It's December 2004 and Sam and his parents are leaving frostbitten Ontario for a vacation in lush, sun-soaked Thailand. Sam's sister Beth is staying behind. She drives her family to the airport to bid them farewell, not knowing that what awaits them is a natural disaster of unimaginable proportions.Over the next few days, Sam will find himself thrust into the very centre of a crisis he could never have anticipated, one that will test his instinct to survive.From the Trade Paperback edition.

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.

The date is October 15, 1954. Thirteen-year-old Elizabeth, who lives in the Toronto suburb of Weston, is a typical grade 8 girl. She has a secret crush on a boy in her class and she thinks Elvis Presley is "dreamy." Elizabeth also has a part-time job babysitting an adorable little grade 2 girl named Suzie, and Suzie's not-so-adorable grade 6 brother, David. Elizabeth's job is to walk Suzie and David home after school and then stay at their house with them until their mother gets home from work. David resents Elizabeth because he thinks he is too old for a babysitter, and he goes out of his way to make life miserable for her.On this particular evening, however, Elizabeth has more than a badly behaved boy to contend with. It is on this October night that Hurricane Hazel roars down on Toronto, bringing torrential rains that cause extensive flooding. David and Suzie's house is on Raymore Drive, a street that will be practically wiped out by the floodwaters.David and...

Fourteen-year-old Dylan is sent to live with his estranged grandfather, Angus. Basically strangers, the two avoid each other as best they can. One day Dylan discovers a young orca stranded high up on the rocky beach. Dylan runs to tell his grandfather. There's nothing that can be done, says Angus. The sun is coming up, and soon the orca will die of exposure. But Dylan knows he has to try to save the whale. He collects towels to cover the delicate skin of the orca and begins transporting buckets of water from the ocean below to keep it hydrated. It's grueling work, and it will be hours before the tide comes back in and the water is high enough for the orca to swim free. Angus is moved by his grandson's determination and helps as best he can. They both desperately hope that soon the orca will be able to join its family, who have been calling out to it just offshore. On the Rocks is an inspiring story about the ups and downs of family.

Teen astronaut Houston Williams is now the pilot on a mission to Mars. Houston Williams was thrilled to win a scholarship to attend a space program at NASA. What he didn't realize was that organizers were recruiting people for a top-secret research project aimed at studying how space travel affects people of different ages. After months spent on the International Space Station conducting a variety of experiments, Houston is surprised to learn that he and his two friends Ashley and Teal have been chosen to join a highly political mission to Mars. But after tragedy strikes, the teens are forced to continue the mission on their own.This is the third book in the Teen Astronauts series, following Houston, Is There A Problem? and Boldly Go.

Becky James lives in a small Indiana town where nothing much ever happens. Padding her college applications with good grades and volunteer work — while also managing the boys' basketball team and playing in the school band — is her main focus, so when her guidance counsellor asks her to show a new student around, she agrees. It'll be great fodder for a reference letter. But there's something very different about the new student, Gene Newman. He's been homeschooled his entire life and he's as brilliant academically as he is socially awkward, uninformed, and unaware. Gene also proves to be a gifted saxophone player and makes the school band, and his rapidly developed basketball skills allow him to play for the school team. Embarrassingly, Becky suspected he'd never played the sax or basketball before, and just wanted to spend more time with her. But nobody could possibly learn new things that quickly ... Right?With Becky's help, Gene also quickly develops his social skills, and...

Jax meets Liv, the new girl at school who shares his love of music, but that's not all they have in common ...Jax has big plans for grade eight: seeing if his maybe-girlfriend, Samantha, will become his actual girlfriend, and being first trumpet in the school band.Enter Liv, the new girl Jax meets at band auditions. Liv's a star on the trumpet too. In fact, she might be better than Jax.When Jax and Liv start rehearsing together, they go from duet partners to fast friends. Soon, they learn that they share something more than a love of music — something that will change their whole world and make them rethink what it means to be "family."

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...

Thirteen-year-old Quinn and her friends can't believe their luck when spring break is extended an extra two weeks—even if it's because of some virus. But when the impact of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic becomes apparent, everyone, not just the students, has to learn to adjust to their new reality. Quinn's father is an ER doctor and has to self-isolate to protect his family from the virus. Isaac's mother is the chief of police and now has to enforce new physical-distancing bylaws. Reese can't visit her grandmother in her care home anymore. And their entire school has moved to online classes. Sacrifices have to be made to keep everyone safe, but there's more to life than rules and scary new reports. In an effort to find some good in all this uncertainty, Quinn comes up with an idea that she hopes will bring the entire community together.

