New Releases by Eric Walters

DJ is David McLean''s eldest grandson, so it stands to reason that he be the one to scatter his beloved grandfather''s ashes. At least that''s how DJ sees it. He''s always been the best at everything – sports, school, looking after his fatherless family – so climbing Kilimanjaro is just another thing he''ll accomplish almost effortlessly. Or so he thinks, until he arrives in Tanzania and everything starts to go wrong. He''s detained at immigration, he gets robbed, his climbing group includes an old lady and he gets stuck with the first ever female porter. Forced to go polepole (slowly), DJ finds out the hard way that youth, fitness level and drive have nothing to do with success on the mountain – or in life.

Seven novels of adventure in one ebook bundle. When David McLean, well-loved grandfather and avid adventurer, dies, he leaves behind an unusual will that outlines sevens tasks he has set for his seven grandsons. Eric Walters, John Wilson, Ted Staunton, Richard Scrimger, Norah McClintock, Sigmund Brouwer and Shane Peacock bring their signature writing styles to a series of adventures that take readers from the top of Kilimanjaro to the bottom of the Mediterranean.

Hunter knows humans are dangerous to himself and the other cats of his colony. He avoids them, as all wild cats should. So when a neighborhood boy starts showing up in Hunter''s junkyard to chase away dogs and bring the colony food, Hunter keeps his distance. But a new condo development puts the whole colony in danger, and Hunter soon realizes the only way to save his family is to put his trust in the boy. The story of Catboy told through very different eyes.

Nick and Kia struggle to gain the acceptance of the other members of their basketball team.

The wild cat colony Taylor has been caring for is at risk of being destroyed, and in order to save it, Taylor will need the help of all his friends.

For Alexandria Hyatt having a fabulous life is easy: she knows what she wants and she knows how to get it. Being glamorous and rich is simply what she was born to be. When Alexandria is arrested for shoplifting, having to drag herself into court to face a judge just seems like a major inconvenience. But Alexandria has been in trouble before–and this time she can’t find a way to scheme out of the consequences. Before she knows it, she’s on a plane headed to Kenya where she has been ordered to work for an international charity. Over 7,000 miles away from home with no hot water, no cell phone reception, no friends or family, Alexandria is confronted with a land as unfamiliar as it is unsettling. Over the course of her month in Africa, Alexandria will face a reality she could never have imagined, and will have to look inside herself to see if she has what it takes to confront it.

Follows the Big Apple adventures of ''tweens Alex, Sam, and Twilight as they spend the weekend in New York City without their parents.

Robbie''s father is a spitfire pilot who was shot down during World War II and is now a POW. At only seventeen, Robbie lies about his identity to enlist in the Royal Canadian Air Force under the guise of going to a boarding school so that his mother doesn''t find out. He starts training in Brandon, Manitoba, but after acing all his classes, he''s dealt a disappointing blow when he''s assigned to be a navigator on a Lancaster. He wanted to be a pilot, just like his father, but the commanders of the air force have other ideas. Robbie is soon on his way to England, where he completes his training on missions bombing German targets in enemy territory. It is during one of these missions that his Lancaster is fired upon and the pilot and many of the crew are shot. It''s up to Robbie and his limited piloting experience to save the crew...and himself.

A novel from one of the country’s most prolific and popular YA authors, this book, set in New York City on September 11th, shows us how the experiences of that day profoundly changed one teen’s life and relationships. Today is September 10, 2001, and Will, a grade nine student, is spending the day at his father’s workplace tomorrow. As part of a school assignment, all the students in his class will be going to their parents tomorrow, but Will isn’t excited about it–he’d rather sleep in and do nothing with his friends. His father doesn’t even have an exciting job like his best friend James’s father who is a fireman. Will’s dad works for an international trading company and has to wake up early every morning to commute to his office on the eighty-fifth floor in the south building of the World Trade Center in Manhattan. Will doesn’t see his father very often because of the hours he puts in at the office. He doubts that his dad will bother making time for him tomorrow even when they are supposed to be spending the day together. In this fast-paced and dramatic new novel by bestselling author Eric Walters, Will discovers a new side of his father during an event that continues to affect the world. As Will’s new teacher says, tomorrow “might be an experience that changes your entire life.”

