★ The writing is fluid and easy to read, perfect for the middle school set...Polak's text explores memory from numerous angles and adapts its tone accordingly, from humorous to respectful and solemn when needed. The real-life examples are fascinating, and readers will come away with in-depth knowledge on the mind...A must-have title for libraries. -- School Library Journal

Uncover the science of memory and how important it is to our daily lives.

We all make memories, and memories make us who we are. Remember This explores the science of memory, how and why we remember what we do and what happens when we start forgetting. From working memory to flashbulb memory, young readers are introduced to the field of neuroscience. It also looks at the role memory plays in our daily lives and collective history, and how major global events get imprinted in our minds.

You will also find out how memory can work for you. Have you ever met Roy G. Biv? (He helps you remember the colors of the spectrum.) How come you can't forget the word supercalifragilisticexpialidocious? (Because it's set to music.) Why don't elephants ever forget? (They've got a great sense of smell.) Discover more tips and tricks to train your brain to remember. Young or old, let's start making memories.

The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

Ever since he was small, Franklin has been soothed by fire.

Staring into the flames helps Franklin forget his problems. And right now, he's got a lot to forget. Franklin's mother has left the family home to be with her hairdresser boyfriend. Franklin's father, the mayor of Montreal West, is too busy worrying about his public image to do anything about the family. As a rash of local fires competes with upcoming elections for media attention, Franklin's father has to work hard to keep the public happy. And Franklin has to reconsider his romance with fire.

This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for middle-grade readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don't like to read! The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

Science is for everyone, right?

Unfortunately, that's not always true. Discovery, research and innovation are often top secret, and big businesses charge high prices for that information. The field of open science is trying to change that. It's all about sharing knowledge. Teams of scientists around the world are working together to improve and speed up scientific research and share their results so that everyone benefits.

Open Science: Knowledge for Everyone examines the history of scientific research and how ideas and information are shared and why. It also looks at innovations made using open science, such as treatments for diseases and vaccines to protect against viruses like COVID-19, discoveries that were only possible thanks to the sharing of information. Discover how regular people, including kids, can be citizen scientists and what we all can do to share science and make the world a better place.

The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

Pete's pranks have gotten him in plenty of trouble, but they might be the only way to bring justice to a seaside town.

Pete likes to play pranks. It doesn't matter what it is as long as it gets a laugh. When he impersonates his vice-principal on a radio call-in show, he goes too far and is suspended from school. Pete's parents send him to spend the summer working with his uncle, a whale-watching guide in a tourist town far from the city. When a whale is injured by a reckless tour guide, Pete struggles to save the animal. Then Pete has to pull the most important prank of his life to bring the guide to justice.

This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for teen readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don't like to read! The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

I bet you've been asked that question before. But have you ever thought about why humans work? There are almost 3.5 billion people working in the world today, and that number is growing. In Why Do We Work? author Monique Polak investigates the past, present and future of jobs, including how work has also been shaped by discrimination, privilege and child labor. Meet a variety of working professionals and explore why we have careers, vocations and professions. How is the way we work changing, and what will it look like in the future?

During Passover, Jews are reminded of how, more than three thousand years ago, their ancestors emerged from slavery to become free men and women.

Bestselling author Monique Polak explores her own Jewish roots as she tells the Passover story, which reminds us that the freedom to be who we are and practice our religion, whatever it may be, is a great gift. It also teaches us that if we summon our courage and look out for each other, we can endure and overcome the most challenging circumstances. Enlivened by personal stories, Passover reminds us that we can all endure and overcome the most challenging circumstances.

Passover is the first in the Orca Origins series that examines ancient traditions kept alive in the modern world.

Antisemitic hate groups have been persecuting Jews for a very long time. The most famous historical instance of anti-semitism was the Holocaust. Antisemitism is on the rise in the world. It's more important than ever to understand what it is and how you can stand up against it.

Level 3 readers are aimed at children who are reading by themselves and can grasp new concepts. Key words and captions help readers understand new vocabulary and more challenging sentence structure.

This project has been made possible in part by the Government of Canada.

A middle-grade novel thoughtfully explores the realities of parents' divorce

Twelve-year-old Justine's parents are recently divorced. She and her little sister, Bea, go back and forth between their parents' homes in Montreal. Their mother, whose anxiety manifests as the need to control, believes that their father and beloved half-sister are a bad influence on Justine and Bea. So, she enlists Justine in collecting evidence that would lead to getting sole custody.

Justine accepts her mother's view of her father at first and begins writing detailed notes about his behavior: He doesn't stick to Bea's strict bedtime. He's late dropping them off at school. He makes sandwiches with white bread. But when Justine crafts an outright lie for her mother's court case, she starts to question her mother's behavior, and her own.

This thoughtful, supportive look at parental alienation and its impact on children tenderly balances this difficult topic with moments of joy, love, and connection. Throughout the book, Justine's clever, unique voice guides readers as she navigates complicated family dynamics and summons the courage to tell the truth, no matter the consequences.

It is 1945, and thirteen-year-old Gwen has been a prisoner at the Weihsien Internment Camp in northern China for nearly two and a half years.

Gwen is one of 140 children who were enrolled at a boarding school in Chefoo when the Japanese Imperial Army invaded China. Life in the camp is difficult. There is not enough food or water, and even the children are forced to do hard labor. But Miss E., one of their teachers from Chefoo, has come up with an unusual scheme: she will follow the Girl Guide Code, treating Gwen and her friends as if they are part of a Girl Guide troop. Girl Guides promise not only to stay positive in the most challenging situations but also to do good turns, meaning they must be kind to others without any expectation of reward. Gwendolyn hopes that when she grows up, she will be as courageous and optimistic as Miss E.

