Books published by publisher Lorimer

John Boileau and Dan Black tell the stories of some of the 30,000 underage youths -- some as young as fourteen -- who joined the Canadian Armed Forces in the Second World War. This is the companion volume to the authors'' popular 2013 book Old Enough to Fight about boy soldiers in the First World War. Like their predecessors a generation before, these boys managed to enlist despite their youth. Most went on to face action overseas in what would become the deadliest military conflict in human history.They enlisted for a myriad of personal reasons -- ranging from the appeal of earning regular pay after the unemployment and poverty of the Depression to the desire to avenge the death of a brother or father killed overseas. Canada's boy soldiers, sailors and airmen saw themselves contributing to the war effort in a visible, meaningful way, even when that meant taking on very adult risks and dangers of combat.Meticulously researched and extensively illustrated with photographs, personal documents and specially commissioned maps, Too Young to Die provides a touching and fascinating perspective on the Canadian experience in the Second World War.Among the individuals whose stories are told:Ken Ewing, at age sixteen taken prisoner at Hong Kong and then a teenager in a Japanese prisoner of war campRalph Frayne, so determined to fight that he enlisted in the army, navy and Merchant Navy all before the age of seventeenRobert Boulanger, at age eighteen the youngest Canadian to die on the Dieppe beaches

Joey Jeremiah wants to be a rock star—so much so that he couldn't care less about school. He's got his band, the Zit Remedy, and his buddies to hang out with, and everything seems great.So when Joey fails grade eight, he's in shock. Now everyone will think he's stupid. Even bandmates Wheels and Snake can't understand how he feels. But when Joey sees an ad for a Battle of the Bands, he gets an idea: he'll show he's not so dumb when the Zit Remedy wins and he's on the road to rock stardom!Based on the groundbreaking Degrassi Junior High television series, this book offers a sensitive and engaging look at the challenges of teenage life.

Denny's father is away for weeks at a time working the rust-streaked fishing trawlers far off the Nova Scotian coast. The work is hard and dangerous--they fish year-round, in fierce storms, in ice--and badly paid, and if a fisherman gets hurt, the company won't do anything to help. So when his dad starts fighting for a union to improve these terrible conditions, Denny thinks it's all for the best. Until he crosses kids whose parents reject the union, that is. Soon he's faced with street fights and violence that escalates until finally, someone cuts his father's boat adrift with him in it. As a storm rises and Denny struggles to keep the vessel afloat, he has to draw on all his strength just to stay alive. Set against the harsh background of the North Atlantic fisheries, The Baitchopper is the action-filled story of one young man's fight to make his community stronger.

Ed Warnicki used to play football in the park with his dad and dream of being a great receiver. Now, at fourteen, Ed secretly wishes he could play for his Calgary High Mustangs team. But he worries that he's too tall, too skinny and too insecure — the exact opposite of star quarterback Tyrone Jackson. Wanting to contribute to the school's football team in some way, Ed accepts the job of waterboy. Tyrone teases Ed about his build, his old bike and his obvious crush on Tyrone's girlfriend and school sports reporter Zara, and one day at practice throws a ball right at Ed's head. Ed's instincts kick in and he makes a decent catch! So when the team's top receiver gets injured, Ed joins the team as back-up receiver. Getting annoyed that Zara seems to prefer Ed's company to his own, Tyrone won't pass to Ed, and even calls a play he knows could get Ed hurt. But the big game against their rival team puts school pride and Ed's confidence on the line. Will Tyrone throw to Ed? Can Ed catch a crucial pass and make his dreams of being a football hero come true?

At the first-ever women's hockey world championships in 1990, Canada dressed its National Women's Team in pink. Offending many, the controversial decision nevertheless drew media and public attention to the series and subsequently registration in girls' hockey went up 40%. Lorna Schultz Nicholson offers an insider's look at the power behind the pink jerseys. [Fry Reading Level - 3.2

Her last year in Junior High and Stephanie is going to make it a big one. With her new image--glitzy rhinestones, sexy spandex and lots of lip gloss--Stephanie just knows success will be hers.And at first, she's right. After all, she's president of the student council, and has a date with Wheels--she must be doing something right. But when the date doesn't work out and students object to her "presidential style," Stephanie's life begins a downward spiral. Will Stephanie stop before she hits bottom?Based on the groundbreaking Degrassi Junior High television series, this book offers a sensitive and engaging look at the challenges of teenage life.

