NNELS Upgrade

Drawing on her roots and a rich tradition of Southern literature, Jill Alexander presents her debut novel, The Sweetheart of Prosper County. Austin Gray is almost 15 and she's tired of not being noticed. So she hatches a plan to become Prosper County's Sweetheart in order to ride through town during the annual parade waving and smiling to everyone. To make her dream come true, however, she'll have to join the Future Farmers of America. But what's a little hunting and fishing (and livestock raising) to a determined teenager'

When Cole Harper is compelled to return to Wounded Sky First Nation, he finds his community in chaos: a series of shocking murders, a mysterious illness ravaging the residents, and reemerging questions about Cole�s role in the tragedy that drove him away 10 years ago. With the aid of an unhelpful spirit, a disfigured ghost, and his two oldest friends, Cole tries to figure out his purpose, and unravel the mysteries he left behind a decade ago. Will he find the answers in time to save his community?

Echo Desjardins, a 13-year-old M�tis girl adjusting to a new home and school, is struggling with loneliness while separated from her mother. Then an ordinary day in Mr. Bee�s history class turns extraordinary, and Echo�s life will never be the same. During Mr. Bee�s lecture, Echo finds herself transported to another time and place�a bison hunt on the Saskatchewan prairie�and back again to the present. In the following weeks, Echo slips back and forth in time. She visits a M�tis camp, travels the old fur-trade routes, and experiences the perilous and bygone era of the Pemmican Wars.

A Blanket of Butterflies explores the journey of Shinobu, a mysterious stranger who visits Fort Smith, NWT, to retrieve his family�s samurai suit of armor and sword from the local museum. When he discovers that his grandfather�s sword has been lost in a poker game to the man they call �Benny the Bank,� he sets out to retrieve it with the help of a young boy, Sonny, and his grandmother. Together, they face Benny and his men, Torchy, Sfen and the giant known as Flinch, and come to an unexpected realization. This graphic novel, beautifully illustrated by Scott B.

Three young men�Flinch, Bryce, and Rupert�have vandalized their community and are sent by its Elders to live nine months on the land as part of the circle sentencing process. There, the young men learn to take responsibility for their actions and acquire the humility required to return home. But, when they do return, will they be forgiven for what they�ve done? Three Feathers explores the power and grace of restorative justice in one Northern community and the cultural legacy that can empower future generations. Three Feathers is the third title in The Debwe Series.

Based on the story by Iskw� and Erin Leslie May, a young teenage girl, traverses the city streets, finding keepsakes in different places along her journey. When May and her kookum make these keepsakes into a necklace, it opens a world of danger and fantasy. While May fights against a terrible reality, she learns that there is strength in the spirit of those who have passed. But will that strength be able to save her? A story of tragedy and beauty, Will I See? illuminates the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women.

Looking for a little mischief after discovering an old flare gun, Ron and Ben find themselves in trouble when the local gas bar on Agamiing Reserve goes up in flames, and they are wrongly accused of arson by the sheriff�s son. As the investigation goes forward, community attitudes are revealed, and the truth slowly comes to light. Fire Starters is one book in The Debwe Series.

This haunting, emotionally resonant story delivers us into the world of Alice, a single mother raising her three young daughters on the rez where she grew up. Alice has never had an easy life, but has managed to get by with the support of her best friend, Gideon, and her family. When an unthinkable loss occurs, Alice is forced onto a different path, one that will challenge her belief in herself and the world she thought she knew. The Evolution of Alice is the kaleidoscopic story of one woman�s place within the web of community.

7 Generations: A Plains Cree Saga originally published as a four-part graphic novel series; Stone, Scars, Ends/Begins, and The Pact. This graphic novel follows one Plains Cree family from the early 19th century to present day. For Edwin, the story of his ancestors from both the distant and recent past must guide him through an uncertain present, to the dawn of a new future. 7 Generations explores the life of Stone, a young Cree warrior, the smallpox epidemic of 1870, the residential school system of the 20th century and its familial legacy.

One of Canada's favourite storytellers is back with a collection of classic ghost stories for young readers. If you dare, make your acquaintance with dark-cloaked ladies gliding through the silent streets, headless men fished out of the ocean’s depths, and clutching hands reaching out of the inky darkness. Author and storyteller Dale Jarvis has put together a collection of spooky stories from Newfoundland and Labrador, along with ghastly tales hand-picked from haunted spots around the world, and he has retold them in his own wonderfully creepy style.