Canada Books

A Haunted Ghost Tour in Canada

October 18, 2023 By Annette1 Leave a Comment

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product for A Haunted Ghost Tour in Canada through Raincoast Books. Affiliate Links will be used, thank you for your support of my blog, costs you nothing to do so, and is so much appreciated. 🙂

Oh, what a fun way to take a tour of Canada, just in time for Hallowe’en! Travel far and wide, have some spooky (because well.. ghosts!) but not scary fun with little Ghost in A Haunted Ghost Tour in Canada. Can you guess where a Little Ghost might pop up next? Floating up over a boat, sliding between seats in a bus, or popping up at a concert? Will he be in Winnipeg, Vancouver or St. John’s?

The Basic Details for A Haunted Ghost Tour in Canada

Title: A Haunted Ghost Tour in Canada: A Funny, Not-So-Spooky Halloween Picture Book
Author: Louise Martin
Illustrator: Gabriele Tafuni
Publisher: Hometown World
Pages: 40
Intended Audience: 3-7 years
Genre: Canada, picture book, halloween, children’s books,
Available formats: Hardcover
Reviewed for: Raincoast Books

Author and Book Details

Living in England, Louise Martin has written and edited a wide range of books and magazines for children. She is joined in England by her food-motivated whippet and her family.

About the book

Experience a fa-BOO-lous Halloween with Little Ghost on a tour of all the landmarks you know and love in Canada! Little Ghost is going on a spooky Halloween tour around Canada, and you’re invited to ride along! Take a trip with the Ghost family as they travel from Ottawa to Vancouver and visit favorite landmarks such as CN Tower and Sambro Island Lighthouse. Along the way, Little Ghost loves tricking everyone . . . until Little Ghost hears the biggest BOO ever! Make this Halloween season spook-tacular with this cute, not-so-scary rhyming picture book that takes you on an adventure through your home.

Looking more closely

Rhyming lyrics lead us on a busy tour all throughout Canada. This book is fun to read quietly OR aloud. I find the font a bit small to read with a group of children gathered round.

But the fun of the lyrics makes it great as you hunt down local landmarks. The specifically created for Canada illustrations highlight such things as the parliament buildings, totems, and lighthouses.

Can you find Little Ghost as he tries to scare everyone wherever their journeys take them? Could he pop out of a bus? Or perhaps slide around the local lighthouse? Young readers will have fun find Little Ghost as he careens around Canada helping everyone had a fa-boo-lous Hallowe’en.

The illustrations by Gabriele Tafuni just add more fun to the pot. Colours that are bright and inviting, pages filled with lots of talking points for Hallowe’en activities. You’ll see all sorts of activities that make the holiday season fun, and lots of fun with pumpkins!

My Thoughts

I’m not a big one for celebrating Hallowe’en. We have candy here if kids come about the house, but it’s not like we decorate or anything. And I didn’t read Hallowe’en books with the lad when he was young, but I kinda like this one. It’s fun looking for Little Ghost, and it’s not spooky scary. And it takes children around the best country in the world! 🙂 If you aren’t adverse to Hallowe’en completely and want a fun way to look around Canada… pick up A Haunted Ghost Tour in Canada. You and your children should have fun with the lyrics, have lots of talking points in the pictures, and maybe even learn a thing or two.

Dog Driven

July 20, 2019 By Annette1 4 Comments

Terry Lynn Johnson is among my favourite middle school authors. She always creates excellent characters that I feel like I could walk into a room and start talking to (well.. except for the ones I don’t like!). 🙂 She has done herself proud with her latest book Dog Driven.

In this book I met McKenna and Emma along with their parents, fellow racers Guy and Hannah. And the dogs.. oh my.. I could just know McKenna’s dogs from their descriptions! Excellent detail all round, let me tell you about this, my most recent review!

