New Releases by Roy Macgregor

One of Canada''s greatest journalists shares a half century of the stories behind the stories. From his vantage point harnessed to a tree overlooking the town of Huntsville (he tended to wander), a very young Roy MacGregor got in the habit of watching people—what they did, who they talked to, where they went. He has been getting to know his fellow Canadians and telling us all about them ever since. From his early days in the pages of Maclean''s, to stints at the Toronto Star, Ottawa Citizen, National Post and most famously from his perch on page two of the Globe and Mail, MacGregor was one of the country''s must-read journalists. While news media were leaning increasingly right or left, he always leaned north, his curiosity trained by the deep woods and cold lakes of Algonquin Park to share stories from Canada''s farthest reaches, even as he worked in the newsrooms of its southern capitols. From Parliament to the backyard rink, subarctic shores to prairie expanses, MacGregor shaped the way Canadians saw and thought about themselves—never entirely untethered from the land and its history. When MacGregor was still a young editor at Maclean''s, the 21-year-old chief of the Waskaganish (aka Rupert''s House) Crees, Billy Diamond, found in Roy a willing listener as the chief was appealing desperately to newsrooms across Ottawa, trying to bring attention to the tainted-water emergency in his community. Where other journalists had shrugged off Diamond''s appeals, MacGregor got on a tiny plane into northern Quebec. From there began a long friendship that would one day lead MacGregor to a Winnipeg secret location with Elijah Harper and his advisors, a host of the most influential Indigenous leaders in Canada, as the Manitoba MPP contemplated the Charlottetown Accord and a vote that could shatter what seemed at the time the country''s last chance to save Confederation. This was the sort of exclusive access to vital Canadian stories that Roy MacGregor always seemed to secure. And as his ardent fans will discover, the observant small-town boy turned pre-eminent journalist put his rare vantage point to exceptional use. Filled with reminiscences of an age when Canadian newsrooms were populated by outsized characters, outright rogues and passionate practitioners, the unputdownable Paper Trails is a must-read account of a life lived in stories.

The fifth title in the beloved and bestselling Ice Chips series by acclaimed authors Roy MacGregor and Kerry MacGregor and illustrator Kim Smith, featuring a vibrant and diverse cast of characters and inspiring hockey greats In their latest adventure, the Chips travel to British Columbia, meet an inspiring young hockey hero and escape up Anahim Peak, thanks to their new friend’s calm head—and a very special puck!

The Ice Chips have time travel down to a science . . . almost. After Ekamjeet “Edge” Singh misses out on their most recent adventure, he convinces his teammates to take another leap through time. But when their magic goes haywire, a hero from the past finds her way onto the Chips’ hometown rink—and leaves behind a very important trophy! It’s up to the Ice Chips to return the famous award to its rightful home, before all of hockey history changes forever. It won’t be easy, but if they can get the cup back where it belongs, they might just have the chance to win it for themselves. The fourth title in the beloved and bestselling Ice Chips series, by acclaimed authors Roy MacGregor and Kerry MacGregor and illustrator Kim Smith, features a vibrant and diverse cast of characters and inspiring hockey greats.

The third title in the beloved and bestselling Ice Chips series by acclaimed authors Roy MacGregor and Kerry MacGregor and illustrator Kim Smith, featuring a vibrant and diverse cast of characters and inspiring hockey greats Would you play on a team with your worst enemy? Lucas Finnigan and his friends on the Riverton Ice Chips know a thing or two about time travel—at least, they’ve been learning. The magical flooding of their beloved hometown rink has already whisked Lucas, Edge and Swift into the past to meet Gordie Howe and Sidney Crosby when those hockey greats were just kids. That’s how they learned about the roots of the game, and about how far practice can take them . . . but this time? When goalie Swift is invited onto an all-girls hockey team but refuses to join forces with Chips’ rival Beatrice Blitz, Lucas decides that their only option—even as Swift’s sister, Sadie, guesses their secret—is to leap through time once again. Pretty soon Lucas, Swift and Sadie find themselves smack in the middle of the Calgary Olympics. A determined young hockey player known as Chicken is in desperate need of new teammates to compete in an Olympic-style match. But do the Chips have what it takes to help Chicken’s team get back in the game and win? And will winning be enough to change Swift’s mind about the new team back home? With a clever lesson from their new friend—who’ll go on to become one of Canada’s best-loved Olympic hockey players—anything is possible.