The first Chinese immigrants arrived in Canada in the mid-1800s searching for gold and a better life. They found jobs in forestry, mining, and other resource industries. But life in Canada was difficult and the immigrants had to face racism and cultural barriers. Thousands were recruited to work building the Canadian Pacific Railway. Once the railway was finished, Canadian governments and many Canadians wanted the Chinese to go away.The government took measures to stop immigration from China to Canada. Starting in 1885, the government imposed a Head Tax with the goal of stopping immigration from China. In 1923 a ban was imposed that lasted to 1947. Despite this hostility and racism, Chinese-Canadian citizens built lives for themselves and persisted in protesting official discrimination. In June 2006, Prime Minister Harper apologized to Chinese Canadians for the former racist policies of the Canadian government.Through historical photographs, documents, and first-person narratives from Chinese Canadians who experienced the Head Tax or who were children of Head Tax payers, this book offers a full account of the injustice of this period in Canadian history. It documents how this official racism was confronted and finally acknowledged.

ForewordAcknowledgementsChronologyMap1/ Just Another Dead Indian2/ Wounded Knee, 19733/ From Shubenacadie to Wounded Knee4/ The FBI's Secret War on Dissent5/ From Battlefield to Courtroom6/ Douglass Durham, Agent Provocateur7/ The Making of a Warrior8/ Fugitives9/ The Persecution and Execution of Anna Mae Aquash10/ Quiet Canadians, Quiet DiplomacyAfterwordAfterword to the Second EditionSources

Combining graphic fiction and non-fiction, this young adult graphic novel serves as a window into one of the unique dangers of being an Indigenous teen in Canada today.The text of the book is derived from excerpts of a letter written to the Winnipeg Chief of Police by fourteen-year-old Brianna Jonnie — a letter that went viral and was also the basis of a documentary film. In her letter, Jonnie calls out the authorities for neglecting to immediately investigate missing Indigenous people and urges them to "not treat me as the Indigenous person I am proud to be," if she were to be reported missing.Indigenous artist Neal Shannacappo provides the artwork for the book. Through his illustrations he imagines a situation in which a young Indigenous woman does disappear, portraying the reaction of her community, her friends, the police and media.An author's note at the end of the book provides context for young readers about Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in Canada.

Jasbina "Jassie" Dhillon is at summer performance camp to address concerns of her parents and teachers over her struggles at school and her lack of close friends. To Jasbina's surprise, she quickly makes two new friends, Ams and Sydney. The problem is that the pair can't seem to stand each other, and Jassie realizes she's got romantic feelings for both of them.Just as Jassie is worried she may need to choose one over the other, Ams and Syd start to get along — but a little bit too well. It seems like Jassie may have missed her chance at both love and friendship, since Ams and Syd only seem to have eyes for each other. Jassie is upset until Ams and Syd tell Jassie they want to be with her too.The three spend their time at camp working out their relationship in the face of the misunderstandings, assumptions and envy of counsellors and fellow campers alike. As camp gets close to ending, Syd proposes that the three of them run away from camp together. Ams feels the only solution is for the three of them to just end their relationship. Jassie, heartbroken and hurt, realizes she needs to find the courage to convince her partners that their love can survive in the real world.

Adam loves hockey, and he's good at it. So when his family moves to Vancouver, he's sure he'll impress in the elite hockey league his father signs him up for. The only problem is that he'll have to wait three weeks to find out, and it's tougher than Adam thought to make friends in the big city. But then he meets Rodrigo, a soccer nut whose family is from Uruguay, and finds that his hockey skills can work on the soccer field as well as the rink. He learns to love the new sport, but his close-minded father disapproves.

Everyone likes Wheels at Degrassi—he plays in a rock band with his buddies Joey and Snake and thinks about being a musician full-time, like his birth father.But Wheels's life slams to a halt when his parents are killed in a car accident. He fights with his best friend, hangs around downtown with rough street kids, and gets into serious trouble with the law. Still his friends refuse to desert him, and Wheels learns he can count on the people around him when he really needs them.Based on the groundbreaking Degrassi Junior High television series, this book offers a sensitive and engaging look at the challenges of teenage life.