Orca Currents

Jay doesn't believe in Bigfoot. His dad loves hunting for Bigfoot, but searching for a mythical creature in the dark isn't Jay's idea of fun. Especially because he always gets stuck looking out for his little sister while his dad plays with the cool gear, like night-vision goggles. But while out on a camping trip, a large creature starts hunting them, and then Jay's father goes missing. Jay is forced to start tracking the creature himself while still keeping his sister safe. It turns out that not only is Bigfoot real but it isn't the only threat in the woods. There's a different kind of monster out here, one who is armed with a gun. Jay must act fast to save his father before it's too late. And he needs Bigfoot's help to do it. This high-interest Orca Currents book is written specifically for middle-schoolers reading below grade level.

Seth, an openly queer seventh grader, runs a successful YouTube channel called Seth Says. He carefully creates a brand around being a likeable queer kid and avoids talking about anything political. But when Pluto, a cute gay classmate, encourages Seth to read some queer fiction, he is blown away to see stories that reflect his own lived experiences, and he starts to see the value of queer activism. Seth and Pluto set up a Pride Month display to raise awareness of queer books in their school library, but as soon as the display goes up, someone checks out all the books, leaving the table empty. Seth and Pluto discover that their classmate Rebecca checked out the books to protest the "inappropriate" Pride Month display. When the school staff decline to help, Seth decides to post about his experience on his YouTube channel. But as the video racks up more views, local conservatives stage a much larger and more intimidating campaign against LGBTQIA+ materials in the school library. Now Seth has to decide whether to give in to the pressure, or to keep fighting for what he has come to believe in. 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! Key Selling Points • When a classmate protests having queer books in the library and checks out all the books in a Pride book display, Seth and his friend Pluto decide to take a stand. • The issue of book banning, explored through the eyes of an openly queer protagonist by a proudly queer author, provides an authentic voice to an issue that is timely and relevant. • The crush between the lead and his new friend is depicted in an age-appropriate way. • The fast-paced book is full of banter on both personal and political themes. • The antagonist, a classmate who has been radicalized by online content, is believably extreme. • Enhanced features (highly-readable font, cream paper, larger trim size) to increase reading accessibility for dyslexic and other striving readers. In this high-interest accessible novel for middle-grade readers, queer seventh-grader Seth finds himself taking a stand when his conservative classmate sabotages the Pride display in his middle-school library. Tony Correia is a proud queer man who lives in Vancouver. He is the author of four hi-lo novels for young adults: Same Love, True to You, Prom Kings and Walk This Way. In 2023 Tony published his first full-length YA novel, One Summer in Vancouver, a historical novel for queer youth. Orca Currents are short, high-interest novels with contemporary themes written specifically for middle-school students reading below grade level. Reading levels from grade 2.0 to 5.0. No one should feel erased. "Sparks meaningful conversations with caregivers, friends, and educators about the long-reaching harmful effects of censorship. An authentically messy coming-of-age tale."

Once again Callie is forced to take part in her mom's latest crusade. They head into ranch country to camp-bloodthirsty mosquitoes, stinky outhouses and all-at a protest to save a rural school. Callie's grandmother shows up with her biker buddies and the singing grannies. Callie hates camping and wants nothing to do with the protest. To make matters worse, Callie's only possible ally, her cousin Del, is mad at her. The last time Callie visited, she was thrown from Del's horse, Radish. Callie claimed the horse was vicious and now Del's parents are forcing her to sell Radish. Callie wants to help her cousin, but she's terrified of the horse. Del is just as tenacious as the rest of Callie's family, and Callie is forced to admit that she's not going to be allowed to go home until both the horse and the school are saved.

Edward is a classic slacker. He's got better ways to spend his time than toiling over homework, and as long as he gets passing grades he's happy. When his fifty percent average is threatened he has to find a way to pull up his grades without applying himself. Edward discovers that special education students get more time to complete tests, and he thinks he's found the perfect scam. Little does he know that manipulating everyone around him will take more work than he ever imagined. Also available in French.