What I am Reviewing

Dog Driven.
Terry Lynn Johnson.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers.
Age 10+, Grade 5+, 240 pages.
Received: Softcover Advanced Reader copy.
Reviewed for: Raincoast Books.
Middle School, Canada, Canadian Wilderness, Dog Sledding, Friendship, Stargardt Disease, independence, children’s illness, Winter, Sled Dogs, Fiction

McKenna Barney is trying to hide her worsening eyesight and has been isolating herself for the last year. But at the request of her little sister, she signs up for a commemorative mail run race in the Canadian wilderness-a race she doesn’t know if she can even see to run.

Winning would mean getting her disease-and her sister’s-national media coverage, but it would also pit McKenna and her team of eight sled dogs against racers from across the globe for three days of shifting lake ice, sudden owl attacks, snow squalls, and bitterly cold nights.

A page-turning adventure about living with disability and surviving the wilderness, Dog Driven is the story of one girl’s self-determination and the courage it takes to trust in others.

The Details

Well developed characters fill the pages in Dog Driven. Terry Lynn Johnson does an excellent job of showing McKenna’s determination to not be an invalid, and her very real fear that she could be forced to become so.

Guy and Hannah are interesting counterparts… Hannah needing to stand up for herself, and Guy providing help and being in need of the same. All dog mushers in a commemorative race.

Can they face up to the Canadian wilderness? Will they see their dogs, and themselves through? What will happen if McKenna’s sight becomes a problem? All these questions pour through McKenna’s mind as she faces this huge challenge.

The letters caught me off guard. I thought they were all the same until I started reading them. Some were from the past, others from the present, all woven seamlessly into the story. Showing well the hopes and fears that affect time.

The love the dog mushers (at least most of them) have for their dogs is very apparent. Their camaraderie shines through in all their actions. Makes me very much want to be a part of it. 🙂

My Thoughts/Recommendation

Oh my poor son, trying to talk to me and I’m giggling away. Give me a moment I would gasp, he’d wait. Ask his question, or make his comment and then leave. Only to come back with another thought and I’d be giggling away again. I loved the humour in this middle school read. 🙂 The conversations, the people, the dogs… it all fit together well. I loved the brain storms that happened. A nicely written book that I have a hard time imagining people not enjoying thoroughly.

OH! And it would be an excellent resource if researching the dog mail train, or the pony express and other animal driven mail delivery systems.

Terry Lynn Johnson of Sled Dog School fame is an excellent author and writes books compelling to adults and middle schoolers alike.

Switchback

July 11, 2019 By Annette1 2 Comments

I was away visiting a friend, and while she was caring for her family I started reading Switchback. I hadn’t seen this friend in a while and was eager to chat with her some more. When she came back, I put my book away so we could chat, but every lull in the conversation had me longing to read more from Danika Stone’s newest book.

By the time we were done chatting it was much too late to continue reading so guess what I did when I woke up? I READ! Yes, I finished it in less than an hour. 🙂 Thoroughly enjoyed it! So let me tell you about this Canadian adventure.

What I am Reviewing

Switchback.
Danika Stone.
Swoon Reads
320 pages, Age 12-18
Received Hardcover Copy
Adventure, Canada, Middle School, Survival, Canadian National Parks,
Gamer, Sexual Orientation, Young Adult
Reviewed for Raincoast Books.

Vale loves to hike, but kind of hates her classmates. Ash is okay with his classmates, but kind of hates the outdoors. So, needless to say they are both fairly certain that the overnight nature hike with their PE class is going to be a hellish experience. But when they get separated from the group during a storm, they have worse things to worry about than bullies and blisters.

Lost in the Canadian wilderness with limited supplies, caught in dangerous weather conditions, and surrounded by deadly wildlife, it’s going to take every bit of strength, skill, and luck they can muster to survive.

The Details about Switchback

Middle School PE two day adventure hiking in the mountains. Oh the fun! The excitement! The terror! The “I don’t want to’s”! Ash and Vale, two best friends, heading into a situation that neither wishes to be in.

