Lissa is the new kid in town. She is lonely and she blames her mother and her mother's new husband for her troubles. To make matters worse, she has to look after a boy who believes that his dead mother's spirit lives on in the red-tailed hawk that he secretly keeps captive. Ironically, the resulting adventure takes Lissa's mind off her own troubles and gets her a friend to boot!

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When Kyle finds a young dog almost drowned in a heap of seaweed on the beach, he claims the dog as his own and is happy for the first time in a while. He knows that his dog loves him, but whenever they walk on the beach, the dog swims out to sea and doesn't come back until Kyle calls and calls. Then one day, they run into an old man and it turns out that the dog may not belong to Kyle alone.

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"The Vancouver Island coast provides a picturesque setting...made doubly appealing by Amy Meissner's beautiful drawings."

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Unlike his perfect older sister, Jenna, Conner hates his piano lessons and gets bad grades in math. He's really good at bike tricks and he loves animals, but his parents have a no-pets rule and they don't take his bike-riding seriously. When the local animal shelter gets overcrowded, everybody in Conner's pet club agrees to take in a foster pet. Conner has to hide his rat, Oscar, from his family, who would never believe that Oscar is smart and cute and pretty lovable. Or would they?

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"The story is above average, the characters are well developed and the plot moves along at a good pace. Recommended."

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When an osprey nest atop an electrical pole catches fire, the whole town of Waterton loses power. Being a park warden’s daughter, Jenna (whom everyone calls Cricket) is there at the scene, where she finds three abandoned baby ospreys. Caring for the chicks proves to be challenging for Cricket. The birds are noisy, hungry and very picky eaters. But when she discovers that the power company is building a new anti-nesting device on the electrical pole, Cricket has an even bigger problem. How will she reunite the baby birds with their parents without a place for them to build a nest?

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"McDowell has done of fine job of telling an interesting and immediate story to children who are becoming interested in environmentalism and who can connect to events in this story...Charko's illustrations add increased meaning to the text as they give readers more access to what an osprey looks like, what the environment looks like, and especially what a power pole looks like to make the problem in this book make sense."

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"This story fits well within the Orca Echoes theme of social responsibility, and teaches readers about osprey and what can happen when wild animals and human infrastructure intersect. There is also information about the true story that informed the book, and further information about osprey. Interesting and engaging, with a happy ending."

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"An exciting tale for young animal lovers."

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"Children who are becoming interested in environmental and conservation issues will be drawn into Cricket’s conflict between wildlife and humans."

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"Would make a great tie-in to a class science study of environmentalism or wildlife habitats. For those practising reading skills it might be used as a read aloud to focus on inferring, predicting, problem solving and learning styles."

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Once again Callie is forced to take part in her mom's latest crusade. They head into ranch country to camp—bloodthirsty mosquitoes, stinky outhouses and all—at a protest to save a rural school. Callie's grandmother shows up with her biker buddies and the singing grannies. Callie hates camping and wants nothing to do with the protest. To make matters worse, Callie's only possible ally, her cousin Del, is mad at her. The last time Callie visited, she was thrown from Del's horse, Radish. Callie claimed the horse was vicious and now Del's parents are forcing her to sell Radish. Callie wants to help her cousin, but she's terrified of the horse. Del is just as tenacious as the rest of Callie's family, and Callie is forced to admit that she's not going to be allowed to go home until both the horse and the school are saved.

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"This book is an excellent one for teaching students not to let first impressions guide you when dealing with people."

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Nine-year-old Skye has always had a fascination with flying. She’d love to be a pilot someday, like both of her parents, but deep down she really wishes she could be a bird. When Skye’s parents take her to Costa Rica, she is thrilled about all of the beautiful exotic birds she’ll get to see. What she doesn’t realize is that her parents have three big surprises planned, and each will offer her a different opportunity to feel what it’s like to fly. From snorkeling with baby sea turtles to parasailing out on the open ocean to zip-lining through the Costa Rican rainforest, Skye will have more than one chance to fly like a bird before this trip of a lifetime is through.

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"[Offers] an age-appropriate plot and realistic characters while appealing to a wide audience of readers gaining confidence in independent reading. This particular story also includes aspects of character development. Skye’s parents are both airline pilots, touching on gender equality. Skye hopes that when she grows up she’ll have a different profession than her parents, reenforcing the idea of individuality...Skye’s love and experience of animals throughout the book will appeal to readers who enjoy an animal story, as well as readers who enjoy adventure."

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"An easy chapter book filled with adventure...Good for those students who have transitioned into chapter books or struggle with reading because of the short chapters. There are just enough b&w illustrations for those who need a visual."

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"Throughout all of the adventures in the book, the reader incidentally learns about the geography and exotic birds and wildlife of Costa Rica. And although the three birthday surprises may seem extravagant there is no sense of entitlement from Skye, instead only gratitude and sincere wishes for her parents to

also fulfill their deepest dreams."