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.

The first flash mob Ian puts together himself is a sixty-plus person, four-minute pillow fight in a department store. Ian''s friend Oswald is thrilled with the event, but Julia, the one Ian really wants to impress, is still convinced that flash mobs are stupid. While Ian tries to prove Julia wrong by initiating flash mobs with political impact, Julia is busy waging war with the strict new principal at school. When Julia goes too far and gets herself suspended, Ian sees an opportunity for a relevant and persuasive flash mob. This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for middle-grade readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read!

As the new girl in a strange town, Casey is trying desperately to fit in and make friends. When her parents leave town for the weekend, her friend suggests she have a house party. Casey is reluctant to go along, until she realizes maybe this is the answer to fitting in and making friends—and getting back at her parents. They invite a few people and then a few more, using msn and text messaging. Hundreds of people show up and things get out of hand. Casey is in more trouble than she thought possible and now she must decide whether—and how—to do the right thing. This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for teen readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read! The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

A brother and sister find a man entombed in ice in a Rocky Mountain glacier. Apparently he’s been there for at least 50 years. Who is he? How did he get there? Where was he from? In this clever little whodunit, bestselling children’s author Eric Walters joins forces with expert photographer Kevin Spreekmeester to present an unusual combination of intrigue and interaction.

Sam Campbell''s school team, the Laggan Lairds, always loses. When someone suggests that their name be the Laggan Lard Butts, Sam thinks the team should change its name. What is a Laird anyway? The basketball coach agrees, and soon the whole school is involved in an election for a new team name. Sam and his friends nominate the name Lard Butts. When the basketball team starts winning games after a warm-up cheer of "Go Lard Butts!" it seems the Lard Butt campaign might actually win the election. This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for middle-grade readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read!

Everybody deserves a holiday, but does anybody deserve every day off but one? Santa gets all the glory, but who''s really the power behind the sleigh? This book is about the woman who really does the work (gee, like that''s unusual), and her efforts to get Santa off his chair, away from the TV, and back in the workshop. It happened one day when many of the elves got sick and Mrs. Claus had to step in to help. Now, you know what it''s like when a woman starts helping. Pretty soon Santa was spending most of his time watching TV, doing research on the new toys. Mrs. Claus needed to take drastic action, and she knew just what to do. Out came the magic markers and suddenly Mrs. Claus had a severe case of hiccumititus. Now the workshop is running properly again.

When a Division One coach comes to their smaller school to bring the football program up to contender status, Moose and the rest of the players on the team are pumped. Coach Barnes has new ideas and a vision for the future—nothing is too good for his players. With a new training regimen, everything seems to be on a winning track. But when Moose and others are offered steroids, tempers start to fray and the teammates have to decide whose side they are on. Juice is a compelling story about the pressures and temptations that are faced by many in the competitive world of high-school athletics. This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for teen readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read! The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

Philip lives for skateboarding. School is merely the break between trying to land a difficult jump and outrunning the security guards. When he and his best friend Wally meet a professional skateboarder who videotapes himself for his website, Philip thinks they can do it too—and make money at the same time. When they start getting hits on their website—and making money—they start to feel the pressure to do more and more dangerous stunts. This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for teen readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read! The epub edition of this title is fully accessible. Also available in Spanish or French.

It''s a new season for Nick and Kia and once again they have to prove they''ve got what it takes to make the Mississauga Magic rep team. There is no free ride on Coach Barkley''s team. The tryouts are tough but fair and it looks like the nucleus of last year’s team will be together once again. But there is one new player who seems to have the skills to impress the coach. Though Ashton has great skills, he''s not much of a team player. On top of that he''s not even sure he wants to make the team. Unable to imagine that anyone wouldn''t want to play for the Magic, Nick and Kia set out to solve this dilemma and learn some tough lessons along the way.

In 1943 George and Jack discover Camp X - Canada''s secret spy camp and become involved in wartime intrigue.

