Titles and Descriptions - D

Danger in Disguise
Daughter of the Wind: A Novel
Dead and Gone
Dead Man's Gold and Other Stories
Dead Reckoning
The Deadly Dance
Dear Canada Series
Define "Normal". 1st paperback ed.
Developing Media Skills
The Devil's Arithmetic
The Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition
A Different Kind of Beauty
Digging for Philip: A Novel
The Dirt Eaters
Discovering Mythology Series
Discovering the Arctic: The Story of John Rae
Dive: Book One: The Discovery
Dive: Book Two: The Deep
Dive: Book Three: The Danger
Do I Really Have to Teach Reading?: Content Comprehension, Grades 6-12
Donuthead. 1st ed.
Dovey Coe
Dragon in the Clouds
Dragon Rider
A Drop of Rain

Danger in Disguise (Print-Fiction). Downie, Mary Alice and Downie, John. (On Time's Wing Series). Roussan Publishers Inc. (DOW), 2000. 170 p. ISBN 1-896184-72-3 ($8.95 pbk.).

(CAN) This historical novel is set in 1759. Scottish born, raised secretly in Normandy, Jamie and his father have been on the run all of Jamie’s life. On his 14th birthday, Jamie and his father must flee his father’s enemies one more time. Plans are made for Jamie to travel to Glasgow where his father will join him later. Jamie is captured and press-ganged to serve in the British navy. He is sent to Canada, and Jamie arrives in the Port of Quebec just as General Wolfe’s siege of the city begins. Jamie’s adventures result in many friendships and compelling events. Maps and a glossary of Scottish, French, and some Canadian words are very useful.
Suggested Use: Grade 8; Social, Cultural, and Historical Context
Initiative: Multicultural Content and Perspectives

Daughter of the Wind: A Novel (Print-Fiction). Cadnum, Michael. Orchard Books, Inc. (SCH), 2003. 266 p. ISBN 0-439-35224-X ($25.99 hdc.).

Daughter of the Wind is a historical novel set during the Viking era in what is today Scandinavia. Hallgerd is the 17-year-old daughter of a Norwegian village leader. She is kidnapped by a group of Danish marauders, so she can be married to the son of their noblewoman, who believes that such an alliance will protect Danish villages from attacks by the Norwegians. Gauk, a young berserker (a fighter who becomes a fierce, crazed warrior when provoked), sets out to rescue Hallgerd. He is joined by Hego, the blacksmith from Hallgerd’s village. Gauk and Hego meet Hallgerd after she has engineered her own rescue by escaping her captors, setting fire to the town, and stealing a rowboat. The rest of the book describes their adventures as they make their way back to their home village.

Teachers should note that some readers may find the violence in this novel objectionable. There are numerous battles and killings which are graphically described. There is also sexual innuendo.
Suggested Use: Grade 9; Imaginative and Literary Context; Social, Cultural, and Historical Context
Initiative: Multicultural Content and Perspectives

Dead and Gone (Print-Fiction). McClintock, Norah. Scholastic Canada Ltd. (SCH), 2004. 209 p.
ISBN 0-439-96759-7 ($7.99 pbk.).

This sequel to Hit and Run and Truth and Lies (annotated elsewhere in this bibliography) has an action-packed plot. Mike has to work at the community centre because his guardian, Riel, wants to teach him a lesson about trying to get something for nothing. Mike notices that the caretaker at the centre, Mr. Henderson, takes a particular interest in the girls, especially one swimmer, Emily Corwin. When a body is discovered in the woods, Mike works with Riel’s friends, Detective Jones and Dr. Susan, to solve the mystery surrounding the death of Emily’s mother and the new case that seems to be linked.
Suggested Use: Grade 7; Imaginative and Literary Context

Dead Man's Gold and Other Stories (Print-Anthology). Yee, Paul. Groundwood Books (HCP), 2002. 112 p. ISBN 0-88899-475-3 ($16.95 hdc.). ISBN 0-88899-587-3 ($9.95 pbk.).