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"The story moves along at a fast pace and manages to pack in a great deal of unobtrusive background detail about outdoor activities and rain forest flora and fauna. Full-page black-and-white line drawings align closely with the text and effectively convey Skye’s continuing delight and wonder. Emerging and newly independent readers will enjoy the unfolding story and appreciate the accessible vocabulary and logical sequencing. This should be equally popular with boys and girls, and it definitely deserves a spot in school and public library high/low collection."

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She lives in fear—of the two-legs, of the noisy, massive trains that scream in and out of the station, of cats and rats and dogs and the dark of the tunnels. She lives in the subway, where the hard shoes kick her ribs, where shrill voices beat her ears, where she subsists on the garbage of the humans. But the little cat walks alone.

   Until she meets Candlewax, a street kid exiled from the subway tunnels, and Katherine, a student photographer who loves her on sight. From these two she learns that trust can banish fear and love provides a home wherever you are.

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"A very unique perspective for young readers. Recommended."

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"More than just the story of an abandoned and tameless cat...Readers will gain insight to the plight of the homeless who must survive using their wits."

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"Capture[s] realistically...this desire to be accepted. Stylistically, this is a really interesting, compelling book."

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"A gripping, evocative story that is sure to resonate."

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"This is another excellent young adult novel from Orca Book Publishers."

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Hunter knows humans are dangerous to himself and the other cats of his colony. He avoids them, as all wild cats should. So when a neighborhood boy starts showing up in Hunter's junkyard to chase away dogs and bring the colony food, Hunter keeps his distance. But a new condo development puts the whole colony in danger, and Hunter soon realizes the only way to save his family is to put his trust in the boy.

The story of Catboy told through very different eyes.

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"Hunter is a good read, and it is obvious that Walters has a very intimate knowledge of his subject matter. He captures the tension between the different animals and humans quite well. Walters also touches on the impact of the human environment and human activities on the feral cat colonies...I would highly recommend Walters' Hunter to be included in a public or school library collection."

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"Structured in a way that allows the reader to learn along with the protagonist, Catboy touches on some important information regarding feral cat colonies...The author also intersperses messages about cultural diversity, gentrification and the question of morality vs. legality—all of which offer the possibility of further critical thinking and discussion...A page-turning and thought-provoking read."

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"This book should definitely be added to libraries with Catboy, and is recommended for fans of animal stories."

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"Fast-paced action will appeal to boys and girls."

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"An interesting experiment in collaborative creation and complementary storytelling."

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"A simple but lively adventure that would appeal to young readers."

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Flora ist überglücklich: Endlich hat sie in Goldwing eine echte Freundin gefunden! Gemeinsam kommen die beiden dem Geheimnis der mürrischen Frau Timmig auf die Spur. Sie versteckt ein Fuchsfindelkind in ihrem Schuppen - und das braucht dringend Hilfe! Kann das magische Duo den kleinen Fuchs retten?

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Ein neues geheimnisvolles Abenteuer für Flora und ihre Zaubereule Goldwing wartet! Das ist ja wie im Märchen! Flora stößt im Wald auf ein Häuschen, dessen Garten über und über mit Rosen überwuchert ist. Doch das Haus soll schon bald verkauft werden. Und nicht nur das: Von der Tochter des Besitzers erfährt Flora, dass ein weißes Pferd bislang im Stall des Hauses gelebt hat … und nun verschwunden ist. Gemeinsam mit ihrer Zaubereule Goldwing versucht Flora, das verängstigte Tier zu finden. Schaffen es die beiden, sich einen Weg durch das Rosendickicht zu bahnen und das Vertrauen des weißen Hengstes zu gewinnen? Eine spannende Geschichte von Bestsellerautorin Ina Brandt für alle Mädchen ab 8. Mehr Infos zur erfolgreichen Kinderbuchreihe unter www.eulenzauber-lesen.de. Die Reihe ist auf Antolin.de gelistet. Folgende Bücher sind von Ina Brandt im Arena Verlag erschienen: Eulenzauber. Ein goldenes Geheimnis (Band 1) Eulenzauber. Rettung für Silberpfote (Band 2) Eulenzauber. Eine wunderbare Freundschaft (Band 3) Eulenzauber. Magie im Glitzerwald (Band 4) Eulenzauber. Rätsel um die Goldfeder (Band 5) Eulenzauber. Hilfe für das kleine Fohlen (Band 6) Eulenzauber. Geheimnisvoller Edelstein (Band 7) Eulenzauber. Ein neuer Freund für Goldwing (Band 8) Eulenzauber. Der große Herzenswunsch (Band 9) Eulenzauber. Im Kreis der Goldflügel (Band 10) Eulenzauber. Der Ruf des Waldkauzes (Band 11) Eulenzauber. Die magische Botschaft (Band 12) Zaubereulen in Federland. Das Geheimnis von Athenaria (Band 1) Weitere Bände sind in Vorbereitung.

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