Books with author Jim MacGregor

A vivid account of the story of Rome from the earliest times to the death of Augustus, retold for children, chronicling the birth of a city and its growth through storm and struggle to become a great world empire. Gives short accounts of battles and campaigns, and of the men who expanded the borders of the Roman empire to include all lands bordering the Mediterranean Sea.

Expanding on his landmark Globe and Mail series in which he documented his travels down 16 of Canada's great rivers, Roy MacGregor tells the story of our country through the stories of its original highways, and how they sustain our spirit, identity and economy--past, present and future.No country is more blessed with fresh water than Canada. From the mouth of the Fraser River in BC, to the Bow in Alberta, the Red in Manitoba, the Gatineau, the Saint John and the most historic of all Canada's rivers, the St. Lawrence, our beloved chronicler of Canadian life, Roy MacGregor, has paddled, sailed and traversed their lengths, learned their stories and secrets, and the tales of centuries lived on their rapids and riverbanks. He raises lost tales, like that of the Great Tax Revolt of the Gatineau River, and reconsiders histories like that of the Irish would-be settlers who died on Grosse Ile and the incredible resilience of settlers in the Red River Valley. Along the Grand, the Ottawa and others, he meets the successful conservationists behind the resuscitation of polluted wetlands, including even Toronto's Don, the most abused river in Canada (where he witnesses families of mink, returned to play on its banks). Long before our national railroad was built, our rivers held Canada together; in these sixteen portraits, filled with yesterday's adventures and tomorrow's promise, MacGregor weaves together a story of Canada and its ongoing relationship with its most precious resource.

The Screech Owls have won a contest that takes them to London, England, for a once-in-a-lifetime chance to play in-line hockey at historic Wembley Stadium. They leave the morning after Hallowe’en and arrive in time to celebrate Guy Fawkes Day in Britain.But between trips to Madame Tussaud’s infamous Chamber of Horrors and the notorious Tower of London, the Owls become entangled in a plot so dangerous and frightening it makes Hallowe’en seem like a tea party.

Someone is out to steal the Stanley Cup – and only the Screech Owls stand between the thieves and their prize!Travis, Nish, and the rest of the Screech Owls have come to Toronto for the biggest hockey tournament of their lives – only to find themselves in the biggest mess of their lives. First Nish sprains his ankle falling down the stairs at the CN Tower. Later, key members of the team get caught shoplifting. And during a tour of the Hockey Hall of Fame, Travis overhears two men plotting to swipe the priceless Stanley Cup and hold it for ransom! Can the Screech Owls do anything to save the most revered trophy in the land? And can the team also rise to the challenge on the ice and play their best hockey ever?The Night They Stole the Stanley Cup is the second book in the Screech Owls Series. Check out the Screech Owls’ website at www.screechowls.com

Praise for Rock Steady:“Adventure, some clever online detective work, a couple of burgeoning romances, and school issues, all with a great environmental message, from a star South African YA author. Highly enjoyable with a good plot and high-tension climax!” – Jayne Bauling (Multi-award-winning Young Adult author)The ecowarriors are back!Samantha Steadman, and her best friends — smart-mouthed Jessie Delaney and politician’s daughter Nomusa Gule — are back at boarding school, in grade nine. And this year, they’re up against a whole new set of challenges.Their creepy new science teacher takes delight in tormenting Sam, and she’s started counting and checking everything in a way that has her friends worried about her sanity. Add to that Sam’s determination to uncover and stop the illegal trade in San rock art, a blossoming new romance (or two), and a dangerous survival competition in the mountains which will endanger the trio’s lives, and the girls will need all their wits and courage to stand steady.Exciting and funny, this feel-good story will appeal to tweens and younger teens. Rock Steady is the second book in the Ecowarriors series, but can also be read as a standalone novel.Note: If you’ve read Young Adult books by Joanne Macgregor before, please be aware that this book is suitable for upper middle grade – younger teen readers (10-13 years).(This is a fully revised edition of the 2013 edition.)Readers are saying:“Sequel to Turtle Walk, just as enjoyable! The demon teacher gave me the shivers.” — Rose (Goodreads reader)“Sam, Jessie and Nomusa navigate their Grade 9 year with all the usual trials and tribulations – sports events, school outings, boys, bullies and dances – and the banter between the three friends comes off incredibly refreshing and natural. It’s not often that an author manages to express the sheer energy of teenagers, but Joanne Macgregor totally convinced me that she’s secretly a teenager herself. Macgregor’s teens are bubbly, sensitive and are possessed of a lively curiosity and sense of fun, who worry about their schoolwork, about boys, about issues at home. They feel real. A big thumbs up!” — Nerine Dorman (Editor and multi-published author) “Highly enjoyable with a good plot and high-tension climax. More seriously, it offers an accurate picture of anxiety and how it can create its own relentless cycle of failure and fear - the teacher responsible for Sam's stress and increasingly OC behaviour is chillingly believable, a vile little man.” – Jayne Bauling (Multi-award-winning Young Adult author)

A vivid account of the story of Rome from the earliest times to the death of Augustus, retold for children, chronicling the birth of a city and its growth through storm and struggle to become a great world empire. Gives short accounts of battles and campaigns, and of the men who expanded the borders of the Roman empire to include all lands bordering the Mediterranean Sea. Suitable for ages 10 and up.

