Books published by publisher Coteau Books

17-year-old Rayanne Timko is only a few months into her senior year of high school, and her biggest concern should be deciding on a university and career path. But while her classmates are filled with anticipation, nothing in her life seems to going smoothly, and Rayanne finds herself struggling to overcome anorexia. She has a new friend: Edie - the seductive and demanding presence in her head who insists she be as skinny as possible. With Edie around, Rayanne is blind to nearly everyone else in her life. But what happens when Ray begins to suspect she may be losing more than weight? Will she be able to save her family - and herself - before it’s too late?Filled with complex relationships and realistic young adult tribulations, Small Displays of Chaos follows Rayanne as she struggles with the astonishingly common yet stigmatized disorder of anorexia nervosa. Throughout her story she fights to discover who she is despite her illness, and learns that by loving herself, she is better able to love those around her.

Andrei and his family leave Ukraine for a homestead near Batoche, Saskatchewan, in the spring of 1900. Andrei's grandfather brings with them an ancient Scythian bowl an old hermit gave him - a strange, glowing bowl which may have magical power.Andrei has never worked so hard, helping to build a home, breaking land, learning to hunt with two Metis friends, Gabriel and Chi Pete. They tell him about Snow Walker, a man of unusual powers and wisdom - a man some say can change into a bear. Sometimes, in the woods, Andrei thinks he sees a figure moving through the trees.Near Christmas, Andrei is caught in a swirling blizzard while trying to use the strange bowl's magic to help his family. When he falls through river ice, he sees that not only can't the magic bowl save him, he must let it go to have a chance. Suddenly, someone strong pulls him from the river. In a cabin in the woods, Andrei at last meets Snow Walker and learns that this land has its own wisdom and power.

After the death of her parents, well-bred young city girl Kathryn must travel across country to live with her Aunt Belle. Arriving at her destination in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, Kathryn is horrified to learn her new home is a group of shacks called River Falls, a Métis community. Kathryn has never known about her true heritage, a mix of Native-American and Euro-Canadian. She is even more shocked to discover theirs is not even a permanent home. Barred from owning land, the Métis must find a way to live in the road allowances, or ditches―the strips of government land between public highways and the private properties of recognized citizens. Excitement comes in the form of a mysterious stranger known as the Highwayman, a shadowy Robin Hood figure who rights wrongs against his people in his own way. When he is framed for a crime he did not commit, and Aunt Belle becomes involved, Kathryn must use all her resources to prove their innocence―and challenge the deep-seated prejudices of an entire community. Outcasts of River Falls is a next-generation sequel to the award-winning Belle of Batoche.

Can Brovko’s family really be leaving him behind as they go to make a new life in Canada? 12-year-old Andrei is furious and upset at having to leave his wonderful companion behind – and Brovko isn’t happy either. He tries to make the best of life with anew family, but it soon becomes clear what he has to do: find a way to get to Canada himself and be reunited with his true owner. With a little help from a mysterious hermit, Brovko embarks on his adventurous mission and sets out to find Andrei. Along the way he rides on trains, becomes a guide dog for a kobzar, learns the ways of the big city and escapes a dog-catcher, herds bulls, and performs a daring rescue at sea. Once in Canada, Brovko must begin a long and perilous trek on foot, following his nose. When he runs into serious danger, the hermit’s magic isn’t enough to save him – but help comes from another, unexpected direction. What an adventure Brovko will have to share with Andrei…if only he can find him again! The traditions of Ukraine are woven into a story of incredible escapades and true grit, wrapping young readers in the magic of Brovko’s Amazing Journey.

Ariana’s life is already pretty difficult when she starts to hear the singing – her mother suddenly disappeared, she’s trying to get used to living with her aunt after bouncing around a series of foster homes, and she’s taking a lot of grief from the clique of “in” girls at school. But she’s also dealing with these sudden premonitions about the future, things seem to get weird whenever she touches water, and now someone, somewhere is singing to her. Soon, she’s met the famed Lady of the Lake – who turns out to be an ancestor – UNDER Wascana Lake, has acquired a nerdy sidekick, and is sent on a dangerous mission that pits her against otherworldly forces. Can she figure out what it all means, much less survive the challange?

Having saved the first Shard of the sword Excalibur from internet mogul Rex Major (aka Merlin), Ariane and Wally are on the lookout for the second. Wally’s worried that the power of the first Shard is already changing Ariane, giving her the strength to do both good and evil…and when she seriously hurts his bullying sister Flish, it seems he might be right.

