Books published by publisher Ronsdale Press

Ann Walsh has selected fourteen captivating stories written by accomplished authors from across Canada for this historical anthology. Each of the stories focuses on a "first-time" historical experience, with many of the stories featuring real historical people while others introduce fictional characters to depict the historical situations of earlier times. The volume also contains an appendix with substantial accounts of the historical context of each story. The contributors include Ann Walsh, Barbara Haworth-Attard, Beverley Brenna, Constance Horne, Margaret Thompson, Anne Metikosh, Carolyn Pogue, Margaret Florczak, Jean Rae Baxter, Catherine Goodwin, Victoria Miles, Susan Lee, Laura Morgan and Cathy Beveridge. A vibrant introduction to Canada’s history through the eyes of some of its youngest participants.

When Janna discovers a mysterious painting in her grandmother’s house, she finds herself transported back in time as a member of a Dutch immigrant family in Neerlandia (north of Edmonton). Janna must adjust to her new situation—living in poverty and working as a maid, yet with knowledge of what is to come. Tangled in Time offers a superb account of a young girl facing the challenges of growing up in two very different worlds and coming to understand the many bitter-sweet faces of love.

Pete’s Gold, a novel for readers ten and up, is a captivating book of adventure that will appeal in particular to boys. Armstrong takes the classic adventure story of the search for gold and updates it with the inclusion of a young boyÄôs contemporary problems. Pete has been sent to stay with his grandmother in the country for the summer because his parents are splitting up. At first, he thinks country life will be boring, but that is before he hears of a hidden stash of gold — gold that may allow his grandmother to keep the farm that is heavily mortgaged. Along the way, Pete makes new friends. He also finds himself being chased by a ghost, trapped in a cave with a skeleton, and lost on the far side of the lake, far from help. Through the stories told by his grandmother, and with the companionship of a wonderful dog, Pete begins to discover what really matters to him. Although he has always had a hard time talking to adults, by helping his grandmother, Pete discovers a new sense of maturity and self-confidence. In this adventurous but also sensitive story, Luanne Armstrong draws us into a world of discovery, fun, friendship and family.

Pete Rose holds more major league baseball records than any other player in history. His old-fashioned work ethic turned his great talent into legendary accomplishments. Rose is also a lifelong gambler. For the past 13 years, he has been banned from baseball & barred from his rightful place in the Hall of Fame -- accused of violating MLB s one taboo. Rule 21 states that no one associated with baseball shall ever gamble on the game. The punishment is a permanent barring from baseball & exclusion from the Hall of Fame. Rose has denied betting on the game that he loves. Here, Rose gives a vivid picture of his life in prison, his early life & baseball career. Also confronts his demons, tackling the ugly truths about his gambling & his behavior. Photos.

Eleven-year-old Trudy Paige enjoys her life in Mellor’s Camp. She has a loving family, a shaggy dog, friends, a swimming hole, a fishing stream, books to read, wild animals to lend a touch of danger, and a friend in Vancouver to visit. She especially enjoys school, until the government threatens to close the school because there are only nine children, and ten are legally required if the government is to fund the school. Unexpectedly, Shigi, a Japanese boy, becomes the tenth pupil. Trudy is delighted, but other people in the camp are not pleased and Trudy discovers a dark side to life. This historical novel for young adults offers a taste of logging camp life just at the time when railway logging was giving way to truck logging, and when children were still used to beat out the sparks from the locomotives. Horne offers an insightful account of racism in the pre-WWII period, but does so while giving both the Japanese-Canadian and Euro-Canadian points of view.

This historical time-travel novel, for children ten and up, is the third volume in Cathy Beveridge’s ongoing series on Canadian disasters. Once again we meet Jolene and her twin brother Michael, this time in an RV on the shores of the Great Lakes, where her father and grandfather are conducting research into the Great Storm of 1913. When Grandpa discovers a time crease that enables them to step back into 1913, Jolene embraces the opportunity but soon finds herself, along with her brother and a new friend, inadvertently on board ship in the midst of the Great Storm. With her brother injured, Jolene is forced to draw on all her resources to allow the threesome to survive. In the process, she discovers her inner strength and a new passion for life.

In this delightful collection of animal fables, Robin Skelton transports young readers back to quot;long long ago" an ancient and fabulous time. These humorous stories offer solutions to such difficult questions as "Why does the ostrich bury its head in the ground?" Long Long Ago takes children into a wonderful world of fantasy and yet—as always with Skelton—the tales have unexpected endings. Pamela Breeze Currie’s engaging pen-and-ink drawings capture the spirit of Skelton’s tales.

A young adult novel set in New France in 1670 that tells the story of Madeleine Hébert, who disguises herself as a boy to accompany her brother on the long and dangerous canoe trip to Michilimackinac in search of her father. On arriving in Quebec City, they learn that their father, with the Regiment de Carignan, is at Michilimackinac, and possibly ill. When her brother Philippe decides to go in search of their father, Madeleine refuses to stay behind. She cuts off her long hair and disguises herself as a boy. And then begins a series of adventures as the two children and their guide make the long canoe trip from Montreal up the Ottawa, over the height of land and down to Lake Huron and Michilimackinac. For a young girl it is an arduous trek, but Madeleine shows her high spirit and independence over the long days of paddling and the grueling portages. At a welcoming Huron village, Madeleine discovers something of the Native way of life and that the land is far from being a terra incognita to the original inhabitants. In writing this historical novel, Metikosh has done a superb job of recreating history as it might have been experienced by a young woman.

This YA novel tells how young Jeannie is taken from her home, placed with foster parents and is unable to discover the whereabouts of her ill mother. As a result, Jeannie withdraws into herself and can think only of running away. Gradually, however, her defenses are breached by two immensely large and wonderful workhorses and their perceptive and humorous owner. In turn, Jeannie learns about friendship, love and trust, and ultimately gains maturity and self-confidence.

When Jamie, a young Alberta boy, finds his grandfather’s diary of growing up in London during WW II, he learns about the Battle of Britain, discovers the story of Canadian flying ace Willie McKnight and helps restore a Hurricane fighter. In Hurricanes over London, Reid blends the daily lives of adolescents from two generations as Jamie relives his grandfather’s story and discovers for himself fascinating events in both English and Canadian history.

Tragic Links is award-winning author Cathy Beveridge’s fourth young adult novel focusing on Canadian disasters. This time Jolene and her family find themselves in Quebec where Jolene’s father is conducting research for his Museum of Disasters. When Jolene finds a time crease, she discovers Montreal in the 1920s. “Back there at the church,” Jolene said, “I was hiding. ” But Stephan, the handsome boy who lives next door to her Grandma Rose in Montreal, knows otherwise. And so Jolene divulges their family secret — the ability to time travel through time creases. After a narrow escape in Montreal in 1927, Jolene travels to Quebec City with her family and Stephan. When Stephan disappears, Jolene, Michael and Grandpa go back to 1907 and watch horrified as the Quebec Bridge collapses. With a new understanding of family and friends, Jolene returns to Montreal where she completes her family tree, learning in the process how tragically linked to the past she really is.