But then Gwen learns that Miss E. is not as full of answers as she seems, and she realizes that in order to protect a friend, she will have to do something that could never be considered a good turn.

★ Heartbreaking. An important addition to the Holocaust curriculum.--Booklist, starred review

A pampered child used to having her own way, Anneke Van Raalte lives outside Amsterdam, where her father is a cartoonist for an Amsterdam newspaper. Though Anneke's family is Jewish, her religion means little to her. Anneke's life changes in 1942 when the Nazis invade Holland and she and her family are deported to Theresienstadt, a concentration camp in Czechoslovakia. Not only are conditions in the camp appalling, but the camp is the site of an elaborate hoax: the Nazis are determined to convince the world that Theresienstadt is an idyllic place and that European Jews are thriving under the Nazi regime. Because he is an artist, Anneke's father is compelled to help in the propaganda campaign, and Anneke finds herself torn between her loyalty to her family and her sense of what is right. What World is Left was inspired by the experiences of the author's mother, who was imprisoned in Theresienstadt during World War II.

The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

Justin is fascinated with the aged guard dog at the corner store.

Justin names it Smokey and sneaks the dog treats. Smokey belongs to a company that supplies working dogs to local businesses. Justin is thrilled to get a job working for Smokey's company, until he learns about the mistreatment of the animals. When Justin can't shake his suspicion that someone in the company is involved in a rash of thefts, he tries to quit. But Justin knows too much, and his boss won't let him go.

This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for middle-grade readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don't like to read!

Antisemitic hate groups have been persecuting Jews for a very long time. The most famous historical instance of anti-semitism was the Holocaust. Antisemitism is on the rise in the world. It's more important than ever to understand what it is and how you can stand up against it.

Level 3 readers are aimed at children who are reading by themselves and can grasp new concepts. Key words and captions help readers understand new vocabulary and more challenging sentence structure.

This project has been made possible in part by the Government of Canada.

Daniel Abel is surprised when, instead of being punished for pantsing another eighth-grader, he is invited to become an ambassador of Mountview High at the school's upcoming open house.

What Daniel doesn't realize is that he is part of a social experiment on bullying being conducted by the local university. He is a little nervous to learn he will be working with Jeff Kover, a tenth-grader with a reputation for being the biggest bully in the school. Daniel has never thought of himself as a bully. He just likes kidding around. But hanging out with Jeff will change Daniel's perspective on bullying and force him to examine his own behavior.

This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for middle-grade readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don't like to read! The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

Fifteen-year-old Tim loves his job at his dad's pet store, partly because he gets to spend time with his best friend, a black cockatoo named Elmo.

But things at work have been tense since the store moved to a larger, more expensive location. To make extra money his father rents out the store's exotic birds for parties and Tim is furious at this exploitation of his friend. When Elmo is stolen from one of the parties, the police are unconcerned about the theft. Tim and his new human friend, Sapna, set out to find Elmo and discover that Elmo is more valuable than they'd ever imagined.

This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for middle-grade readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don't like to read!

What is feminism? Why does it still matter? What exactly does intersectionality mean?

In order to answer these (and many other) questions, I Am a Feminist first examines the history of feminism and then addresses the issues girls and women continue to face today. The book also looks at the ways in which people, especially young people, are working together to create a world where gender equality is a reality, not a dream. The author shares stories about the courageous individuals who have made a difference in the lives of women and girls worldwide. From suffragists to the #MeToo movement, I Am a Feminist encourages readers to stand up and speak out for equality and justice.

Our favorite pretend princess, Angelica, aka Jelly, is back!

A case of mistaken identity, a wild imagination and a love of storytelling leads Jelly to tell her friend Joon and the new kid she's just met, Leo, that she's a part-time lion trainer at the local animal rescue center. Her inventiveness has them completely convinced, but things get a bit more complicated when the resident lioness, Mwezi, escapes from her enclosure and the kids look to Jelly's expertise to save the day.

The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

Angelica just can't help herself!

In this third book in the series, Angelica, aka Jelly, is confused for a junior reporter and decides to make the most of her mistaken identity to learn what it's like to be a real journalist. Jelly and her bestie, Joon, are soon busy with problems at the new library, trouble in the lap lane at the local pool and a predicament in a rare-book room. With her keen observational abilities and a knack for creative solutions, Jelly soon has more than enough material for an article. But will she be able to keep up the ruse when a new friend starts nosing around?

The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

Noah Thorpe is spending the school term in Kangiqsualujjuaq, in Quebec's Far North, where his dad is an English teacher in the Inuit community.

Noah's not too keen about living in the middle of nowhere, but getting away from Montréal has one big advantage: he gets a break from the bully at his old school. But Noah learns that problems have a way of following you--no matter how far you travel. To the Inuit kids, Noah is a qallunaaq--a southerner, someone ignorant of the customs of the North. Noah thinks the Inuit have a strange way of looking at the world, plus they eat raw meat and seal blubber. Most have never left the George River area--and it doesn't even have its own doctor, let alone a McDonald's.

But Noah's views change when he goes winter camping and realizes he will have to learn a few lessons from his Inuit buddies if he wants to make it home.

Mandy dreams of a career in the circus, working as an aerialist who specializes in rope climbing.

When Mandy is accepted into the prestigious Montreal Circus College summer program, she feels that she is finally on her way to fulfilling her dreams. At circus camp she is befriended--and challenged--by young circus performers from around the world. Circus camp turns out to be a magical combination of work and play, but when a veteran aerialist is killed in a fall, Mandy must confront the reality of circus life.

This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for middle-grade readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don't like to read!