Eric Walters

★ "This simple story of discovery, sport, and friendship is filled with likable characters and innocently joyful moments...Delightful."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review Kenyan orphans, Kitoo and Nigosi, spend their days studying, playing soccer, helping their elders with chores around the orphanage and reading from the limited selection of books in their library. When the librarian gives Kitoo a copy of Sports Around the World he becomes fascinated by an image of the Canadian national men's ice hockey team. Then one day the fates align and Kitoo finds a pair of beat-up old roller blades. He teaches himself to skate and dreams of one day playing hockey like the men in his book. But you can't play ice hockey in Kenya, can you? The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

★ "Will tug at the heartstrings and tickle the funny bone...This warm tale is definitely one for the keeper shelves. Highly recommended."--School Library Journal, starred review Thirteen-year-old Robbie leads a double life. It's just Robbie and his dad, but no one knows that his dad isn't like most parents. Sometimes he wakes Robbie up in the middle of the night to talk about dying. Sometimes he just leaves without telling Robbie where he's going. Once when Robbie was younger, he was gone for more than a week. Robbie was terrified of being left alone but even more scared of telling anyone in case he was put into foster care. No one can know. Until one day when Robbie has to show the tough new girl, Harmony, around school. Their first meeting ends horribly and she punches Robbie in the face. But eventually, they come to realize that they have a lot more in common than they thought. Can Robbie's new friend be trusted to keep his secret? The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

A violin and a middle-school musical unleash a dark family secret in this moving story by an award-winning author duo. For fans of The Devil's Arithmetic and Hana's Suitcase. It's 2002. In the aftermath of the twin towers -- and the death of her beloved grandmother -- Shirli Berman is intent on moving forward. The best singer in her junior high, she auditions for the lead role in Fiddler on the Roof, but is crushed to learn that she's been given the part of the old Jewish mother in the musical rather than the coveted part of the sister. But there is an upside: her "husband" is none other than Ben Morgan, the cutest and most popular boy in the school. Deciding to throw herself into the role, she rummages in her grandfather's attic for some props. There, she discovers an old violin in the corner -- strange, since her Zayde has never seemed to like music, never even going to any of her recitals. Showing it to her grandfather unleashes an anger in him she has never seen before, and while she is frightened of what it might mean, Shirli keeps trying to connect with her Zayde and discover the awful reason behind his anger. A long-kept family secret spills out, and Shirli learns the true power of music, both terrible and wonderful.

★ "Walters has woven a touching story about the connection humans have with other living beings on Earth. Recommended for wide purchase."--School Library Journal, starred review Dylan lives on a remote island in the Pacific Northwest with his parents, but when they have to go to the mainland, his grandfather weathers a storm to come spend time with him. Grandpa's brought Dylan a number of gifts, and one comes in handy the next day while they are exploring the coast. In fact, this gift leads the duo to a dangerous discovery: a young orca got stuck on the rocks during the storm. Racing against the sun and the heat, Dylan and Grandpa need to work together to figure out how to save the calf while his pod circles nearby.

An exciting spin-off novel in the bestselling Rule of Three series. A powerful look at the disintegration of society in the wake of a massive and mysterious outage that has knocked out all modern amenities. Fifteen-year-old Emma has moved house with her ex-Marine mother and younger brother. It's a brand-new condo building, which explains the semi-regular power outages, as workers complete the units around them. So Emma isn't particularly concerned when the latest blackout hits just as they are preparing to leave town on a long weekend camping trip. But then the car won't start, and their cellphones appear dead -- and all the cars outside their building seem to be stalled in a long traffic jam . . . In the midst of what appears to be a massive power outage, with their camping gear packed and ready, Emma and her family canoe over to the islands, just offshore, to wait it out. But while they land on an isolated island, with a relatively hidden site, they are far from safe, as people become increasingly desperate to find food and shelter. And as the days pass, and the power remains out, the threat of violence becomes all too real.

Co-written by Eric Walters and Godfrey Nkongolo, Light a Candle weaves non-fiction with fiction to tell the story of a boy coming of age in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro. The son of the village's chief climbs the mountain against his father's wishes to fulfill a request of the country's first leader, Julius Nyerere, to light a candle on the top of the mountain and unify the mainland of Tanganyika and the islands of Zanzibar as one country, the United Republic of Tanzania. This bilingual book includes full text in both English and Swahili.

Emily woke. On her night table, a letter was propped against her grandfather's picture. Her name was printed in pencil crayon the way only her grandfather did it, with each letter a different colour. He was always so kind and funny and silly...and now he was gone. Carefully, she picked up the envelope and opened it... A heartfelt new picture book from bestselling children's author Eric Walters (From the Heart of Africa) and Halifax-based artist Carloe Liu. In this poignant story, we follow young Emily who has recently lost her grandfather. As she grows, she discovers a series of letters he left behind for her, offering grandfatherly advice at life's most pivotal moments: first day of high school, graduation day, wedding, and ending with the birth of her own child. With gentle watercolours and fold-out letters for sharing with loved ones, Always With You is a timeless story about grief, growing up, and finding that those we love never truly leave us.

Featuring the evergreen appeal of human-animal friendships and set in an elephant sanctuary, We Bought a Zoo meets Jurassic Park in a gripping story about a thirteen-year-old girl, a cast of elephants, and a surprising new arrival--a woolly mammoth. Sam was born and raised in an elephant sanctuary. When a beloved elephant dies giving birth, Sam develops a connection with baby Woolly--who isn't actually an elephant but was cloned from woolly mammoth DNA. And the billionaire genius behind the cloning experiment will stop at nothing to protect his investment. Smart, determined, and loving, Sam stands up to this powerful adversary to protect the sanctuary and her herd. In the best tradition of child-animal friendship stories, Elephant Secret explores the strong and complex bond between Sam and her elephants while offering a fascinating, authentic glimpse into elephant--and human--behavior.