Practice makes . . . a perfect storm? The Ice Chips are facing a big hurdle at their hometown rink in Riverton. Their biggest rivals, the Stars, have a major advantage, with better gear and a state-of-the-art arena. Without more ice time, the Chips just can’t keep up. Fortunately, the team has a secret weapon: their magical rink, which allows them to travel through time and meet their hockey heroes, who can teach the young players something new about the game. Lucas Finnigan and his teammates have been warned that time travel is dangerous, but when they decided to leap again—hoping to find a way to squeeze in some extra practice—they never dreamed that they would land in the middle of a hurricane! Luckily, a major save from a plucky young player gets the Chips out of some extremely troubled water, and soon they’re running drills all over the Halifax Citadel. But how will these exercises help their hockey playing? And who is this kid anyway? With the help of some of the city’s famous spirits, the players might just make it home ready to compete—and to win.

Expanding on his landmark Globe and Mail series in which he documented his travels down sixteen of Canada''s great rivers, Roy MacGregor tells the story of our country through the stories of its original highways, and how they sustain our spirit, identity and economy—past, present and future. No country is more blessed with fresh water than Canada. From the mouth of the Fraser River in BC, to the Bow in Alberta, the Red in Manitoba, the Gatineau, the Saint John and the most historic of all Canada''s rivers, the St. Lawrence, our beloved chronicler of Canadian life, Roy MacGregor, has paddled, sailed and traversed their lengths, learned their stories and secrets, and the tales of centuries lived on their rapids and riverbanks. He raises lost tales, like that of the Great Tax Revolt of the Gatineau River, and reconsiders histories like that of the Irish would-be settlers who died on Grosse Ile and the incredible resilience of settlers in the Red River Valley. Along the Grand, the Ottawa and others, he meets the successful conservationists behind the resuscitation of polluted wetlands, including Toronto''s Don, the most abused river in Canada. In the Mackenzie River Valley he witnesses the Dehcho First Nation''s effort to block a pipeline they worry endangers the region''s lifeblood. Long before our national railroad was built, rivers held Canada together; in these sixteen portraits, filled with yesterday''s adventures and tomorrow''s promise, MacGregor weaves together a story of Canada and its ongoing relationship with its most precious resource.

A beautiful pictorial tour from Newfoundland to British Columbia to the Arctic.

Letters exchanged between Terry O''Malley and Roy MacGregor between 1979 and 2016. The bulk of the letters are dated 1979-1981. Both were members of the Toronto Men''s Press League fastball team.

Shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award “A truly magnificent book.” —Calgary Herald It’s the great Canadian icon: a frozen creek, a backyard rink, a father passing something precious on to his child—the love of a game. There is nothing quite so Canadian as hockey, and nothing quite so evocative in hockey as the relationships between Canadian hockey players and their fathers. Here are the personal tales of Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Paul Coffey and Marty McSorley, told as the four NHL stars take their fathers on a hockey tour of Europe. Here are the memories of hockey’s grand families: Gordie, Mark and Travis Howe; Bill, Kevin and Gord Dineen; Murray, Ken and Michael Dryden. Here is Brett Hull’s story of the famous father who was never home. But The Home Team is about more than famous names. It is the story of the father and son left weeping in the stands at the end of a disappointing draft day. It is the story of a minor league coach and his house league son. This book is about hockey. It is also about where we live and who we are: a book for all fathers and sons in Canada.

