Books published by publisher Puffin Canada

Robert Hoge has done pretty much every kind of writing there is. He has worked as a journalist, a speechwriter, a science writer, and a political advisor. He's also written numerous short stories, articles, and interviews that have been published in Australia and overseas. When he's not writing, Robert enjoys photography and talking with people about looking different and being disabled. He lives in Brisbane, Australia and is married and has two amazing daughters. Visit him at RobertHoge.com and follow him @RobertHoge.From the Hardcover edition.

A humorous coming-of-age middle-grade novel set in 1960s Florida. Battling obxious siblings, sunburns, and a corporate millionaire, Norman is determined to help an old comedian save his career.It's the winter of 1965. Norman Fishbein is enduring not only a cold winter but also the usual torments and annoyances from his two older brothers. When Norman wins a thousand dollars in the "Count-the-Doozy-Dots Contest" his parents let him choose how to spend it, strongly suggesting a new car is what the family needs. But Norman decides what his family really needs is their first vacation that doesn't mean camping in a tent--a trip to Miami Beach. A snowstorm almost wrecks their plans, but in the end Norman gets his first plane ride (with both brothers air-sick on either side of him). Miami strikes him as a paradise--warm weather, palm trees, beaches, and ocean. They stay in luxury at the Royal Palm Hotel, owned by the mysterious millionaire Herbert Spitzer. One day at the pool Norman spots an old man in a black suit, who his father tells him is a once-famous comedian named Mort Ziff. (Norman's father thought that Mort Ziff had died years ago.) Holding onto the remains of his career, Mort Ziff is performing every night in the hotel dining room. A chance meeting begins an unusual friendship between Norman and the old comedian. But after hearing that Mort Ziff has been fired, to be replaced by "The Centipedes," a pop group imitating the Beatles, Norman takes matters into his own hands, resolving to save Mort's job and in the process, coming to realize an innner strength he didn't know he had.

In this hilarious fractured fairy tale, everything seems to go wrong. Goldilocks lives with the seven dwarfs, a princess kisses a reluctant dragon, and she and her prince rescue the Wicked Witch of the West...until all mischief is sorted out and everyone lives happily ever after. Jean Little and Maggie de Vries' whimsical text and Phoebe Gilman's magical illustrations make this a magnificent feast for anyone who loves a good story — even when it's wrong!

The Incredible Journey meets Gordon Korman's On the Run. The adventure continues in Linwood Barclay's follow-up novel to Chase!Twelve-year-old Jeff and genetically engineered spy dog Chipper are on the run from the mysterious and sinister organization known only as The Institute, with help from Harry, the summer guest at Jeff's aunt's fishing cabins. Due to a combination of bravery, luck and some of Chipper's more useful modifications, they've managed to evade their pursuers so far. But The Institute is closing in and Chipper and Jeff will have to keep one step ahead if they want to stay alive. . . . Harry seems to have a plan to keep them hidden, but now even he seems to be acting suspiciously. Can Jeff and Chipper trust him? Danger, secrets and thrilling suspense collide in Linwood Barclay's action-packed series for children.

The Pole is Eric Walters’s powerful fictionalized retelling of Robert Peary’s 1909 expedition to the North Pole aboard The Roosevelt, as experienced by a young cabin boy named Danny, away from home and at sea for the very first time. This highly adventurous tale features Canadian hero Robert Bartlett, captain of The Roosevelt (featured in Walters’s mega-bestselling Trapped in Ice), and Matthew Henson, Peary’s assistant and the first African-American Arctic explorer.

Thomas and Denyse have a lot in common. They both love basketball and sugar on their popcorn, but they have one major difference: Thomas is white and Denyse is black. Some people start making racist remarks when they go out, and their parents warn them of the hardships ahead. They can't understand what the big deal is, but will the pressure of this relationship break them apart?

Your little arms and legs move just like you are a baby monkey climbing into the leafy branches of a tree. But you are not a monkey. Your nose twitches and your mouth moves as though you are a bunny sniffing the garden air. But you are not a bunny. Moving from animal to animal, leading to a wonderful surprise at the end, this charming story engages young readers with both the text and the adorable art. A wonderful gift for both young children and their parents, especially every new parent who can’t stop marveling at their baby.

A beautiful new picture book from an acclaimed author-illustrator team, showing the virtues of moving slowly in our modern world that's always hurryingHenry's mother and father and sister are always telling him to hurry up, and his best friend, Simon, never slows down. Henry doesn't like to be late. But he doesn't want to hurry, either. He likes to take his time and often sees things that his family miss in the rush. For Henry's birthday, Simon arranges for a special present that lets Henry take the time he needs -- with his whole family!

Now in paperback, a laugh-out-loud middle-grade novel featuring three friends whose acts of kindess go terribly awry.In the haze of a food-induced stupor, Zoey Dalton and her best friends Bean and Jenna make a pledge to begin performing random acts of kindness--anonymously. Their previous track record for altruism is pretty much a flat line, so anything they do to help others is bound to be an improvement.Or is it?What if the random acts of kindness are unwanted and misunderstood? What if, instead of spreading joy and good will, the trio's actions stir up trouble, wreak havoc and maybe even cause bodily harm?That, of course, would be a different story. This story, in fact.

JR (short for Jack Russell) is an embassy dog. His human, George, is a diplomat who has to travel for work. A lot. Now George is working at the Canadian Embassy in Moscow. And while he fancies himself an adventurous globetrotter, he doesn't see why JR needs any more excitement than hanging out at the park with the other embassy dogs. JR, however, has had quite enough of leashes and perfectly manicured parks—not to mention the boring embassy dogs. He decides to explore Moscow himself, and soon meets some wily Russian strays. JR is convinced that this is the life he’s been looking for. Amazing city smells! Mouthwatering stuffed potatoes! And best of all, the freedom to travel on the Moscow metro! Meanwhile, George has found himself a new girlfriend: the ravishingly beautiful Katerina, who JR suspects is too good to be true. And if that weren’t trouble enough, JR's new friends are starting to mysteriously disappear. When an embassy dog goes missing as well, JR knows he must use everything he’s learned about his new home to solve the mystery of Moscow’s missing dogs.

Days of peace turn to days of terror for a young boy caught in the tensions of revolutionary times. Set in 1917 and the years following, Days of Terror tells the story of ten-year-old Peter Neufeld and his family. Sickened by the horrors of anarchy, famine and the Russian revolution, the Neufelds decide to join the mass exodus of Mennonites to North America. But will they survive the journey?

Robbie's father is a Spitfire pilot who was shot down during World War II and is now a POW. At only seventeen, Robbie lies about his identity to enlist in the Royal Canadian Air Force under the guise of going to a boarding school so that his mother doesn't find out. He starts training in Brandon, Manitoba, but after acing all his classes, he's dealt a disappointing blow when he's assigned to be a navigator on a Lancaster. He wanted to be a pilot, just like his father, but the commanders of the air force have other ideas. Robbie is soon on his way to England, where he completes his training on missions bombing German targets in enemy territory. It is during one of these missions that his Lancaster is fired upon and the pilot and many of the crew are shot. It's up to Robbie and his limited piloting experience to save the crew...and himself.