When all technology breaks down and he's far from home, thirteen-year-old Jamie learns he's stronger (and braver) than he thought he was in this dystopian adventure.Thirteen-year-old Jamie's plane is just taking off when something goes terribly wrong. The lights go out, communications halts and the engine stops. After a bumpy landing, Jamie realizes it's not just his flight. All the other planes have been grounded too. And every car on the road has stopped in its tracks. And no one's cell phone is working. Technology has shut down, and no one knows why. Soon, it becomes clear that this disaster is anything but local, and people begin to panic. Jamie is now stranded 1,200 miles away from home and the world is in chaos. With the help of the plane's flight crew, a group of fellow passengers and a rescued dog named Godzilla, Jamie must make the long, perilous journey home.

Teen astronaut Houston Williams is finally headed into outer space.Houston Williams was thrilled to win a scholarship to attend a space program at NASA. What he didn't realize was that organizers were recruiting people for a cutting-edge research project aimed at studying how space travel affects people of different ages. Now, after months of intense training, Houston is blasting off into space!He and his new friend and former rival, Ashley, are on their way to the International Space Station (ISS) where, along with veteran astronaut Colonel Sanderson, they will be subjected to a variety of experiments. Meanwhile, back on Earth, the politics of space travel are getting complicated. Many feel the money being spent on Mars exploration should be redirected to address issues such as access to clean water and global warming. A planned mission to Mars may be accelerated before funding is canceled, and there is talk of repurposing the ISS crew. Houston...

Thirteen-year-old Houston Williams is smart. Very smart. So no one is surprised when he earns a scholarship to attend a prestigious NASA space camp. At the training facility he immediately bonds with his new team, including a girl named Teal. He also clashes with a girl on a rival team named Ashley, who matches or beats him in every exercise. The three of them impress the directors so much they are invited to join a top-secret research project that studies how space travel affects people of different ages. But only two of them will actually be going into space. Houston will do whatever it takes to make sure he's picked.Praise for Eric Walters's previous work:"The King of Jam Sandwiches pulls us into the unforgettable friendship of hard-working Robbie and tough-as-nails Harmony in an exceptionally honest survival story that is also compulsively readable and emotionally gripping. Walters has written a heart-wrenching novel about what it is like to grow up...

Thirteen-year-old basketball star Jordan Ryker feels like his life is falling apart.All Jordie wanted was for his parents to stop fighting. Soon, he gets his wish. His parents separate and then his dad announces he's gay. Shocked, Jordie struggles with how to process all this. His dad taught him everything he knows about basketball, and there's an important championship game coming up. He needs him more than ever. But Jordie feels like his dad has abandoned his family. He doesn't want anything to do with him now and he definitely doesn't want to meet his dad's new boyfriend. It takes a new girl with wicked basketball skills and a revelation from his best friend to help Jordie realize that while some things change, other things never do.

Having successfully foiled a Nazi plot to kidnap one of the British Royal Family, brothers Jack and George are on the move again—this time to England. The boys and their parents are travelling aboard a merchant ship that's part of a convoy carrying supplies and troops to the battlefields of Europe at the request of the royal family, who wishes to thank them for rescuing Princess Louise.Crossing the Atlantic is challenging enough ... but when the destroyers attached to their convoy torpedo a U-boat, events take another very surprising turn. The U-boat was transporting a secret: a secret that Jack and George's mother is now entrusted with ... and a secret that the Nazis will kill to protect. When the family comes ashore in England, they're whisked off to Bletchley Park, the hub of the British spy network, so that they can help to decipher it.

A funny, heartfelt novel about one high school boy's quest for a prom date, perfectly timed for the surge in realistic YA. Sam is not exactly what you'd call a regular guy: while his IQ is stratospheric, his social skills don't quite rank as high, and his dating history: well, there's no history to speak of . . . yet. But Sam has set out to finally fit in. He's resolved to get some answers wrong in class; to stop getting perfect marks on his assignments; to get to know some people other than Ian and Brooke, his two closest (okay, only) friends--and find himself a prom date. And the prom is on everyone's mind: Sam's school has become swept up by promposals--in other words, very elaborate, very public scenes in which someone is asked to the prom. Sam thinks he might have found the inspiration he needs to ask the girl dreams out for a perfect night at the prom--as well as the unforgettable way to do it.From the Trade Paperback edition.