Monique Polak
Our favorite pretend princess, Angelica, aka Jelly, is back!
A case of mistaken identity, a wild imagination and a love of storytelling leads Jelly to tell her friend Joon and the new kid she's just met, Leo, that she's a part-time lion trainer at the local animal rescue center. Her inventiveness has them completely convinced, but things get a bit more complicated when the resident lioness, Mwezi, escapes from her enclosure
...Angelica isn't a liar, she just loves making up stories.
When Angelica goes to sleepaway camp and is mistaken for a princess, she could easily clear up the misunderstanding...but pretending to be royalty is way more fun! When her best friend from home surprises her at camp, Angelica is forced to fess up. Luckily, she also has a talent for repairing things, and when disaster strikes on the girls' kayaking trip, Jelly has
...3) Finding Elmo
Fifteen-year-old Tim loves his job at his dad's pet store, partly because he gets to spend time with his best friend, a black cockatoo named Elmo.
But things at work have been tense since the store moved to a larger, more expensive location. To make extra money his father rents out the store's exotic birds for parties and Tim is furious at this exploitation of his friend. When Elmo is stolen from one of the parties, the
...5) Junkyard Dog
Justin is fascinated with the aged guard dog at the corner store.
Justin 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.
...6) Hate Mail
Inspired by real-life events, Hate Mail examines the transformative power of speaking out against prejudice.
Jordie's cousin Todd has moved back to Montreal and is attending Jordie's high school. Todd has autism and requires an aide. Todd has not been welcomed in the school. He's known as a freak, and even other parents seem to resent Todd's special needs. Jordie does everything he can to distance himself from his cousin,
...Pete's pranks have gotten him in plenty of trouble, but they might be the only way to bring justice to a seaside town.
Pete likes to play pranks. It doesn't matter what it is as long as it gets a laugh. When he impersonates his vice-principal on a radio call-in show, he goes too far and is suspended from school. Pete's parents send him to spend the summer working with his uncle, a whale-watching guide in a tourist town far
...★ "Heartbreaking. An important addition to the Holocaust curriculum."—Booklist, starred review
A pampered child used to having her own way, Anneke Van Raalte lives outside Amsterdam, where her father is a cartoonist for an Amsterdam newspaper. Though Anneke's family is Jewish, her religion means little to her. Anneke's life changes in 1942 when the Nazis invade Holland and she and her family are deported to Theresienstadt,
...12) So Much It Hurts
Iris is an aspiring actress, so when Mick, a well-known visiting Aussie director, takes an interest in her, she's flattered.
He's fourteen years older, attractive, smart, charming and sexy—in other words, nothing like her hapless ex-boyfriend, Tommy. But when Iris and Mick start a secret relationship, she soon witnesses Mick's darker side, and his temper frightens her. Before long, she becomes the target of his rage,
...13) Béatrice
14) Straight Punch
15) Pyro
Ever since he was small, Franklin has been soothed by fire.
Staring into the flames helps Franklin forget his problems. And right now, he's got a lot to forget. Franklin's mother has left the family home to be with her hairdresser boyfriend. Franklin's father, the mayor of Montreal West, is too busy worrying about his public image to do anything about the family. As a rash of local fires competes with upcoming elections
...16) Miracleville
Sixteen-year-old Ani lives in the tiny Quebec town of Ste-Anne-de-Beaupre, where her family runs Saintly Souvenirs, a tourist shop catering to the many pilgrims who come to the town seeking a miracle.
The bane of Ani's existence is her hyperactive, over-sexed younger sister, Colette. Ani and her mother, Therese, are devout Catholics; Colette and her father are not. When Therese is paralyzed after a freak accident, Aniís
...Angelica just can't help herself!
In this third book in the series, Angelica, aka Jelly, is confused for a junior reporter and decides to make the most of her mistaken identity to learn what it's like to be a real journalist. Jelly and her bestie, Joon, are soon busy with problems at the new library, trouble in the lap lane at the local pool and a predicament in a rare-book room. With her keen observational abilities and
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