Jane has no interest in boys. Her mom, Sherry, has brought home so many creeps over the years that Jane has decided to focus for the next five years on her studies. Her best friend, the boy-crazy Kiara, is obsessed with online quizzes and convinces Jane to help her create a questionnaire that will determine whether muscular Liam or Omar with the cute eyes is her true soul mate. Their friendship is tested when the answers come back with a surprising third option, the quiet and awkward Javier. Jane fails to reveal the results, which leads to some heated words being exchanged and long-held resentments (and possible secret crushes) being revealed. One of the besties will have to swallow her pride to make the first move and try to repair the damage.

Claire's life is a mess. She's failing math, her depressed mother won't get off the couch, Eric, the boy of her dreams, is dating her nemesis Lucy. While Claire is wishing her life were better, lightning strikes. Soon afterward, everything changes. With Lucy in the hospital and out of the way, Claire attracts Eric's attention and gets the starring role in the school play. But good fortune has a cost: her newly energized mother reconciles with her deadbeat dad, the dream boy turns out to be a dud and Claire feels terrible guilt about gaining everything Lucy has lost. But how can Claire turn it around when lightning only strikes once? Also available in French.

On his way to baseball practice, Zeke lines up for Vancouver's newest thrill ride: Death Drop, an elevator that falls faster than gravity. The theme of the ride is based on the story of Persephone, who tumbled into the underworld. Zeke tumbles into a frightening situation himself after he discovers a little girl who is lost. He takes her to the Death Drop manager's office. But later, when he tries to find out what happened with her, the ride's staff say they never saw her! To find the missing girl, Zeke must navigate a devilish plot that includes Dante Gabriel Rossetti's famous painting Proserpine, a fiery drop into flames, and an angry coach.

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.

Trevor, Nick and Robyn are ready to solve another mystery. When bobsledder Josh Gantz is accused of deliberately injuring a fellow competitor, he runs the risk of being thrown out of the sport-right before the World Cup. Courtney Gantz asks Trevor, Nick and Robyn to help clear her brother's name. Can they find out who framed Josh? What is the meaning of the strange coded messages they keep finding around Olympic Park? Who eats orange bananas, anyway? The kids must unearth the clues in a race against time, before Josh's championship dreams end up on ice.

Fourteen-year-old Simone is having trouble making friends at her new school when her leadership studies class is paired with kindergarten students to mentor throughout the school year. To her surprise, Simone enjoys the Kinderbuddy Project, and she develops a special friendship with her Kinderbuddy, Lily. But as the bond between Simone and her Kinderbuddy grows, she realizes that a crisis is looming in Lily's family. Simone calls upon Aaron, the reluctant heartthrob of the class, for help, and they become key witnesses to events neither of them could have predicted.

After a lifetime of New Age "adventures" with her weirdo hippie mom, fifteen-year-old Maddie is realizing a lifelong dream and visiting New York City. Armed with her 130-item to-do list, Maddie hits the streets of New York with her friend Anna and Anna's brother, Thomas. Maddie drags her friends around on an epic quest for the ultimate art-show outfit, oblivious to the fact that they don't share her passion for vintage clothing. Three days into the trip, a most unwelcome surprise--the arrival of Maddie's mother--threatens to derail the entire adventure. As her mother's obsession with dietary trends and fortune-tellers takes center stage, and everyone's tempers get thin, Maddie has to face some ugly facts about how she's been treating her friends.

Fifteen-year-old Zack finds a home made CD with the word Famous written on it. Lonely and bored while suspended from school, he puts the CD on and loses himself in the music. Zack has sound-color synesthesia. He sees colors when he hears music, and the music on the Famous CD causes incredible patterns of color for him. Zack becomes obsessed with the girl on the CD and tries to find her. He tracks down the singer, Jolene, in a cafe where she works while she dreams of the big time. He convinces her to let him help her achieve her dreams, but soon discovers that in her quest for fame, Jolene has done a lot of damage. Stuff We All Get is a gentle critique of celebrity culture in North America.

Charlotte Summers is sure that summer camp is going to be a disaster. And she's right. But it's not as disastrous for her as it is for her counselor, Abby. Abby has no control over the girls in her charge. The control is held by the cabin's mean girl. Charlotte realizes that she could tip the balance of power and unseat the bully, but does she have the courage to go for it?

