Non-Fiction: Weird Zone: Sports

Book: Weird Zone: Sports
Author: Maria Birmingham, Jaime Bennett
Publisher: OwlKids Books
Link: Silver Birch

We love sports at Owlkids. We don’t discriminate — hockey, baseball, chessboxing, soccer…we love them all! yep, that’s right, we sneaked chessboxing in there. What’s chessboxing, you wonder? We’re glad you asked! Everything you might want to know about this odd sport is in Weird Zone: Sports, a new book by OWL contributor Maria Birmingham. In fact, this backpack-sized book is full of everything you might want to know about over 50 of the strangest, funniest, just plain weirdestsports in existence!

Non-Fiction: Warriors and Wailers: One Hundred Ancient Chinese Jobs You Might Have Relished or Reviled

Book: Warriors and Wailers: One Hundred Ancient Chinese You Might Have Relished or Reviled  
Author: Sarah Tsiang, Martha Newbigging
Publisher: Annick Press
Link: Silver Birch

China was one of the most advanced societies in the ancient world. Whether in medicine, the arts, or education, the Chinese far outpaced the Europeans. Although most people were peasants, society included a myriad of other jobs. It may sound like a great position, but being emperor had its downside. If you displeased the gods, you could be put to death. As a silk maker, you would be sworn to secrecy so foreigners wouldn’t learn how to spin the precious thread. Other jobs included wailer (yes, you’ll cry whether you want to or not), noodle maker (noodles were not only delicious, but also a symbol of long life), or Shaolin warrior monk (if you were really good, you could break stone slabs with your fists). A fact-filled introduction, index, and timeline make this book—the sixth in the series—perfect for research projects, while the humorous illustrations keep it fun.

Non-Fiction: One Step at a Time: A Vietnamese Child Finds Her Way

Book: One Step at a Time: A Vietnamese Child Finds Her Way
Author: Marsha Forchuck Skrypuch
Publisher: Pajama Press
Link: Silver Birch

A seven-year-old Vietnamese refugee, newly arrived in Canada and unable to understand the language, faces a painful operation to straighten an ankle bent by polio. Tuyet’s poignant story was begun in Last Airlift: A Vietnamese Orphan’s Rescue from War (2012) but readers don’t have to have read that to enjoy this story of healing

Non-Fiction: Off to Class: Incredible and Unusual Schools Around the World

Book: Off to Class: Incredible and Usual Schools Around the World
Author: Susan Hughes
Publisher: Owlkidsbooks
Link: Silver Birch

When North American kids picture a school, odds are they see rows of desks, stacks of textbooks, and linoleum hallways. They probably don’t picture caves, boats, or train platforms — but there are schools in caves, and on boats and on train platforms. There are green schools, mobile schools, and even treehouse schools. There’s a whole world of unusual schools out there! But the most amazing thing about these schools isn’t their location or what they look like. It’s that they provide a place for students who face some of the toughest environmental and cultural challenges, and live some of the most unique lifestyles, to learn. Education is not readily available for kids everywhere, and many communities are strapped for the resources that would make it easier for kids to go to school. In short, it’s not always easy getting kids off to class — but people around the world are finding creative ways to do it. In Off to Class, readers will travel to India, Burkina Faso, and Brazil; to Russia, China, Uganda, and a dozen other countries, to visit some of these incredible schools, and, through personal interviews conducted by author Susan Hughes, meet the students who attend them too. And their stories aren’t just inspiring; they’ll also get you to think about school and the world in a whole new way.

Non-Fiction: The World In Your Lunch Box: The Wacky History and Weird Science of Everyday Foods

Book: The World In Your Lunch Box: The Wacky History and Science Of Everyday Foods
Author: Claire Eamer, Sa Boothroyd
Publisher: Annick Press
Link: Silver Birch

A ham sandwich on white bread. Macaroni and cheese. Peanut-butter-and-banana roll-ups. They may sound like ordinary items, but they take us on an amazing journey through the rich history and astonishing science of food.Explore a week of lunches—from apples to pizza—by taking a romp through thousands of years of extraordinary events. Some are amusing, like the accidental invention of potato chips. Others are tragic, such as the Spice Wars, which killed thousands of people.