(CAN) Yee has created 10 stories of Chinese immigration to Canada. Infused with the supernatural, the tales detail the hardships, prejudice, and gruelling labour endured by the immigrants. Stark illustrations add to the dark and serious tone of the book. Arranged chronologically, the stories shed light on the Chinese experience in North America.
Suggested Use: Grade 7; Social, Cultural, and Historical Context
Initiative: Multicultural Content and Perspectives

Dead Reckoning (Print-Fiction). Burtinshaw, Aaron. Raincoast Books (RAI), 2000. 119 p. ISBN 1-55192-342-4 ($9.95 pbk.).

(CAN) Reminiscent of the Titanic, this is a story of a marine disaster that occurred in 1906. James, now an old man, tells the story to his grandson. When James was 14 years of age, he and his friend Alex were aboard the Valencia, sailing from San Francisco to Vancouver. The ship went down in thick fog and heavy seas just a short distance from shore. While some people clung to the mast and others were thrown overboard, the two boys boarded the last lifeboat.

Nominated by the Saskatchewan Young Readers Choice Willow Awards Committee for the Diamond Willow Award in 2002, the book has lots of suspense and vivid descriptions that make it enjoyable reading.
Suggested Use: Grade 7; Imaginative and Literary Context

The Deadly Dance (Print-Fiction). Taylor, Cora. Coteau Books (FHW), 2004. 145 p. ISBN 1-55050-272-7 ($8.95 pbk.).

Penny and her parents are on a holiday in Crete when she discovers she can time travel back to the Palace of Knossos, the home of the legend of Theseus and the Minotaur. In the past, Penny is able to participate in the deadly bull dance because of her gymnastic abilities. Penny is accepted by the bull dancers and feels as if she belongs to that time period. In the present, however, Penny is nagged by her parents about eating, and her coach verbally abuses her about being overweight for a gymnast.

This novel would be interesting to teach along with the Greek narratives.
Suggested Use: Grade 8; Imaginative and Literary Context
Initiative: Multicultural Content and Perspectives

Dear Canada Series (Print-Fiction). Please refer to the title: A Prairie as Wide as the Sea: The Immigrant Diary of Ivy Weatherall.

Define " Normal". 1st paperback ed. (Print-Fiction). Peters, Julie Anne. Little, Brown and Co. (FEN), 2003. 198 p. ISBN 0-316-73489-6 ($10.99 pbk.).

When conservative straight “A” student Antonia Dillon is approached to become a peer counsellor to gang hanger and punker Jazz Luther, she reluctantly agrees to become part of the program. As the counselling progresses, the two girls discover that they have more in common than they realized. When Antonia’s family life falls apart, Jazz appears to be her only lifeline. This darkly humourous book begs readers to question their stereotypes regarding normal and abnormal people.

This book was nominated by American Library Association (ALA) as a Best Book for Young Adults in 2004.
Suggested Use: Grade 7; Personal and Philosophical Context
Other Use: Health Education: Grades 6 to 9

Developing Media Skills (Print-Non-Fiction). Barton, Geoff. Heinemann Educational Books (NEL), 2001. 128 p. ISBN 0-435-10960-X ($28.45 pbk.).

The chapters in this book deal with media resources from newspaper, television, radio, the Internet, and film. There are some references to American and United Kingdom media. The student activities following each of the media units have the students engaging in critical and creative thought. The English language arts strands are covered in a variety of activities that will engage the students to look critically at the various media forms. Teachers will appreciate the thought and organization that went into the writing of this resource.
Suggested Use: Grade 7; Communicative Context; Language Resource; Teacher Reference

The Devil's Arithmetic (Print-Fiction). Yolen, Jane. Puffin Books (CDS), 2004. 170 p . ISBN 0-14-240109-9 ($8.99 pbk.).

