On December 6, 1917, two ships collided in Halifax Harbor in Nova Scotia, Canada. One ship was loaded top to bottom with munitions and the other held relief supplies, both intended for war-torn Europe. The resulting blast flattened two towns, Halifax and Dartmouth, and killed nearly 2,000 people. As if that wasn't devastating enough, a blizzard hit the next day, dumping more than a foot of snow on the area and paralyzing much-needed relief efforts.
Fascinating, edge-of-your-seat storytelling based on original source material conveys this harrowing account of tragedy and recovery.

This thoroughly-researched and documented book can be worked into multiple aspects of the common core curriculum.

The history of the Chinese community in Toronto is rich with stories drawn from over 150 years of life in Canada.

Sam Ching, a laundryman, is the first Chinese resident recorded in Toronto's city directory of 1878. A few years later, in 1881, there were 10 Chinese and no sign of a Chinatown. Today, with no less than seven Chinatowns and half a million people, Chinese Canadians have become the second-largest visible minority in the Greater Toronto Area.

Stories, photographs, newspaper reports, maps, and charts will bring to life the little-known and dark history of the Chinese community. Despite the early years of anti-Chinese laws, negative public opinion, and outright racism, the Chinese and their organizations have persevered to become an integral participant in all walks of life. The Chinese Community in Toronto shows how the Chinese make a significant contribution to the vibrant and diverse mosaic that makes Toronto one of the most multicultural cities in the world.

From 1906 to 1914, the Empress of Ireland, one of the fastest and most elegant liners of the Edwardian era, graced the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Remembered primarily for sinking in only 14 minutes in the St. Lawrence River and for having a greater loss of passenger life than the Titanic, the Empress's true legacy is the significant role it played in the building of Canada.

During the ship's many crossings between Canada and England, it ferried royalty, politicians, scientists, authors, actors, captains of industry, and military servicemen aboard its decks, but most important, it carried more than 115,000 hopeful immigrants who left Europe to build new lives on Canadian soil.

Into the Mist is the story of the Empress of Ireland, of the many people who walked its decks, and how, in the early morning of May 29, 1914, it came to rest on the bottom of the St. Lawrence River.

Embark on a voyage that sails from the British Isles to far-flung colonies and territories. Navigate through wars, treaties, and explorations that extended Britain's reach from Africa to the Americas, from Asia to Australia.

M. B. Synge's narrative makes the complex tapestry of the British Empire comprehensible and engaging, serving as an entry point into understanding one of the most influential empires in world history.

Embark on a voyage that sails from the British Isles to far-flung colonies and territories. Navigate through wars, treaties, and explorations that extended Britain's reach from Africa to the Americas, from Asia to Australia.

M. B. Synge's narrative makes the complex tapestry of the British Empire comprehensible and engaging, serving as an entry point into understanding one of the most influential empires in world history.