From aardvark to zebra and all that's in between, little ones will love learning their alphabet with these colorful creatures. An African Alphabet is a vibrant ABC book that introduces babies and toddlers to the unique variety of animals found in Africa. An alphabet for all ages, the stunning linocut-influenced artwork brings an uncommon selection of critters to life in this lively concept book.

Adam has killed again. It had to be done, part of him knows that, but murder changes a person. It can certainly change a teenager who's already grown up too quickly, too harshly, in the wake of the catastrophic global blackout five months ago. In the name of safety and survival, Adam and his neighbours have turned their middle American suburban neighborhood into a fortress, defending against countless enemies. But what's lurking in the dark is a greater danger than ever before: somebody who wants to destroy the neighbourhood and Adam at any cost. Soon, the hunted will have to become the hunter...and Adam hates himself for what he will have to do. Because sometimes even the dark is not cover enough for things that would never happen in the light.

Mutanu is excited. As she goes about her chores, she thinks about the day to come and what surprises it might bring. For today is no ordinary day at the orphanage she lives in. Every year, the orphanage honors its newest arrivals by creating a birthday day especially for them. From that moment forward, the orphans have a day that they know is theirs--a day to celebrate, a day to enjoy, a day to remember. And today is the day Based on real children in an orphanage in Kenya, this lovely story shows how something as simple as a birthday, something most of us take for granted, can mean so much in another part of the world.

An asteroid has hit the Earth: the end of the world is just beginning. Billy and his companions have been taking refuge in outer space to avert this catastrophe. But what will it take to survive? This dramatic second book in an electrifying duology will have readers at the edges of their seats as they discover that survival above is as difficult as survival below.

One shocking afternoon, computers around the globe shut down in a viral catastrophe. At sixteen-year-old Adam Daley's high school, the problem first seems to be a typical electrical outage, until students discover that cell phones are down, municipal utilities are failing, and a few computer-free cars like Adam's are the only vehicles that function. Driving home, Adam encounters a storm tide of anger and fear as the region becomes paralyzed. Soon-as resources dwindle, crises mount, and chaos descends-he will see his suburban neighbourhood band together for protection. And Adam will understand that having a police captain for a mother and a retired government spy living next door are not just the facts of his life but the keys to his survival.

After sixty-six days of a catastrophic global blackout, life in the suburbs is not what it used to be for Adam and his fortified neighborhood of Eden Mills. Although an explosive clash has minimized one threat from outside the walls, Adam's battle-hardened mentor, Herb, continues to make decisions in the name of security that are increasingly wrenching and questionable. Like his police chief mom and others, Adam will follow Herb's lead. But when the next threat comes from an unexpected direction, nobody is ready for it. And someone is going to pay the price because of Adam's mistakes and mistaken trust."

Set in both the wilds and slums of Kenya, a powerful story about a brother and sister's brave journey to find a place to call home. 13-year-old Muchoki and his younger sister, Jata, can barely recognize what's become of their lives. Only weeks ago they lived in a bustling Kenyan village, going to school, playing soccer with friends, and helping at their parents' store. But sudden political violence has killed their father and destroyed their home. Now, Muchoki, Jata, and their ailing mother live in a tent in an overcrowded refugee camp. By day, they try to fend off hunger and boredom. By night, their fears about the future are harder to keep at bay. Driven by both hope and desperation, Muchoki and Jata set off on what seems like an impossible journey: to walk hundreds of kilometers to find their last remaining family.

"It's like I said, it isn't what you do with the shots you make, but with the ones that don't go in. The rebounds." Sean vows that this year will be different: he'll stay out of trouble and make the basketball team, even if it means ditching his old friends. David also needs to make a new start. A serious accident has left him confined to a wheelchair and horribly bitter about how his life has changed. Forced together, the boys learn to like each other, and their friendship may just be what they both need to get back in the game.

Joseph had never known the sky could be so big. But somehow out here in the wilderness everything was clearer. A guy noticed things he couldn't see in the city. Maybe he had just been to busy stealing and running and hiding from the cops to look up. Or maybe being stuck with a bunch of losers and social worker was beginning to get to him. Whatever it was, the sky was huge, and full of stars. The stars were what Joseph liked best.

After Morgan's backyard is flooded by the nearby river, her dog, Shire, finds a baby beaver that has been washed out of its den. Realizing that its parents aren't coming back, Morgan must quickly learn to care for the beaver, which she names Sammy. Morgan's parents warn her that he can't stay with them forever. Will Morgan be able to find a safe home for Sammy? The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

Another riveting page-turner from Canada's favourite teen author--and this time, the adventure takes place in outer space. It's 2012 and the world's most renowned astrophysicists, astronomers, and theoretical mathematicians have all died within the same 12-month period. But as these scientists discover, none of them are really dead after all. They have been taken hostage by alien forces. And while their family and friends are mourning their passing, and with the help of a 16-year-old with rare gifts, they face the ultimate struggle of prevailing over evil and returning themselves--and the earth--to safety.

Ethan can barely believe it. Until now, his biggest problems have been trying to stay in one school without getting expelled ... and finding his next drink. But after Ethan's drunken imitation of the school's headmaster goes up on YouTube, his father steps in with a shockingly drastic measure. Now Ethan is sprawled in the sand ... in the Sahara Desert. Alone. According to his father's letter, Ethan must trek 200 kilometres across the desert to the city of Tunis, with the help of a guide and three other young people. Confused, hungover, and--if he is truthful--more than a little scared, Ethan has no choice. He will face sandstorms, vipers, and agonizingly painful blisters ... but, most painful of all, he will confront his inner demons and come to a true realization of who he really is.