New Releases by Carol Matas

Key Selling Points Thirteen-year-old Zevi uses his psychic powers to save the life of a famous actor during the filming of a movie. This story examines the effects of fame and the importance of choices, while exploring themes of responsibility, empathy and doing the right thing. Carol Matas is an internationally acclaimed and award-winning author of dozens of books for young people. She’s written in a variety of genres, including historical fiction, sci-fi, supernatural and thriller. She is also a graduate of the Actor’s Lab in London, England, and pursued an acting career for a few years. The accuracy of the movie set and filming scenes was expert reviewed by filmmaker John Kozak, a professor of film at the University of Winnipeg. Enhanced features (highly-readable font, cream paper, larger trim size) to increase reading accessibility for dyslexic and other striving readers.

In 1815, after immigrating from Scotland to Canada, thirteen-year-old Isobel chronicles her family''s experiences as they adjust to their new home in Rupert''s Land, Manitoba, with the help of their Cree Indian neighbors and, especially, White Loon, their father''s new wife.

★“In this delightfully original nonfiction picture book... the readable text offers understandable science, while the engaging illustrations promote careful investigation. A valuable addition to science and nature collections. Highly recommended.”—School Library Journal, starred review How do animals see the world? It turns out, very differently. In this nonfiction picture book, a young girl and her baby sister''s outdoor adventure (hiking through the forest, picnicking in the grass and swimming in the ocean) is overseen by the local fauna. The way those animals view the girls is very different from how the girls see each other. Goats see far and wide in a panorama, whales don''t see color the way humans do and a high-soaring eagle''s sharp vision can clearly see a tiny mouse far below. Through clever illustrations and scientific prose, we are reminded that while we may see things differently, we all share this life together on planet Earth.

In 1815, after immigrating from Scotland to Canada, thirteen-year-old Isobel chronicles her family''s experiences as they adjust to their new home in Rupert''s Land, Manitoba, with the help of their Cree Indian neighbors and, especially, White Loon, their father''s new wife.

Lenora and Coren journey to Winnipeg to meet Carol Matas and Perry Nodelman! Suddenly transported against their will, the Princess Lenora and her fiance, Prince Coren, find themselves in a strange place-bone-chilling cold and snow outside, garish marketplaces and angry people inside. The inhabitants call it the city of Winnipeg. Lenora and Coren, however, have no idea where it is or whyhey are there. They can''t return home because, yet again their imaginative powers have deserted them. The Winnipeggers refuse to believe Lenora and Coren are who they say they are. Strangely enough, though, they have read about Lenora and Coren in a series of fantasy novels by the authors Carol M. and Perry N. But just who created whom, Lenora and Coren wonder. And how will they ever manage to escape this frightening city, worse than their worst nightmare, so that their long-awaited wedding can finally take place?"

See below for English description. Qu''auraient écrit de simples jeunes filles si elles avaient vécu l''un ou l''autre des événements qui ont marqué l''histoire canadienne? Rose a survécu à l''Holocauste en vivant dans la clandestinité après avoir échappé de justesse au ghetto de Varsovie.À la fin de la guerre, elle se retrouve dans un orphelinat, puis émigre au Canada, mais elle fait encore face à beaucoup de souvenirs angoissants. The Cher Journal series invites readers into the intimate worlds of girls throughout different times in Canadian history. The ongoing series showcases Canada''s most distinguished children authors who recreate some of the most dramatic events from our diverse history. Rose survives the Holocaust by going into hiding after a narrow escape from the Warsaw Ghetto, but when the war is over and she ends up in an orphanage and then emigrates to Canada, there is still much to be faced as disturbing memories surface. Original Title: Pieces of the Past: the Holocaust Diary of Rose Rabinowitz Winnipeg, Manitoba, 1948

Le jour de l''anniversaire de son arrière-grand-mère, Sarah Rose reçoit en héritage son médaillon. Elle promet à sa mère qu''elle ne le perdra pas si elle le porte pour aller à l''école. Mais l''impensable se produit. Quelqu''un vole son médaillon! Rose et ses amis pourront-ils le récupérer avant que sa mère ne le découvre?Le médaillon perdu explore les thèmes intemporels de la responsabilité et de l''intimidation.

