Books with author Kenneth Oppel

Before there were bats like Shade, Marina or even Goth, there was a young chiropter—a small arboreal glider—named Dusk. Unlike other chiropters, who can only glide down from their colony’s home in a giant sequoia tree, Dusk can actually fly, a skill that makes him an outcast. But when Carnassial, a felid, and one of the world’s first mammalian carnivores, leads a savage massacre of the chiropters, Dusk’s strange ability transforms him into the colony’s saviour.CBA Children’s Author of the Year (2006) and winner of the Governor General’s Award, Kenneth Oppel, takes readers back 65 million years to a time of upheaval, as the last saurians fall and mammals rise. A thrilling story of dangers and dark secrets, heroes and terrifying villains, backed up by natural history made all the more incredible by its reality, Darkwing is a blockbuster adventure.

From a Printz-Honor-winning author, an absorbing novel about a teen boy whose scientist parents take in a chimpanzee. All happy families are alike. Ben Tomlin's unhappy family is unhappy in a very different way. For thirteen years, Ben Tomlin was an only child. But all that changes when his mother brings home Zan--an eight-day-old chimpanzee. Ben's father, a renowned behavioral scientist, has uprooted the family to pursue his latest research project: a high-profile experiment to determine whether chimps can acquire advanced language skills. Ben's parents tell him to treat Zan like a little brother. Ben reluctantly agrees. At least now he's not the only one his father's going to scrutinize. It isn't long before Ben is Zan's favorite, and Ben starts to see Zan as more than just an experiment. His father disagrees. Soon Ben is forced to make a critical choice between what he is told to believe and what he knows to be true--between obeying his father or protecting his brother from an unimaginable fate.

"Mr. Cruse, how high would you like to fly?" A smile soared across my face. "As high as I possibly can." Pilot-in-training Matt Cruse and Kate de Vries, expert on high-altitude life-forms, are invited aboard the Starclimber, a vessel that literally climbs its way into the cosmos. Before they even set foot aboard the ship, catastrophe strikes: Kate announces she is engaged—and not to Matt. Despite this bombshell, Matt and Kate embark on their journey into space, but soon the ship is surrounded by strange and unsettling life-forms, and the crew is forced to combat devastating mechanical failure. For Matt, Kate, and the entire crew of the Starclimber, what began as an exciting race to the stars has now turned into a battle to save their lives. Award-winning and bestselling author Kenneth Oppel brings us back to a rich world of flight and fantasy in this breathtaking new sequel to Airborn and Skybreaker.

Victor Frankenstein leads a charmed life. He and his twin brother, Konrad, and their beautiful cousin Elizabeth take lessons at home and spend their spare time fencing and horseback riding. Along with their friend Henry, they have explored all the hidden passageways and secret rooms of the palatial Frankenstein chateau. Except one.The Dark Library contains ancient tomes written in strange languages, and filled with forbidden knowledge. Their father makes them promise never to visit the library again, but when Konrad becomes deathly ill, Victor knows he must find the book that contains the recipe for the legendary Elixir of Life.The elixir needs only three ingredients. But impossible odds, dangerous alchemy and a bitter love triangle threaten their quest at every turn.Victor knows he must not fail. But his success depends on how far he is willing to push the boundaries of nature, science and love―and how much he is willing to sacrifice.

Handsome new editions celebrate the 10th anniversary of the award-winning aerial adventure that started it all.Winner of the Governor General's Award, a Michael L. Printz Honor Book, and recipient of many other national and international honours, Airborn fired the imaginations of readers around the world when it was first published in 2004 and its popularity has never waned. Airborn was followed by the acclaimed sequels Skybreaker, winner of the Red Maple Award and the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award, and Starclimber, a Canadian Library Association Children's Book of the Year Award Honour Book. These stunning new editions with cover illustrations by Jim Tierney mark a new decade of soaring adventures for this trio of contemporary classics.

Firewing is hot! On the bestseller lists for months, Firewing’s Canadian sales are over 75,000 copies, and—like its predecessors, Silverwing and Sunwing—it has been nominated for a slew of awards. Just released in the US, Firewing is gathering accolades and great sales in equal measure. With the animated Silverwing series about to debut on Teletoon in the fall of 2003, this new mass market edition of Firewing is ready to soar!Listed in the top 5 books of 2002 by Quill & QuireNominated for the CLA Book of the Year for Children AwardA Red Maple Honour BookNominated for the Manitoba Young Readers’ Choice AwardNominated for the Hackmatack Children’s Choice Award