In this book, Yolen asks the question, “Why should the Holocaust be remembered?” Hannah is tired of remembering and listening to her grandfather rant and rave about the Nazis. However, this year’s Passover Seder is different. Hannah is transported back in time to Poland during the war and becomes Chaya. Chaya is captured by the Nazis and taken to a death camp. Chaya is befriended by Rivka who teaches her how to keep her identity and how to survive the dehumanizing processes of the camp. When Rivka is chosen to go to the gas chamber, and Chaya offers to go instead, Hannah is returned to her grandparents’ apartment. Yolen has effectively shown us through Hannah why we should remember the Holocaust.
Suggested Use: Grade 8; Social, Cultural, and Historical Context
Initiative: Multicultural Content and Perspectives

The Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition (Print-Non-Fiction). Frank, Anne. The Bantam Dell Publishing Group (NBS), 1995. 335 p. ISBN 0-553-57712-3 ($19.99 pbk.).

This 1995 edition of Anne Frank’s diary reveals a new depth of Anne’s dreams, irritations, and passions. Anne emerges as a teenager more real and more human. Anne Frank’s diaries are very moving and eloquent documents of the Holocaust. This edition has passages that were removed by her father in the original version because Anne talks critically about her mother and some of their companions in the attic in Amsterdam where they were hiding for two years. Sexual references are mentioned in this version that would not have been acceptable in 1947 when the diary was first published. The Diary of Anne Frank has been translated into almost 70 languages and is one of the most widely read works of non-fiction in the world. The text has been kept as Anne would have written in her diary because any attempts at editing are not appropriate in a historical document of this nature.
Suggested Use: Grade 8; Social, Cultural, and Historical Context
Other Use: Social Studies 20/History 20
Initiative: Multicultural Content and Perspectives

A Different Kind of Beauty (Print-Fiction). McNicoll, Sylvia. Fitzhenry & Whiteside Ltd. (FHW), 2004. 208 p. ISBN 1-55005-060-5 ($11.95 pbk.).

(CAN) A sequel to Bringing Up Beauty , which won the Silver Birch Award in Manitoba’s Young Readers’ Award, shows how the training of a guide dog is a difficult process. The story is told in voices by Elizabeth and Kyle. Elizabeth vows she will never train another guide dog; however, in an attempt to keep her friend Scott at her side, she decides to train another dog without getting attached. When Kyle starts at Elizabeth’s school, she thinks that he has a bad attitude. Kyle has lost his eyesight prematurely because of his diabetes. Kyle is terrified of dogs and tries to cope with a white cane and poor helpers. After a big party, Elizabeth and her dog, Beauty, meet Kyle, and a new kind of beauty is discovered by all.
Suggested Use: Grade 7; Personal and Philosophical Context
Other Use: Health Education: Grades 6 to 9
Initiative: Abilities Awareness

Digging for Philip: A Novel (Print-Fiction). Jackson-Davis, Greg. Great Plains Publications Ltd. (UTP), 2003. 247 p. ISBN 1-894283-42-2 ($16.95 pbk.).

(CAN) This novel is the story of a 14-year-old boy who does not fit in and is struggling with the accidental death of his father. A juxtaposition of high school peer relations and historical tracings of Canada’s past, this dual-themed novel focuses on Philip, a social outcast, who is bitter towards his mother and blames her for his father’s death. When Philip takes a summer retreat near the Lake of the Woods and disturbs the gravesite of an Anishinaabe, his life changes dramatically. Through Philip’s experiences, he gains a greater appreciation for both historical First Nations life and the underpinnings of his current life. Philip now has the courage to face his own prejudices and misunderstandings. The metaphor of digging is evident throughout the book, and teenagers will identify with Philip as he digs himself out of emotional despair and unearths his identity. Both Philip and the Anishinaabe spirit expose and reveal their prejudices as the plot develops.

