New Releases by Carol Matas

Kai, struggling with his bubbe in the hospital, believes a Golem is causing his troubles, but after doing a mitzvah, he befriends the creature and life starts to improve.

Key Selling Points Thirteen-year-old Zevi uses his psychic powers to save the life of a famous actor during the filming of a movie. This story examines the effects of fame and the importance of choices, while exploring themes of responsibility, empathy and doing the right thing. Carol Matas is an internationally acclaimed and award-winning author of dozens of books for young people. She’s written in a variety of genres, including historical fiction, sci-fi, supernatural and thriller. She is also a graduate of the Actor’s Lab in London, England, and pursued an acting career for a few years. The accuracy of the movie set and filming scenes was expert reviewed by filmmaker John Kozak, a professor of film at the University of Winnipeg. Enhanced features (dyslexia-friendly font, cream paper, larger trim size) to increase reading accessibility for dyslexic and other striving readers.

★“In this delightfully original nonfiction picture book... the readable text offers understandable science, while the engaging illustrations promote careful investigation. A valuable addition to science and nature collections. Highly recommended.”—School Library Journal, starred review How do animals see the world? It turns out, very differently. In this nonfiction picture book, a young girl and her baby sister''s outdoor adventure (hiking through the forest, picnicking in the grass and swimming in the ocean) is overseen by the local fauna. The way those animals view the girls is very different from how the girls see each other. Goats see far and wide in a panorama, whales don''t see color the way humans do and a high-soaring eagle''s sharp vision can clearly see a tiny mouse far below. Through clever illustrations and scientific prose, we are reminded that while we may see things differently, we all share this life together on planet Earth.

A gripping story of survival and hope from acclaimed author Carol Matas. Ruth survived the Holocaust and the long journey to Palestine. Now she finds herself once again in a war zone as Israel battles for its existence. Her brother is on the front lines. Ruth and her boyfriend are injured and cannot fight, so they care for children in a hospital. Ruth tells the children stories to distract them and help them make sense of their situation. As she recovers, she too must return to the fight. A trauma forces her back to another time when she told stories: to her fellow prisoners in Auschwitz. We discover what Ruth went through in the camps, the horrors she saw, the friends she made and lost. Through it all Ruth comes to understand that she must find a new way to live, a way that does not give up on hope.

Daniel, whose family suffers as the Nazis rise to power in Germany, describes his imprisonment in a concentration camp and his eventual liberation.

Isobel thinks that she and her family will find their fortune in Canada. But Isobel''s mother dies before they even cross the ocean, and other misfortunes follow their every step. Isobel''s family and the other Selkirk Settlers, caught in the fur-trading rivalry between the Hudson''s Bay Company, cannot even start to build when they do reach their destination. The harsh climate, and escalating threats against the settlers, make it impossible to start a new life. Only through perserverance and help from the local Cree band are Isobel and her family finally able to put down roots in the Red River Valley.

Featuring stories from nine outstanding Canadian authors, this anthology is the perfect Christmas gift for Dear Canada readers, both old and new! A Time for Giving includes ten tales of Christmas, following the most recent Dear Canada diarists "the Christmas after" their diary ends. Johanna Leary is reunited with her brother after they were separated at Grosse-Ile; Mary Kobayashi spends a second Christmas at a Japanese internment camp; Rose Rabinowitz finds some surprising challenges in her new country, and many more! A Special Gift is a story from Ojibwe writer Ruby Slipperjack to preview her upcoming Dear Canada (coming in Fall 2016!), set the winter before the diarist is sent to Residential School. Contributors include Jean Little (Exiles from the War and All Fall Down), Barbara Haworth- Attard (To Stand on My Own), Sarah Ellis (That Fatal Night), Susan Aihoshi (Torn Apart), Norah McClintock (A Sea of Sorrows), Karleen Bradford (A Country of Our Own), Janet McNaughton (Flame and Ashes), Carol Matas (Pieces of the Past), and Ruby Slipperjack.

Inspired by Tucson''s first Jewish mayor, Tuscon Jo follows the clash between a father who is running for major of Tuscon in 1882, and his spirited fourtheen-year-old daughter.