Non-Fiction: Learn to Speak Film: A Guide to Creating, Promoting, and Screening Your Movies

Book: Learn to Speak Film: A Guide to Creating, Promoting, and Screening Your Movies
Author: Micheal Glassbourg & Jeff Kulak
Publisher: OwlKids Books
Link: Silver Birch

"Seen any good movies lately?" is a question almost as commonly asked as "How are you?" We all love watching movies, as much today as when film began. But with all the information and technology that's readily available, today's filmgoers know that making a movie isn't an act of magic! By starting with the most basic formula (images + motion = film), Learn to Speak Film does away with the special effects and gets to the heart of what makes movies so much more than just something to watch on a Friday night. The lessons within these pages range from choosing a camera to writing dialogue, from handling criticism to preparing a press kit. Whether young readers just love Oscar Night or want to pursue a career as a screenwriter, set designer, or director, Learn to Speak Film will appeal to the inner film buff in all of us.

Non-Fiction: Robbers!: True Stories of the World’s Most Notorious Thieves

Book: Robbers!: True Stories of the Worlds Most Notorious Thieves
Author: Andreas Schroeder, Remy Simarde
Publisher: Annick Press
Link: Silver Birch

Determined to beat the odds, professional thieves spend their lives figuring out ingenious ways to steal other people’s possessions. In Robbers! you’ll uncover the dirt on eight cunning master thieves, including: • Master-of-disguise Willie Sutton, who robbed banks in costume • D. B. Cooper, who hijacked a plane, demanded $200,000, and parachuted to safety • London’s Great Train Robbers, who held up a moving train to pull off one of the largest ever hauls of banknotes Each story offers a glimpse into the high-octane underworld of the boldest of robbers. The writer’s fascination with criminal masterminds and the illustrator’s action-packed graphic depictions of real-life thievery make this a compelling read for fans of mischief, mayhem, and bad guys on the run.

Non-Fiction: Draw Out The Story: Ten Secrets to Creating Your Own Comics

Book: Draw out Story: Ten Secrets to Creating Your own Comics
Author: Brian McLachlen
Publisher: Owl Kids Books
Link: Silver Birch 

From single-panel comics to full-blown graphic novels, there are dozens of ways to use comics to tell a story. And whether kids want to write or draw something funny or scary, long or short, made-up or true-to-life, cartoonist and author Brian McLachlan maintains there are just ten crucial things they need to know to get started. Using colloquial text, images, and examples, each chapter hones in on a different secret to creating great comics. Budding comic artists will learn how to make text and illustrations work together, how to give characters personality, how to choose the right tool for each project, and much more. A worthy addition to the how-to comics canon, Draw Out the Story simplifies advanced concepts for younger readers, providing invaluable lessons and pointers for kids who want to learn to write and draw — and imagine — great stories.

Non-Fiction: Animal Sanctuaries and Rescue Centers: Saving Lives & Changing Hearts

Book: Animal Sanctuaries And Rescue Centers: Saving Lives and Changing Hearts

Author: Rob Laidlaw
Publisher: Fitzhenry & Whiteside
Link: Silver Birch

Enraptured with raptors? Love lions? Protective of pelicans? Rob Laidlaw's latest has something for everyone. Having exposed the cruel treatment of animals in zoos and the entertainment industry with his previous two books, Rob Laidlaw sets out in Animal Sanctuaries and Rescue Centres to show a more positive side of the human-animal relationship: animal sanctuaries. From a donkey sanctuary in Canada to a bear rescue centre in China, this book examines numerous efforts around the world to rescue and care for animals in need.

Non-Fiction: Our Rights: How Kids Are Changing the World

Book: Our Rights How Kids Are Changing The world
Author: Janete Wilson
Publisher: Second Story Press
Link: Silver Birch

A girl who spoke out against her government for the rights of aboriginal children, a boy who walked across his country to raise awareness of homelessness, and a former child soldier who wants to make music not war. Here are true stories of kids just like you who are standing up for their rights. Read about how they have made a difference. Dylan Mahalingam from the USA started an online charity to raise money to fight child poverty. The bravery of Nujood Ali Mohammed from Yemen inspired other girls who were being forced to marry too young. Anita Khushwaha from India became a beekeeper to pay for school, even though it was considered a job only men could do. All of them are making a difference for children’s rights.