An unforgettable reminder of the resilience of human compassion, even in the face of the worst horrors of our history. In the autumn of 1940, Anna Hirsch and her friends and family are rounded up by Nazis and deported to Gurs, a refugee camp in the south of France. Food is scarce, and the living conditions inhumane. Even worse is the ever-present fear that they will be relocated once again -- this time to one of the death camps. But when word comes that Anna and the other children are to be moved, their destination is not Auschwitz or Buchenwald, but Le Chambon-sur-Lignon: a tiny village whose citizens have agreed to care for deported Jewish children. Based on the true story of a French village that banded together to protect the Jews during WWII, this unforgettable tale honours the contagious goodness that permeated one corner of a region otherwise enveloped in evil, and celebrates the courage of all those who put their lives at risk to save others.

Les dix récits rassemblés dans ce roman relatent les événements qui sont survenus durant la période des fêtes, après que les héroïnes des romans de la collection Cher Journal eurent terminé d''écrire leur journal intime. Il n''est toutefois pas nécessaire d''avoir lu les autres livres de la collection ou de connaître les héroïnes pour comprendre et apprécier les récits du présent ouvrage.

Suivez l''histoire de Déborah Bernstein, alors que, du Canada où elle vit, elle cherche à aider sa cousine Sarah à fuir Paris avant que les nazis regroupent les Juifs et les déportent vers les camps de concentration.

A wonderful seasonal anthology for Dear Canada readers, both old and new!A real treat for fans of this series, and all lovers of historical fiction! Eleven stories that each revisit a favourite character from books in the Dear Canada series are included in this special collection. These are completely original tales that stand alone as heartwarming Christmas stories, but also serve as a lovely "next chapter" to their original books.Each story is written by one of Canada''s top award-winning writers for children, including Jean Little, Sarah Ellis, Maxine Trottier, Carol Matas and more. This collection is a lovely companion to A Season of Miracles, and will be treasured year after year at holiday time!

Twelve original holiday stories from the top children''s writers in the country!What an incredible gift book for Dear Canada fans! The twelve stories in this treasury are set around Christmas time and feature the young girls from a dozen previous Dear Canada books. Readers will be thrilled to reconnect with their favourites and get a glimpse of each character''s life a year or so after the events in the actual diary are over. Anyone new to the Dear Canada series will be introduced to characters so compelling, they''ll want to read more.

Les dix récits rassemblés dans ce roman relatent les événements qui sont survenus durant la période des fêtes, après que les héroïnes des romans de la collection Cher Journal eurent terminé d''écrire leur journal intime. [Résumé de l''éditeur].

Determined to make a difference in the war, Jesper refuses to stop fighting the Nazis in Carol Mata’s “stirring account” of a young boy facing the dangers of World War II (Publishers Weekly). In the sequel to Lisa’s War, Jesper continues his work for the Danish resistance and recounts the dangers that led to his confinement in a German prison. Determined to make a difference any way he can, Jesper begins to work for an underground press to help tell the truths about what is happening during the war. Simultaneously, frustrated with the state of their country, Stefan and Jesper join forces to fight the Nazis. “Mata’s extensive research, combined with powerful characterization and compelling narration, creates an intense, provocative novel.” – Publishers Weekly

After the shocking murder of her husband, 19-year-old Ros and her one-year-old son relocate to her childhood home to live with her parents. Palm Springs--full of sunlight, small and safe--should be the perfect place to bring up a child. But things aren''t always as they appear. When the father of one of Ros''s friends is shot in front of her house--an incident that also lands Ros in the hospital--it marks the beginning of a terrible string of events. Someone is out to get her, and they seem determined not to stop until her friends and family are also drawn in. As she struggles to uncover the identity of her mysterious enemy, Ros finds herself looking for answers in the most unusual places. Could the attacks have something to do with her increasingly disturbing dreams? And if so, how can she make them stop? In Past Crimes, bestselling author Carol Matas once again asks her readers to question their assumptions about the world around them. Are we capable of fully understanding the lives we lead, or do the things we fail to understand far outnumber those that we do? Growing out of her work in books like The Freak, Past Crimes offers an innovative twist on the mystery/thriller genre, and is a must-read for fans of Matas''s work. Veteran novelist Carol Matas knows that a fast-paced plot is mandatory for youth raised on television. In Ros [the protagonist], Matas has created a heroin who will appeal to teenage girls Canadian Review of Materials Ive read Past Crimes and its interesting that shes tackled something typically new. Shes gone from one genre to another and not many writers can. Shes willing to challenge different kinds of writing, and shes incredibly productive. Helen Norrie, Childrens reviewer from the Winnipeg Free Press as quoted in the Jewish Tribune

Ben flees Nazi Germany only to find himself in a battle for his life and his soul.

