New Releases by Eric Walters

"Dear Ethan: I know you must be terribly confused, a little bit scared and thinking, hoping, praying, that the plane will return. It will not." Ethan can barely believe it. Until now, his biggest problems have been trying to stay in one school without getting expelled and finding his next drink. But after Ethan''s drunken imitation of the current headmaster goes up on YouTube, his father steps in with a shockingly drastic measure. Now Ethan is sprawled in the sand. In the Sahara desert. Alone. According to his father''s letter, Ethan is to trek 200 km across the desert to the city of Tunis, with the help of a guide and three other young people. Confused, hungover, and-if he is truthful-more than a little scared, Ethan has no choice. He will face sandstorms, vipers, and agonizingly painful blisters ... but, most painful of all, he will face his inner demons and come to a true realization of who he really is.

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.

Luego de ver un documental sobre los problemas de salud que provoca la comida rápida, Ian organiza un boicot para que la gente no coma en Frankie''s, una cadena de restaurantes con un pésimo menú. Los abogados de la empresa tratan entonces de detenerlo. ¿Podrá Ian luchar por sus convicciones? ¿Será posible ganarle a una corporación gigantesca? Disponible en inglés: A reventar.

A novel from one of the country''s most prolific and popular YA authors, this book, set in Port-au-Prince, Haiti during the January 2009 earthquake, follows the struggle of Joshua, a Canadian boy at the centre of the tragedy. Fifteen-year-old Joshua has travelled from Toronto to Port-au-Prince, Haiti in order to help with a charity mission. In confronting the poverty and and injustice that surrounds him, Joshua struggles to find meaning in the cruelty of the world. And then devastation hits — and Joshua finds himself at the very centre of a catastrophic earthquake. Will he be able to save himself? And, if he does, how will he find the faith and hope he needs to go on?

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.

In his sequel to Alexandria of Africa, Eric Walters brings exciting new characters to life, with the urban jungle of Los Angeles as their backdrop. It''s the ultimate clash of cultures when Nebala, a Maasai warrior, leaves behind Kenya and, with two fellow Maasai, and crosses the world to compete in a marathon in the most famous zip code in the world: Beverly Hills, California. Reunited with their friend Alexandria, now their guide to strange, new surroundings, the trio are confronted with life in fast-paced, extravagant Beverly Hills, and customs and attitudes the Maasai find by turns baffling and amusing. Beverly Hill Maasai is another heartwarming, fast-paced, and thought-provoking novel from one of Canada''s most popular young adult writers.

The date is October 15, 1954. Thirteen-year-old Elizabeth, who lives in the Toronto suburb of Weston, is a typical grade 8 girl. She has a secret crush on a boy in her class and she thinks Elvis Presley is "dreamy." Elizabeth also has a part-time job babysitting an adorable little grade 2 girl named Suzie, and Suzie’s not-so-adorable grade 6 brother, David. Elizabeth’s job is to walk Suzie and David home after school and then stay at their house with them until their mother gets home from work. David resents Elizabeth because he thinks he is too old for a babysitter, and he goes out of his way to make life miserable for her. On this particular evening, however, Elizabeth has more than a badly behaved boy to contend with. It is on this October night that Hurricane Hazel roars down on Toronto, bringing torrential rains that cause extensive flooding. David and Suzie’s house is on Raymore Drive, a street that will be practically wiped out by the floodwaters. David and Suzie’s parents are unable to reach the house, which means the children’s safety on this most deadly of nights is Elizabeth’s responsibility. She finds herself increasingly isolated. They are surrounded by rising water. The electricity goes out. The phone goes dead. Still, Elizabeth is sure they will be safe as long as they remain in the house. But are Elizabeth and the children really as "safe as houses"? Before this terrifying night is over, Elizabeth and David will have to learn to communicate and cooperate if they are to save their own lives and Suzie’s. Their survival in the midst of one of Canada’s worst disasters will depend upon their resourcefulness, maturity and courage.

In the tenth installment of the best-selling Eric Walters basketball series, Nick, Kia and their teammates embark on a letter writing campaign to persuade the Toronto Raptors community relations department to send one or more of the players to visit Clark Boulevard Elementary School. Unfortunately they are too late in applying and the team''s school program has already been set for the year. But Nick and Kia do not give up easily, and their efforts become increasingly dramatic until Nick finally comes up with an idea that the team will be unable to ignore.