Teen violence, bullying and the burning quest to fit in are presented in the poems of four unforgettable high school students: Natalie, Kyle, Tricia, Miguel. Their stories unfold in this explosive new book told in free verse. A story of teen angst like no other, it is based on fictional characters but is rooted in the realities of the teen experience. When Natalie moves to a new high school she befriends three unwitting victims into her spider-web of manipulations, lies and deceit. Through the poetry and assignments of an English class we glimpse the world of the four teens. Natalie, whose alcoholic parents, years of neglect and ultimate rape by her father's friend has shaped her into a cruel and manipulative teen; Tricia, dealing with her blended family, is drawn into Natalies' forbidden world of partying and rebellion; Kyle, a would-be musician is in love with Tricia and Miguel who lusts for Natalie while hiding the secrets of his family. The story weaves us through their poetry, their lives and culminates at a party where the four lives fishtail out of control. English class will never be the same.

Now a formidable Sorceress, Eliza Tok at sixteen is a world away from the unknowing child she once was. But unlike the previous Shang Sorceresses, Eliza will always act out of love, for those she loves, above all else. Above even the greater good of the worlds Tian Di and Tian Xia? The Mancers, and her enemy the Xia Sorceress, think so. And Eliza, when she unhesitatingly uses her tremendous abilities to save her best friend Charlie from a terrible attack, is inclined to agree. As Eliza, Charlie, Nell and the ever-loyal Mancer teacher Foss embark on a quest to protect Charlie’s life from an unrelenting enemy, Eliza is brought to the very edge of what she can withstand, both as a Sorceress and as a human girl. Forced to trust her enemies, face up to devastating truths and gather the greatest and most ancient power her world has ever known, she must confront and question her most profoundly held beliefs. Is Eliza powerful enough to shape her destiny, or will she let it shape her?

Dorothy and her family are settling into life on the prairies after a treacherous journey to their homestead. But now winter is approaching, and her dad has gone to work elsewhere, leaving the family to fend for themselves. The Boltons soon discover how brutal and harsh prairie winters can be. With the men away, Dorothy, her mam and her sister, Lydia, attempt to survive, but no matter what they do, their sod house continues to get colder and colder, and they become desperate for warmth. They must find a way to save themselves, but how?

After traveling thousands of miles, Dorothy Bolton is still getting used to her new home in Canada, and on the prairies no less. The Barr Colonists who arrived with Dorothy and her family are getting restless. Fire and flood consume homes and resources, and many promises made to them before leaving England have proven false. But Dorothy’s father has always dreamed of having his own farm. So, with the help of Dorothy, her family and a community that comes together despite their different backgrounds, the Boltons set out to create a life for themselves on the vast prairie landscape.

Seeking to recover the shards of King Arthur’s sword Excalibur before Rex Major (the ancient sorcerer Merlin in a modern-day guise), Ariane and Wally have traveled around the world, and their quest is not yet over.Ariane’s magical powers as heir to the Lady of the Lake, combined with Wally’s clever thinking, have enabled them to hang on to two of the three shards they’ve located so far – but Rex Major still has one shard of his own, and will stop at nothing to claim all the pieces for himself, and use its power to rule Earth and invade the magical realm of Faerie. And now Major has his eyes on a big prize: Ariane’s mother, who went missing after she refused the power of the Lady of the Lake.Thanks to Wally, Ariane knows her mother is alive – and that Rex Major is trying to find her. If he succeeds, Ariane fears she’ll have no choice but to surrender the two shards she and Wally possess, because she’ll do anything – and give up everything – to have her mother back with her again.In Cave Beneath the Sea, Ariane and Wally race to the Caribbean as they try to find Ariane’s mother and the fourth shard of Excalibur before Major. As they struggle to stop Major, Ariane and Wally face desperate danger…and must make the most difficult decisions of their lives.

In the third instalment of this modern take on Arthurian legends, Ariane – descendant of none other than the Lady of the Lake herself – is on the run and on her own. Using her powers to keep avoiding Rex Major’s agents makes her too weak to detect the next Shard of the broken sword she must reunite. And her erstwhile best friend and sidekick Wally has switched allegiance and is living a pampered life at Rex Major’s right hand.Perhaps worst of all, the powerful Rex (aka Merlin) has the biggest network in the world, and has used it to find Ariane’s Aunt Phyllis –her mother’s sister, and the person she’s closest to. With her aunt under threat, Ariane has no choice but to walk straight into Rex Major’s trap. No longer using her powers to stay ahead of his spies, she can sense the third Shard. Now all she has to do is win back Wally’s friendship, protect her aunt’s life, figure out Major’s next move – oh, and get to New Zealand and safely back with the Shard whose song is beginning to call her…