New Releases by Budge Wilson

On September 2, 1998, Swissair Flight 111 plunged into the sea near the mouth of St. Margaret''s Bay in Nova Scotia, killing all 229 on board. Thousands of people responded immediately to help. Local residents and ordinary people supported the investigation in any way they could and they also sought to comfort the families of the victims. Many experienced enormous suffering and world views were changed forever for the survivors - both the friends and relatives of the victims as well as support teams and the local communities. What carried so many of them through this tragedy was the astonishing generosity and kindness each group gave to the other. As Wilson writes, "We all needed the families as much as they needed us." She wrote this collection of poems "in gratitude and in celebration of the thousands of men and women who suffered - and sometimes triumphed - during the months and years that followed the crash."

Life at the Collicutt house is getting very difficult. Katie and Daniel''s father is always either angry or sad. He can''t seem to stand it when Katie practices for the piano recital that means so much to her, and Daniel is forbidden to act in the school play. What has happened to the dad who "was all the time showing us he loved us"? Will he ever be that way again?

This favourite tale of Christmas gone awry is now available for a new generation of readers! This year, Lorinda and her brother James want to buy their mother the best Christmas present ever. Lorinda has her eye on one very special item, but they''ll need to come up with some brilliant money-making ideas if they want to get it in time for Christmas! Of course, nothing goes according to plan . . . but the siblings are determined to make this a holiday their mother will never forget. Young readers will identify with this familiar holiday dilemma, and delight in Lorinda and James''s creative solution (not to mention all the bumps along the way). The Best Worst Christmas Present Ever is an earnest, uplifting story that will get kids in the holiday spirit at Christmas time -- and all year round!

Née en Nouvelle-Ecosse. orpheline à trois mois. Anne est récupérée par une série de familles d''accueil. Malgré la pauvreté, elle parvient à s''évader de sa sombre existence grâce à son imagination débordante. Elle lutte pour rendre les circonstances acceptables. recherche des âmes soeurs et trouve dans les livres une certaine consolation, tout en rêvant de fonder un jour sa propre famille. Curieuse, inventive, amoureuse de la vérité, Anne fait déjà preuve du sens de l''émerveillement et de l''espoir qui la caractériseront sa vie durant. Ce roman relate les événements à la fois tristes et loufoques de la vie de la rouquine à l''esprit débridé avant qu''elle ne se rende chez les Cuthbert, à l''Ile-du-Prince-Edouard...

An authorized prequel to L.M. Montgomery''s classic series about the irrepressible red-haired orphan follows Anne''s early years before her adoption by the Cuthberts.

Nova Scotia, 1945: With reports that the war is coming to an end, the Publicovers eagerly await the return of Izzie and Joey''s father. But peace will also mean other, less welcome changes for Izzie''s best friends, Roberta and Patricia. Patricia fears having to return to her uncaring mother in England, never to see her dear friends--or Jasper--again, and insecure Roberta will be left all alone if Izzie''s family decides to go back to Granite Cove. How will they manage without each other?

Friendships is a subtle and moving collection of stories about surprising moments of understanding from unlikely sources. In “The Snake,” a girl faces her fears with help from a strange ally; in “Father by Mail,” a teenager writes down all the things he could never say to the parent who has left him behind; and in “Bruno,” a boy discovers a way to deal with a bully. These perceptive and contemporary stories, by one of Canada''s best-loved and award-winning authors for young readers, show struggling boys and girls making a connection with someone who can bring them to a kind of balance.

Elizabeth tries to get her two friends to like each other by involving them in an adventure.

Nova Scotia, 1942: Izzie and her family have been living a new kind of life in the town of Woodside. Her mother has a job on the assembly line at the sugar refinery, and Izzie and her brother, Joey, have found new friends. Still, with Izzie''s father in the navy, it''s impossible for the family not to worry about him when they see explosions in the night just beyond Halifax Harbour or when they hear news of the sinking of another ship. When Izzie''s family learn they can return to Granite Cove for the summer, Izzie is delighted and invites her friend Patricia to stay with them. But there is no escaping the reality of war, and one fateful day the family receive a telegram that will change their lives.

Andrea Doucette lives in a fishing village in Nova Scotia. It''s Christmas Eve and everyone in her house is feeling excited and happy-except for Andrea who is feeling very gloomy. Then, a number of things take place that make Andrea wonder weather this Christmas is going to be quite fine-or maybe end up being the worst disaster of all.