Nick, Kia and their Mississauga Magic teammates are on the road, heading off to an elite hoop tournament in the Midwest. Feeling outmatched by many of the high-profile teams, the kids are still looking forward to a good time. However, Coach Barkley, who played college ball in the area and is still regarded as a hero, has other ideas. As usual, nothing but winning will be good enough for Coach. As the tournament progresses, the Magic players learn to believe in themselves and come to realize that they can hold their own against the opposing teams. The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

When Nick and Kia arrive for try-outs for the basketball team they played on the previous year, they are surprised to meet their new coach. Coach Barkley is a former college star known for his fierce desire to win. Though the coach has been away from the game for many years, his competitive instincts are as strong as ever and his aggressive coaching techniques are a new experience for these kids. Suddenly making the rep team no longer seems the sure thing that Nick and Kia expected when they came to try-outs. This is hard on Nick and Kia, but especially difficult for the coach''s son, L.B., who is also trying out for the team. When the coach matches them up against a team of older players and then refuses to accept their loss, the kids begin to wonder if they even want to make this team. Nick, Kia and L.B. finally have to decide whether to play for a tyrant or to take a stand on principle and face the consequences.

When Nick and his pals suddenly find themselves short a man for the NBA-sponsored three-on-three tournament they plan to enter during the summer holidays, the solution seems simple enough. Nick, Kia and Mark are the key players on the team, so the fourth, though mandatory according to the rules, doesn''t really have to be good at the game. A surprise visit from Nick''s mother''s cousin brings Ned, who is exactly Nick''s age but not exactly an athlete, into the picture and onto the team. The other three teammates figure that as long as they don''t actually have to use Ned in a game they will be fine. Then Mark sprains his ankle and can''t play in the tournament. Suddenly Nick and Kia must find a way to make Ned an integral part of the team. This turns out to be no small task!

When Canada went to war with Japan following the bombing of Pearl Harbour, Canadians of Japanese descent were declared "Enemy Aliens." Without recourse of any kind, they were forced to leave their homes along with the British Columbia coast, their possessions were sold, and their rights as citizens denied. Caged Eagles follows fourteen-year-old Tadashi Fukushima and his family as they embark on a tortuous physical and emotional journey. Along with neighbours from their remote village on the northern BC coast, they travel by fishing boat to Vancouver, where they are placed in detention in Hastings Park, the Pacific National Exhibition ground, and forced to live in cattle stalls. For Tadashi detention becomes both an adventure and a dilemma as he struggles to understand the undercurrents of racism and injustice that have overtaken his life and those of his community.

The Bully Boys is the story of fourteen-year-old Thomas Roberts, who finds himself looking after the family farm when his father goes off to fight for the British army during the War of 1812. When Thomas inadvertently stumbles upon some American soldiers who are attempting to rob a local store, his quick thinking and his bravery save the day. His actions also catch the eye of the war''s most famous officer-Lieutenant James FitzGibbon, leader of the unit dubbed the Green Tigers or "Bully Boys." This, Tommy realizes, is his chance to escape the drudgery of the farm and join the "real" men who are fighting for their freedom. When FitzGibbon takes Tommy under his wing for a time, the young man soon finds that war is both more fascinating and more horrifying than he had ever imagined. Based on the true events surrounding the legendary James FitzGibbon and The Battle of Beaver Dam, The Bully Boys is a moving account of a young man''s experience of war.

During WWII, Jed’s English father serves as a fighter pilot overseas, while Jed and his mother move back to her Tsimshian community on Canada''s west coast. When the military sets up a naval base in town, Jed is hired to help out, honored it seems, for both his father''s bravery and his own native skills as a hunter. Presented with a military jacket, Jed finds an allegiance to his country and a pride in his mixed heritage that he''s never felt before. But one day Jed''s world is shattered. His best friend Tadashi, along with the other members of the nearby Japanese village, are declared enemy aliens and told to prepare to leave their homes. Now Jed must ask himself where his allegiance really belongs...to his country''s rigid code, or to the truth that is buried in his Tsimshian soul. War of the Eagles is the first of two books in a series. Book two is Caged Eagles.