A rhyming, vibrant story based on the folk song of seven soldiers.Barbara Emberley’s jaunty adaptation of the cumulative folk song about soldiers who build a magnificent cannon and Drummer Hoff, who fires it off.

A hilarious companion to the New York Times bestselling Miss Brooks Loves Books! (and I don’t) about the power of stories and storytelling.Missy loves her librarian, Miss Brooks. And she loves to go to Miss Brooks’ before-school story time. But to get to Story Nook, she has to pass Billy Toomey’s house—and she does not love Billy Toomey.Billy always tries to steal her hat and jeers, “I’m going to get you!” It’s vexing. Then one ra...

Will Reid is a gawky kid who wears fake turtlenecks, is obsessed by his ant farm project, and is lousy at gym. In other words, he's the perfect target for Shane, the Grade 9 bully. Katie has been Will's friend in elementary school, but defending him in the high school environment comes at an unforeseen cost - she dreads the rumours that link them in a boyfriend/girlfriend way she's never considered. Devan has been part of Shane's bullyboy team until now, when he comes to realize that it's ...

Blaze is tired of spending her life on the sidelines.All she wants is for Mark the Soccer Stud to notice her. Not as Josh's weird sister who drives a turd-brown minivan. And not as that nerdy girl who draws comics.What she gets is her very own arch-nemesis.Name: Mark Deninger, aka Mark the SharkOccupation: Soccer star and all-around lady killerRelationship Status: Serial daterGroup Affiliation: No loyaltyKnown Superpowers...

Lucy knows that kissing Tom Lemmings behind the ball shed will make her a legend. But she doesn’t count on that quick clap of lips propelling her from coolest to lamest fourth grader overnight. Suddenly Lucy finds herself trapped in Dorkdom, where a diamond ring turns your finger green, where the boy you kiss hates you three days later, where your best friend laughs as you cry, where parents seem to stop liking you, and where baby sisters are born different.Now Lucy has a choice: s...

Sixteen-year-old Bailey struggles with her job but stays because she loves the stories of the area—including the legend of a local ghost.Bailey is working at her first summer job, as a cabin girl at a fly-in fishing camp at Witch Lake. April, an older waitress with street smarts, takes Bailey under her wing and the two girls become friends. It’s all good until another waitress burns her arm and has to leave. Bailey gets a sudden promotion, and April is asked to hel...

Llama Llama likes to sing.Gilroy laughs at everything.Llama sings out just the same.Gilroy says a not-nice name.Teacher has some things to say:calling names is not OK.Llama Llama is learning lots of new things at school and making many friends. But when Gilroy Goat starts teasing him and some of their classmates, Llama Llama isn't sure what to do. And then he remembers what his teacher tol...

Winner of the Crystal Kite Award, this touching story explores what it mean to be a good friend, how you should react to a bully, and makes the events of September 11th, 2001 personal.In this story about growing up in a difficult part of America’s history, Jake Green is introduced as a cross country runner who wants to be a soldier and an American hero when he grows up.Before he can work far towards these goals, September 11th happens, and it is discovered ...

The students of the 121 Express are infamous for bad behavior and Lucas knows his role on the bus will determine his social standing at his new school.Lucas is tired of being one of the nerds. When he attracts the negative attention of the cool troublemakers, he saves himself by teasing another kid. His ploy works and soon Lucas is right in the center of the mayhem on the bus. He loves his new found popularity, but when the fun and games push the bus driver to a ne...

In By the Skin of His Teeth, 17-year-old Ted MacIntosh, whom author Ann Walsh showcased earlier in Moses, Me and Murder and The Doctor’s Apprentice, befriends a young Chinese boy despite the intense prejudice seething in the frontier town. Ted suffers intimidation and violence at the hands of the cruel, arrogant Tremblay and his cronies, but with courage and conviction the young man stands up for what he believes and defends his Chinese friend.

It's tough being the new kid.Gavin had lots of friends at his old school, but the kids at Carver Elementary don't even know that he's pretty good at skateboarding, or how awesome he is at soccer.And when his classmate Richard comes over and the boys end up in trouble, not only does Gavin risk losing his one new friend, he has to take care of his great-aunt Myrtle's horrible little dog as punishment.To make matters worse, Gavin seems to have attracte...

Johnny and his friends have finished school for the summer. One sweltering day, on their way back from a water fight at the park, they spot an old lady who has wound them up by bursting their football. They make a bad decision. The boys pedal up to the old lady's parked car and commit a drive-by soaking, before pedalling away as quickly as they can.Revenge isn't all that's on Johnny's mind, however, as he spots an impossibly cool, black-clad, pale-skinned girl on the bus. He can't ...