A Wolf Called Wander

Parry, Rosanne. A Wolf Called Wander. New York: Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2019.
Heart of a Shepherd , about the son of a soldier in Iraq, and Written in Stone , about an indigenous girl during the 1920s, are hauntingly memorable novels by Rosanne Parry: easy to read but hard to forget. A Wolf Called Wander is another remarkable story by the same author. This time, the protagonist is a wolf, Swift, who is separated from his pack and forced to find a new home far from his old territory. Based on the true story of a wolf who travelled 1,000 miles throughout the Pacific Northwest, this first person account – told from Swift’s point of view – will appeal to animal lovers and environmentalists 10 to 15 years old. A map and additional information about wolves and other animals of the Pacific Northwest are included at the end of the novel. 

More books about animals

More stories told from the first person point of view

Merry Christmas!

Rundell, Katherine. One Christmas Wish. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2018.

“But even airplanes heading toward Belgium can work magic, if you have luck and love and Christmas on your side.” – Katherine Rundell, One Christmas Wish

Cole, Brock. The Money We’ll Save. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 2011.

“My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that?” – Bob Hope, comedian, actor 

More Christmas stories

Acrostic Poems

School

Six
Central
Hours
Of
Our
Life

– Ramneek 

 

 

Winter

When will the white snow come?
I am slowly growing impatient.
Never took this long for snow to come.
Trying to stay hopeful,
even when it will rain for many more days. Will
rain eventually turn to snow?

– Savreen

 

Friends

Friends are so hard to find. My
running is not the best.
I am gaining weight.
Everyone knows me:
Not a good writer. But
“Don’t get angry,” I tell myself.
“Sometimes you just have to deal with it.”

– Inderjot

Sacrifice

Seeing comrades fall
And knowing what to do:
Costly.
Realizing you can make a difference.
Instinctively rising with new courage.
Fighting back so your comrades can escape. Now stumbling
In pain, you still keep going,
Calmly charging the enemy again and again.
Everyone escapes, but you remain fighting.
Sacrifice.

– Russ

More ideas for aspiring poets

Ruby in the Sky

Ferruolo, Jeanne Zulick. Ruby in the Sky. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 2019.
Twelve-year-old Ruby has secrets to keep. No one is supposed to ask any questions about her mother and father. But when she meets a recluse who lives near her new home in Vermont, life starts to change. And when she meets Ahmed – a Syrian refugee – at her new school, friendship develops despite her reluctance. Maybe it is possible to find a new home, after all.  A wonderful story for readers 11 to 14 years old. 

And after you’ve read this novel, be sure to read Kate DiCamillo’s Because of Winn-Dixie and Alan Cumyn’s North to Benjamin

More stories about moving to a new home

Wangari Maathai

Prévot, Franck. Wangari Maathai. Boston: Charlesbridge. 2015.

I read an outstanding book called Wangari Maathi by Frank Prévot. Wangari Maathi was born in Kenya at a time when girls normally did not attend school. So she helped her mom at home: gathering wood for the fire, looking after her siblings, and doing farm chores. One evening, her mother decided that her daughter should be educated. So Wangari went to school and earned a high school diploma at a time when some African women did not even know how to read. Wangari then moved to the United Stated for further studies. When she returned to Kenya five years later, everything had changed She saw Kenyans cutting down trees so they could use the land to grow tea, coffee, and tobacco wanted by rich countries. Wangari was shocked. She decided to take action. She started the Green Belt Movement, gathering a team of people and planting hundreds of trees. She was imprisoned several times because she took action against the government but every time she was released, she fought more. She did not give up. What a positive impact she had on her community! She was courageous and brave and believed in a better future for Kenya. Wangari eventually won the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize award for all her hard work. – Avneet, grade 6

More biographies

Tillie the Terrible Swede

Stauffacher, Sue. Tillie the Terrible Swede: How One Woman, a Sewing Needle, and a Bicycle Changed History. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2011.

I read Tillie the Terrible Swede, a picture book about a girl who left Sweden to come to America. Most girls came to America with a dream. Tillie was no different. But all she had was a needle. So she worked in a tailor shop and waited for a dream to come find her. One day, a man sped by her shop on a bicycle. Now she had a dream! She dreamed of riding a bicycle, too. But girls were not allowed to ride bicycles. Tillie proved that they could. This picture book biography is recommended for girls who want to be inspired to make a difference in their own world. – Avneet, grade 6 

More biographies

 

Remembrance Day

Foran, Jill. Remembrance Day: Lest We Forget. Calgary: Weigl, 2010.

Stories of World War 1

Stories of World War 2

Stories of conflicts after WW2

Stories of conflicts before WW1

“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” John Diefenbaker