In February 2002, the greatest hockey teams this country could muster headed to Salt Lake City to compete in the Winter Olympics. Our men and women hoped to go all the way to the finals, but it had been fifty long years since the Canadians had won Olympic gold. In the past, they had come close – it was just that luck always seemed to be against them.This time, however, their chances to end the long drought were good. The women looked set for a medal – although the all-powerful American team stood between them and the ultimate prize. The Canadian men faced strong opponents, too, but prospects were good for the all-star team assembled by the great Wayne Gretzky. And this time, both teams had a secret weapon. So secret, in fact, they didn’t even know it existed. At first.Like all good secrets this one was too good not to pass along. Under the surface at centre ice, Trent Evans had hidden a Canadian loonie. The expert ice maker had been invited down from Edmonton to help install the ice for the Games, and this was his little good-luck charm for our Olympic hockey teams. Perhaps, he figured, the guys could use some “home ice” advantage.A Loonie for Luck is the true story of that loonie and the magic it wove at Salt Lake City. It follows Wayne Gretzky, Trent Evans, and the men’s and women’s teams through their time at the Games. And it pays tribute to the role of superstition and chance in hockey – a part of the sport not always acknowledged, but one that brings real magic to the game.With the close co-operation of Wayne Gretzky and Trent Evans, Roy MacGregor tells the inside story of how the coin came to be in Trent Evans’ pocket and then buried under centre ice. He tells how, throughout the Games, the loonie was in danger of being uncovered as the secret began to spread, and how, as the tournament progressed, with the players in need of every break they could get, the good luck miraculously held.This true story, brilliantly illustrated by Bill Slavin, is full of suspense, humour, and charm. It will delight every Canadian who felt a surge of pride for our athletes at Salt Lake City.

A history of France from the Roman conquest of Gaul to the Franco-Prussian War in the late 19th century. The stories of Vercingetorix, Clovis, Roland, Charlemagne, Rollo the Viking, St. Louis, Bertrand du Guesclin, Joan of Arc, Charles the Bold, Bayard, Henry Navarre, Louis XIV, and Napoleon Bonaparte are retold in beautiful detail. Richly illustrated to enhance the reading experience. Contents include:The DruidsThe Patriot VercingetorixKing AttilaThe First King of FranceThe Three Little PrincesThe Sluggard KingsThe Death of St. BonifaceRoland Winds His HornLouis the Good-NaturedThe VikingsThe Vikings Besiege ParisRollo's PrideKing Robert and the PopeThe Truce of GodPeter the HermitThe OriflammeThe Second CrusadeArthur, Prince of Normandy, DisappearsThe Battle of BouvinesThe Vow of St. LouisSt. Louis is Taken PrisonerThe Sicilian VespersThe Battle of the SpursPope Boniface Taken PrisonerThe Salic LawThe Battle of SluysThe Battle of CrecyThe Siege of CalaisThe Battle of PoitiersThe Rebellion of JacquesSir Bertrand du GuesclinThe Battle of RoosebekThe Mad KingThe Two Lily PrincesThe Battle of AgincourtThe Baby-King of FranceThe Siege of OrleansJoan Sees the DauphinJoan Relieves OrleansJoan Leads the Dauphin to RheimsThe Death of the MaidThe League of the Common WealLouis XI Visits Charles the BoldThe Death of Charles the BoldMadame la GrandeBayard is Taken PrisonerBayard Holds the Bridge AloneThe Field of the Cloth of GoldThe Death of BayardThe ReformersThe "Gabelle" or Salt TaxThe Siege of St. QuentinThe Prince of Condé Taken PrisonerThe Prince of Condé KilledAdmiral Coligny Goes to ParisSt. Bartholomew's DayHenry of Navarre Escapes from ParisThe King of ParisThe Prince of BéarnRavaillac Stabs the KingThe Italian FavouriteThe Siege of La RochelleThe Day of DupesThe Wars of the FrondeThe Diligent KingLouis XIV. Persecutes the HuguenotsThe Bread of the PeasantsThe Taking of QuebecMarie AntoinetteThe Taking of the BastilleThe Fishwives at VersaillesThe Flight of the Royal FamilyLouis XVI. is ExecutedMarie Antoinette is ExecutedNapoleon BonaparteThe Bridge of LodiThe Battle of the PyramidsThe Great St. Bernard Pass"The Sun of Austerlitz"The Berlin DecreeThe Retreat from MoscowNapoleon is Banished to ElbaThe Battle of WaterlooThe Revolution of JulyThe Brave ArchbishopThe Siege of Sebastopol"The Man of Sedan"