Kip's only friends are the members of the Daredevil Club, a club whose mission is to complete seven dangerous dares before their rivals, the Wildmen, complete their list of dares. Before the cliff diving accident in which he lost the use of his leg, Kip had been the leader of the Daredevil club. Now he has difficulty completing the dares and suspects that his membership is threatened. As the daredevils plan their final stunt, a dangerous climb along a narrow steel shelf beneath a bridge, they try to convince Kip that he may not be up to the task. Kip refuses to back down even though he suspects his friends might be right.

Laurel discovers her passion for investigative journalism when she writes an article for her school paper about the homeless man who's been living at the school. Eager to write more articles with impact, she launches an investigation of a cheating scam at her high school. Laurel's efforts elicit hostility from her classmates. Nobody is interested in seeing her article go to print, not even her own brother. It is evident that the cheating is widespread, and Laurel, caught up in the thrill of the investigation, is willing to commit social suicide to get the story, but her ultimate discovery changes everything. Also available in French.

Daniel Abel is surprised when, instead of being punished for "pantsing" another eighth-grader, he is invited to become an ambassador of Mountview High at the school's upcoming open house. What he doesn't realize is that he is part of a social experiment on bullying being conducted by the local university. He is a little nervous to learn he will be working with Jeff Kover, a tenth-grader with a reputation for being the biggest bully in the school. Daniel has never thought of himself as a bully. He just likes kidding around. But hanging out with Jeff will change Daniel's perspective on bullying and force him to examine his own behavior.

The first flash mob Ian puts together himself is a sixty-plus person, four-minute pillow fight in a department store. His 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.

Fourteen-year-old Preston Craft is organizing a film festival for his school's film club. When one of the films goes missing two days before the festival begins, Preston is convinced it was stolen and is determined to get it back. The only indication of the theft is a suspicious shadow that Preston noticed right before he discovered the film was gone-but Preston is legally blind and no one quite believes him. However, not unlike the gritty private eyes in the classic black-and-white films he adores, Preston refuses to give up. Can he solve the mystery based on such a shady clue?

When Trevor, Nick and Robyn visit the Royal Tyrrell Museum, Robyn is inspired to raise funds for a dinosaur dig that will close soon if it doesn't find funding. The kids are caught up in another mystery when a chain of suspicious events, including the disappearance of important fossils and a fraudulent discovery at the dig, leads them to wonder what's going on. Is the new visiting scientist behind the fraud, or did Robyn's enthusiasm to save the dig lead her astray?

Sable wears only black and has always felt that doom is near. Lacey wears pink and seeks beauty everywhere. A sadistic art teacher pairs Sable and Lacey together for their final project. The girls have to get to know one another and select a suitable poem for the back of each other's decorative mirror. Sable is less than thrilled at having to spend time with Lacey, who she believes to be nothing more than a brainless doll. As the project progresses, and Sable gets past her resentment, she learns some surprising truths about who Lacey really is. All of Sable's images begin to change, including the one she holds of herself.

Leni has lived in so many different places in the last few years that she's not surprised when her mom wakes her in the middle of the night and tells her to pack up her things. The reason for this move? Her mom tells her they have won the lottery, and they have to go underground. Leni is still not surprised when they end up in a filthy motel. But when Leni makes a new friend and tries to explain their lifestyle, she begins to understand just how messed-up her life has become.

Rufus and his sister Alexa hate each other at the best of times. When Rufus's friend Phil manages to hypnotize Alexa, Rufus is ready to enjoy the power. They begin by ordering Alexa to be kind to her parents and Phil. The plan backfires when Alexa sweetly suggests canceling an expensive family vacation in favor of a week at home playing board games. Then Alexa turns on the charm with Phil and suddenly Rufus has to deal with a lovesick amateur hypnotist. Rufus is certain it can't get any stranger until Alexa, still in her hypnotic state, is kind to the brother she's always hated and Rufus is more confused than he's ever been.