Teachers should note that while the strong language indicates the protagonist’s frustration in life, it may be offensive to some readers.
Suggested Use: Grade 9; Personal and Philosophical Context; Social, Cultural, and Historical Context
Other Use: Social Studies: Grades 7-9
Initiative: First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Content and Perspectives

The Dirt Eaters (Print-Fiction). Foon, Dennis. (The Longlight Legacy Trilogy Series). Annick Press (FIR), 2003. 313 p. ISBN 1-55037-806-6 ($12.95 pbk.).

(CAN) When Roan’s family and the people of Longlight are killed in a raid and Roan’s little sister is abducted, Roan is torn between a desire for revenge and the pledge of peace that had always guided his community. Roan is taken in by the Brothers, a group of male warriors, and discovers that he has the skills of a warrior along with an ability to dream and see visions. Eventually, Roan escapes from the Brothers and is joined by Lumpy, a boy scarred by Mor-ticks, and Alandra, a healer. The three set out to save the orphans of Fairview who are being treated horribly. In the end, Roan rescues his sister, but not before he faces Saint, the leader of the Brothers.

Teachers should note that the violence and cruelty in this novel may make it unsuitable for some readers.
Suggested Use: Grade 9; Imaginative and Literary Context

Discovering Mythology Series (Print-Non-Fiction). Lucent Books, Inc. (SBC), 2004. 112 p. Order numbers follow. ($32.15 hdc.).

Recommended titles in this series include the following:

The five books in this series are quite similar. Each of the books is organized around a theme such as heroes or monsters and includes six or seven chapters. The chapters present traditional narratives from various cultures relating to the theme of the book. This allows young readers to note similarities and differences across cultures and across time. Some of the cultures featured include ancient Greece and Rome, Scandinavia, Africa, India, Persia, China and Egypt. Each book includes at least one narrative from a North or South American First Nations culture. The books are illustrated with black-and-white photos, maps, and drawings. Sidebars are used to present additional information relating to particular narratives. Each book has a table of contents, a list of notes, a list of references consulted, a bibliography for additional reading, and an index.

The books contain many names that will be unfamiliar to most readers and lacks a pronunciation key. American terminology is used throughout the series. For example, the term “Native Americans” is used rather than “First Nations peoples;” the term “tribe” is used rather than “First Nation”.

In Heroes, all the heroes featured are male. Chapter Six, “Native American Heroes: Shapers of the Habitable Earth” describes heroes of several First Nations cultures. In The Natural World , Chapter Seven, “Tales from the Frozen North” features Inuit narratives.
Suggested Use: Grade 8; Grade 9; Imaginative and Literary Context; Teacher Reference; Short Stories
Initiatives: First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Content and Perspectives; Multicultural Content and Perspectives

Discovering the Arctic: The Story of John Rae (Print-Non-Fiction). Wilson, John and Milkau, Liz, illus. (Stories of Canada Series). Napoleon Publishing/RendezVous Press (CDS), 2003. 76 p. ISBN 0-929141-88-1 ($18.95 hdc.).

(CAN) In storybook style, Wilson has recorded the work of British explorer John Rae. Rae was hired by the Hudson Bay Company as a doctor, but his skills as an outdoors person helped him survive the harsh conditions. In 1845, the British government charged Rae to discover the Northwest Passage after the failed Franklin expedition. Where Franklin met with adversity and death, Rae learned from the local Inuit the skills and techniques necessary to survive. Information regarding the story of the fateful Franklin expedition is reported. The visual maps, pictures, and headings make the content more accessible.

This book was a finalist in 2004 for the Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children’s Non-Fiction.
Suggested Use: Grade 6; Social, Cultural, and Historical Context
Initiative: First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Content and Perspectives

Dive: Book One: The Discovery (Print-Fiction). Korman, Gordon. Scholastic Inc. (SCH), 2003. 141 p.
ISBN 0-439-50722-7 ($6.99 pbk.).