See below for English description. Qu''auraient écrit de simples jeunes filles si elles avaient vécu l''un ou l''autre des événements qui ont marqué l''histoire canadienne? Rose a survécu à l''Holocauste en vivant dans la clandestinité après avoir échappé de justesse au ghetto de Varsovie.À la fin de la guerre, elle se retrouve dans un orphelinat, puis émigre au Canada, mais elle fait encore face à beaucoup de souvenirs angoissants. The Cher Journal series invites readers into the intimate worlds of girls throughout different times in Canadian history. The ongoing series showcases Canada''s most distinguished children authors who recreate some of the most dramatic events from our diverse history. Rose survives the Holocaust by going into hiding after a narrow escape from the Warsaw Ghetto, but when the war is over and she ends up in an orphanage and then emigrates to Canada, there is still much to be faced as disturbing memories surface. Original Title: Pieces of the Past: the Holocaust Diary of Rose Rabinowitz Winnipeg, Manitoba, 1948

Le jour de l''anniversaire de son arrière-grand-mère, Sarah Rose reçoit en héritage son médaillon. Elle promet à sa mère qu''elle ne le perdra pas si elle le porte pour aller à l''école. Mais l''impensable se produit. Quelqu''un vole son médaillon! Rose et ses amis pourront-ils le récupérer avant que sa mère ne le découvre?Le médaillon perdu explore les thèmes intemporels de la responsabilité et de l''intimidation.

An unforgettable reminder of the resilience of human compassion, even in the face of the worst horrors of our history. In the autumn of 1940, Anna Hirsch and her friends and family are rounded up by Nazis and deported to Gurs, a refugee camp in the south of France. Food is scarce, and the living conditions inhumane. Even worse is the ever-present fear that they will be relocated once again -- this time to one of the death camps. But when word comes that Anna and the other children are to be moved, their destination is not Auschwitz or Buchenwald, but Le Chambon-sur-Lignon: a tiny village whose citizens have agreed to care for deported Jewish children. Based on the true story of a French village that banded together to protect the Jews during WWII, this unforgettable tale honours the contagious goodness that permeated one corner of a region otherwise enveloped in evil, and celebrates the courage of all those who put their lives at risk to save others.

Death and dying are difficult subjects to discuss with children. If you are looking for a way to talk about death to your child or grandchild, "When I Die," a short but powerful meditation on death, can give you a safe place to start. How did Carol Matas come to write When I Die? ""The entire manuscript came to me all at once while I was meditating. I have changed it a little but it is almost exactly as I ''heard'' it originally. I wasn''t thinking about anything in particular, my mind was rather blank, so I can''t explain why I thought of it or how it came to be. But I feel comforted by it in some strange way. "The circle of life will go on with or without me. Some people tend to think they are the centre of the universe and all important. Others think they don''t matter at all and no one would care if they lived or if they died. I tend to think that there is a balance in almost everything. We are all the most important things in the universe- after all, Jewish thought says that if you save one life you have saved the entire world. And it is also true that the world will go on without us and that is a good thing. Everything is important or nothing is important. I believe everything is.""

I survived. Protected by the Nazis that killed my family. Could I ever forgive myself? Award-winning novelist Carol Matas brings readers into the heart of Nazi Germany with the harrowing story of Marisa, a Polish Jew whose blond hair and blue eyes make it easy for her to pass as a Christian. With the Nazis ready to herd the remaining Jews of her town into a ghetto, and with her family either scattered or dead, Marisa takes the papers of a Polish girl and goes to Germany in a desperate attempt to survive as a Polish worker. Marisa finds work as a servant for the Reymanns, a German family that treats her with respect. But she must never forget that Herr Reymann is a high-ranking Nazi. Marisa is hiding in plain sight in her enemy''s house. This unflinching account of Marisa''s dilemma as a Jew living a lie in order to survive will give readers a new perspective on the nature of good and evil, even as it touches their hearts.

A young Jewish girl recounts her experiences during a horrifying time in recent history. As Rose begins her diary, she is in her third home since coming to Winnipeg. Traumatized by her experiences in the Holocaust, she struggles to connect with others, and above all, to trust again. When her new guardian, Saul, tries to get Rose to deal with what happened to her during the war, she begins writing in her diary about how she survived the murder of the Jews in Poland by going into hiding. Memories of herself and her mother being taken in by those willing to risk sheltering Jews, moving from place to place, being constantly on the run to escape capture, begin to flood her diary pages. Recalling those harrowing days, includingwhen they stumbled on a resistance cell deep in the forest and lived underground in filthy conditions, begins to take its toll on Rose. As she delves deeper into her past, she is haunted by the most terrifying memory of all. Will she find the courage to bear witness to her mother''s ultimate sacrifice?