Keegan and Alex are the only kids in Leamington who haven't volunteered to help out with the town's annual tomato festival. In an attempt to teach them a sense of responsibility, their fathers put them in charge of the tomato toss. The boys decide it's their responsibility to add a little excitement to the event. They exchange the traditional wooden targets for human targets and, before they know it, they are running the most popular event at the fair. The excitement may be too much for the sleepy town and soon the tomato toss is taken to the streets.

Wilf is convinced his parents want nothing to do with him. When he isn't in school, he is left to his own devices or shipped away to camp. But at fifteen, Wilf is adamant that he is too old for summer camp. When his parents ignore his protests and ship him off anyway, he knows how he will get their attention: He will escape from camp by canoe and spend the rest of his vacation alone in the woods, proving to his parents he deserves his independence. His plan begins to unravel when his cabin mate forces Wilf to take him along. Things go from bad to worse when a younger camper follows them and they all end up in a fight for their lives against the unforgiving river.

Fourteen-year-old Maya sneaks out in her kayak before breakfast every day to check on a family of sea otters living in nearby Riley Bay. It's hard being an animal lover in a fishing family. The animals Maya loves threaten her family's livelihood, and Maya doesn't know if she can trust her family not to hurt them. She is determined to protect the sea otters, even if it means checking on them for the rest of her life. One morning, Maya discovers she's being watched. Who is it and what are they doing? Soon Maya has to trust someone as she gets caught in a dangerous race to save the sea otters-and her family's livelihood-from poachers.

Thirteen-year-old Nate needs a break from looking after his newly disabled mom. One day when his mom thinks he's at a cross-country meet, he goes to the mall with a friend he's forbidden to have contact with. At the skate shop he sees a new board he can't afford but has to have, and Nate gets talked into running a scam. It turns out Nate looks a lot like a teen TV star filming in the area. So he and his buddy get girls to pay cash to be extras on set. It's all fine until Nate meets a girl he really likes. Nate knows he has to tell her the truth, but he's not sure he has what it takes to come clean.

Josh knows he's riding recklessly when he knocks down the old man he suspects is the hermit of Loggerman Creek. But he is shocked when the hermit walks into the forest with his bike after the accident. Being without his beloved bike for a week motivates Josh to hike into the woods and confront the crazy old man. The hermit, Jonathan, has fixed Josh's bike, and Josh learns that he has more in common with the old man than he ever imagined. When Jonathan needs help, Josh has to respect the old man's choices in order to save his life.

Sixteen-year-old Bailey is working at her first summer job, as a cabin girl at a fly-in fishing camp at Witch Lake. She struggles with the job at first but enjoys hearing the stories of the area, including the legend of a local ghost. Then April, an older waitress with street smarts, takes Bailey under her wing and the two girls become friends. It's all good until another waitress burns her arm and has to leave. Bailey gets a sudden promotion, and April is asked to help clean the cabins. April becomes far from friendly and Bailey finds herself alone again and messing up on the job-and possibly seeing the ghost.

Turk needs cash, but he's allergic to his own sweat so getting a job is out of the question. Then he makes a discovery: Girls love dogs. Turk's friends will do anything to meet girls. Turk starts a dog walking business. His friends walk the dogs and Turk collects half the money. In an attempt to impress dog-loving Carly, Turk brags about his business in front of the school tough guy, Chuck. When Chuck learns the true nature of Turk's business and wants in on the action, Turk worries that he will lose his business and Carly's respect.

Liza, determined to prove that her mother's boyfriend is no good, starts researching the oil company he works for. Liza discovers a lawsuit against the company for compensation that is long overdue to Guatemalan farmers. She starts a group at school called GRRR! (Girls for Renewable Resources, Really!) and launches an attack on Argenta Oil. As her activism activities increase, her objections to her mother's boyfriend become political. She is learning to separate the personal from the political, but when her mother discovers her plans for a demonstration outside the Argenta Oil head office, the two collide in ways Liza least suspected.

Chloe thinks of herself as a normal teenage girl-if there's any such thing-until a formless alien being inhabits her body. The being is named Welkin and claims to be a Universal. Welkin has entered Chloe's body as part of a school project. Chloe agrees to let this weirdo observe her life for three days as long as Welkin doesn't interfere. Welkin tries to respect the non-interference portion of the agreement. But Welkin's stream of alien commentary as Chloe deals with boys, her coach and math homework has a comic, and sometimes enlightening, impact on Chloe's life.