Vale, bullied for standing up to bullies and being a tad different than other kids. Ash being caught between friendships. Both alone, and yet not quite. Teachers and parents who don’t quite get it. And a fall trip into the mountains of Waterton Park. What could possibly go wrong?

Lost kids, a mountain, fall weather and before you know it a whole lot of trouble is happening.

Switchback is a quick read that you feel compelled to continue. The fast pace ensures you don’t get lost in the details. The awkwardness of teens, the love of the gaming world, the well-played examples of nerd-dom, combined with beauty, fear, and growth in characters.

Each chapter has a unique quote starting it out. They come from different movies such as predator, eight below, gravity etc.

I found the book comfortable to hold and read, the type was a great size for reading through a fast-paced book. It was so compelling to know what would happen next, so having a good text size to facilitate that was great.

My Thoughts

I enjoyed the story, immensely actually even though the sheer number of adventures/escapades seemed a little over the top. It was still well written and I wanted to know the end result.

Most adventure loving young people (upper middle school through young adult) would enjoy the story as well. It’s well written with interesting characters, even with a bully I just want to whack upside the head a time or two.

I do want to add a caution. Vale identifies as aro-ace. The definition for those who didn’t know is feeling no romantic or sexual attraction towards anyone of any gender.

I struggled with this early labeling. She’s young. Knows her current self well but she doesn’t know her future self. Things can change. Labels don’t allow room for that coming change.

I am hesitant about encouraging youth to embrace such a limiting definition of themselves. I don’t think it benefits youth to be encouraging them to internalize such a definition for themselves. Reading a book may or may not reinforce that in young middle school readers. It’s hard to know.

Overall, Switchback is an excellent read to see a bullied youth stick up for herself and to have a friend realize some truths about himself as well.

Canada Book: Women Who Dared

November 14, 2017 By Annette1 2 Comments

I have to admit, I’m cheating a bit, I’m putting this book (a review) in on my Canada Book day. Why? Because at least one Canadian is included!!!! Women Who Dared. Admittedly, most come from the States, but I’m betting the author comes from there as well… so it’s a natural thing to focus on your own land don’t you know? 🙂 A smattering of other countries are included as well such as France, Japan, Mexico etc.

Anyway, this is a NEAT book about women who dared… daredevils, adventurers, rebels…women who dared to be different…and that’s a most excellent thing, don’t you think? To look at a job and say “I can do that” and not let traditional gender roles stop you on your path.

What kind of women are in this book?
Aviators, swimmers, trick riders, cosmonauts, rescuers, detectives, marines, martial artists, miners, climbers and so much more. Women can do amazing things!

The book is divided into three categories: Daredevils, Adventurers, and Rebels. A handy index is included in the book to help quickly find a person you are interested in learning more about. Each biography includes where they are from, lifespan, a glimpse into their lives.

Each person is given a two page spread, one side showing an illustration of the woman, and other giving a brief biography.

One person who interested me was “Keiko Fukuda”. She was a woman interested in Judo, she comes from Japan and started learning Judo when there was a separation in the sport. Men could achieve 10 levels, women allowed only five. She didn’t let that stop her. She learned her sport well, so well in fact that in time she was allowed to achieve the highest level for both men and women in her sport…the red belt, the 10th dan. She is the ONLY woman to have done so. Imagine the grit it would have taken for her to stick it through! Good to be inspired eh?

My Thoughts:
This would be an interesting one per week study do with any child, but particularly any girl who isn’t sure what to do with her life. This book would be sure to give her all sorts of inspiration as she looks down her life path. Just might shake out some new ideas for her eh?

Women who Dared: 52 Stories of Fearless Daredevils, Adventurers, & Rebels
Author: Linda Skeers
Illustrator: Livi Gosling
Ages: 8 and up.
Non-fiction, women, softcover, resource
128 pages.

Reviewed for: Raincoast Books.