A holiday treat for fans of the Dear Canada series, and all lovers of historical fiction! Holiday cheer really does go a long way. Devorah is still trying to make others aware of the desperate plight of Jews in Europe under Hitler''s Nazi regime. And she''s still worried about her brothers overseas, one a pilot with the RAF, one in a Japanese POW camp. A forced visit with her no-nonsense Zionist grandmother, and helping out a neighbour who has lost two sons to the War, give Dev a different take on what really makes a difference in people''s lives. This short story was originally published in Dear Canada: A Christmas to Remember, a collection featuring many of Canada''s top writers for children, including Jean Little, Sarah Ellis, Maxine Trottier, and more. New readers will adore this stand-alone holiday tale, while fans of the series will recognize the voice of Devorah, whom they first met in the award-winning Dear Canada book Turned Away. Collect all 12 Dear Canada Christmas stories this season and enjoy a very happy holiday!

Les dix récits rassemblés dans ce roman relatent les événements qui sont survenus durant la période des fêtes, après que les héroïnes des romans de la collection Cher Journal eurent terminé d''écrire leur journal intime. Il n''est toutefois pas nécessaire d''avoir lu les autres livres de la collection ou de connaître les héroïnes pour comprendre et apprécier les récits du présent ouvrage.

Les dix récits rassemblés dans ce roman relatent les événements qui sont survenus durant la période des fêtes, après que les héroïnes des romans de la collection Cher Journal eurent terminé d''écrire leur journal intime.

Suivez l''histoire de Déborah Bernstein, alors que, du Canada où elle vit, elle cherche à aider sa cousine Sarah à fuir Paris avant que les nazis regroupent les Juifs et les déportent vers les camps de concentration.

Les dix récits rassemblés dans ce roman relatent les événements qui sont survenus durant la période des fêtes, après que les héroïnes des romans de la collection Cher Journal eurent terminé d''écrire leur journal intime. Il n''est toutefois pas nécessaire d''avoir lu les autres livres de la collection ou de connaître les héroïnes pour comprendre et apprécier les récits du présent ouvrage.

This dramatic story tells of 11-year-old Devorah''s efforts to help her cousin and pen pal Sarah emigrate from Paris before the Nazis deport the Jews to internment camps. Devorah learns that 5,000 Jewish children in France have visas to leave the country, but the Canadian government will not let them in, leading Devorah to desperately lobby the government to change its policies. Turned Away illustrates the restrictions on the life of Jews in Paris via letters from Sarah who is living in German-occupied France. It also reveals Canada''s dismal record on Jewish immigration during World War II and depicts the impact of the war in Canada. In Winnipeg, one intriguing response to the war was "If Day," when local people posed as Nazis and staged a mock invasion to illustrate what it would be like if the city was occupied. Also included are fascinating period documents and photographs, many from the Holocaust Memorial Museum. The historical consultants for Turned Away were Dr. Irving Abella, co-author of the ground-breaking book None is Too Many, and Terry Copp, author of the remarkable book No Price Too High.

A wonderful seasonal anthology for Dear Canada readers, both old and new! A real treat for fans of this series, and all lovers of historical fiction! Eleven stories that each revisit a favourite character from books in the Dear Canada series are included in this special collection. These are completely original tales that stand alone as heartwarming Christmas stories, but also serve as a lovely "next chapter" to their original books. Each story is written by one of Canada''s top award-winning writers for children, including Jean Little, Sarah Ellis, Maxine Trottier, Carol Matas and more. This collection is a lovely companion to A Season of Miracles, and will be treasured year after year at holiday time!

Twelve original holiday stories from the top children''s writers in the country! What an incredible gift book for Dear Canada fans! The twelve stories in this treasury are set around Christmas time and feature the young girls from a dozen previous Dear Canada books. Readers will be thrilled to reconnect with their favourites and get a glimpse of each character''s life a year or so after the events in the actual diary are over. Anyone new to the Dear Canada series will be introduced to characters so compelling, they''ll want to read more.

A young WWII gunner from the Prairies sees the horrors of war firsthand when he is captured by the Gestapo. Eighteen-year-old Sam Frederiksen has come a long way from the Prairies. Trained to be a gunner in a Lancaster bomber during WWII, he is shot down over France. Battered and bruised, he does survive, and joins forces with the French Resistance... only to be betrayed by one of its members. He and other flyers from various Allied countries are rounded up by the Gestapo and held in Fresnes prison just outside of Paris. Treated as spies, rather than POWs, these men are beaten, some tortured — then sent to Buchenwald Concentration Camp in eastern Germany. It is here, in these wretched conditions, that Sam witnesses the darkest side of humanity — gas chambers, torture and starvation. Yet it is also here that he comes to understand the true resilience and unfathomable courage of the victims. Author Carol Matas has won numerous awards for her previous novels about the Holocaust. Behind Enemy Lines is partially based on a true incident from WWII, in which 168 Allied airmen were captured and sent to Buchenwald. Twenty-six of these men were Canadian.