Mark is a city kid who has come to a small town to live with his grandmother after his mom goes into rehab. He has to take a school bus home for the first time. The long, noisy ride home is nothing like riding city transit. There's some kind of secret code of knowing where you're allowed to sit, the kids scream non-stop, and there's pudding and cheese flying through the air. Someone even tries to set Mark's seat on fire. Mark quickly decides that all these kids are nuts and does his best to avoid interacting with any of them. But when the bus is involved in a serious accident, Mark has to work with a couple of other students to get everybody to safety. He soon learns that he has more in common with these rural kids than he would ever have imagined. In turns funny and heartbreaking, The Ride Home is about learning that not everything is as it seems and that everyone has a story.

Eric and his buddies have left behind their all boys school to attend high school with girls. Eager to find his place in this exciting new world, Eric joins the student life committee, unaware that he is expected to enforce the school's strict dress code. The dress code is particularly harsh on the girls he is keen to get to know. Eric finds this awkward, but it's nothing compared to the position he finds himself in when the whole school revolts.

Conor loves to climb. So when the crusty old manager of a thrill ride based on Edgar Allan Poe's "The Pit and the Pendulum" challenges Conor to scale the ride in the dark of night and hide a package at the top, he foolishly accepts. But it isn't long before he realizes that he is now involved in something far more dangerous. What is in the package, and what does it have to do with Edgar Allan Poe? And why is the town bully so terrified of the old man? The more Conor learns, the deeper in trouble he gets.

Fourteen-year-old Tanya Kofsky is invisible. She hates that no one listens to her, at home or at her new school. So as student elections get underway, Tanya starts secretly painting controversial images on the walls of the school. Soon everyone is talking about this amazing artist with a lot to say. The election results turn out to be a catalyst for more rebellion. And not just from students. Teachers, tired of the principal's authoritarian leadership, start promoting self-expression. Even the lunch ladies join in, ignoring the strictly controlled menu and serving more nutritious and culturally diverse fare. But can this revolution effect real change? Or will speaking up lead to complete disaster?

Justin is fascinated with the aged guard dog at the corner store. He names it Smokey and sneaks the dog treats. Smokey belongs to a company that supplies working dogs to local businesses. Justin is thrilled to get a job working for Smokey's company until he learns about the mistreatment of the animals. When Justin can't shake his suspicion that someone in the company is involved in a rash of thefts, he tries to quit. But Justin knows too much, and his boss won't let him go.

More than anything, twelve-year-old Max wants to play hockey like he used to. But since the death of his dad, his mom does more crying than mothering, and Max has to take his special-needs brother, Duncan, with him everywhere he goes. The team needs Max to win the upcoming game against the Red Eagles, but one practice with Duncan makes it evident that it's not safe to leave him unattended on the sidelines. With only a week to figure out how he can play in the big game, Max is feeling the pressure. Will he find a way to be a good teammate, a good brother and a good son, or is it too much for one kid?

Halloween is thirteen-year-old Syd's favorite night of the year, but when she gets teased by older kids about her costume, she decides to sit this one out. But then her friend Jake finds a strange mask in a box of estate-sale junk to wear for his costume and manages to convince Syd to go to a haunted house. When Jake puts on the mask, he starts acting strangely, claiming to be "the Spirit of Mischief", and soon he's causing trouble all over town. With Halloween revellers transforming into werewolves, pirates, alligators-real-life versions of their costumes-and Halloween decorations coming alive and roaming the streets, Syd needs to embrace her love of Halloween to find a way to defeat Mischief before someone gets hurt. 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! Key Selling Points • Thirteen-year-old Syd must capture a spirit of mischief in this fast-paced romp involving some classic Halloween characters, like zombies, werewolves, witches and skeletons-who are actually kids who have "turned" into their costumes! • A supernatural Halloween story with elements of light horror, a mystery and a mischievous villain that must be stopped. • Syd grows her confidence as she manages the crisis caused by Mischief, a classic trickster, whose antics ultimately bring out the best in the heroine. • Explores teens' changing relationships with Halloween as they age. • Enhanced features (highly-readable font, cream paper, larger trim size) to increase reading accessibility for dyslexic and other striving readers. In this high-interest accessible novel for middle-grade readers, it's Halloween night and thirteen-year-old Syd must find a way to defeat the mischievous spirit possessing her friend before someone gets hurt. Allison Finley has a BFA in creative writing from the University of British Columbia. She works as a freelance writer and editor, and is the author of Below the Surface in the Orca Currents line. Allison gratefully lives next to a river just outside of Vancouver, British Columbia, on the ancestral, traditional and unceded territory of the Kwikwetlem First Nation. Orca Currents are short, high-interest novels with contemporary themes written specifically for middle-school students reading below grade level. Reading levels from grade 2.0 to 5.0. What in the name of Halloween is going on? "A must-add to any collection."