Four young teenagers are summer interns at the Poseidon Oceanographic Institute. Kaz, Adriana, Dante, and Star come from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, are of various cultures, and of both genders. All are facing a challenge of some type. For example, Dante, the photographer, is colour-blind, and Star has a physical disability. While exploring the depths of the ocean, they learn to work as a team. They discover the wreckage of a ship that sank long ago, and with that discovery comes the realization that Tad Cutter and his team are treasure hunters, not ocean researchers as they pretend. During the course of their adventures, the four young people begin to come to terms with their challenges, or learn to see their challenges in a new way. For example, Star’s physical disability doesn’t stop her from being the best driver of the four.

The contemporary adventures of the four interns are interwoven with the story of Samuel Higgins, a cabin boy on the Griffin, a ship that went down in 1665.

Readers will learn a lot about diving techniques and marine life as they enjoy the adventures of Kaz, Adriana, Dante, and Star.
Suggested Use: Grade 7; Environmental and Technological Context; Personal and Philosophical Context
Other Use: Science: Grades K to 5
Initiative: Abilities Awareness

Dive: Book Two: The Deep (Print-Fiction). Korman, Gordon. Scholastic Inc. (SCH), 2003. 148 p.
ISBN 0-439-50723-5 ($6.99 pbk.).

In this second book of the Dive trilogy, the undersea adventures of Kaz, Adriana, Dante, and Star continue. They discover a 17th century shipwreck and also evidence of a second wreck in much deeper water. They go to investigate in Deep Scout, a research submarine. Tad Cutter and crew, their adversaries from Book One, continue to plague them. The book ends on a dramatic note when Star gets the bends. Readers must wait until Book Three to find out if Star makes it.

As in the previous book, the contemporary story of four young undersea adventurers is interwoven with the story of Samuel Higgins, a cabin boy on the Griffin, which went down in 1665.
Suggested Use: Grade 7; Environmental and Technological Context; Personal and Philosophical Context; Social, Cultural, and Historical Context
Other Use: Science: Grades K to 5
Initiative: Abilities Awareness

Dive: Book Three: The Danger (Print-Fiction). Korman, Gordon. Scholastic Canada Ltd. (SCH), 2003. 150 p. ISBN 0-439-50724-3 ($6.99 pbk.).

The Danger Is the third book in the Dive trilogy. Kaz, Adriana, Dante, and Star discover a treasure that is beyond imagination and also find out who their underwater enemy really is. The story of Samuel Higgins continues to unfold, and at the end of the book its links to the present day become apparent.
Suggested Use: Grade 7; Environmental and Technological Context; Personal and Philosophical Context; Social, Cultural, and Historical Context
Other Use: Science: Grades K to 5
Initiative: Abilities Awareness

Do I Really Have to Teach Reading?: Content Comprehension, Grades 6-12 (Print-Non-Fiction). Tovani, Cris. Stenhouse Publishers (PPL), 2004. 138 p. ISBN 1-57110-376-7 ($30.95 pbk.).

This book is for teachers who want to improve their students’ reading comprehension in the content areas for Grades 6-12. Tovani demonstrates in detail several strategies that can effectively increase student comprehension. This resource provides support to teachers who do not feel comfortable teaching the reading strand. Do I Really Have to Teach Reading? is a very useful book that gives examples about teaching reading in the content areas and offers advice about how to balance instruction and content that will help make students become better readers and lifelong learners.
Suggested Use: Grade 6; Grade 7; Grade 8; Grade 9; Teacher Reference

Donuthead. 1st ed. (Print-Fiction). Stauffacher, Sue. Knopf, Alfred A. (ULS), 2003. 144 p. ISBN 0-375-82468-5 ($23.95 hdc.). ISBN 0-440-41934-4 ($7.99 pbk.).

(CAN) Eleven-year-old Franklin Delano Donuthead suffers from an obsessive-compulsive disorder. He fears anything that may not be hygienic, or that may endanger his health in even the most remote way. Franklin frequently consults with the chief statistician for the National Safety Department to determine the risks involved in various activities and circumstances.