"First published as It''s up to us (originally titled The fusion factor), Zanu, and Me, myself and I by Fifth House"--P. facing t.p.

Molly and Adam Barnett have had more than enough trouble lately. First, they discovered that their dearly departed grandfather wasn''t quite as “departed†as a dead guy should be. Then, they had to save their dad from a dreaded family curse. And now, just when they''ve gotten used to friendly ghosts and not-so-friendly ghosts and curses that just won''t die, things have taken a definite turn for the worse. As The Curse of the Evening Eye (Book II) ended, Molly and Adam made a frightening discovery: The emerald in Reggie''s ring isn''t just a valuable jewel. It was once an eye on an ancient, Indian elephant carving. The other eye—a sapphire—is nowhere to be found, which is really too bad, since the separation of the two jewels is what led to the family curse in the first place. Even worse? If the eyes aren''t soon returned to the elephant, ghosts everywhere will repossess their former bodies, and the world will be doomed. The Barnett family takes matters into its own hands, heading off to the old family home outside of Oxford, England, in search of the elephant. Will Molly and Adam—and some new ghostly friends—be able to find the elephant, and the missing eye, in time? In The Hunt for the Haunted Elephant, Carol Matas and Perry Nodelman offer a satisfying conclusion to a trilogy filled with thrills, chills, and more than a few laughs.

No one knows if it''s a family curse, or just plain old bad luck, but it seems as if the Barnett males are prone to dropping dead on the day before they turn thirty-five. Luckily, Molly and Adams mom has a plan: a getaway to the familys low-stress, danger-free lakeside cottage. But even the best laid plans can go horribly wrong. First, Mom gets called into work and is forced to stay home. Then theres the fact that Mollys room has been turned into a storage space for her dead grandfathers creepy old desk and papers. Finally, theres the freak fall that leaves Molly and Adams dad with a badly twisted ankle. Everyone swears that the accident was Mollys faultthat she was screaming out for help as she swam in the lakebut she knows this isnt true. Things go from very bad to even worse when an odd nurse by the name of Reggie Crankshaft appears out of nowhere and offers his help. As Molly and Adam struggle to make sense of these strange events, and to keep their father safe, more questions than answers arise. What really happened down on the lake, and what was that strange white light that Molly saw just before her father fell? Who is Reggie Crankshaft and why is he so interested in their family? And whats up with the figure that both Molly and Adam see sitting at the old desk in Mollys rooma figure that bears a weird resemblance to their own dad? In The Proof That Ghosts Exist, the first installment of The Ghosthunters trilogy, Carol Matas and Perry Nodelman team up to deliver a rip-roaring ghost story complete with chills, thrills, mysteries, and more than a few laughs. Its a combination thats guaranteed to leave readers wanting more.

Carol Matas shares a “powerful account” of two young teenagers who are willing to stop at nothing to prevent the danger the German invasion of 1940 brought to Denmark (Publishers Weekly). The Nazis have invaded Denmark, putting Lisa and her family’s safety in danger. But they refuse to parish without a fight, leading Lisa and a group of teenage Jews to an underground resistance movement. As the Nazi’s plan to send anyone of Jewish faith to concentration camps, Lisa realizes that the war her people are fighting is a lonely and deadly one. Desperately wanting to prevent the harm and danger to come, Lisa and her brother, Stefan, fight desperately to prove that even just one person can make a difference.

Determined to make a difference in the war, Jesper refuses to stop fighting the Nazis in Carol Mata’s “stirring account” of a young boy facing the dangers of World War II (Publishers Weekly). In the sequel to Lisa’s War, Jesper continues his work for the Danish resistance and recounts the dangers that led to his confinement in a German prison. Determined to make a difference any way he can, Jesper begins to work for an underground press to help tell the truths about what is happening during the war. Simultaneously, frustrated with the state of their country, Stefan and Jesper join forces to fight the Nazis. “Mata’s extensive research, combined with powerful characterization and compelling narration, creates an intense, provocative novel.” – Publishers Weekly