At first, Kaz intends to help the old lady who's fallen in the park. But then he starts thinking about how he never gets what he wants. The next thing he knows, he's running away with her purse. The purse contains only five dollars and a battered watch. When Kaz learns who the old woman is and where the watch came from, he begins to understand the consequences in a new way.

Seth, an openly queer seventh grader, runs a successful YouTube channel called Seth Says. He carefully creates a brand around being a likeable queer kid and avoids talking about anything political. But when Pluto, a cute gay classmate, encourages Seth to read some queer fiction, he is blown away to see stories that reflect his own lived experiences, and he starts to see the value of queer activism. Seth and Pluto set up a Pride Month display to raise awareness of queer books in their school library, but as soon as the display goes up, someone checks out all the books, leaving the table empty. Seth and Pluto discover that their classmate Rebecca checked out the books to protest the "inappropriate" Pride Month display. When the school staff decline to help, Seth decides to post about his experience on his YouTube channel. But as the video racks up more views, local conservatives stage a much larger and more intimidating campaign against LGBTQIA+ materials in the school library. Now Seth has to decide whether to give in to the pressure, or to keep fighting for what he has come to believe in. 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! Key Selling Points • When a classmate protests having queer books in the library and checks out all the books in a Pride book display, Seth and his friend Pluto decide to take a stand. • The issue of book banning, explored through the eyes of an openly queer protagonist by a proudly queer author, provides an authentic voice to an issue that is timely and relevant. • The crush between the lead and his new friend is depicted in an age-appropriate way. • The fast-paced book is full of banter on both personal and political themes. • The antagonist, a classmate who has been radicalized by online content, is believably extreme. • Enhanced features (highly-readable font, cream paper, larger trim size) to increase reading accessibility for dyslexic and other striving readers. In this high-interest accessible novel for middle-grade readers, queer seventh-grader Seth finds himself taking a stand when his conservative classmate sabotages the Pride display in his middle-school library. Tony Correia is a proud queer man who lives in Vancouver. He is the author of four hi-lo novels for young adults: Same Love, True to You, Prom Kings and Walk This Way. In 2023 Tony published his first full-length YA novel, One Summer in Vancouver, a historical novel for queer youth. Orca Currents are short, high-interest novels with contemporary themes written specifically for middle-school students reading below grade level. Reading levels from grade 2.0 to 5.0. No one should feel erased. "Sparks meaningful conversations with caregivers, friends, and educators about the long-reaching harmful effects of censorship. An authentically messy coming-of-age tale."