One of our favourite chroniclers of all things Canadian presents a rollicking, personal, photo-filled history of the relationship between a country and its canoes. From the earliest explorers on the Columbia River in BC or the Mattawa in Ontario to a doomed expedition of voyageurs up the Nile to rescue Khartoum; from the author''s family roots deep in the Algonquin wilderness to modern families who have canoed across the country (kids and dogs included): Canoe Country is Roy MacGregor''s celebration of the essential and enduring love affair Canadians have with our first and still favourite means of getting around. Famous paddlers have been so enchanted with the canoe that one swore God made Canada as the perfect country in which to paddle it. Drawing on MacGregor''s own decades spent whenever possible with a paddle in his hand, this is a story of high adventure on white water and the sweetest peace in nature''s quietest corners, from the author best able (and most eager) to tell it.

The Screech Owls are invited to compete in a four-day skills competition in Detroit. Along with another team, they will be participating in a reality show called Goals & Dreams. They''re staying at a fancy hotel, being showered with hockey swag, given Hollywood nicknames, and posing for the film crew -- Hockeytown doesn''t look bad at all! That''s until they meet the other team and start noticing how differently they''re being treated. Are the producers engineering certain tensions and situations to pump up the show? The Screech Owls don''t like to be manipulated . . .

The Screech Owls are in Boston for the Paul Revere Peewee Invitational. Nish decides to drop out of school. If it worked for Ben Franklin, it will work for him. Sarah becomes increasingly concerned about Samantha''s attraction to a group of protesters demanding that the New England Aquarium "Free the Penguins." When the girls learn that the protesters have far more in mind than speeches and waving placards, the Owls have to act fast to save the lives of thousands of sea creatures.

9-year-old Gabe (Gabriella) Murray lives and breathes hockey. She''s the youngest player on her new team, she has a nifty move that her teammates call "the Gabe," and she shares a lucky number with her hero, Hayley Wickenheiser: number 22. But when her coach hands out the team jerseys, Gabe is stuck with number 9. Crushed, Gabe wants to give up hockey altogether. How can she play without her lucky number? Gabe''s grandmother soon sets her straight, though--from her own connection to the number 9 in her hockey-playing days to all the greats she cheered for who wore it, she soon convinces Gabe that this new number might not be so bad after all. A lovely intergenerational tale and a history of the storied number 9 in hockey, The Highest Number in the World is a must-have for any hockey fan.

The Screech Owls have never had such a wonderful surprise. A famous Russian billionaire has offered to pay and fly the whole team to his country. He wants the Owls to visit his homeland so the Russians can learn from the Screech Owls'' style of play. The team will play in a tournament while they are there, but even before their first practice on Russian ice, Sarah is taken off the snowy streets. Her kidnappers want ten million rubles in exchange for her safe release! The billionaire wants to pay for Sarah''s safe return, but Travis and his teammates decide to take matters into their own hands.

When the Screech Owls travel to New York City for the Big Apple International Peewee Tournament and a New Year''s Eve party in Times Square, they learn that terrorists plan to disrupt the New Year''s celebration.

The Screech Owls have come to the southern city of San Antonio, Texas, a surprising hotbed of American ice hockey. They are here to compete in the San Antonio Peewee Invitational, and between games can explore the fascinating canals that twist and turn through a maze of shops and restaurants in the city''s downtown. The tournament has been set up to include guided tours of the Alamo, the world''s most famous fort, and for one night the championship team will even get to camp out in the historic site. The Screech Owls discover that the Alamo is America''s greatest symbol of courage and freedom, and when Travis and his friends uncover a plot to destroy it, they must call upon all the courage of the fort''s original defenders.

The Screech Owls have come to Ottawa, the capital of Canada, to play in the world’s biggest minor league hockey tournament — more than 500 teams gathering from all over the world! Little does Nish realize, as he befriends the hilarious, daring mascot, that he is about to embark on the most terrifying adventure of his lifetime.