The thrilling sequel to Cloning Miranda and The Second Clone. When Miranda is accused of vandalism on school property, she''s confident she can clear her name - until she''s shown the security tapes. Even she can''t tell that the girl on the tapes isn''t her, or her cloned "twin" sister Ariel. Miranda must fight to clear her name or face being expelled, and possibly charged by the police. But one way or another, she knows she can''t tell the truth to the authorities, or share her suspicions about the real culprit. Meanwhile, Dr. Mullen, her creator, has called a press conference to announce that he is the first scientist ever to create a living human clone. Could the girl on the security tape be yet another Mullen-made Miranda clone? Or could it be Eve, the dying third clone that Mullen kidnapped? No matter what, it looks like Miranda and Ariel are about to face the biggest challenge of their lives.

This dramatic story tells of 11-year-old Devorah''s efforts to help her cousin and pen pal Sarah emigrate from Paris before the Nazis deport the Jews to internment camps. Devorah learns that 5,000 Jewish children in France have visas to leave the country, but the Canadian government will not let them in, leading Devorah to desperately lobby the government to change its policies. Turned Away illustrates the restrictions on the life of Jews in Paris via letters from Sarah who is living in German-occupied France. It also reveals Canada''s dismal record on Jewish immigration during World War II and depicts the impact of the war in Canada. In Winnipeg, one intriguing response to the war was "If Day," when local people posed as Nazis and staged a mock invasion to illustrate what it would be like if the city was occupied. Also included are fascinating period documents and photographs, many from the Holocaust Memorial Museum. The historical consultants for Turned Away were Dr. Irving Abella, co-author of the ground-breaking book None is Too Many, and Terry Copp, author of the remarkable book No Price Too High.

In her third adventure, Rosie and her family leave Chicago to make movies in Los Angeles and Papa brings home an entire Wild West show for filming.

Een Pools-joods meisje probeert tijdens de Tweede Wereldoorlog in Duitsland te overleven onder zeer moeilijke omstandigheden.

When Mama falls ill and Papa invests all the family''s money in a new business, 11-year-old Rosie Lepidus must go to work in a garment factory and soon gets involved in union activities.

On the anniversary of her great-grandmothers birthday, Roz is given a family heirloom: her great-grandmothers locket. She convinces her mother she wont lose the locket if she wears it to school. But then the unthinkable happens. Someone steals her locket! Can Roz and her friends get it back before her mother finds out?

Ariel, Miranda''s clone, is becoming a person in her own right. Ariel is living with Miranda and they arebecoming close, as sisters do. Everything seems perfect, until Miranda starts noticing things that don''t seem to fit with the Ariel she knows. She sees her sister in places she shouldn''t be, doing things Ariel would never be doing, and Miranda begins to wonder if she herself is going crazy. But then Ariel beginsacting stranger than ever and Miranda gets a horrible feeling... what if there''s more than one clone? And if so, can she find out what''s going on and give Ariel back the life she''s built before it''s too late?

Rebecca learned at a young age how important it is to be liked, when her family left Russia to settle in Hirsch, Saskatchewan, a mostly Jewish community. But Rebecca''s close-knit extended family returns from her triumph on-stage at an amateur night to find their home in flames. With everything they own destroyed, the family is devastated and penniless. They move to Winnipeg, where Rebecca''s father struggles to find work, and where all the family members try to adjust to life in a big city. Rebecca is sent to live with a non-Jewish family until her parents get settled. There, she learns the true meaning of bravery, loyalty, and friendship. As she struggles to re-unite her family, Rebecca bridges the distance between the old world and the new, between her family''s traditional immigrant values and the opportunities of the modern world.

Comment Rébecca aurait-elle pu imaginer que, en voulant sauver son ami Thomas, elles se retrouverait, avec lui et d''autres enfants, projetée en l''an 2040 ? L''incroyable est pourtant arrivé... Les enfants sont prisonniers d''un monde souterrain, épargné par la guerre nucléaire qui a anéanti la Terre des auparavant. Que vont-ils faire ?

Fuir. Sans relâche. Se terrer. Pour Anna, Klara, Rudi et tant d''autres enfants juifs dont les parents ont été déportés dans les camps de la mort, c''est à Chambon-sur-Lignon, dans les Cévennes, qu''ils ont trouvé refuge. Dans un collège en zone libre, tenu par la Croix-Rouge, ils survivent au jour le jour. Dans la longue nuit de l''Occupation, des hommes et des femmes de la région viennent au secours des persécutés, leur redonnant espoir. Mais bientôt, la France entière est sous la botte des Allemands et tout le pays devient un immense piège...