After the death of his parents, Harry keeps busy by making food for the unhoused in his grandmother's food truck. That's how he meets and befriends Stanley, an excellent cook and teacher with only two possessions: a precious recipe binder and a grumpy dog named Waffles. Then Stanley turns up dead, the victim of a grisly murder, and his treasured recipe book is gone. Harry is shocked-who would do such a thing? That is exactly what Waffles wants to find out. Yes, Waffles, the dog that is now talking to Harry and only Harry. Waffles reveals that in his past life he was a detective and Stanley's friend before he too was murdered and then reincarnated as a dog. Waffles wants to follow the crumbs and piece together Stanley's murder, but he can't do it without Harry. Will this souped-up duo be able to take down a heaping serving of criminal characters, or will they be the next dish on the murderer's menu? 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! Key Selling Points: • Fourteen-year-old Harry teams up with a jaded detective who has been reincarnated into a dog, in this entertaining food-filled mystery. • The story has humour and hijinks as well as real jeopardy, suspense and a twisty plot that will challenge and captivate readers. • The protagonist is an avid chef and food plays an important role in the story and the way the character processes grief. • Includes an exploration of the unhoused and homelessness, grief and mental illness • John Lekich is an award-winning journalist and a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award. • Enhanced features (highly-readable font, cream paper, larger trim size) to increase reading accessibility for dyslexic and other striving readers. In this high-interest accessible novel for middle-grade readers, fourteen-year-old Harry pairs up with a talking dog to solve the mystery of their friend Stanley's murder. John Lekich is an award-winning journalist, essayist, film critic and author. He has written several critically acclaimed novels for young adult readers, including The Prisoner of Snowflake Falls, Murder at the Hotel Hopeless and The Losers' Club, which drew on John's personal experience with cerebral palsy and was a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award. His YA fiction has been recognized by organizations including The Young Adult Library Services Association and The Canadian Library Association. John lives in Vancouver. Orca Currents are short, high-interest novels with contemporary themes written specifically for middle-school students reading below grade level. Reading levels from grade 2.0 to 5.0. Waffles with a side of murder "Bark Twice for Murder is a masterfully written, deliciously weird mystery. Despite the outlandish plot, the book is sensitive to issues like homelessness and mental illness. A must-add to any collection."

Halloween is thirteen-year-old Syd's favorite night of the year, but when she gets teased by older kids about her costume, she decides to sit this one out. But then her friend Jake finds a strange mask in a box of estate-sale junk to wear for his costume and manages to convince Syd to go to a haunted house. When Jake puts on the mask, he starts acting strangely, claiming to be "the Spirit of Mischief", and soon he's causing trouble all over town. With Halloween revellers transforming into werewolves, pirates, alligators-real-life versions of their costumes-and Halloween decorations coming alive and roaming the streets, Syd needs to embrace her love of Halloween to find a way to defeat Mischief before someone gets hurt. 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! Key Selling Points • Thirteen-year-old Syd must capture a spirit of mischief in this fast-paced romp involving some classic Halloween characters, like zombies, werewolves, witches and skeletons-who are actually kids who have "turned" into their costumes! • A supernatural Halloween story with elements of light horror, a mystery and a mischievous villain that must be stopped. • Syd grows her confidence as she manages the crisis caused by Mischief, a classic trickster, whose antics ultimately bring out the best in the heroine. • Explores teens' changing relationships with Halloween as they age. • Enhanced features (highly-readable font, cream paper, larger trim size) to increase reading accessibility for dyslexic and other striving readers. In this high-interest accessible novel for middle-grade readers, it's Halloween night and thirteen-year-old Syd must find a way to defeat the mischievous spirit possessing her friend before someone gets hurt. Allison Finley is an author of fiction for young people, as well as a freelance editor and book coach. Her debut novel, Below the Surface, is a JLG Gold Standard Selection. She gratefully lives on the ancestral, traditional and unceded territory of the Kwikwetlem First Nation, outside of Vancouver, BC, with her partner and dog. Orca Currents are short, high-interest novels with contemporary themes written specifically for middle-school students reading below grade level. Reading levels from grade 2.0 to 5.0. What in the name of Halloween is going on? "A must-add to any collection."

Buddy wants to prove to his big brother that he is not a scared little kid anymore. For as long as Buddy can remember, there has been a rumour that the local theme park is haunted. After a fight with his brother, he convinces his friends that they should sneak into the park and spend the night. That way, everyone will know how brave they are. But can Buddy and his friends avoid the guards and the cameras and whatever is haunting the theme park? Or is the whole thing just an urban legend after all?

