Titles and Descriptions - K

Kalifax
Keeley: The Girl From Turtle Mountain
The Kids Book of Black Canadian History
The Kids Book of Canadian History
King of Shadows. 1st ed.
Kit's Wilderness

Kalifax (Print-Fiction). Thornton, Duncan. Coteau Books (FHW), 1999. 168 p. ISBN 1-55050-152-6 ($9.95 pbk.).

(SK) This physically beautiful book with a striking blue-and-silver cover that reveals a map of the Arctic Circle is guaranteed to carry its readers away in the tradition of the best fantasy. The scene is set for adventure as a captain gathers his crew to sail the Northwest Passage through the Arctic. Young Tom becomes his Kalifax (a symbol of hope and courage) on the journey. Trapped in the ice during the voyage, Tom and the crew meet vicious ice trolls and snow goblins before Grandfather Frost rescues them as they are at the door of death. Surreal black-and-white illustrations add to the power and mystery of this timeless story.
Suggested Use: Grade 8; Imaginative and Literary Context; Social, Cultural, and Historical Context

Keeley: The Girl From Turtle Mountain (Print-Fiction). Ellis, Deborah. (Our Canadian Girl Series). Penguin Books Canada Limited (CDS), 2004. 99 p. ISBN 0-14-301484-6 ($8.99 pbk.).

(CAN) Ellis creates a strong-willed character, Keeley, to move the plot along in the boomtown of the coal mine in Frank, Alberta. This resource, which is part of the Our Canadian Girl Series, introduces students to one of the worst landslides in North American history. Keeley moves to Frank with her father who is looking for employment in the coal mine. Left alone to care for herself while her father works, she accepts a dare to stay in a tunnel of Turtle Mountain when a tremor occurs that shakes the mountain. This ordeal foreshadows the disaster that occurred in 1903. Cora Hind, a woman journalist, questions the workers’ safety at the mine, in spite of the mining company’s optimism.

Teachers could use this series to talk about disasters that occurred in Canada such as the Halifax Explosion and the street car disaster in Victoria that was discussed in The Olden Days Locket by Penny Chamberlain (also annotated in this bibliography).
Suggested Use: Grade 6; Social, Cultural, and Historical Context
Initiative: Gender Equity

The Kids Book of Black Canadian History (Print-Non-Fiction). Sadlier, Rosemary and Qijun, Wang, illus. Kids Can Press (UTP), 2003. 56 p. ISBN 1-55074-892-0 ($19.95 hdc.).

(CAN) This book provides an excellent introduction to a seldom-told aspect of Canada’s history. Beginning with information from the 1500s, this easy-to-read and well-illustrated book tells the story of the men and women who fought oppression and discrimination after they immigrated to Canada. Whether it is slavery in New France, the Underground Railroad, prairie settlers, or the modern celebrations of Caribbean heritage, this book provides valuable information about the history of Black Canadians. An index and a timeline are included.
Suggested Use: Grade 6; Social, Cultural, and Historical Context
Other Use: Social Studies: Grade 6; Social Studies: Grades 7-9
Initiative: Multicultural Content and Perspectives

The Kids Book of Canadian History (Print-Non-Fiction). Hacker, Carlotta and Mantha, John, illus. Kids Can Press (UTP), 2002. 72 p. ISBN 1-55074-868-8 ($19.95 hdc.).

(CAN) While the Big Book of Canada (also annotated in this bibliography) gives an overview to each province, this well-illustrated book provides students with an interesting look at our history from the earliest times to the 21st century. Each of the short sections examines topics such as Canada’s first people, traders and explorers, life at mid-century, the great north-west, and the swinging sixties. Colourful drawings, maps, fact boxes, profiles of famous people, and timelines are used with the readable text to create an excellent picture of Canada’s history. An index is included.
Suggested Use: Grade 6; Social, Cultural, and Historical Context
Other Use: Social Studies: Grades 1 to 5

King of Shadows. 1st ed. (Print-Fiction). Cooper, Susan. McElderry, Margaret K. (SHU), 1999. 186 p. ISBN 0-689-82817-9 ($23.50 hdc.). ISBN 0-689-84445-X ($6.99 pbk.).

As a member of an all-boy company preparing to perform Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream in a London replica of the Globe Theatre, Nathan Field becomes ill and is mysteriously transported to Elizabethan England. This time-travel novel conveys the sights, sounds, and smells of Elizabethan England as Nathan befriends Shakespeare himself. The details of 16th century troupe life as well as how costumes, makeup, and stage effects were carried out add depth and layers to the story. Woven into the description of the past is the story of Nathan and his attempts to deal with the deaths of both his parents.

This novel with its multifaceted themes would be an excellent choice to use partnered with Shakespeare’s original play.
Suggested Use: Grade 9; Personal and Philosophical Context; Social, Cultural, and Historical Context

Kit's Wilderness (Print-Fiction). Almond, David. Random House, Inc. (ULS), 2000. 229 p. ISBN 0-440-41605-1 ($7.99 pbk.).

Kit Watson and his family return to the coal-mining town of Stoneygate to look after Kit’s aging, recently widowed grandfather. Kit is lured into playing a game called Death by a boy named John Askew. When Kit must stay alone in a mine, he is haunted by the ghosts of people who died working in the mines. John disappears, and Kit, an aspiring writer, creates a story about a prehistoric boy who becomes separated from his family. The story parallels John’s life and stories Kit’s grandfather has told him about the mines. John’s mother pleads for the return of her son at the same time as the mother in Kit’s story appears to him. John resurfaces and, with Kit’s help, returns to his family. When Grandpa dies, Kit is determined to keep his memory and stories alive. Almond has created a complicated plot that has interwoven the power of friendship and family with the importance of memory and the supernatural in our lives.

This book won the Michael L. Printz Award in 2001 for literary excellence.
Suggested Use: Grade 9; Environmental and Technological Context; Social, Cultural, and Historical Context