Neglected Sarah Kervick, the new student at Pelican View Elementary, has matted, dirty hair, does poorly in her schoolwork, and regularly stares fear in the face. The two characters make an unlikely pair, but together they balance each other out along with help from Franklin’s mother, a single parent who devotes time and energy to helping them overcome the real-life problems they face. Stauffacher’s engaging novel combines gentle humour and difficult issues with messages about kindness, hope, and being true to oneself.
Suggested Use: Grade 6; Personal and Philosophical Context
Other Use: Health Education: Grades 6 to 9

Dovey Coe (Print-Fiction). Dowell, Frances O'Roark. Atheneum Publications (SHU), 2000. 181 p.
ISBN 0-689-83174-9 ($23.50 hdc.).

A 12-year-old tomboy is accused of murdering her sister’s boyfriend in this drama set in the hills of North Carolina in 1928. The story is narrated by Dovey in a frank, authentic voice and builds momentum right up until the surprising conclusion. Dovey’s need to protect both her deaf brother, Amos, and her sister, Caroline, makes her a believable victim.

Teachers should note that although the protagonist is only 12, the theme in this book is suitable for mature adolescent readers.
Suggested Use: Grade 7; Imaginative and Literary Context

Dragon in the Clouds (Print-Fiction). Nelson, Rosemary. Napoleon Publishing/RendezVous Press (CDS), 1994. 159 p. ISBN 0-929141-22-9 ($7.95 pbk.).

(CAN) Dragon in the Clouds, an adventure set in the Okanagan Valley, contains slapstick humour that most students will enjoy. The story is narrated by 12-year-old Nikki who resents the arrival of her cousin, Trevor, who is in a wheelchair. Over the summer, the cousins become friends and make major strides in their maturity.
Suggested Use: Grade 6; Personal and Philosophical Context
Initiative: Abilities Awareness

Dragon Rider (Print-Fiction). Funke, Cornelia. Scholastic Inc. (SCH), 2004. 523 p. ISBN 0-439-45695-9 ($16.99 pbk.).

The author creates a wonderful fantasy about the extinction of the dragons from their foes. Firedrake, the youngest dragon, must leave the northern valley on the advice of the eldest dragon if the dragon race is to be saved. Firedrake is accompanied by Sorrel, the brownie, an orphaned Scottish boy who becomes the dragon rider and Twigleg, a homunculus, who keeps trying to read the map. Firedrake must return to the Hidden City in the Himalayas or suffer discovery and destruction by the humans. Funke has created a journey that is full of surprises and treachery to delight all fantasy readers, young and old.
Suggested Use: Grade 6; Imaginative and Literary Context

A Drop of Rain (Print-Fiction). Kirk, Heather. Napoleon Publishing/RendezVous Press (CDS), 2004. 215 p. ISBN 1-894917-10-3 ($9.95 pbk.).

(CAN) A Drop of Rain uses diary/journal format to describe the lives of Naomi, her family and friends over a three-month period. Naomi’s aunt Hanna is dying, her single mother is stressed and distracted, and her mother’s male friend makes the situation more complicated. Naomi is attracted to Curtis and concerned about her friend Mary, a middle-aged cleaner who was a doctor in her native Poland. Naomi is also coping with school and a part-time job. There are journal entries from all the main characters; therefore, the story is told from a range of perspectives. Several of the main characters come from Poland and a great deal of information about Poland, past and present, is interwoven with descriptions of the characters’ daily thoughts, feelings, and experiences.

Teachers should note that many contemporary social issues are mentioned briefly in A Drop of Rain. Curtis’ father is gay, a minor character considers getting an abortion, there are a few references to AIDS, a couple of scenes of family violence, and at least one swearword. None of these are gratuitous, however, and none overwhelm the story.
Suggested Use: Grade 9; Personal and Philosophical Context
Other Use: Health Education: Grades 6 to 9; Social Studies: Grades 7-9
Initiative: Multicultural Content and Perspectives