"Twelve unforgettable stories about ordinary kids dealing with difficult issues - sibling rivalry, alcoholism, illness, child abuse and neglect - told with vibrancy and rich detail" Cf. Our choice, 2003.

The Christmas That Almost Wasn''t takes place on the South Shore of Nova Scotia, in December of 1941, as Izzie Publicover, her brother and their friends prepare for a very special Christmas. Despite wartime rationing and the infrequency of winter visits, the Publicover children''s grandparents, aunt, uncle and cousins are coming for Christmas. But plans go awry two days before Christmas, when a huge storm hits the village. Can Izzie figure out a way to save Christmas for everyone?

Angus’ family is musical. Everyone has their own instrument and everyone knows how to make music. But Angus can only hum along to his family’s playing, and humming isn’t good enough. Angus wants to join his family’s orchestra. When Angus’ father tells him the family will give him an instrument, he can’t choose until he hears the fiddle at aceilidh. But fiddling is hard; he can’t make the music he wants. With patience, practice, and lots of lessons, Angus’ fingers learn how to play, and the music inside him finds a way out. Budge Wilson’s story will ring true for every young musician and is a fitting tribute to the music makers of Cape Breton.

Budge Wilson has created a heart-warming monster story that proves things are not always the way they appear. Manfred''s parents are afraid he''s not scary enough but Manfred knows that it''s okay to be different and he figures out a way to break the stereotypes that monsters face.

There is almost nothing extraordinary that Duff hasn''t seen - flying saucers, stray elephants, international spies. So, when he reports finding a real live monkey in the family barn, no one believes him except for his best friend Simon. Simon helps him look after the mysterious monkey, but their friends and family are convinced that their monkey stories are all from their over-active imaginations. Just when everyone has had enough of Duff''s tall tales a circus comes to town minus it''s star monkey. Could Duff be telling the truth after all?

Angelina Domino loved animals, especially cats. So, for her fifth birthday, her parents gave her a kitten. His name was Boris and he was as wild as an African lion. He scared the daylights out of Angelina and soon she was afraid of all animals, even gerbils. It would take patience, courage and a very special purr to chase that fear away.

When Stephanie Henderson moves to Nova Scotia, she leaves behind her friends. But her mother gets her a cat to help with the loneliness. And this is a special cat- he barks!

After their black cat Deirdre disappears, the Wilson family, living in Ontario, Canada, wonders if they will ever see her again.

Sharla is terribly angry with everyone - her parents for moving to Churchill, Manitoba, the teachers in her new school, the tourists who flock the polar bears - even Collette and Theo who are better friend than she''ll admit. When it seems like nothing in this small, cold town could be of interest, in walks Jake, attractive, older and looking for someone to help on his photography shoot. Against her better judgement, and what would be her parents'' wishes - if they knew - Sharla agrees to work for him. Suddenly she feels alive again until a magnificent, terrifying polar bear threatens their lives. In a matter of moments Sharla is faced with new and revealing realities.

This is a collection of short stories that speak a simple truth: while the years change us on the outside, inside we are the same person, lifelong.

Thirteen-year-old Lorinda is so sad when her grandmother dies. She never even got to know her. And then she gets a very special gift... she inherits her grandmother''s diaries, which her grandmother began when she herself was thirteen. Now, Lorinda finally has a chance to spend time with the grandmother she never knew. As she reads about the trials of WWII, she realizes that while times may be different, thirteen never really changes.

A collection of ten short stories about friendships, family relationships, and the trials of growing up.

In a coastal Nova Scotian community, young Harold doesn’t know how to fit in until he befriends a beautiful blue heron. A mix up involving the bird begins to change the way everyone sees Harold. And it forever changes the way he sees himself, too.

When his father is assigned to Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War, Oliver his mother and twin brother move east to live with his grandparents. He must learn to cope with his grouchy grandfather, the put-downs of a gym teacher and the taunts of new schoolmates.

Set in a beautiful Nova Scotia village, this is the story of a girl and the things she fears. A perfect beginning chapter book for children aged 8-10. Written by the Ann Connor Brimer Award winner, Budge Wilson.

In ten new stories, Budge Wilson continues to explore the complex relationships that are the essence of life, as she did superbly - and wide critical acclaim - in The Living and The Courtship. In "The Charmer," a handsome but manipulative prodigal son creates a family breakdown. In "Cordelia Clark," a new girl moves into town and kindles division and jealousies between friends who must work out their animosities when she suddenly moves away. And in "Joanna and the Dark," a young woman witnesses her role model being a less-than-ideal father, and realizes that adults aren''t always what they seem, nor do they have all the answers.