New Releases by Rachna Gilmore

A girl of mixed heritage discovers that both cultures are important parts of who she is. Mr. Toller grins. "I guess we plain old regular Canadians need to know the history of other places to get a real and balanced view." Plain old regular. As in white. It jolts through me like lightning. I almost bought his idea of regular--that's why I was afraid to read my grandmother's story. My heart pounds, but I have to say it. "Mr. Toller, I AM a regular Canadian." Hey, Tara, what's your mother tongue? It's questions like these that make fourteen-year-old Tara Mehta boil, especially when they're asked by teachers who ought to know better. Yes, her parents were raised in India, but Tara has lived in Ottawa her whole life -- she's as Canadian as everybody else. There are much more important things than where her family came from. Jeff, for instance. He's the new guy with the blue eyes and a brain that actually works. But then she meets her grandmother for the first time. Naniji fought with Gandhi in the Indian Indepence movement, and she's horrified to learn that her grandchildren know almost nothing about their heritage. Tara resents her grandmother's attitude until she learns how Naniji came to join the fight for indepence. Shocked and angered by the history that she's never been taught in school, Tara decides to tell Naniji's story to her class. In the wake of the violently mixed reactions that follow, Tara comes to realize that most people need to expand their definition of what it means to be a "regular" Canadian -- including herself.

A hilarious look at a child's view of a mother's bad day. Originally published in 1989 by Ragweed Press, this book is considered to be a P.E.I. classic. This unique view of mother's "bad day" through the observant eyes of a child is a weird and wonderful story for parents and children. My mother is so weird. Some mornings, when she wakes up, she has horns on her head and long pointy teeth and claws. She speaks in a voice like a jackhammer. But after her morning coffee, Mom's horns disappear, and her teeth and claws shrink back to normal. She speaks in a soft, smooth voice. But, one morning...we ran out of coffee...

It’s the Depression, but Red’s family is managing better thanmost on their Prince Edward Island farm. Hard working andresourceful, they have enough to eat and to help others, evenif at times they are mocked by their neighbours for puttingeducation ahead of farm work. Eleven-year-old Red has plentyof chores around the farm, and the days can be long, but hestill gets the odd break to go swimming or fishing, provided hishomework is done. Red’s older sister, Ellen, teaches at the localschool, and if Red doesn’t shine, she will not only punish him,but also make sure their parents hear about it. But then Red’s father’s hand is seriously injured and thefamily’s situation looks dire. Red steps up to the challenge,finishing the tobacco boxes that his father makes and helpingshovel out a train stuck in the snow. Stubborn and even pigheaded,Red does make mistakes along the way (such as pretendingto be dead so that his younger sister will stop followinghim), but his heart is always in the right place.

After her parents drown in a flood, Chandra finds solace in her mother's magic flute.

Dilly can’t believe her eyes. That new kid, Gedion—Sulky-face—is shoplifting from her family’s store, and her mother is just letting it happen. No wonder her parents can’t afford to buy her those special hockey skates she’s always wanted. But as soon as Dilly tells on Gedion, she realizes that some things are better left unsaid. Gedion’s father has just lost his job, and he has to put back some groceries to pay for the chocolate bars his son has stolen. To make up for her thoughtless action, Dilly comes up with the most fabulous, beautiful, wonderful idea: she’ll throw a Christmas party for Gedion and his parents, just like the ones Gedion’s father said they used to have in the old country. With her best friends on board, Dilly’s plan grows and grows. Soon the whole community is involved—from pipsqueak Simon to Dilly’s grandmother, a.k.a. the Great White Hen—with some hilarious and unexpected results. But has the party become too big? How will they raise all the money they need without Dilly having to dip into her own savings for those hockey skates she’s been yearning for? With Sulky-face always glaring at her, Dilly wonders why she’s bothering in the first place.

