Books with author Jean Mills

Judy and Peter found a chess set under the big tree in the park. The chess box reads "Juvenile Jungle Adventure Game". This piece of chess looks normal, but when Peter's piece falls on the "lion attack" grid, a real big lion appears! What exactly is going on? As the game progresses, terrifying jungle beasts such as pythons and rhinos arrive one after another. And, as the game description says, "The game cannot be stopped once it starts", can Judy and Peter stubbornly carry the game to the end?

Larkin Day is a messed up 15-year-old. She has just escaped a nasty Grade 10 year to spend summer with her grandmother in seaside Nova Scotia. It's the perfect setting to seek healing by putting all her energies into a local café project. If you're hurting, she learns, one of the best solutions is to invest yourself in something that can make you feel like you're part of something bigger than yourself. But when an arsonist attempts to destroy the project, Larkin is forced to figure out a way to expose the criminal while keeping her life from coming off the rails again. This beautifully crafted coming-of-age story is Jean Mills' second young adult novel with Red Deer Press. She reveals a deep understanding of young people, their strengths and the hazards they face in dealing with each other and the world.

Imogen St Pierre is a musical prodigy, a classical pianist touring the international concert halls in a trio with her father and grandfather. Though clearly accomplished, she is also painfully awkward socially, getting lost in the music even after it's over. Imogen's in the final year in a private boarding school where she meets a boy of the same age, Nathan McCormick, who turns out to be the "Next Great Hockey Player." Nathan, however, has recently been penalized for a vicious fight in an international tournament. Imogen and Nathan don't exactly become an item, but there's an elusive special quality to their connection. Jean Mills has given us a thoughtful, moving, powerful story about what it's like to be gifted and exceptional -- and still young.

Llama, Llama red pajama waiting, waiting for his mama. Mama isn’t coming yet. Baby Llama starts to fret. In this infectious rhyming read-aloud, Baby Llama turns bedtime into an all-out llama drama! Tucked into bed by his mama, Baby Llama immediately starts worrying when she goes downstairs, and his soft whimpers turn to hollers when she doesn’t come right back. But just in time, Mama returns to set things right. Children will relate to Baby Llama’s need for comfort, as much as parents will appreciate Mama Llama’s reassuring message.

Awkward and shy, Linden Flanders seems to come alive when he puts on his skates and hits the ice with his best friend, even if his father disapproves. When his sister Ardith launches a plan to save the local forest from being demolished by a developer, and Linden finds himself befriended by Cassie McKay, the daughter of Ardith’s adversary, the trouble begins. Linden’s loyalty is tested, and he finds himself caught up in events that force him to make some important choices about what - and who - matter most.

Mama Bear tells Little Brown Bear that every baby bear sleeps in the winter. But Little Brown Bear won t. Instead, he follows the geese as they head south, where he spends his time playing on the beach with his new friends. Then, one day, Little Brown Bear misses his cozy bed and thinks about how his parents must miss him...Jane Dyer s delightful illustrations capture the thrill of a little one s first adventure, one that ends happily ever after.

The perfect story for those first days at schoolA little girl is terrified of going to school: “I won’t know anyone. . . . School dinners will make me sick . . . the teachers will bite me. . . . I’ll be the littlest,” she complains. But school is a hit and she even makes a friend. However, the two new friends are horrified to discover that they are expected to go to school the next day too!