This year's fun fair will have a Pride Carnival theme and twelve-year-old Mac couldn't be more excited. Mac convinces his best friend, Amy, to do a Sonny and Cher drag number. He has their outfits all planned out, right down to the bellbottoms and fur vests. And he wants their performance to be perfect too so he pushes Amy to rehearse every day. Every step, every wave of the hand, every lyric has to be spot on. But Amy has had enough-the day before the event, she reveals that she never wanted to be Sonny. Why can't she be Cher? Mac refuses to even consider it. There can only be one diva! With no time to recast, Mac plans to go solo. But he's miserable without his best friend. Can the two of them patch things up in time?

In this high-interest accessible novel for middle-grade readers, twelve-year-old gamer Leon is shocked when the cool kid invites him to test out a not-yet-released virtual-reality video game. When a glitch puts them in real-life danger, Leon must battle a dragon to save them both. There are only two choices: win or die. In the real world, Leon isn't built to be a hero, but he must become one when he gets trapped in a cutting-edge virtual-reality game. Twelve-year-old Leon loves video games. When he plays, he feels confident and amazing for just a little while. The rest of the time he feels like a loser. So Leon is shocked when Nico, the coolest kid ever and the son of a video-game developer, invites him over to test out the newest game at his dad's high-tech lab. To play, they must submerge themselves in giant tanks filled with nanobots, which are programmed to interact with the players and form the physical gaming world. It sounds perfectly safe. But a glitch causes the tiny robots to start behaving oddly, putting the boys in real-life danger. Now it's up to Leon to slay a dragon, to beat the game and save Nico and himself...before the timer runs out. Key Selling Points • Twelve-year-old Leon must beat a virtual-reality video game when a glitch puts him and his friend in real-life danger. • This story looks at themes of loneliness, self-esteem and self-acceptance. • Virtual-reality gaming is popular and the technology continues to advance. Although the specific technology in the book doesn't exist (yet), it explores what could be possible in the future. • This story will appeal to gamers, aspiring programmers, tech enthusiasts and fantasy lovers alike. • This is Paul Coccia's third hi-lo book with Orca, following Cub in the Orca Soundings line and I Got You Babe in the Orca Currents line. • Enhanced features (dyslexia-friendly font, cream paper, larger trim size) to increase reading accessibility for dyslexic and other striving readers. Orca Currents are short, high-interest novels with contemporary themes written specifically for middle-school students reading below grade level. Reading levels from grade 2.0 to 5.0. Paul Coccia is the author of the bestselling Orca Soundings title Cub, which was a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection, and the Orca Currents title I Got You Babe. His award-winning book On the Line was co-authored with Eric Walters. Paul has an MFA in creative writing from the University of British Columbia and lives in Toronto with his family.

Ever since her parents got divorced, Pia has worked hard to make sure everything in her life is Perfect, with a capital P. But everything keeps going wrong. She and her sister get into a fight. Pia falls down the stairs and hurts her ankle. She spills chocolate milk all over her lucky outfit. She accidentally studied for the wrong test. And her best friend still isn't speaking to her since she got mad at him for throwing her a surprise birthday party. Now Pia has a big race this afternoon and she's pretending her ankle is fine. But she has to win the race. She has to!

Fourteen-year-old Blue Jasper takes his younger siblings, twins Indigo and Violet, out for a hike to give their mother a break. One moment the twins are scampering in the trees right ahead of him, and the next moment they are gone. As Blue frantically searches for them, a strange woman appears in the forest claiming to be the Faerie Queen Olea of Nearwood and the twins' real mother. Now because of a magical pact, Blue's mother's life will be in danger if he can't find the twins before the next sunset. Blue must find his way into the magical forest known as the Crosswood and through the dangerous Faerie lands beyond it. Will he be able to find the twins in time? And will they be able to find their way out again? This is the first book in the Faerie Woods series.

Fourteen-year-old Kylie really wants to be a part of the magician's showcase. The problem is, the director has already decided that, because she's a girl, Kylie would be better off assisting a magician rather than doing her own routine. Determined to prove him wrong, Kylie decides to team up with her friend Min to secure a spot in the show. But while working on their act, Kylie loses sight of what it means to be a good friend. Tired of being mistreated, Min leaves and teams up with another magician. Will Kylie and Min make up in time to bring their act to the stage?