Fiction: Yesterday’s Dead

Book: Yesterdays Dead
Author: Pat Bourke
Publisher: Second Story Press
Link: Silver Birch

Meredith struggles to cope during the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918... Thirteen-year-old Meredith yearns to become a teacher but must leave school to help support her family. To find the best paying job for a young girl of her class, she travels to the city to work as household help in a doctor’s home. From the start, her life is made difficult by the cantankerous and prickly butler, and confrontations with Maggie, the doctor’s spoiled thirteen-year-old daughter. As the deadly Spanish Flu sweeps across the city, members of the household fall ill one by one. With the doctor working night and day at the hospital, only Meredith, Maggie, and Jack, Maggie's handsome older brother, are left to care for them. Every day the newspapers’ lists of “Yesterday’s Dead” add to Meredith’s growing fears.
 When Jack becomes gravely ill, Meredith must stop fighting with Maggie so they can work together to save him. As Meredith wrestles with questions of duty and responsibility, she opens the door to a future that she thought had been closed forever.

Fiction: Ultra

Book: Ultra
Author: David Carroll
Publisher: Scholastic Canada
Link: Silver Birch Books

A young ultra-marathon runner is pushed to the breaking point and beyond in this gripping tale of physical endurance and emotional healing. Quinn has been called a superhero and a freak of nature. At age 13, he’s an amazing distance runner. He takes on the second-hardest challenge of his life when he enters his first ultra-marathon: a grueling 100-mile, 24-hour-long race that will push him to the very limit of his endurance. While Quinn struggles to go on — up a mountain and through the night, as his muscles break down and he begins to hallucinate — we learn why the ultra-marathon is only the second-hardest thing he has endured in his young life. And maybe this devastating event from his past is exactly what Quinn has been running from . . . Framed as an interview with a media commentator after Quinn’s news-making finish, this remarkable debut novel from ultra-marathon runner David Carroll reminds us that when we challenge what is possible, the word impossible loses its meaning.

Fiction: The Metro Dogs Of Moscow

Book: The Metro Dogs Of Moscow
Author: Rachelle Delaney
Publisher: Puffin Canada
Link: Silver Birch Books

JR (short for Jack Russell) is an embassy dog. His human, George, is a diplomat who has to travel for work. A lot. Now George is working at the Canadian Embassy in Moscow. And while he fancies himself an adventurous globetrotter, he doesn't see why JR needs any more excitement than hanging out at the park with the other embassy dogs. JR, however, has had quite enough of leashes and perfectly manicured parks—not to mention the boring embassy dogs. He decides to explore Moscow himself, and soon meets some wily Russian strays. JR is convinced that this is the life he’s been looking for. Amazing city smells! Mouthwatering stuffed potatoes! And best of all, the freedom to travel on the Moscow metro! Meanwhile, George has found himself a new girlfriend: the ravishingly beautiful Katerina, who JR suspects is too good to be true. And if that weren’t trouble enough, JR's new friends are starting to mysteriously disappear. When an embassy dog goes missing as well, JR knows he must use everything he’s learned about his new home to solve the mystery of Moscow’s missing dogs.

Fiction: The Hypnotists

Book: The Hypnotists
Author: Gordon Kormon
Publisher: Scholastic Canada
Link: Silver Birch Books

Jackson Opus has always been persuasive, but he doesn't know that he's descended from the two most powerful hypnotist bloodlines on the planet. He's excited to be accepted into a special program at the Sentia Institute — but when he realizes he's in over his head, Jackson will have to find a way to use his powers to save his friends, his parents, and his government.

Fiction: The Awesome, Almost 100% True Adventures Of Matt & Craz

Book: The Awesome, Almost 100% True Adventures Of Matt & Craz
Author: Alan Silverberg
Publisher: Aladdin
Link: Silver Birch Books

A magical pen causes creative chaos in this quirky, comic-style story from the Sid Fleischman Award–winning author of Milo. Best friends Matt and Larry “Craz” Crazinski couldn’t be more different. Matt loves order, while Craz lives on the edge. The boys share a passion for cartooning, but thanks to the school paper gatekeeper (and kind-of bully), Skip Turkle, it seems their cartoons will never be published. But then the boys discover a pen that promises to help them DRAW BETTER NOW!—and quickly realize it’s no ordinary pen: Whatever they draw comes to life! They start small with their drawings—bags of cash, cool gadgets. Next, they get their pesky English teacher to take a unique and extended vacation. But when the boys get a little bolder in their magical drawings, they realize that things don’t always end up as perfect as the art they create... In this funny, slightly zany, and ultimately heartwarming story, Sid Fleischman Award–winner Alan Silberberg demonstrates the power of friendship—and that the best life is not always sketched out in advance.