Travis Lindsay, his best friend, Nish, and all their pals on the Screech Owls hockey team, are on their way to New York for an international peewee tournament. Excitement builds in the team van on the way to Lake Placid. First there are the entertaining antics of their trainer, Mr. Dillinger - then there''s the prospect of playing on an Olympic rink, in a huge arena, knowing there will be scouts in the stands. But they have barely arrived when things start to go wrong. Their star center, Sarah, plays badly from lack of sleep. Next Travis gets knocked down in the street. And then someone starts tampering with equipment. It looks as if someone is trying to sabotage the Screech Owls. But who? And why? And can Travis and the others stop the destruction before the decisive game of the tournament?

The Screech Owls have come to Ottawa to play in the Little Stanley Cup peewee tournament. This relaxed summer event honours Lord Stanley himself - the man who donated the Stanley Cup to hockey - and gives young players a chance to see the wonders of Canada''s capital city, travel into the wilds of Algonquin Park, and even go river rafting. Mr. Dillinger is also taking them to visit some of the region''s famous ghosts: the ghost of a dead prime minister; the ghost of a man hanged for murder; the ghost of the famous painter Tom Thomson. At first the Owls think this is Mr. Dillinger''s best idea ever, until Travis and his friends begin to suspect that one of these ghosts could be for real. Who is this phantom? Why has he come to haunt the Screech Owls? And what is his connection to the mysterious young stranger who offers to coach the team?

While recovering from a concussion, Travis stumbles upon a polot to steal the Stanley Cup.

Now that his hockey career is ending, what will become of his life? Felix Batterinski grew up tough in Northern Ontario where hockey was the only way out of a life of grinding poverty. He got out and enjoyed fame as a hockey "enforcer" for the Philadelphia Flyers. But fame is fleeting. Now in his thirties and at the end of his playing career, Felix tries to make a go of it as a player-coach for a Finnish club. As the lone Canadian on the team, he is an outsider with a reputation that takes on a life of its own. When a controversial play brings his comeback bid to a screeching halt, Felix is faced with his own obsolescence and begins a tragic descent into disillusion and despair.

"For nearly fourty years, Roy MacGregor has brought our national sport alive on the pages of Canada''s newspapers and magazines. Now, he has collected the very best of that writing - along with some published for the first time - in a volume that will provide hours of delight to anyone who loves the game."--Publisher.

Celebrating ten years and more than one million books in print! New four-in-one edition! The first four Screech Owls mysteries are now collected in one volume: #17 — The Secret of the Deep Woods #18 — Murder at the Winter Games #19 — Attack on the Tower of London #20 — The Screech Owls''s Reunion Screech Owls books have won the Our Choice Award and the Manitoba Young Reader’s Choice Award. They have been endorsed by the Canadian Toy Testing Council and shortlisted for the Silver Birch Award, the Red Cedar Award, the Arthur Ellis Award, the Ottawa-Carleton Award, and the Palmarès de Communication-Jeunesse.

Celebrating ten years and more than one million books in print! New four-in-one edition! The first four Screech Owls mysteries are now collected in one volume: #13: Sudden Death in New York City #14: Horror on River Road #15: Death Down Under #16: Power Play in Washington Screech Owls books have won the Our Choice Award and the Manitoba Young Reader’s Choice Award. They have been endorsed by the Canadian Toy Testing Council and shortlisted for the Silver Birch Award, the Red Cedar Award, the Arthur Ellis Award, the Ottawa-Carleton Award, and the Palmarès de Communication-Jeunesse.

"The eccentric spinster Winnie Trainor was a fixture of Roy MacGregor''s childhood in Huntsville, Ontario. She was considered too odd to be a truly romantic figure in the eyes of the town, but the locals knew that Canada''s most famous painter had once been in love with her, and that she had never gotten over his untimely death. She kept some paintings he gave her in a six-quart basket she''d leave with the neighbours on her rare trips out of town, and in the summers she''d make the trip from her family cottage, where Thomson used to stay, on foot to the graveyard up the hill, where fans of the artist occasionally left bouquets. There she would clear away the flowers. After all, as far as anyone knew, he wasn''t there: she had arranged at his family''s request for him to be exhumed and moved to a cemetery near Owen Sound.

