on the run and forced to survive using nothing but their wits and their supernatural abilities that begin to unfold as they find themselves in danger. Through this we learn more about Maya’s friends as well as the circumstances surrounding the death of her best friend, Serena, in a bizarre swimming accident the previous year. Maya also learns a lot about her own powers but perhaps the most mysterious event is the introduction of Calvin Antone, a man who is pursuing Maya, and who admits to being her biological father. Teen readers will certainly delight in the run-and-hide action as well as the intensifying romance, but I couldn’t help feeling a little let down by The Calling. After the adrenaline-fuelled and plot-driven action of The Gathering, the lack of storyline and character development in this book was disappointing. With that said, however, we don’t have long to wait to see how things turn out for Maya - the final title in the trilogy, The Rising, is set for release in April 2013. As such, I am giving it three stars out of four on the promise of the final book. Recommended: 3 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Debbie Feisst Debbie is a Public Services Librarian at the H.T. Coutts Education Library at the University of Alberta. When not renovating, she enjoys travel, fitness and young adult fiction.