Fiction: Record Breaker

Book: Record Breaker
Author: Robin Stevensten
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Link: Silver Birch Books

There is no shelter from some kinds of fallout. It's 1963, and Jack's family is still reeling from the SIDS death of his baby sister. Adrift in his own life, Jack is convinced that setting a world record will bring his father back to his senses and his mother back to life. But world events, including President Kennedy's assassination, threaten to overshadow any record Jack tries to beat—from sausage eating to face slapping. Nothing works, and Jack is about to give up when a new friend suggests a different approach that involves listening to, not breaking, records.

Fiction: Nobody's Blog

Book: Nobody's Blog
Author: Ria Voros
Publisher: Scholastic Canada
Link: Silver Birch Books


For thirteen-year-old Jakob, the summer is looking pretty bleak. His only friend has moved away and no one else seems to have any time for him — except the girl who lives downstairs. But she's a little weird. Then again, so is Jakob. A few months ago, he was in a car accident that killed both his parents, and though he can't remember exactly what happened, he can't stop turning it over in his mind. No wonder people leave him alone. Then out of nowhere, a stray dog befriends Jakob. Together they begin to roam the city streets by night, discovering an exhilarating secret world where they can both taste a new kind of freedom. But as their nocturnal adventures take Jakob farther and farther away from the safety of home, the truth of that awful night begins to emerge. Will he be strong enough to face it — and who will be there for him when he does? Exploring the heartbreaking loneliness of grief with sensitive assurance, Nobody's Dog is a powerful and uplifting tale about family, love and survival, and finding friendship in the most unexpected places.

Fiction: Neil Flambe and the Tokyo Treasure

Book: Neil Flambe and the Tokyo Treasure
Author: Kevin Sylvester
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Link: Silver Birch Books


Something smells fishy—and it’s not the sushi—in this addition to the culinary mystery series celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey calls “good fun.” World-class chef Neil Flambé isn’t thrilled when his cousin Larry moves to Japan to work on an online manga comic book. Now who’ll help him in the kitchen? But he finds a replacement in Gary the bike courier, and life, and the restaurant, moves on without Larry. That is, until the news that life may have really left Larry behind—he’s been lost at sea. Neil is devastated. But then he checks Larry’s online manga. There’s a subtle change in the plot, something Neil and Larry had discussed—something only Neil would notice. Is this a cryptic message from beyond the grave—or is Larry still alive? Determined to find out, Neil heads to Japan to solve his next mystery.

Fiction: Eldritch Manor

Book: Eldritch Manor
Author: Kim Thompson
Publisher: Dundern
Link: Silver Birch Books



Twelve-year-old Willa Fuller is convinced that the old folks in the shabby boarding house down the street are prisoners of their sinister landlady, Miss Trang. Only when Willa is hired on as housekeeper does she discover the truth, which is far more fascinating. Eldritch Manor is a retirement home for some very strange beings indeed. All have stories to tell — and petty grievances with one another and the world at large.
    Storm clouds are on the horizon, however, and when Miss Trang departs on urgent business, Willa is left to babysit the cantankerous bunch. Can she keep the oldsters in line, stitch up unraveling time, and repel an all-out attack from the forces of darkness ... all while keeping the nosy neighbours out of their business and uncovering a startling secret about her own past?

Fiction: Curse of The Dream Witch

Book: Curse of the Dream Witch
Author: Allan Stratton
Publisher: Scholastic Canada

The captivating story of a young princess cursed by powerful and vindictive witch, and forced to live a virtual prisoner of her parents' fears until, at last, she realizes that she must confront those fears head on.  With the help of a peasant boy and her pet mouse, she faces challenges that range from a nasty prince intent upon forcing her into marriage, and a giant mole determined to consume her for dinner to the Dream Witch herself!
Link: Silver Birch Books

McM Silverbirch Reading Club Blog Purpose

The purpose of the Silverbirch Club Blog is to engage students in reflection and dialogue of the books they are reading during the next few months.  This blog forum not only provides students a voice but encourages peers to provide constructive/descriptive feedback, making further connections to their reading experiences and asking questions along the way. Students write about what they are reading and include reading strategies such as inferencing, making connections, summarizing and/or evaluating the text. 
Enjoy :o)