The wonders of a child's imagination. When Dad doesn't have time to play in the snow with her, Emily is annoyed. Then she becomes so mad that she makes a snow dinosaur and calls it Grizzle. Grizzle comes alive, and she is a Dilophosaurus with a temper to match Emily's. And Grizzle is hungry - so hungry that Emily rustles up some snow pizzas with lots of pepperoni. Then Grizzle begins to grow and as Emily makes more and more meals out of the backyard snow Grizzle snaps it all up and growls for more. She is really hungry! At last Grizzle turns her attention to Dad, who has wandered outside to admire Emily's handiwork. If Emily doesn't do something fast, Dad will make an excellent snack! An imaginative and endearing story about what happens when your temper gets the better of you, Making Grizzle Grow is also about real love - the kind that doesn't disappear just because you get mad. A great book for lovers of dinosaurs and fun in the snow.

All her life, Calantha has wanted only one thing: to apprentice with the Gatherer, and dedicate herself entirely to the Story Pods and the Tales. She dreams and muddles her way through her days, bumbling her chores and exasperating her mother. But when evening comes, and with it the Talemeet, Calantha comes to life. She is open and attentive to everything: the Gathering, the words of release, the Tale itself, and the harmony after, when the villagers, their worries put away for a while, peacefully watch the seeds waft way. And then something dreadful happens. In every field, in every ditch across the Plains where Story Pods used to grow, there is no new growth. Calantha is sickened, and not just by thinking about the end of the Tales. She can't stand that no one else seems to care: the threat from the northern king is worry enough, they believe. So she decides it's up to her to do what's necessary: to seek the legendary Sower of Tales, and find out what's really happening on the Plains. In The Sower of Tales, Governor- General's Award-winning author Rachna Gilmore has created a fantastic world and a stirring adventure; and Calantha, impatient and stubborn, dreamy and single-minded is an entirely human heroine whose personal journey goes straight to the heart.

"When one of Mina's classmates makes fun of her grandfather, she is horrified. Will she be able to come to terms with her feelings in time to celebrate the spring festival" Cf. Our choice, 2001.

Ellen has big trouble when TV characters leave the screen and come into her living room. Will she ever get them back into the TV?

"Maisie's shy to make new friends, and the boy next door is a bully. An unlikely friendship with a spider helps her realize that making new friends may not be so hard after all" Cf. Our choice, 1999-2000

Gita has made friends in her adopted home, but is now faced with the possibility of returning to India.

Gita has made friends in her adopted home, but is now faced with the possibility of returning to India where most of her relatives still live. A Gift for Gita is a touching story about the importance of friendship and stability and the meaning of "home." This is the final book in the critically acclaimed series.

Gita misses her grandmother Naniji back in India, and especially her beautiful garden. Her new yard now is just boring grass. Through a broken section of fence she can see the lush garden of mean old Mr. Flinch next door, which makes her long for Naniji's garden with its vibrant colors, twisty paths, and surprise corners. But nearsighted Mr. Flinch snaps at her when he catches her looking over the fence, and even thinks she's a boy When Gita hears him playing his fiddle in his garden one morning, she decides to try to make friends. The old man and the young girl discover that their shared love of music and growing things overcomes differences in age and culture.

Gita misses her grandmother Naniji back in India, and especially her beautiful garden. Her new yard now is just boring grass. Through a broken section of fence she can see the lush garden of mean old Mr. Flinch next door, which makes her long for Naniji's garden with its vibrant colors, twisty paths, and surprise corners. But nearsighted Mr. Flinch snaps at her when he catches her looking over the fence, and even thinks she's a boy When Gita hears him playing his fiddle in his garden one morning, she decides to try to make friends. The old man and the young girl discover that their shared love of music and growing things overcomes differences in age and culture.

Zilla, a developmentally disabled girl, breaks down prejudices and she saves the day.

Recently immigrated from India, Gita is looking forward to celebrating her favorite holiday, Divali, a festival of lights, but things are so different in her new home that she wonders if she will ever adjust.