Pour la saison estivale, les membres des Carcajous troquent leur bâton de hockey pour une crosse. Alors que Sim cherche une histoire macabre pour réaliser un film d''horreur, lui et ses amis apprennent que leur entraîneur a été quelques années plus tôt soupçonné d''avoir tué son fils. Cette affaire n''a d''ailleurs jamais été résolue...

Celebrating ten years and more than one million books in print! The third four-in-one edition to celebrate ten years of an award-winning, bestselling series. #9: Nightmare in Nagano The Screech Owls can''t believe their good luck! They are flying thousands of miles to Nagano, Japan, the host city for the 1998 Winter Olympic Games - and they''ll be playing in Big Hat, the Olympic arena. The attractions of Japan are quickly forgotten, however, when the mayor of Nagano is murdered at the tournament''s opening-night banquet. Who would want such a nice man dead? And what has it got to do with the Screech Owls? . . . And what is the source of Nish''s new superhuman powers? #10: Danger in Dinosaur Valley Summer has come early to the town of Drumheller, Alberta. Drumheller is the "Dinosaur Capital of Canada," home of the fierce Albertosaurus - cousin to Tyrannosaurus rex - whose ancient bones were discovered here more than one hundred years ago. One day when Nish returns from mountain biking, he claims he almost became breakfast for a living, breathing Albertosaurus! Of course his friends don''t believe him, but when Travis, Sarah, and their teammates go for their own ride in the hills, they come back with a monstrous story that makes international headlines. #11: The Ghost of the Stanley Cup The Screech Owls have come to Ottawa to play in the Little Stanley Cup peewee tournament. Mr. Dillinger is also taking them to visit some of the region''s famous ghosts: the ghost of a dead prime minister; the ghost of a man hanged for murder; the ghost of the famous painter Tom Thomson. At first the Owls thought this was Mr. Dillinger''s best idea ever, until Travis and his friends begin to suspect that one of these ghosts could be for real. #12: The West Coast Murders The Screech Owls'' journey to Vancouver had begun as an innocent hockey road trip. They had come to play in the new "Three-on-three" shinny tournament. But when the team headed out to sea to watch the first whales of the season return to the West Coast, the dream trip turned into a horrifying adventure. Two bodies - one a dolphin, one a man - bobbing in the tide. And when Nish stared down at the floating, twisting body of the man and announced "We know him!" the Screech Owls also knew they were in the middle of a baffling mystery. Screech Owls books have won the Our Choice Award and the Manitoba Young Reader’s Choice Award. They have been endorsed by the Canadian Toy Testing Council and shortlisted for the Silver Birch Award, the Red Cedar Award, the Arthur Ellis Award, the Ottawa-Carleton Award, and the Palmarès de Communication-Jeunesse.

Celebrating ten years and more than one million books in print! New four-in-one edition! The first four Screech Owls mysteries are now collected in one volume: #1 — Mystery at Lake Placid #2 — The Night They Stole the Stanley Cup #3 — The Screech Owls'' Northern Adventure #4 — Murder at Hockey Camp Screech Owls books have won the Our Choice Award and the Manitoba Young Reader’s Choice Award. They have been endorsed by the Canadian Toy Testing Council and shortlisted for the Silver Birch Award, the Red Cedar Award, the Arthur Ellis Award, the Ottawa-Carleton Award, and the Palmarès de Communication-Jeunesse.

Celebrating ten years and more than one million books in print! New four-in-one edition! Screech Owls books 5-8 are now collected in one volume: #5 — Kidnapped in Sweden #6 — Terror in Florida #7 — The Quebec City Crisis #8 — The Screech Owls'' Home Loss Screech Owls books have won the Our Choice Award and the Manitoba Young Reader’s Choice Award. They have been endorsed by the Canadian Toy Testing Council and shortlisted for the Silver Birch Award, the Red Cedar Award, the Arthur Ellis Award, the Ottawa-Carleton Award, and the Palmarès de Communication-Jeunesse.