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.

Dramatic, gripping, and moving, this sequel to the award-winning We All Fall Down will captivate readers. It’s September 12th, 2001, and New York City is at a standstill: somber, bleak and shocked in the aftermath of the World Trade Center attacks. Will knows he and his father are lucky to have escaped; others, like his best friend James’ father are still missing . . . and soon presumed to be dead. Poignant and dramatic, United We Stand is a young adult novel about heartache, self-discovery, and the power of friendship.

Key Selling Points Enhanced features (highly-readable font, cream paper, larger trim size) to increase reading accessibility for dyslexic and other striving readers.

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!

When elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. This ancient proverb of the Kikuyu people, a tribal group in Kenya, Africa, is as true today as when the words were first spoken, perhaps thousands of years ago. Its essence is simplicity—when the large fight, it is the small who suffer most. And when it comes to war, the smallest, the most vulnerable, are the children. When Elephants Fight presents the stories of five children—Annu, Jimmy, Nadja, Farooq and Toma—from five very different and distinct conflicts—Sri Lanka, Uganda, Sarajevo, Afghanistan and the Sudan. Along with these very personal accounts, the book also offers brief analyses of the history and geopolitical issues that are the canvas on which these conflicts are cast. When Elephants Fight is about increasing awareness. For the future to be better than the past, better than the present, we must help equip our children with an awareness and understanding of the world around them and their ability to bring about change. Gandhi stated, "If you are going to change the world, start with the children."

Kevin wins a photography contest by a fluke. He is not prepared for the prize -- a five-day trip to Manitoba to photograph polar bears.

After running away from home, fifteen-year-old Dana finds friends on the Toronto streets, and, eventually, a way to come to terms with what has happened to her.

When a Muslim boy is arrested at a high school on suspicion of terrorist affiliations, growing racial tensions divide the student population.

When Nick and Kia are invited to former Toronto Raptor Jerome "Junk Yard Dog" Williams'' basketball camp in Washington, DC, they quickly discover that this is no ordinary summer hoop camp. This is a basketball boot camp that focuses on discipline and hard work. Jerome and Johnnie''s father, "Sergeant Push-up" to the campers, is the no-nonsense camp director. When scrimmages begin, Nick and Kia fall victim to the antics of their teammate Jamal, a talented but troubled player who tries to win games on his own. Only after some hard lessons-and some tough losses-do the three youngsters learn that it takes everyone on the team to accomplish real success.

A babysitter and her two charges escape to the roof of a house during Hurricane Hazel on October 15, 1954, but they are not safe there.

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!

The latest page-turner from Canada''s bestselling children''s author. Twelve-year-old Ruth must spend her summer at the University of Toronto, where her mother is hired to clean the Institute of Biological Research. There, the lonely girl is befriended by Dr. Banting and his assistant Mr. Best, who are in search of a cure for diabetes. But much to Ruth''s dismay, the research they are doing involves testing on animals. She''s not the only one concerned about the dogs: a group of animal rights protestors become a regular fixture outside the institute. When the group leader tries to enlist Ruth''s support, she is torn between her sympathy for animals and her loyalty to Dr. Banting and Mr. Best.

Three tweens, Alex, Sam, and their intriguing new friend Twilight, go on a weekend adventure in New York City - without their parents. An action-packed story about friendship, trust and having fun.

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.

It''s summertime and hoops season is over, but that doesn''t keep Nick and Kia off the court. One very hot day they head to the rec center for a swim but end up on the outdoor courts that are usually dominated by older players. Their enjoyment of the court is short-lived, however, when three teens show up and kick the kids and their ball off the court. Nick and Kia don''t take well to being bullied, but there''s nothing they can do about it. At least not until they run into Jerome "Junk Yard Dog" Williams at a mall promotional event, and Kia enlists the NBA star''s help in proving that she and Nick do indeed belong on the same court as the older players. 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.

Key Selling Points New, enhanced features (dyslexia-friendly font, cream paper, larger trim size) to increase reading accessibility for dyslexic and other striving readers.

Ricky plans to replace his teacher''s boa constrictor when the animals in the classroom are destroyed by vandals.