Where can you find it?
Amazon.ca: Women Who Dared.
Amazon.com: Women Who Dared.

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Canada Book: Symbols of Canada

November 7, 2017 By Annette1 2 Comments

This is a fantastic book if you want to learn about the symbols of Canada. Learn the history of our country as well as the provinces as you see each of the symbols laid out clearly. They are clearly textually and visually spelled out.

This book is fantastic.

From the pull out clearly showing all the symbols, (one side english, the other french)

I thoroughly appreciated the good mix of text and image. This book isn’t just about showing you the symbols, but also about teaching you about the provinces and country they represent and why.

The first 20 pages are dedicated to Canada as a country. Talking about her history, the gradual change in her flag, how our land grew, initial flags of different areas as well as the symbols Canada holds to today.

Each province is given a two page spread showing you the location of the province, the history, coat of arms, flag and other symbols. It does a thorough job of walking the reader through each province and it’s identity.

My Thoughts:
If you can’t already tell.. this is a fantastic resource for anyone in the course of learning about Canada. An excellent resource for digging deeper into the whys of our symbols, how flags have changed over the course of time, and just watching the development of this beloved land of mine.

Symbols of Canada
Canadian Heritage
57 pages
Resource, Canada, history, symbols, heritage

Where can you find it?
Amazon.ca: symbols of Canada
Amazon.com: Symbols of Canada.

This post may contain affiliate links – using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool – thank you!

Canada Book: Courage & Conquest

October 31, 2017 By Annette1 2 Comments

Donna Ward is well known for her Canadian Workbooks, Courage and Conquest is part of that line of workbooks. It focuses on the history of Canada from the viking through to the joining of Newfoundland and Nunavut to Canada.

The table of contents clearly spells out what is included in each of the five units of study.

As you can see the book end with time line pictures, helping you to clearly see all the events in Canadian history. Each timeline picture matches up with the image with each lesson.

Each lesson comes with a story, suggested readings, a point of additional study and then a workpage based on the day’s reading.

The points of additional study included such things as building a fort of popsicle sticks, learning more about scurvy, learning more about Joseph Brant, the Hudson’s Bay Company and Pemmican. Finding geography points, first nations and so much more.

I have to admit that I picked up this book to use with my lad a few years back and we’ve only occasionally used it, mostly just to read the stories in it. We’ve not done the workbook part and I don’t know that we will. Sometimes it’s just enough to read the stories you know?

Courage & Conquest: Discovering Canadian History
Donna Ward
Marj Cassidy. Illustrator
Donna Ward Northwoods Press
Canada, workbook, curriculum
Grades 2-5

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Canada Book: Canada the Culture

October 17, 2017 By Annette1 2 Comments

Canada the Culture, the book I looked at is one of the original books in this series. In this book we are invited to see Canadian culture in it’s many different facets.

Learning about Canadian culture is part of learning about Canada, you know? Ergo let me tell you about this helpful book. It’s not a large one, but is packed full of information. Explaining how Canada is a multi-cultural nations and retains that culture in various festivals and holidays held across Canada.

I loved the great balance between picture and text, because a picture can show us things that text cannot. The pictures are bright and full of information. The text written at a level easy to understand, at a perfect level for grades 3-6.

I appreciated how this 32 book covered all the cultural aspects of Canada, making it a very useful addition into your studies into Canada. Learning about the myths and the legends from Canada’s beginning, learning about the holidays and the people that make up my beloved land. It’s a book well worth looking at as part of your cultural studies of Canada.

Canada the Culture
Bobby Kalman
Original book…listing a link to the updated version below
hardcover
Facts, about Canadian culture.
Grades 3-6

Where to find the revised version?

Amazon.ca. Amazon.com.

This post may contain affiliate links – using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool – thank you!

Canada Books

A Haunted Ghost Tour in Canada

The Basic Details for A Haunted Ghost Tour in Canada