New Releases by Dorothy Perkyns

Bridget Quinlan is a spirited 13-year-old when the Irish potato famine of the 1840s shatters her life. Although her home is a hovel with few possessions, her family survives as long as her father can grow a good crop of potatoes on his small piece of land. Tragedy strikes when crops fail and typhus spreads, killing one of the boys in her school and then her brother, Rory.With soldiers evicting the ill and unemployed, the Quinlans are forced to accept the offer of a passage to Canada. Appalling conditions onboard contribute to many deaths so that by the time they reach Grosse �Žle, Quebec, Bridget and her sister are alone in the world. The two are adopted by a kind farming family and gradually settle into their new life. After all the sadness and loss, a surprising turn of events brings them lasting joy.

Bridget Quinlan is a spirited 13-year-old when the Irish potato famine of the 1840s shatters her life. Although her home is a hovel with few possessions, her family survives as long as her father can grow a good crop of potatoes on his small piece of land. Tragedy strikes when crops fail and typhus spreads, killing one of the boys in her school and then her brother, Rory. With soldiers evicting the ill and unemployed, the Quinlans are forced to accept the offer of a passage to Canada. Appalling conditions onboard contribute to many deaths so that by the time they reach Grosse Île, Quebec, Bridget and her sister are alone in the world. The two are adopted by a kind farming family and gradually settle into their new life. After all the sadness and loss, a surprising turn of events brings them lasting joy.

Short-listed for the 2004 CLA Book of the Year for Children Award, for the 2005 Diamond Willow Award and for the 2005 Hackmatack Children's Choice Book Award On the shores of Bedford Basin in Halifax, 12-year-old Selina Palmer is growing up in the community of Africville in the 1960s. Struggling with what it means to be the only black student in her Grade 6 class, Selina takes comfort in the fact that every day she goes home to a loving and vibrant neighbourhood, where friends and family accept her as she is. But ugly rumours are starting to surface about the fate of Africville...

A visit to the museum sparks James' interest in an important local discovery of mastodon bones, but he is even more intrigued by the strange behaviour of 2 men seen in the neighbourhood

A fourteen-year-old girl involved in strange top-secret events in a wild moorland area of Northern England.

Summer vacation promises the reunion of friends David, Mary and Stephen. While exploring the quiet tourist community of Plover Point, this adventurous trio come across a puzzling series of clues. Mysterious art works, the unusual coming and going of boats, the eccentric dealings of Mr. Crabtree and his sinister antique shop, random acts of vandalism, a frightened old man, an endangered species of bird, ancient maps, and a touring musical company called The Piping Plover are the ingredients of this suspenseful, action-packed mystery. Many readers will welcome this second exciting story featuring the three young detectives who made their first appearance in Dorothy Perkyns’ The Mystery of the Hemlock Ravine

"It is February 1776, and George Washington's revolutionary troops are laying siege to the town of Boston, where Loyalist citizens, protected by a sadly depleted British army, wait in desperate fear for their lives. Though cold and hungry, fourteen-year-old Rachel Miller continues to deliver the leather goods her guardian repairs. During one of these errands, she has her first encounter with an ugly, menacing stranger, whose ruthless behaviour terrifies her. When Boston is finally evacuated, Rachel is befriended on board her transport ship to Halifax by high-spirited Joshua Wakefield, and together they discover the reason behind the mysterious man's wily and astonishing activities"--Back cover.