New Releases by Janet McNaughton

The bewitching story of Aggie, a 17-year-old Scottish girl who comes to Canada in 1928 to work as a domestic servant in a wealthy Toronto home, won numerous literary awards when it was first published almost 10 years ago. To Dance at the Palais Royale captured the following honours: • The Violet Downey Book Award, IODE National Chapter • The Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction • Ann Connor Brimer Award • Mr. Christie’s Book Award Finalist • Canadian Library Association Honour Book This wonderful portrayal of a young woman’s coming of age, set against life in Toronto’s jazz era, is now poised to capture the hearts of a new generation of young girls.

Blake Raintree, the heroine of The Secret Under My Skin, is now 18, returning to the city of her birth as an aide to a justice council charged with trying to address the wrongs of the technocaust. While in the city, Blake submits the ID code from the microchip that was implanted in her arm in infancy by her parents, hoping to find out more about her past, and especially her father. What she learns will cause her to question everything she knows about herself. Torn between a terrible anger and a search for the love and acceptance she has been denied all her life, Blake faces a harsh choice. A 2006 JAB ( Junior Advisory Board) Pick, The Raintree Rebellion is nominated for the OLA Red Maple Award.

A touching "riches to rags" story set during the second-worst disaster in the history of Atlantic Canada. Eleven-year-old Triffie is the middle daughter of a well-to-do merchant. Triffie knows nothing about what it means to be poor -- until the disastrous fire of 1892 burns down most of St. John's, Newfoundland, leaving Triffie's family and 15,000 others homeless. The fire claimed everything but their underwear, Mother's best china . . . and Triffie's journal. With no other options, Triffie's family moves into a filthy warehouse while they attempt to rebuild their lives from the ground up. The aftermath of the fire teaches Triffie a lot about what it means to survive. More importantly, she comes face to face with her own prejudices, and begins to develop a much greater appreciation for how the less fortunate live.

Bored by homework and bullied at school, twelve-year-old Gwyn Rae reluctantly takes on a Heritage Fair project to boost his history mark. He begins to investigate the papers of his ancestor Daniel Rae with help from his older sister, Maddie. Together they discover a notebook filled with writing only they can see and an iron key that seems to react to their touch. When the key unlocks a secret door in an old church, Gwyn and Maddie are launched into the adventure of their lives in this compelling sequel to Dragon Seer.

Enslaved since early childhood, Madoca is astonished to be chosen as dragon seer, one who will care for the dragons of Orkney. But people now question the age-old traditions that placed the dragons at the very heart of her society, and one of the older dragon seers has made enemies among the chieftains. When the Vikings arrive with a malevolent seer who has vowed to destroy all dragons, new alliances form and the people’s way of life is threatened. As Madoca’s powers emerge, strong but uncontrolled, she faces the fight of her life. How can she save her beloved dragons?

A classic tale of good and evil, love and loyalty set in Newfoundland.

En 2368, la démocratie n'existe plus. La pollution a eu raison de l'environnement et les sciences, tenues pour responsables, sont interdites. Ignorant tout de ses parents et de son passé, Blé Sama, une orpheline d'environ treize ans, vit dans un camp de travail comme beaucoup d'autres enfants. Elle est toutefois recueillie par un ancien professeur de sciences militant pour le retour de la démocratie. Elle devient l'assistante de Marella, une jeune femme qui doit réussir ses examens pour accéder au titre de "bioguide" (une sorte de conseillère en environnement). Blé découvre rapidement qu'elle a plus de talent que Marella, mais décide de cacher ses aptitudes et d'aider Marella en lui révélant les bonnes réponses. Toutefois, rapidement, Blé sent le vide qui l'envahit. Serait-elle en train de passer à coté de son propre destin ... Un roman d'anticipation sombre qui porte toutefois un message d'espoir et dont l'objectif est d'inciter les lecteurs à penser au monde qu'ils veulent créer et dans lequel ils veulent vivre. Pour les lecteurs qui ont du souffle. [SDM].

"When the fish plant closes, Katie watches as all her friends move away. As her family struggles to stay in Newfoundland during the cod moratorium, Katie finds ways to help" Cf. Our choice, 2002.

In the year 2368, humankind must struggle to survive under dire environmental conditions and strict government control. In this startling world, one brave young woman begins to unravel a web of lies about life on Earth that will empower her to discover, at last, who she really is. McNaughton vividly imagines an all-too-believable future and celebrates the impact that one person can make on the world.

In the spring of 1945, as the war ends in Europe, fifteen-year-old Evelyn learns the truth about her missing father and to accept the unavoidable change to her life.