It was Sarah who spotted the first body… The Screech Owls’ journey to Vancouver had begun as an innocent hockey road trip. They had come to play in the new “3-on-3” shinny tournament. But when the team headed out to sea to watch the first whales of the season return to the West Coast, the dream trip turned into a horrifying adventure.It was Travis who spotted the second one… Two bodies – one a dolphin, one a man – bobbing in the tide.And when Nish stared down at the floating, twisting body of the man and announced “We know him!” the Screech Owls also knew they were in the middle of a baffling mystery.Slowly, the truth begins to emerge: an international smuggling operation, a heroic dolphin, and a wildly brilliant plan. The Screech Owls are almost enjoying themselves, until they discover their own lives are in danger!The West Coast Murders is the twelfth book in the Screech Owls Series. Check out the Screech Owls’ website at www.screechowls.com

Praise for Hushed: “Absolutely enchanting! Witty dialog, effortless descriptions and extraordinary story-telling." - Kat Silver Reads Book Blog“This YA romantic action tale is a winner!” – Gail Schimmel (Author of The Park, The Accident)“Macgregor's writing is a perfect brew of humor, wit, and beauty. A character-driven story of pure fun that I enjoyed cover to cover, and I will definitely read again and again.” – Reviewer Ree“Incredible story telling! This fairy tale inspired book hooked me from the start and I could NOT put it down.” – DalM reviews She wants to leave home. He wants to be free of his past. But far from being the perfect escape, the glamorous world of movie-making is starting to look like a trapEighteen-year-old Romy Logan has just finished high school and is ready to take on the world, swim with dolphins and save the whales. Her parents have conventional ideas about what she should do with her future, but Romy wants more – more freedom, more adventure, more excitement!So when she saves her celebrity crush, Hollywood heartthrob Logan Rush, from drowning in the ocean, and is offered a job as his personal assistant on a movie-set, she snaps it up immediately.At first, Romy is as out of her element as a mermaid on dry land. But the new job is exhilarating and fun, and she discovers that Logan is smart, talented, thoughtful and even hotter in the flesh than in the kiss-covered life-size poster in Romy’s bedroom. Soon, romance blossoms between the obsessed fan-girl and the prince of Hollywood.But it’s not long before Romy realizes that the movie set is a world of illusions and broken promises where she’s expected to shut up and do as she’s told. Wondering if she’s traded her voice and dreams for a handful of tinsel stars, she even finds herself doubting whether Logan’s feelings for her are real.Then she discovers a terrible secret from his past that has the power to destroy his career. And when he makes a choice that hurts and angers her, Romy will need to choose between revenge and love.Hushed is a refreshingly realistic and contemporary spin on the classic tale of The Little Mermaid. Dive into this YA/NA novel today for simmering chemistry, feel-good romance and an unforgettable story that'll hook your head, heart and funny-bone! Great reading for fans of Kasie West, Jenny Han, Stephanie Perkins and Morgan Matson.

The Screech Owls have come to Salt Lake City for the Peewee Winter Games – with the championship game to be played on the same ice surface where the Canadian men and women won Olympic hockey gold! Nish has plans to run his own competition: the Gross-Out Olympics, featuring everything from taping players to dressing room walls with duct tape to the “Snot Shot” – seeing how far they can fire a jellybean using only their noses. He also has a team contest to see who can figure out the Great Nish Secret and guess what the nuttiest Screech Owl of all has buried at centre ice for good luck. But that secret pales once the Owls find out something strange – something terrifying – is going on in the tunnels deep beneath the magnificent hills surrounding the Olympic site.

It’s summer, and Rachel Highboy, Jesse’s hockey-playing cousin from James Bay, has come to Tamarack to join the Screech Owls on a week-long canoe trip into the wilds of Algonquin Park. At the same time, the rookie hero of this year’s Stanley Cup final is in a light plane that goes missing somewhere in the area. It is eerily like the story of Bill Barilko, the legendary Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman who disappeared when his plane crashed deep in the Ontario bush in 1951, just four months after he scored the Stanley-Cup-winning goal!When some of the team – including a terrified Nish – become separated from the others and find themselves lost in the deep woods, strange things begin to happen. A wolf comes each night to stand by the campfire. A mysterious stranger pays a visit. And a shocking discovery has Rachel and the Screech Owls wondering if they’ll make it out alive!