Books published by publisher Ronsdale Press

Fiction. Young Adult. In this compelling tale, two very different stories intersect with surprising results. There's the story of two African children, Kalu and his cousin, Aisha, who escape from their village after it's destroyed by rebel soldiers. The kids flee to the coast where they find work on a fishing boat bound for Britain. They think they're safe, until the nervous fisherman leaves them with little food or water on Last Chance Island off the coast of Ireland. Elsewhere, Spike, a Canadian teen, finds out that her father has died, and she is being sent to live with a distant relative, a woman who tends the lighthouse on Last Chance Island. Spike can't wait to escape and join a troupe of musicians she's met in Dublin. But one day, she discovers the two Africans in desperate need of help. Will she change her plans to try to save these children?

Twelve-year-old Jolene is determined to find independence from her brother, Michael, during a family trip to research the Halifax explosion of 1917 for her father’s Museum of Disasters. When her grandfather finds a time crease into the past, Jolene discovers a new friend and the importance of family and loyalty in a world torn apart by World War I. Once Michael joins them, however, the past suddenly becomes much more complicated. He inadvertently threatens Jolene’s friendship with a grieving family, and his careless comments spark speculation that they are spies. Together, the twins try to reconcile the honour and horrors of the Great War as they struggle with the knowledge that Halifax will soon be devastated by the collision in the harbour between the Mont Blanc, laden with explosives, and the Imo. When Michael attempts to change history, the twins are led to the brink of destruction. A compelling sequel to Shadows of Disaster.

John Wilson has created a compelling YA novel based on the folk hero, Albert &quot:Ginger&quot: Goodwin, also known as &quot:Red&quot: Goodwin from the colour of his hair and his radical social ideas. Goodwin was originally a miner from the north of England, who came to Canada and took up the cause of the working man during the Trail smelter strike and at the coal mines on Vancouver Island. His ideas were eventually considered so dangerous that a special constable was hired to hunt him down in the forest near Cumberland. Wilson tells the story of a young boy, Will Ryan, sent out from England after his father was killed in WW I, to live with his uncle, a mine manager, at Cumberland. Through a chance meeting in the forest with Red Goodwin, young Will has all his ideas turned upside down, especially when he sees first-hand how the miners are treated in the community and at the pit face. Soon Will finds himself caught between the demands of his uncle, his loyalty to the memory of his father, and the new vision of Goodwin who argues that the European war between Britain and Germany has parallels with the war between the mine owners and the mine workers. In an exciting story, filled with sudden turns and tragic events, young Will discovers that he must make a choice, a choice that will change his life forever."A masterful storyteller." —The Globe & Mail

Fiction. Young Adult. Asian & Asian American Studies. While rummaging through family boxes, Kami finds an old diary written by her great-grandmother. Reading the newspaper clippings inside, she's sent hurtling back in time to 1929, where she encounters extreme prejudice because of her Asian features. After a number of disturbing adventures, Kami is taken in as a domestic servant by Judge Emily Murphy, one of the "Famous Five," at the time of her battle to have women declared "persons"—a defining moment in the struggle for women's rights. Although Kami views Judge Murphy as a "heroine," she is startled to discover that Murphy holds racist views. On her return to the present, Kami must come to terms, not only with her own heritage, but how she views the ongoing struggle for the rights of all persons.

Young Adult Fiction. What thirteen year old boy wants to travel on a hopeless quest to India with his grandmother? Not Ben Leeson, whose anger about his father's recent death has led him to escape into the isolated world of computer games. India is the last place Ben ever thought of visiting and his grandmother is the last person he'd ever dreamed of travelling with, but the ticket is already bought and Ben finds himself in India on a search for Gran's long lost pen pal, Shanti. As they search for clues across the huge continent, Ben finds himself strangely compelled to follow the magnificent elephants and the elephant boy-god Ganesh. Ben begins to see that real life can be more exciting than any computer game and that the dark mysteries of India may help him to come to terms with his father's death.

Fiction. Young Adult. It's 1791. The year a new province is created in the country that will one day be called Canada. The year Hope Cobman's life turns around. At thirteen, she must leave the orphanage where she has lived since her mother's death one year ago. Alone in the world, she dreams of finding her father and three brothers – all complete strangers to her, for even before her birth the American Revolution had scattered her family. Forced into becoming an indentured servant, she s little more than a slave to a lonely man and his bitter, crippled mother. Finally set free, she sets off on her own. But instead of finding a father and a brother who will take care of her, she learns that it is up to her to help them recover from the wounds of war. Along the way, she discovers her own strength. For Hope, and for all the Loyalists of Upper Canada, a brighter future lies ahead.

In this dramatic young adult novel, Ian sets off in an open boat after an argument with his father, only to find himself swept out to the Pacific. Drifting and suffering from hypothermia, the young teen is visited by family ghosts who share stories of his ancestors and Canada’s pioneer past. Led by Emily, Ian’s great grandmother, a succession of long-dead ancestors and local characters appear on the boat telling him their stories—the stories of pioneer life on the Gulf Islands—bringing understanding of his family and inspiring Ian to persevere until dawn brings rescue.